Huétor Fields, El Temple, Cortijo Ochíchar, Contraembalse de Bermejalis, Moraleda Crags and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

Out birding with Barbara and Derek Etherton and Keith Yates.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Ebird List for El Temple 1.

Ebird List for El Temple 2.

Ebird List for Cortijo Ochíchar.

Ebird List for Contraembalse de Bermejalis.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.

I met Barbara, Derek and Keith at Venta Riofrio where we had some breakfast before heading out to the Lucerne Fields at Huétor Tajar where were hoping for the ♂ Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), unfortunately it was a no show.

However, we did see a couple of ♂ Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which were both seen in flight and picked up by Barbara, Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) x2, Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), my first patch Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) of the year, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

We returned to the car and headed along the A92 and out on to the El Temple area, we couldn't get to many areas as the tracks were far too muddy after more rain, on the first fairly short drive into the area we had the first of a few Great Spotted Cuckoo's (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, European Serin and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra). 

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

We reached a point in the track which looked dodgy so we turned around and made our way around to the tarmac road through the site, as we drove along the road we picked up Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).

Immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Part of the way along the centre road we made a stop as we looked at a track we wanted to go up but decided not to take the car as we had been bogged there before, as we were getting our kit ready we picked up a raptor which turned out to be a very smart immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), whilst we were watching this bird we had a small amount of visible migration happening, as we stood there we had 4x Short-toed Snake Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), 1x Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Alpine (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus).

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina).

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina).

We walked up to a spot where we could see an area of fields where we were hoping to see Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) but they weren't behaving, however we did get views of Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), an adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina), Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum) and Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

Adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

Adult Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos).

We headed back down to the car and then took the next track which took us out to Ventas de Huélma, on the way added another Great Spotted Cuckoo, a very well-behaved Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), Common Linnet and loads of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

We reached Ventas de Huélma and went for a coffee in Restaurante Casa Luciano before heading towards Cacín through the new solar desert, we made a stop at Cortijo Ochíchar where we had another 5 migrating Short-toed Snake Eagles, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis) and Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops).

Continuing on again we made our way north up the valley to the Contraembalse de Bermejalis where we parked and scanned the dry lake, along the course of the Rio Cacín which was the only water there, here we recorded several new species for the day including Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis), as well as another immature Iberian Imperial Eagle, a Golden Eagle which was display flying, 6 more Western Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzard, Iberian Grey Shrike, European Stonechat and Corn Bunting.

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Looking south from the Contraembalse de Bermejalis.

The dry Contraembalse de Bermejalis.

We moved on again but just down to the Rio Cacín bridge and then walked along to the dam and back to the car, during this walk we picked up Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Further up the valley we stopped at two spots along the Crags at Moraleda but it was raining by this point, we added nothing new so we went to our last stop of the day at Balsa de Regidor.

Balsa de Regidor.

Around the pool we saw Mallard, Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

We returned to Huétor and they dropped me off at my car, after we said goodbye I headed off home, the others went to the Asparagus factory and then off home.