Playa de Poniente, Golf Los Moriscos 2, Desembocadura Río Guadalfeo and Cerro Gordo, Granada Province, Spain.

Another mornings birding with friend Juan catching up with a few Granada Province year ticks.

Ebird List for Playa de Poniente 1.

Ebird List for Playa de Poniente 2.

Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos 2

Ebird List for Desembocadura Río Guadalfeo.

Ebird List for Cerro Gordo.

 

Sunrise at Playa de Poniente. 

I met Juan and Chika down on the coast where we started the morning with an hours sea watching during which we recorded Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus), Sandwich (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis) and 3 adult and 1 immature Common Terns (Charrán Común / Sterna hirundo), Scopoli’s (Pardela cenicienta mediterránea / Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).

Other more none pelagic Species recorded included Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca).

Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides).

Immature Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus).

After we finished on the beach we went just a little further along the coast to one of the Golf Course Pools where we added several new species including an Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) plus Eurasian x Red-knobbed Coot (hybrid), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), an immature Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides), Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Common / Iberian Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

On our way to Cerro Gordo we did a bit of a detour to the Desembocadura Río Guadalfeo, on the way there we had a couple of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and by the river and along the beach we found a few more new species for the day including Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) and Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x2.

We called into the parking spot near the restaurant on Cerro Gordo where we had a Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), more Pallid Swifts and Red-rumped Swallows.

We moved up to the higher part of the hill where we got the chairs out and spent a while scanning the trees and ridges in front of us, whilst we were there we saw a single White-rumped Swift (Vencejo Cafre / Apus caffer) a couple of times,  72 European Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), singles of both Short-toed Snake (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Western Marsh Harrier, 4x Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), European Bee-eater, Common Kestrel, Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax) x3, European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) x2, Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotted (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and a single Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius).

I dropped Juan back to his place near Charca and then headed back to Huétor where I went to Paqui's for a late lunch and then went back home and crashed for a while.