El Temple, the Cacín Valley and Balsa del Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

A cracking day birding with Jacqui and Ray, followed by a walk down the fields later with Paqui.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for GR-3310, Ventas de Huelma.

Ebird List for Rio Cacín, Cacín.

Ebird List for Contraembalse de los Bermejales.

Ebird List for GR-4304, Moraleda.

Ebird List for Balsa del Regidor.

Ebird List for the Fields.

Jacqui and Ray happy with their scope views of the Little Bustard.

I met Jacqui and Ray and we were soon out on the tracks around the El Temple area, as we headed into the site we started the list with Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus). 

Ray's No1 target species was Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) so we headed straight to a spot where I had seen several a few days earlier, almost instantly we could hear the Raspberry like call and a few seconds later we were watching a nice ♂ which was displaying, brilliant start to the day.

In the same area we picked up a couple of Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula),  Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica) ♂, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We turned out on to the cross track and parked again, here we saw Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which was mobbing a distant immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x2, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x18+ and lots of Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

We dropped to the road through the site and then back onto another of the tracks where we saw another Little Bustard, some more Eurasian Stone Curlew, a single Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), Cloven Petalled Campion (Silene colorata), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis) and Serrate Spurge (Euphorbia serrata). 

On the other side of the main road we made a stop at a highpoint which gave us good views out over a good area of the fields, as we stood there we heard some passing Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), they were quite high but eventually Jacquic got us onto them and we confirmed the Id and could see there were 6 birds, we also saw Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis). 

We continued on along the tracks to the Solar Panels and turned out towards Ventas de Huélma, on our way to the village where we had a stop at Restaurante Casa Luciano we had nice views of a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) x1, Painted Lady x9+ and Clouded Yellow x3.

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) pale morph.

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) pale morph.

Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) pale morph.

We left the bar and headed for the Cacín Valley but made a couple of stops on the way adding European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Golden (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia).

Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia).

Green-Striped White (Euchloe belemia).

Down in to the valley we made a short stop at the bridge over the Rio Cacín just after we passed through the village, here we recorded Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) at the builders yard.

Further up the Valley at the Contraembalse we made another stop and scanned the lake which was starting to fill up again I am happy to say as I was worried that the planned dredging work would disturb the already nesting Western Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), as well as the Harriers we also saw Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) x2.

Around at the bridge over the Cacín we scanned some distant crags and found the regular Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) and in the surrounding trees, we added Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) x2, Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) x2 and Small White (Pieris rapae) x2. 

Up at the Crags near Moraleda we stopped twice but missed the wanted Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) unfortunately, we did however find a Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), at least 3 ♂ and 1♀ Blue-rock Thrushes (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) and Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata).

Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus).

Our final stop of the day was at Balsa de Regidor where I was very pleased to find a Whiskered Tern (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus) which was briefly joined by a second bird, also seen were Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) x8, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x2 and Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) x1.  

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

I returned to the house for a little while and then went down onto the fields where I met Paqui for a nice stroll together, as we walked I saw Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) which were new for the day list.

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) ♀.

The end of the day, after a lovely walk with Paqui.

After we had said goodnight I headed home and whilst sorting out my kit I could hear the 2 local Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) calling to each other.