Sierra de Huétor, Hernán-Valle area, Baza Area, Granada Province, Spain.

Out for a bit of Butterfly hunting and mopping up a few year ticks.

Ebird List for Sierra de Huétor.

Ebird List for Hernán-Valle area. 

Ebird List for Baza Area 1.

Ebird List for Baza Area 2. 

Ebird List for Barrio Conejo, Baza. 

 

I headed off early as I wanted to be in the Sierra de Huétor before dawn as I was hoping to at least hear a Tawny Owl (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco), as I stood by the car I could hear two birds calling distantly, when I started to get a little lighter one of the birds called much closer to me and then flew across the road and off into the Pine Woodlands.

As dawn came other species started to call including Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

The Sierra Nevada in the early morning sun.

I moved on and headed along the A92 past Guadix and then came off at Hernán-Valleand the out into the fields near there, I drove for just a few KM out to some farm buildings with a nice row of dead trees nearby and I soon found both of my targets for this site, Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas) and Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) along with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) x3, Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Thekla's (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), a nice ♂ Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas).

After returning to the N342 I continued on to a site in the Baza area where I parked and walked one of the dry Barrancos, new bird species seen on the walk out as it was still to cool for Butterflies were Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Alaudala rufescens), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Dartford (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae) and Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Western Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

The Habitat.

and again.

Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata).

Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae) ♂.

I also had Stock Dove, Red-billed Chough, Crested and Thekla's Lark, Rock Sparrow and Common Linnet.

Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri).

Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri).

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

At about the 3km mark I picked up my first butterfly, a Western Dappled (Euchloe crameri) x25 and Bath White (Pontia daplidice) which were followed by the first of 3x Spanish Greenish Black-tips (Euchloe bazae) which as it was still early settled a few times and allowed me to get some photo's, the other two were as usual much more active.

Spanish Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe bazae).

Spanish Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe bazae).

Spanish Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe bazae).

Spanish Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe bazae).

Spanish Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe bazae).

As I walked back towards the car I added Portuguese Dappled White (Euchloe tagis) x5 another good species as well as Large White (Pieris brassicae) x6, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x2, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x9, Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) x1, Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) and Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

Portuguese Dappled White (Euchloe tagis).

Portuguese Dappled White (Euchloe tagis).

Portuguese Dappled White (Euchloe tagis).

I reached the car and had some food and a drink before heading out onto the fields a little to the west where I saw more Carrion Crows, Large Whites x6, Clouded Yellow x4, Serrate Spurge (Euphorbia serrata), Ramping (Fumaria capreolata) and Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Moricandia moricandioides and White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).

 Serrate Spurge (Euphorbia serrata).

Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis).

Moricandia moricandioides.

White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).

Large White (Pieris brassicae).

Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone).

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On the drive down to the Rio Baza crossing I saw more Stock Doves and at the Rio there were Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Eurasian Hoopoe, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas).

Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas).

By now it was getting warm and I was knackered, so I headed for the Hotel where I chilled (fell asleep for 4 hours) and woke up just in time to head out and set my one LED Moth Light.