Sierra Nevada and Presa y Meandros del Genil, Granada Province, Spain.

Out on the bigger hill for a second days birding with Derek Etherton.

Ebird List for Sierra Nevada.

Ebird List for Ski Slopes Track.

Ebird List for A-4030, Güejar Sierra. 

Ebird List for SE-53, Güejar Sierra.

 

Looking up to Veleta.

We were up and out early and on our way up to the Sierra Nevada after getting Coffee and Breakfast at Café bar Zole, we made our way straight up to the Hoya De La Mora car parks.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Our first spot was nearby where we checked the Pines and crags just to the NW of the parking spot and started the list with several Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♂.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♂.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♂.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♀.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♂.

We walked up to the Barrier and had planned to walk out on the Hoya de San Juan track but there were still some large areas of lying snow so we stayed on the main track and soon found several Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) x6, Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) x4, Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Small White (Pieris rapae) x3, Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x2, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x4, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x19, Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) x7, Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) x2 and Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) x4.

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).

We reached a spot in the track where we were about level with the Virgen de las Nieves at (2600 m) where we found a comfortable rock each and started to scan the distant ridges, we had Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), a Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) and eventually I picked up an adult Bearded Vulture (Quebrantahuesos / Gypaetus barbatus) but unfortunately Derek didn't get on this bird as it dropped below the skyline quickly, however we stuck it out and had a distant at first subadult bird which eventually came in quite a bit closer.

Snow on the San José track.

Observatorio del Mojón del Trigo.

Looking up to Veleta.

Derek looking for the Raptor's on the Ridges.

We dropped back to the car where we had a coffee before dropping to a spot out on the Ski Slopes, we parked and walked out for km or so finding several pairs of Common Whitethroats (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Rock Bunting and a 3rd Bearded Vulture but this one was a full Juvenile.

Bearded Vulture (Quebrantahuesos / Gypaetus barbatus) immature.

Bearded Vulture (Quebrantahuesos / Gypaetus barbatus) immature.

Bearded Vulture (Quebrantahuesos / Gypaetus barbatus) immature.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♀.

Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis).

Other species included Snow Gentian (Gentiana sierrae), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Wall Brown x3, Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia) and Small Tortoiseshell.

Snow Gentian (Gentiana sierrae).

Snow Gentian (Gentiana sierrae).

Further down the hill we took the old road around to Güéjar Sierra making a few stops on the way and added Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

Other species were Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis), Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Purple Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum) and Large Blue Flax (Linum narbonense).

A much changed stretch of the Rio Genil.

We headed back to the house and then Derek headed off home and I met up with Paqui and we went out for a look at the Presa y Meandros del Genil, where we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), lots of European Turtle Doves (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) x2, Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Western Jackdaw, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Barn Swallow, Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap, Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird, European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), European Goldfinch and European Serin.