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

A day birding with Gary, Pippa and Josh.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Hopefully got some more photo's coming soon from Gary.

 

As I was getting ready to head out I could hear two Red-necked Nightjars (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) calling, House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). 

I met Gary, Pippa and Josh and we headed out onto the El Temple area, along the first of the tracks we started the list off with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird, Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), House Sparrow, Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Small White (Pieris rapae) x1, Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) and White Wallrocket (Diplotaxis erucoides).

A bit further along the track we added Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

We crossed over to the southern side of the area where we checked out a lot more of the area, from a good high spot we scanned and found a very large immature Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) which quickly dropped onto the ground and disappeared from view, a few minutes later we started to hear a second bird and after a while we managed to locate an adult bird which flew through the area.

Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) ♂.

As we stood at this spot and continued on across the site we picked up Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) ♂♀, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), a really unexpected European Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) which has been a difficult species to see in this area recently, Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x6, lots of Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui) x19+ and several impressive fields of Corn Poppies.

Corn Poppies (Papaver rhoeas).

Corn Poppies (Papaver rhoeas).

Corn Poppies (Papaver rhoeas).

We drove off the El Temple area and made a stop just out of the village of Ventas de Huélma, there were plenty of birds around including Common Woodpigeon, European Turtle Dove, Booted Eagle, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Common Nightingale, Melodious (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta) and Sardinian Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch and European Serin.

We continued on out to the Cortijo Ochíchar where we parked on the roadside and scanned the nearby ridges adding a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which dropped in to a distant Oak tree as soon as I got on to it, Booted Eagle, Western Jackdaw, a distant calling Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei).

Whilst we were there we could hear a calling Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) a short way back down the road so we headed down there, we didn't find the Cuckoo but we did add Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), another 2 Griffon Vultures which Josh picked up Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x2 and Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) x4.

We again moved on towards the Cacín Valley making a very short roadside stop when we saw Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and yet another pale morph Booted Eagle.

We dropped into the Cacín Valley and drove up to the Contraembalse which was fairly quiet even though the water level had come up quite a lot, we only saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Booted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Swift, Melodious and Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

Just up the road at the track to the dam we had a few new species for the day, the best was a Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo), along with Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla) and a few Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x3. 

Further up the valley at the Crags we picked up Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Eurasian Crag Martin and European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola).

As we still had a bit of time we returned to the Motorway via the fields near Moraleda getting views of Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Crested Lark, European Bee-eater, Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x2 and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) x5.