El Temple, the Cacín Valley, Balsa de Regidor, Mesia Service Road and Presa y Meandros del Genil, Granada Province, Spain.

Out and about more locally with Paqui, Lynn and Steve.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Ebird List for Presa y Meandros del Genil. 

 

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) ♂.

Paqui and I met Lynn and Steve down in Huétor, we then headed along the Motorway towards Granada and then out on to the fields near Chimeneas but it was quieter than I had expected, we did however see Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Short-toed Snake (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotted (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Other species included Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Adult Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

An adult Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) with prey.

We moved off the area and headed across to the Cacín Valley, on the way we were over the moon to find an adult Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) sat on a roadside Pylon, as we were watching this bird we heard a call behind us where we saw a second adult bird had flew in and landed on another pylon with a Rabbit.

Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

In the area we also saw several Eurasian Magpie which were mobbing the bird with the prey, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and a couple of Northern Ravens (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax).  

We again moved on and dropped down into the Cacín Valley and then went up to the Embalse de Cacín but as it was out on El Temple it was quiet, we did find Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Buzzard, Western Marsh Harrier, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♀.

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) ♂.

Our next stop was at the Balsa de Regidor where we were looking for dragons, we found a few species including Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii), Small Red-eye (Erythromma viridulum), lots of Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).

Other species included Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Small Fleabane (Pulicaria vulgaris), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂♀.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂♀.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) ♂.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) ♂.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) ♂.

Just along the road we made our final stop of the day at a small water run off on the motorway service road where we saw Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) moth, lots of Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) on the many Wild Caper (Capparis spinosa) plants, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x4 and Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) x1.

Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo).

We returned to Huétor where we said goodbye to Lynn and Steve before heading home, layer Paqui and I met again and we went to the Presa area where we again saw Eurasian Eagle Owls (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) x2, as well as Green Sandpiper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Iberian Magpie, Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Eurasian Crag Martin, Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Cetti's Warbler and Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes).