El Temple, the Cacín Valley and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

Out birding with Jim, Chad, Judith and Anthony.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for Rio Cacín in Cacín. 

 

Jim, Judith, Anthony and Chad amongst the Orchids.

I met Jim, Chad, Judith and Anthony and we headed out onto the El Temple area, along the first set of track which were in much better condition than I had expected so we managed to get right across the area to the central road we found a couple of very smart Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), at least 6x Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which we saw 1 of on the ground and then a group flew near to us and away.

In the same area we also recorded Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei) heard only, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca) ♂, Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We visited another spot in the same area, the track looked a bit muddy so we walked up to the view point where we saw another ♂ Little Bustard, Eurasian Stone Curlew,Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Rabbits (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina) which were well over with, Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), Serrate Spurge (Euphorbia serrata) and Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata).

After returning to the car we went up a different track to the South of the road where we added another Western Marsh Harrier, a cracking Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which was being mobbed by a much smaller Common Buzzard, Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla), 20 or so Spanish (Yellow) Wagtails (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Moricandia moricandioides, White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

We worked our way off the site and out to Venta's de Huelma but via Chimeneas as the track through to the Solar area was too muddy to risk, in Venta's we stopped Restaurante Casa Luciano where we had coffee and some food.

Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

We then headed down to the Pine Woodlands around the Embalse de Bermejales as the group had wanted to see some orchids, when we arrived we soon found a good number of Italian Man  (Orchis Italica), Giant (Himanthoglossum Robertiana), Mirror (Ophrys speculum), Sawfly  (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta) and Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys lupercalis) as well as Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Our next stop was up the Cacín Valley at Cacín where we spent some time checking out the Rio Cacín finding a passage Wood Warbler (Mosquitero Sibador / Phylloscopus sibilatrix) which was not surprising this year as there have been good number in the area.

Also seen were Mallard, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Bee-eater, Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale, Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch, European Serin and Corn Bunting.

We moved further up the valley to the Contraembalse de Bermejales where I was over the moon to see the water level was coming up again and the planned dredging of the lake has been suspended as there are lots of birds already building nest including at least 3 pairs of Western Marsh Harriers. 

Other new species recorded here were Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) as well as 2 more Booted Eagles and several Western Marsh Harriers.    

Down at the bridge across the Rio Cacín we had distant but good views of a Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo), several Iberian Magpies (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and lots of Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum).

Further up the valley we made two stops along the crags near Moraleda where we had views of at least 2 ♂ Blue-rock Thrushes (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) but we dipped on the wanted Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).

Paqui taking a shot of the Sunset.

We returned to the meeting point from where we all headed off after a really nice days birding, later I met up with Paqui for an evening stroll down by the Arroyo where we chatted whilst watching the Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus).

The last light of a nice day.