Fuente de Piedra and Campillos area in Malaga Province, Huétor Fields in Granada Province, Spain.

Out with Barbara and Derek Etherton for Global Birding Day.

Ebird List for Realenga.

Ebird List for Fuente de Piedra.

Ebird List for Laguna Dulce.

Ebird List for Laguna de Capacete.

Ebird List for Town Fields.

Ebird List for the Fields.

I was up early as I was meeting Barbara and Derek in Molina at 07:30, I started my list with a calling Eurasian Eagle Owl (Búho Real / Bubo bubo) and 2x Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) as I was sorting myself out in the Bathroom.

The Sunrise with a couple of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

I drove over to Molina where we all had coffee but as the bread hadn't arrived we couldn't get our tostarda unfortunately so we moved on to Fuente de Piedra where after parking we walked down to the Boardwalk, on the way we saw Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Out on the boardwalk we saw a big flock of around 400 Western Jackdaws (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) before we walked the lower track along the Tamarisks finding 2x Long-eared Owls (Búho Chico / Asio otus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Up at the Mirador we scanned the main laguna but only got a brief chance to see the area with water as the early morning fog soon rolled in and blocked the view, we did manage to get Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), lots of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) along with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Around at the back hides we checked out the two pools, on the first larger pool we picked up Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala),  Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) Roost.

The second hide only gave us European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

As we walked back to the cars we finished this site of with some distant Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which were flushed by something out on the fields, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), a large group of Western House Martins (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) which had a couple of Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica) in the mix, 4 Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) which flew over the car park as we were leaving along with a Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Extras included Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla).

We left the reserve and went up into the town where we successfully managed to get some breakfast before heading to Campiña de Navahermosa where we drove a couple of the tracks, we were pleased to get a couple of nice views of a beautiful Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla) which was the best species but we also added Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), at least 7 Iberian Grey Shrikes (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Whinchat (Tarabilla Norteña / Saxicola rubetra), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), a surprise male Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava) and a group of Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

 Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus).

Other species seen included Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and a small Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

We went across to Campillos and then did the back track around Laguna Dulce and then the hide, along the track we added Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata) and  Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina).

Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae).

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

At the hide we picked up Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Thinornis dubius), Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Common (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago).

We moved on again to Laguna Salada which was even quieter than normal so continued on down to Laguna Capacete but we only added Common Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

At a small area of pine woodland we didn't add anything but it was the wrong time of the day so it was not surprising, we went around to the track up to the Vulture feeding station but found just a single Griffon Vulture sat on the ground.

At this point I said goodbye to Barbara and Derek and headed back to Huétor where I checked the Town Fields to see if the Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) where on show and I was pleased to see 6 birds.

I then went to Paqui's for some food and then finished the days birding with Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Iberian (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica) and Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).