A cracking morning birding with friend Juan Pérez Contreras on the Granada Coast.
Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos.
Ebird List for Golf Los Moriscos 2.
Ebird List for Punta del Santo.
Ebird List for Carca de Suarez.
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| Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) and Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra). |
I drove Juan's near Granada and then we headed down the coast to the area around Charca de Suarez, our first stop was at Golf Los Moriscos where we soon found the 2 Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) of unknown origin along with a single Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca) and a more wild looking Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) which was Province Year Tick.
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| Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) and Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna). |
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| Egyptian Goose (Ganso del Nilo / Alopochen aegyptiaca), Barnacle Geese (Barnacla Cariblanca / Branta leucopsis) and Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna). |
Other species at this spot included
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra),
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus),
Little Grebe (Zampullín Común /
Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo),
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada),
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).
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| The first pool. |
At another part of the Golf course we checked another of the pools finding
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Eurasian Coot and
Eurasian x
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra x Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata hybrid),
Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos),
Little and
Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus),
Great Cormorant,
Western Cattle Egret and
Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).In the air and around the margins, we also saw or heard Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Common (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) and Spotless Starling, Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin, Black Redstart, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus) and a long term parker 😁😁😁😁. |
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| Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus). |
We started to make out way back to the car but just before we got there we walked a little way along the road to check a large puddle on an area which used to me a makeshift car park for the hoards of camper vans that winter along the coast, here we had 2
Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Mallard,
Meadow Pipit,
White Wagtail and on the other side of the road near to the beach we found
Common Chiffchaff, House Sparrow,
Common Blackbird and out to see we added
Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus),
Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and
Lesser Black-backed Gull,
Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Thalasseus sandvicensis),
Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) and Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus). |
| ♂ Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera). |
Our final stop was in Charca de Suarez, at the first small Screen overlooking Laguna del Junco where we saw two pairs of Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera) and
Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), on our way up to Laguna Alamo Blanco we went via the Southern hide on Laguna del Taraje adding
Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata), Mallard,
Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca),
Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus),
Little Grebe, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chiffchaff, European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a nice group of calling / singing
Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus).
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| The view from Alamo Blanco. |
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| ♂ Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos). |
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| ♀ Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos). |
At Alamo Blanco picked up
Eurasian x
Red-knobbed Coot,
Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio),
Common Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago),
Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) and
Cetti's Warbler.
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
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| Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio). |
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| Eurasian x Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra x Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata hybrid). |
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| Eurasian x Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra x Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata hybrid). |
At Alamo Blanco we were joined by Manolo Marsilio, as we made our way around to Laguna Aneas we heard calling
Eurasian Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) and Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus),
Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) up in their nest on the com's tower and a
Small White (
Pieris rapae) x1.
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| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
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| Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo). |
In the hide, as always the light was not great at this time of the day, but we did manage to find
Common Shelduck,
Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina),
Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata),
Black-headed,
Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii), Lesser Black-backed and
Yellow-legged Gull,
Greater Flamingo, Great Cormorant,
Glossy Ibis,
Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Grey Heron, Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus),
Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Sardinian Warbler,
Black Redstart, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
Common Waxbill, European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and several
Stripe-necked Terrapins (Mauremys leprosa). |
| Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon). |
Just outside the hide on our way around to the first hide overlooking Laguna del Trébol I saw a few
Carpentor Bees (Xylocopa violacea) and a small Mediterranean Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) which was pointed out to me high up in a tree. |
| ♂ Eurasian Siskin (Jilguero Lúgano / Carduelis spinus). |
On the way around we picked up European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), more
Eurasian Siskins and once in the hide where the light was again not good, we found the first of 9
Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).
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| ♂ House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus). |
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| White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba). |
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| ♀ Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus). |
In the hide the light was again not good, we found the first of 9
Ferruginous Ducks (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), at just before 11:00 Juan headed to the entrance for a talk about a new booklet on the Butterflies of the reserve, I stayed in the hide as I was hoping to see the wintering
Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon) but only managed to get a flyby Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis).
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| ♀ Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros). |
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| Common Toad (Bufo bufo). |
After a while I decided to relocate to the other hide overlooking the same Laguna, just before the hide there was a
Common Toad (Bufo bufo) sat on the track and a ♀
Black Redstart which was sat on the fence bar, at this point Juan caught me up, and we spent a while in the hide getting much better views of the
Ferruginous Ducks as the light was just about perfect.
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| ♀ Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
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| ♀ Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
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| ♂ Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
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| ♂♂ Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca). |
After a while I went out of the hide as there were quite a few people in there, but then I heard Juan call and just as I got there I had good but brief views of the target Moustached Warbler (Carricerin Real / Acrocephalus melanopogon). |
| Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata). |
We started to walk around the rest of the loop and were shown a Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis) by a family who were watching it when we reached them, we didn't see anything new from the Laguna del Lirio hide so we carried on around towards the exit but met up with a group from the Butterfly people including José Miguel Barea-Azcón. |
| Stripe-less Tree Frog (Hyla meridionalis). |
On the way out of the reserve I saw a nice swath of Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) on a bank near the exit, we returned to Juan's car and then headed back to his place and then I headed home from there.
