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Sunday, 8 March 2026

Contraembalse de Bermejalis and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning birding in the Cacín Valley.
Ebird List for the Contraembalse de Bermejalis.
Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.
 
Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).
I started with a drive down the Cacín Valley to the Contraembalse de Bermejalis where I parked just a bit further down the reed bed than usual and then walked from there up the Valley, on the way I picked up a calling Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), my first for the year.
Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).
Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).
Other species included 
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), an immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), a displaying Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Small White (Pieris rapae), Moricandia moricandioidesMallow-leaved Storksbill (Erodium malacoides), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis) and Nonea vesicaria.
Moricandia moricandioides.
Moricandia moricandioides.
Mallow-leaved Storksbill (Erodium malacoides).
As I continued on I added Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros)Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius)Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).
I reached the bridge over the Cacín and then walked along the track to the fence near the Dam, on the way I found Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
I walked back around to the car seeing my first Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) but didn't see anything else new until I was packing away my kit when I heard a couple of Raptors calling high above me, I got the bins on them and found 2x immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) disputing the airspace, after a while they split and one went East and the other to the West.
Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).
Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).
Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).
After the eagles headed off so did I, my next stop was at Balsa de Regidor where I added Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).
At this point the rain returned so I headed off home and chilled before getting a few jobs done. 

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