Grazalema area, Cadiz and Malaga Provinces.

Day two at Sue's and its still Raining !!

Narcisus cavanillessii.

The weather during the night was wild with some high winds and heavy rain but by morning it had eased slightly. The Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) which had been seen yesterday were still around and numbers had risen up to nine and were being joined by several Serins (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) which was nice for a comparison. 

The Flooded site.

Out in the garden there was a pair of Nuthatchs (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea) chasing each other around in the eucalyptus tree along with a calling Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and in the air over the ridge there were surprisingly good numbers of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) due to the very overcast conditions. 

Apteromantis aptera.

Once we were all ready we headed out towards Grazalema and then on to a site which I had not visited before to see a plant the Sue had seen a week or so earlier. We arrived at Los Álomos to find one hell of a lot of moving and lying water which made moving around hard going but we quickly located several plants of the uncommon Narcisus cavanillessii but due to the rain which had started again and the gusty wind the photographs were truly aweful as you can see!!!

Ranunculus bullatus.

Whist we were here we could here some frogs calling but at the time we were not sure which species as the wind was making it hard work to hear them clearly, we had a quick search around the area but could not locate anything but we did find some very small Mantis called Apteromantis aptera which took some spotting in the grass and several clumps of Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima).

Ranunculus bullatus.

A couple of days later Sue returned to the site and managed to identifiy them as Parsley Frogs (Pelodytes punctatus) and got a nice photograph. We then decided due to the rain we would head back to the main road and go and have some lunch at the bar on the way back to Grazalema. After we had eaten we made our way back towards Grazalema and Sue pointed out the spot where she had seen around a hundred plants of Autumn Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) a couple of weeks earlier and then on the way back down to the house we stopped briefly so that I could get some shots of the Autumn flowering buttercup Ranunculus bullatus.

Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima).

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening identifiying my insect photo's.

Travelling to and in the Grazalema Area, Cadiz Province.

Birds, Amphibians and Rain !


Some of the Acorn feed Pigs.

Jayne and I started out quite early to make our way over to visit our good friend Sue Eatock and her young son Sam near Grazalema. On the way we made a short at Laguna Duce near Campillos and had a look what was on the pool and surrounding fields. The water level was starting to rise again, last winter lack of rain was being somewhat made up for by the rain which had fallen over the last week or so and was also going to added to through the next few days. On the water there were a few birds but not the number I had hoped for, Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) were fairly numerous but the commonest ducks present were the 170+ White-headed (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) which formed several largish rafts in the centre of the lake. Also on the water were Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), 2x Northern Pintail (Ánade Rabudo / Anas acuta), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), Black-necked (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus). 

Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita).

On the far shore there was a small flock of around 50 Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber), a couple of Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and over the reeds at least 3 female type Marsh Harriers (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus). The surrounding fields looked water logged but there were still a small flock of 10 or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) away in the distance and a small group of Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) off to the right hand side of the hide. In the marginal reeds and scrub I heard or saw Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and right infront of the hide a single late immature Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scirpaceus).

Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita).

I then went back to the car and started off towards Campillos where we were calling at the supermarket to collect a few surpplys to take to Sues. But just as I reached the end of the slip road back on to the main carrageway a couple of Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) flew over along with a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido /Circus cyaneus) which flapped lazily away over the lake. After calling at the supermarket we haded on to Ronda adding Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) to the trip list. We arrived at Sue's at about 11:30 and after a chat and some lunch we headed out towards Libar Valley near Montejaque where we were going to have a look for some amphibian speices in the wet areas near the head of the valley.

Spanish Psammodromus (Psammodromus hispanicus),

But before we left I added 6 Siskin's (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula) in the garden.

Jayne, Sue and Sam getting the picnic ready.

Once we were up in Libar new species were coming all the way along the track, we started with Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) near the village. As we continued on up Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) all got on to the growing list. 

Southern Autumn Crocus (Crocus serotinus).

Up in the Oak woods we made a stop to have a look at the Black pigs which were being kept under the trees and added a few more birds including Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea). We parked in the open area past the refuge and walked along one of the streams which were flowing well due to the recent rains, in one of the deeper pools we quickly found several Natterjack Toads (Bufo calamita), along with several Spanish Psammodromus (Psammodromus hispanicus) which were amongst the rock surounding the area.

Old Oak in the pig area.

In the main pool we found lots of young Fire Salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) along with somewell developed tadpoles of the Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi) and some very large Great Silver Water Beetles (Hydrous piceus) thanks Sue. In the same are there were a couple of  Water Pipits (Bistita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), loads more Griffon Vultures and amongst some Spotless a few Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris). We then started our walk back to the car passing through carpets of Southern Autumn Crocus (Crocus serotinus) on the way back.

Wolf Spider species (Tarantula lycosa).

We then drove back down the valley adding Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) to the list before the rain came and we headed back to Sue's via the visitors centre to drop the 4x4 back to Clive. Back at the house we went through a lot of my unidentified insect shot and put names to quite a few.  End of day one !!!

Lobo Park, near Antequera, Malaga Province.

The howling night.

Daniel the owner.

This was another trip organised by the Ladies group, Amiga’s de Casa from Trabuco. I was not really looking forward to this one as I much prefer to see animals in their natural environment but I was very pleasantly surprised with the place. We met in Trabuco and headed over in convoy!!!! Well it was a good job we knew where we were going as we were soon on our own as we headed up the motorway.

Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus).

We arrived and walked up to the visitor centre where we had a really quite good meal and then headed out with a very pleasant young lady onto the paths around the park. Due to the bad weather some of the tracks were not in very good condition but this was not too much of a problem as we had all been given a torch and Daniel the owner and main warden / ranger was following along in a large 4x4 which gave us some light as well.

European Wolf (Canis lupus lupus).

At the viewing point along side each very large enclosure Daniel gave us a very interesting and some time rather graphic account of a wolfs life at the park and in the wild, he did this with a great deal of enthusiasm and passion for the animals and was obviously very committed to there welfare. I learnt quite a lot and enjoyed the few hours we were there andwas quite surprised to find it was nearly 11:30 before we actually hit the road heading for home.

Alaska Tundra Wolf (Canis lupus tundrorum).

As we made our way back towards Antequera we were all stopped and breathalysed by the local police but were all on our way quickly without any problems. I had never been breathalysed until about two months ago and have now been pulled in at road blocks fourtimes since, nice to see the Spanish police doing something about a real problem!

Huétor Fields (twice) and Moraleda Area, Granada Province.

A couple of hours birding with Bob Wright in the morning and the afternoon with Juan looking for the Dotterel.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

I set out just before nine to meet up with Bob Wright (his blog) who had travelled up from near the coast. I got to the meeting point early so I had a walk along a small track out into the fields where I soon had Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) on the list along with Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and away off in the distance near the railway line one of the two Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) which was circling an old oak tree. It was a bit cooler than I had expected so I walked back to the car and had just sorted the fleece out as Bob arrived so we did the same walk again once he had go his camera and bins sorted out. One the one fields we counted around 70 Stone Curlews with about the same number of Northern Lapwing with these there were a few Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), a couple of Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) including a fine male, Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) and a few Meadow Pipits (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis). We walked further onlooking for the Black-winged Kite I had seen earlier but there was no sign, we did however find part of the Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) flock which numbered 111 birds, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and lots of Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). We reached the tree where I had seen the Kite earlier with out any luck finding either of the birds so we started to walk back, we were around half way back when around 70 Stone Curlews flew passed us and dropped into a field not to far away, we assumed that these were the birds we had seen near the start of the track but as we arrived back there the original 70 or so birds were still there which ment tht the second flock had probably been hidden in one of the asparagus fields. We then got into my motor and headed out onto the fields for a look along the far side of the site and down along the Arroyo del vilano,the commonest species seen as we travelled through the area was by far the White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) which seemed to be everywhere. 

Male Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis).

On the far fields we had more groups of Northern Lapwing, good numbers of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and down by the river a couple of Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Iberian Grey Shrike  (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa). Our next stop was down on the fields to the north of the disused station at Huétor where we parked and scanned the fields, there was still no sign of the Kite in its favorate tree but we did add Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina). Plus we had some better views of the Northern Lapwings and a couple of Little Bustards on the nearby Lucerne fields.Our last stop of the morning was on the western side of the town at anouth Lucerne field which is one of the favorate spots to see the main Bustard flock, we arrived but the crop had grown quite quickly since the last rains and all that could be seen of the birds were there brown heads and large eyes. We did however pick up a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) distantly over the olive trees and a few more Western Cattle Egrets before we returned to Bobs car and I headed off home to catch up with a few jobs. 

Later in the day I was off out again this time to meet Juan Perez over at Moraleda to go and have a look for the Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus) I had seen the day before near there. I started out a little earlier than expected so I made another stop near the disuaed station and the first bird I saw was one of the Black-winged Kites that had eludied us all morning (sorry Bob but thats Birding !!). I then went to the spot where I met Juan and we headed out to the agriculural area where I had been yesterday, on the way we had Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and several Black Redstarts. Once we were out on the site we quickly picked up a small flock of 4 Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) which flew a little way from the track but landed again at a distance which gave decent views throgh the scope but was just to far to bother taking any shots. In this area we also had lots of Skylarks scuttling across the gound like hords of mice, several flocks of the much larger Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) with Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) also being seen. We move a short distance along the track to the disused Cortijo and had another group of 12 Sandgrouse on the winter crop fields off to our right, these also took to the wing as soon as we stopped the car but gave us some cracking flight views as they wheelled off into the distance. 

Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo).

Next we spent some time walking the field margins and scanning the area where the Dotterel had been but failed to relocate the bird but we did see a few Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and a single Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) before we got back to the car and continued on around the site, we added several Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) to the day list that were mixed in with a flock of a couple of hundred Spotless, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) before heading of to balsa del Regidor down near the A92. As we approached the site I just had a glimpse of a small group of Sparrows as we drove passed some brambles and thought that the one bird had very white looking cheeks so we reversed back and sure enough my surpitions were confirmed when we had a nice male Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) in the bins (a rae bird around here), we watched this bird for a while before it departed off towards the lake. We then did the same but before we went we added a nice male Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) to the growing day list. On the water there were good numbers of  Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) x4 females, Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) x30+, Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) and a single immature Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo). As dusk started to fall the local Western Cattle Egrets started to arrive to roost in the redbed at the far end of the lake and by the time we left 175 birds had arrived to get their heads down. Here we also had a Common Buzzard drift over and almost in the dark a male Hen Harrier which headed off into the olives nearby.

A total of 64 bird species were seen during the day.

To Granada and Back, Granada Province.

Another new species for my Granada list on the way back from the Market.

Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus).

Jayne and I decided to go and have a wander around the large Sunday market up in Granada as the weather was looking quite nice after the last few day of rain. We left the house and headed down to Huétor going to the motorway. On the way we saw a single Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) perched in the same tree as I had seen the two birds yesterday, Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis). As soon as we got onto the motorway we had a Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) fly across us after making a dash across the carriage ways, a little further on we saw a small flock of just 15 or so Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) and just before Santa fe another Black-winged Kite which was hoovering over the land along side the airport. We then spent an entertaining 3 hours around the market getting a few bits including some nice looking fruit before having lunch nearby.

Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus).

After lunch we headed south along the Motril motorway and came off heading towards La Malaha and then to a nearby industrial estate where I spent some time scanning the agricultural land around the site. In the close fields there were good numbers of Larks including Thekla  (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Calandra  (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) along with several Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), more Iberian Grey Shrikes and a calling Dartford Warbler. In the air I picked up a fast moving Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), several Common Kestrels (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus) and a soaring Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). We then carried on through Ventas de Huelmaand on towards Cacín, on the way we took a couple of tracks out into the Olive groves looking for Raptors and this proved reasonably successful as we added a Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius) and 2 Golden Eagles (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) to the list, one of which was watched catching a rabbit. Along this stretch we also saw a  Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) sat on a pylon, dozens of White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus). We then dropped down through the village of Cacín and drove up to the Embalse de Cacín where I spent a while scanning through the waterfowl on the lake which was surprising low after the rain we have just had. The commonest species of duck were the 50 or so Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), followed by 25+ Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), 20+ Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata),a scattering of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a very nice pair of Eurasian Wigeon (Silbón Europeo / Anas Penelope). Also on the lake there were a good number of Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis),with at least 3 Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) feeding in the shallows. Our next stop was in an area of agricultural land near El Turro where we added Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) and several Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) to the list before we found bird of the day! I was watching a female Common Kestrel which was sitting on the ground not to far away from the car when I notice a movement on the edge of the track which at first I thought was going to be a Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) but as soon as I got the bins on it and saw the thumping great supercillium and the breast band I realised it was a partially moulted Dotterel (Chorlito Carambolo / Eudromias morinellus) a new bird for my Granada list. We watched this bird for quite a while before continuing on around the site but apart from a few more Northern Wheatears and loads of Black Redstarts we did not see any thing else.

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A new bird for my Granada List and on the Local patch !!

Female House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus).

After popping down to Huetor Tajar in the rain during the morning I decided to go for a couple of hours birding on the fields to the North of the town in the afternoon. 

I made a good start with a new species for my Granada list which was a couple of Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser) which were flying with a group of Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) after being flushed by a tractor off the river. I then drove along the river where I had a run of raptors with a female Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) seen hunting over the newly harvested maze fields, followed by two Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) (one bird is seen regularly so two was a nice find) which were sat in the dead top of an old oak tree near the railway line and finally a very dark Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which had also been around for a while. 

On one of the asparagus fields I counted around 40 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) hiding in amongst the feathery follage along with lots of Meadow Pipits (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Sky (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) along with a number of wintering Dartford Warblers (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) which regularly use these fields. 

It then started to rain again so I took one of the tracks down by the river where I sat and watched a group of birds in one of the fig trees, these included Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and a very late Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata). 

There were also dozens Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) in the reeds along with a male Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica), a few Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), a single Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and a pair of Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). I then made my way around to the west of the town where the Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) seem to have settle and found around 70 of them in a field of deepening Lucerne along with a few Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and about 20 Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) which were still moving through. 

I then made my way back up towards the house adding Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a singing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea).On the last part of the drive back to the house the wires were lined with large numbers of Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), along with a few of their northern relatives the Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) and hundreds of Collared Doves (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).   

Other species seen included Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula).

Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz Province.

A coach trip with the Amigas de Casa group from Trabuco.

Jayne and I drove over to Trabuco where we met 40 odd other people from the area and joined them on a coach trip over to Jerez for the day. During the journey over I picked up a few species from the window including 10+ Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) over the motorway near Antequera, Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) on some road side floods, a male Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which flew right along side the coach near Campillos and a small flock of Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) on Wires near by. The water level at Laguna Dulce was well up since my last visit and even at the speed we went passed I could see a few Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and 2 Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus) which were flying low over the fields about to drop in to the lake. On a field between the Laguna and the town I also picked up a small flock of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) sat in the stubble. I did not see much then until we passed Villamartin when I added a group of around 20 Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) to the day list and then came the first of the three Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) I was to see going in this direction. Other species noted were Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) on floods near Jerez, Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). We arrived in Jerez and were dropped off by the driver near the Tio Pepe Sherry bodega where we were later going on a guided tour and a tasting session. But to start with we had about 4 hour to have a wander around the older part of the city and have some lunch, we started off and were quickly joined by Jayne's friends from the craft group Bev and Cathy as we made our way around the Alcázar towards the Cathedral. Just past the Plaza del Arroyo the girls spotted a sign for a craft centre so we went and had a look around

there before finding a couple more churches and then made our way out into the main shopping area vai another craft type shop where a couple of purchases were made. Once out in the more modern end of the city we found a restaurant and had some lunch before meandering around the nice tree line streets seeing some of the sights. Just before 16:00 we arrive back at the entrance to the bodega just as the heavens opened for the first time during the day (it had been forecast for rain all day) so we dived for cover and were let into the reception of the bodega a little early to shelter. We started the tour with a very interesting film about the history of Tio Pepe sherry and then had a good wander around the buildings and storage sheds (the smell was great) before going into a large stroage building where we had our tasting and tapas. It was now 18:30 so we made our way back to the coach and we started the journey home, on the way the rain set in a little heavier but I still managed to see a few nice species on the way. They included anothe 7 Black-winged Kites, Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Southern Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common

 Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) and on a river that we crossed a single Avocet (Avoceta Común/ Recurvirostra avosetta). We arrived back at Trbouca at just after 21:30 and we made our way back to Huétor where we went into the 3 Calles bar and had something to eat and a couple of drinks and then went home. Thanks to the Ladies that organized the trip, we had a good time.

Photographs from the top: All general shots of the day.

Near Zafarraya, Granada Province.

A new Orchid for the Granada List along with a new plant for my Spanish list.

Autumn Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis).

I met Juan Perez, his wife Beatriz and their new dog Chica at the Cortijo de Tajar Hotel just off the A82 at exit 203. After a brief chat and fuss of Chica we made our way down towards Venta del Raya and then onwards down the side of Sierra de Loja to a site just north of Zafarraya. 

Autumn Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis).

Juan and I had searched this area on a few trips last year for the rare Autumn Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) but with out success. We started our search on the side of the main road at a spot where we had seen many Orchids species in the past including some particularly nice spikes of Epipactis tremolsii. 

Beatriz and Chika.

We did not find any Spiranthes plants at this site but we did see and hear Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus). We continued on towards Zafarraya and stopped at the second site we knew off which was just along a dirt track off the main road and Juan very quickly found a single plant growing in a small grassy paddock, which was quickly followed by at least another20 plants further along the track. Some of these plants were starting to go over and all of them were out of the range of the lens behind a wire fence, so we continued to search. 

Sternbergia colchiciflora.

A little way along the road we discovered several more plants growing in amongst Oak trees and rocks and this gave us the opportunity to get some shots of this cracking little Orchid. We continued to check around this area and Beatriz than spotted three plants of the very rare Sternbergia colchiciflora in amongst the hundreds of the pink flowered Crocus serotinus (Southern Autumn Crocus) which was a very nice find and a new plant for me. 

Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina).

We then had a quick look at one more site but did not turn up any thing new before we returned to have another look at the Spiranthes and then head back to Huétor but we made one final stop to look at a very nice show of the other rare yellow Crocus Sternbergia lutea on the way.

Crocus Sternbergi.

Other species seen during the morning were Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla). Butterflies were few but we did see a Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and several Small Whites (Artogeia rapae).

Huetor Fields, Granada Province.

The local patch comes good with 8 Raptor Species !!

Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

Jayne and I started the day up in Granada at the Saturday market and then in the near by shopping center before heading back towards home. On the way I was lucky enough to see two decent sized flocks of Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), both of which were on fields of newly cut Lucerne on the southern side of the A92. The first was near exit 225 and the second 1km before the exit at Morelada. Once we got home we had some lunch and then at about 3ish I headed out to have a few hours birding dwn on the fields just a KM or so from the house. On the way down I started the list with a nice flock of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) coming up out of the Olives and crossing the road to feed on a nearby fig tree, also seen were Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) anda couple of large flocks of Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) numbering around 300 birds. 
Once out on the fields I followed the dry river for a very short distance and stopped by one of the crossing points which still had a large poodle of water in it after the rains of a week or so ago, here I got some nice views of a lone Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) which was feeding happily even with the field workers cars splashing close passed it.

Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Small flocks of Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) also came down to the water to drink. I crossed the river and continued on slowly along the raised bank on the far side scanning the fields, this was when I picked up the first couple of raptors, a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) was flapping lazily over the tall maze crop and then what I thought was going to be a second female Hen came into view distantly over the olives. This bird quickly came closer and started to hunt over the same area but was quickly identified as a male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), I have seen this species quite regularly during this autumns passage. 
In this area I also saw Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata). I moved on passed a largish Poplar plantation to the left of the road where there were more Iberian Magpies along with Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and on the roof of one of the many huts a fine Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
Once clear of the trees my eyes were drawn to a pale looking raptor perched on the top of a nearby electricity pylon which was quickly identified as an adult Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) again another species which is becoming quite a regular on the local patch ! I drove around to try and get a little closer to this bird but while I was on my way a female Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus) took a dislike to the bird and flushed it but luckily it stayed in the area and I watched it for around 40 minutes hunting over the olives and fields nearby. The bird eventually disappeared from view so I carried on birding. 

Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra).

I traced my tracks back to the road and then made my way don towards the town of Huétor, on the way I scanned a few fields adding a small flock of 8 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) to the list along with 4 Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). On another field I found my first Meadow Pipits (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) of the winter along with some passage Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra) with at least 9 here but 25+ were seen during the afternoon, a single immature Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and a calling Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) which was hiding in a very small patch of reeds along the railway line. Before I reached the town I again doubled back and continued on along one of the tracks which followed the river, here I picked up several Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala). I then went back alont towards the bar where I had started from but instead of crossing the river I followed it and went out onto the fields where I had seen the Black-winged Kite from the other side. The first bird seen was the kite again but this was followed in quick time by 4 Short-toed Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) and a single Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) all of which were heading South west and three Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which stayed around for quite a while. 

Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

This time I also got close enough to the Black-winged Kite for some rough record shots, I left the bird sat on a power cable and went to the Loja side of Huétor to look for the one species that I had seen earlier in the day but not since I had been on the local patch the Little Bustards. Their favorite field had not been cut for a while the last time I looks which made seeing the birds difficult in the deep Lucerne but since my last visit the crop had been cut and the 150+ birds stood out well along with around 40 Western Cattle Egrets. Whilst here I had some more good views of the female Hen Harrier and added a cracking male Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) which flew within a couple of feet of the car. On the Lucerne there were clouds of Large (Pieris brassicae), Small  (Artogeia rapae) and Bath Whites (Pontia daplidice) along with several Clouded Yellows (Colias Común / Colias crocea) and both Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and Long-tailed Blues (Lampides boeticus). 

Other species seen during the three hours were Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).