Huétor Fields in Granada Province and Campillos area, Laguna Dulce, Laguna Salada, Laguna Capacete and Vulture Feeding Station, Malaga Province and Balsa de Regidor in Granada Province, Spain.

A day with friends Lynn and Steve from the UK and an evening with Paqui.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Balsa de Regidor.

I was out early as I wanted to see Paqui before I met up with Lynn and Steve, I met her near the Walnut trees and we did a bit of a walk along the Lucerne fields seeing Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I said bye to Paqui and headed off but I arrived a little early s I sat at the bottom of the road where I recorded Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) x2, Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and a couple of calling Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus).

I drove up to the where Lynn and Steve where staying with there Van near Villanueva del Rosario, from there we headed out to the West and to our first stop of the day near Campillos where we found 3 of the 4 Long-eared Owls (Búho Chico / Asio otus), we found the 2 adult birds in their normal spot but the immature birds we were not in their usual spot as there was a lot of noise from some building works that were going on.

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) the second sleeping adult.

Long-eared Owl (Búho Chico / Asio otus) a slightly more awake immature bird.

Before we left we did find one of the immature birds higher up in the tree with the adults, our next stop was just up the road at a bar where we had some breakfast before heading to the start of the Back Track around Laguna Dulce, it was quieter than the last two time I had been there but we still saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Crested Lark, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis),  Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler, Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Goldfinch, European Serin and Corn Bunting.

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) ♀.

Around at the hide we added quite a few new species for the day which included 4x Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), 2♂ an1♀, White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and  Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret, Western Marsh Harrier and Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

Egyptian Geese (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca),Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Other species seen on the back track and from the hide were Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Laguna Salada.

We moved on a short way to Laguna Salada but it was quiet and we only saw Greater Flamingo, Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Black-necked Grebe, Eurasian Coot, Cetti's Warbler, Barn Swallow, European Goldfinch, Red-veined Darter and Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma).

Laguna Capacete.

We continued on along the road to Laguna Capacete where Steve and I went up on to a rocky area which overlooks the pool, here we saw White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala), Greater Flamingo, Little and Black-necked Grebe, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Eurasian Coot, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt,  Common (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and Spotted Redshank (Archibebe Oscuro / Tringa erythropus), Green Sandpiper, Western Cattle Egret, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel, Barn Swallow, Western House and Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Spotless Starling and European Goldfinch.

Our final stop of this part of the day was around at the nearby Vulture feeding station and we timed it perfectly as there was a wagon at the bottom of the hill which had obviously been up and dropped some food of as there were 100s of birds in the air above the site.

One or two Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We drove up and parked the car just out of sight of the feeding spot and then had an incredible couple of hours watching around 500 birds, mostly Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) but in the mix were 2 Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus), a passing Western Marsh Harrier and a couple of Common Kestrels.

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

We returned to their camping spot after a really good day and after a coffee with them I headed back home, after getting a shower I went down and met Paqui, we headed out to Balsa de Regidor where I wanted to see how many Egrets were roosting there, we were a little late as approx 193 Western Cattle and 3 Little Egret were already there.

The Egret Roost.

As we saw and watched them we also saw night flying Lesser Emperors and lots of small / medium sized Bats which came in close as we were sat out on the concrete pier.