Huétor Fields, Huétor Tajár, Granada Province.

Good numbers of wintering birds on the local patch.

Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

I headed down to the fields at the end of our road for a couple of hours birding on the local patch. I started on the track behind the bar and sat on the side of the river and scanned the fields, on the river there were several Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) bathing on a shallow spit and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) could be picked out all the way along the margins off into the distance.

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

There were a lot more Northern Lapwings out on the fileds, in total during the couple of hours I must have noted getting on for a 1000 birds. They were joined by flocks of finches which flushed up on a regular basis allowing the different species to be picked out, they included Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) but surprisingly the commonest species with about a 100 birds was Brambling (Pizón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) a wintering species that turns up in varying numbers each year. Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis) were also on the fields in good numbers along with a few Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and half a dozen Calandra's (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra). Both Spotless (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) were on the wires and feeding in the Ponigranete bushes, they were joined by hordes of House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallingao gallinago).

I then checked the fields down towards the town and noticed that all the Northern Lapwings down that way were up and some were mobbing a mid sized Raptor which turned out to be one of the three regular female Hen Harriers (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) which are wintering here. On the side of the irrigation canal there were lots of Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) feeding amongst the Horsetail plants and a cracking male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) which was bobbing its tail on the concrete edges.I then moved a little further along the river down one of the many dirt tracks, new species seen included a decent sized flock of about 30 Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), a couple of Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis) and on the return drive along the same track there was a couple of Hoopoes (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis). I then drove down the track towards the Mesia road and just after crossing the railway bridge I saw another Green Sandpiper on a small pool on the side of the track, on this same pool I found several Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallingao gallinago) some of which showed well, a winter plumaged Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta) and in a nearby Fig tree a pair of Common Stonechats (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallingao gallinago).

I spent quite a while here taking a few shots of the Snipe and hoped to get the Water Pipit but it stayed just out of sight of the camera. After a while I moved on to the fields on the Mesia side of the site and continued to follow the river back around to Huétor, on the way a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) flew along infront of me, a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) flushed out from a stand of Poplars along with a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) andjust as I reached Huétor a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) flapped lazily over the fields. I then made my way back across country to the railway bridge and parked there for a while and scanned the fields, mixed in with a nearby flock of Northern Lapwings I counted at least 19 Golden Plover (Chorlito Dorado Europeo / Pluvialis apricaia) which were my first sighting of the winter for this species. I then drove back along the river and towards home, on the way a few more species were added including Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

El Purche, Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

A double dip in the snow and ice !

Frost on Rose hips.

I dropped Jayne off near the city centre and then made my way up to El Purche on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The conditions were good and clear but very cold. I started the search for the two target species above the main area below a rocky crag that Juan Perez Contreras had shown me on our last visit. Here I was hoping to see Ring Ouzel ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), I searched the area for nearly two and a half hours but did not locate any of the birds Juan had seen here recently. However I did pick up Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Dartford Wabler (Curruca Rabilargo / Sylvia undata). I then walked back towards the car but my attention was drawn to several birds calling away to my left on a crag below the track, the calls were distant but I was sure that they were coming from a small flock of Alpine Accentors (Accentor Alpino / Prunella modularis).
Eventually I located the Accentors but they remained well out of range of the camera, the flock consisted of five birds, one of which flew closer and landed for a few seconds giving me just enough time to get started with the setting up of the scope before rejoining it companions on the crags. Whilst I was in the small valley I also added Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) to the list but no Ouzels were seen (dip one). 

Sierra Nevada through the clouds.

I then started to make my way back down to the road where I was meeting Juan, I parked right on the junction and as I was a little early I had a stroll down the hill checking the Hawthorn bushes for my second target of the day. Yellowhammers (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) are regular at the spot but are in very small numbers, usually only two or three birds each winter so they take some finding and today was not going to be my day. Before Juan arrived I saw several more Rock and Cirl Buntings, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and several Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra). Juan arrived and we had a good look around the area of Sweet Chestnut trees on the slope above the road but we did find any Yellowhammers, just loats of Common Chaffinches, more Long-tailed Tits and a small flock of Rock Buntings.

Some Fungi found on the many cow pats.

We then drove a couple of Km down the road and parked amongst the Hawthorn bushes and started searching again, new species included Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and a crackin little Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus). During the loop around the Hawthorn scrub we also had very good views of Dartford Warbler, Cirl Bunting and Iberian Green Woodpecker before heading back to the cars and going home.

RAM, Motril Port, Charca del Suarez, Granada Provinvce and Fuente de Piedra, Mlaga Province.

A day of two halves and another Granada Province Lifer.

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

This months meeting with Juan Perez for our monthly sea watch seemed to come around quickly this time but I was at the usual place in Granada for 07:30. We set off in Juan's motor heading for Cabo Sacratif which is on the eastern side of Torrenueva near Motril, Juan parked up and we made our way up the hill to the watch point. On the way we picked up a few species along the way including Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis).

Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca).

We got set up and started the recording session, straight away we were counting good numbers of both Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) which were coming through in small flocks along with at least 3 Great Skua's (Págalo Grande / Catharacta skua), a few Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo) and the usual Gulls which included Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus), Yellow-legged plus a couple of immature Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) both of which I missed. During the first half of the watch when I was going long distance Juan called a group of ducks which were flying low over the sea about half way out, I got onto them just as he said they were Common Scoters (Negrón Común / Melanitta nigra) and the flock of ten birds was mixed males and female which could be picked out even at the range we were watching them at.

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

We continued to pick up new species but they were all on the landward side and included a singing male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), a couple of fly over Siskins (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) and several Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis). On the walk back down Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), a nice male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) were all seen. As were several species of late flowering plants, which were Yellow Sea Aster (Asteriscus maritimus), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Cut-leaved Lavender (Lavandula multifida), Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) and several bushes of Withania frutescens.

Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio).

We then made our way to the fish port to have a look for ringed Gulls but the port was very busy and the only Gulls about were on a roof where we could not get to view them so we headed to Charca early only adding Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) to the days growing total. On the way we went and had a look at a couple of the pools on the nearby golf course, our best finds were a fine male Eurasian Wigeon (Silbón Europeo / Anas Penelope) on a small pool near the beach and on the beach a single Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus). On the drive back to Charca we had some very nice views of an immature male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), picked up a small flock of Reed Buntings (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus) in the disused cane fields and had a pale phase Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) circling over the sites back entrance.

Charca was open by the time we got there so we headed for the hide over looking the first pool walking anti-clockwise, here we picked up Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) along with a fly through Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and lots of flyover Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris). Whilst there we also heard Cetti'sWarbler and then a couple of Penduline Tits (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus) one of which was a very smart female which showed briefly but well in the reeds. 

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) Female.

We then moved around to the next hide, on the way we scanned the willow trees near the track which often have a Night Heron (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax) or two roosting in them and we were not disappointed when Juan picked up an adult and I located a Juvenile bird. We continued on the the hide which proved to be very productive, starting with the female Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) which had been at the site for some time but had eluded me on my last two visits, a group of  Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), a couple of mixed up displaying Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Water Pipit (Bistita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), calling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), dozens of feeding Common Chiffchaffs, a confiding pair of Common Stonechats and Juan had distant views of a Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which had disappeared into cover by the time I got onto the spot. On our way around to the hide on the opposite side of the same pool we saw a couple of Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla). 

Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra).

From the hide we added Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and two  Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) before going to the main hide where we saw Manu the warden. From here the light was terrible but we still picked up Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina) and Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata) before leaving to go to the last hide. On the way around we added Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).From the last hide we did not add any more bird species but we did hear the Penduline Tits again and pick up a few dragonfly species including Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta). Juan and I then walked back to the car and started to make our way home, during the journey I had fleeting glimpses of both Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) in a motorway side Quarry. We got back to Granada and Juan went home and I headed back towards Huétor for lunch, on the way I saw Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) by the hundred, Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata). I went back from Huétor to the house across the fields picking up one of the wintering Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), a flock of Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), a couple of Common Starlings (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) amongst the hoards of Spotless and a Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) on the Arroya.

The talk about the Book.

Once I got home I had lunch and waited for a call from Juan to say that he and his wife Beatriz were on there way over to meet us at the Cortijo de Tajar hotel near the A92 and continue on to Fuente de Piedra. The call came and we started the journey over to Fuente, on the way I saw a Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) on some overhead wires and a couple of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) which flew across the carriageway near Salinas. We arrived at Fuente but a couple of coach trips had been though first so there had been a lot of disturbance already but we went for a walk out on to the board walk where the only waders were about 5 Black-winged Stilts and a few Snipe. 

The front cover of this very good publication.

On the far side of the area there was a large patch of weeds which held a good number of feeding Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), as well as a few Reed Buntings and some House Sparrows (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Juan picked up a Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) but it had dived in to the thistles before I got onto it. We then retraced our steps and walked out in front of the center and viewed the main Lagoon, here we saw hundreds of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber),1000s of Northern Shovelers, a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) along with thousands of Gulls which were coming into Roost. The main hide which looked over the larger of the two fresh water pools was full so we went down to the smaller hide but there was not a lot to be seen, Juan then found a couple of Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis) amongst the dozens of Little Grebes on the tail end of the larger lagoon.
I saw a movement from on to of the bank which turned out to be an Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) which disappeared down a Rabbit hole but reappeared after about ten minutes giving us some great views. We then went to the other hide which had now emptied, from here we added Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) to the list but nothing else. It was now nearing 18:00 so we went into the visitor center to attend the meeting we had come for which was the release of the new book about the Birds of Fuente de Piedra. We listened to the presentation and then had a chat with a few of the Spanish birder I knew and met Eva and her husband who run Ronda mountain walking in Grazalema for a chat. After quite a while we all got back into Juan's motor and headed home.

Thanks Juan for doing all the driving.

Well what a day, long, busy but well worth it with 86 species being seen in total (3 of which I missed).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

An afternoon stroll around the local patch.

Jayne had gone over to Trabuco for the weekly Craft Group meeting and the sun was out so I decided to go and have a stroll around the closer parts of the local patch. I left the house and walked down hill through the village and out into the Olive groves further down the hill. On the way the first species to be seen included Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris). I then moved out into the agricultural area which surround the town and continue along the Rio Genil right the way to Granada in the west and way on past Loja in the east. 
The first bird that showed up was a very confiding Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) which showed down to about a meter in the very edge of an Asparagus field which had been left to grown to fronds over the winter. Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) flew up from the ploughed field on the opposite side of the road along with loads of White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) which winter around this area in huge numbers. Next came the first of the three female Hen Harriers (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) I saw during the walk, quickly followed by a male Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus) which was perched on one of the many over head cables. As I walked down the road towards the bar more species were added including Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops). 
I then passed the bar (that took some doing) and went out on to the fields and walked along the river. On the harvested fields to my left there were a small number (25) of Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), around 50 or so Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), the second female Hen Harrier which was easily separated from the first as it looked much darker in the wings and a huge flock of Iberian Magpies which flew the full length of the open area between La Fabrica and the nearest Poplar plantation and must have contained nearly 150 birds. I continued the walk along the raised bank which followed the river down to the first reedbed where it got to muddy to continue, along here there was a sizable flock of finches which was made up mainly of Common Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Serins but as they flushed up into the Poplar trees there were at least 5 Bramblings (Pizón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) mixed in with them. 
On the river which was quite swollen after resent rains there were a small number of Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), a single Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and a male Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica) which had a completely blue throat with out a spot. I retraced my way back along the bank and checked the ground between some young Olive trees which gave me some nice views of a female Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) which when it saw me flew up and landed in a Poplar tree nearby. Within the next few meters of the walk I also had a male Sparrowhawk which was sat up in a conifer tree slightly further along the bank eating a male Greenfinch it had just caught, unfortunately it flushed but only dropped on to the opposite bank of the river where it continued to pluck and eat it catch. 
I got back onto the main track along the river and scanned the fields down towards the town, in one of the Lucerne fields I could see some brown heads and necks sticking up which belonged to a few of the wintering Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) and in a nearer ploughed field there were at least 70 Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) in one of their day time roosts roosting. The Curlews (up to 900 in a good year) usually collect on a small area of land near the town but this year the strips in this area are still planted with maze so they are scattered but still in good number, it just makes counting tem difficult. 
This winter we have had a couple of Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) on the site but I had not seen them for a week or so but while I was checking this same area I picked up one of the birds perched in a very low bush near the railway line. I was pleased with this and even better was a sighting of the second bird which dropped out of the top of a dying Oak tree, again down near the railway line. 
I then walked back passed the bar and on along the road back up to the house, along here I added Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) before getting home.

Rio Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Benalmádena landfill site (better known as the car boot sale) and a quick visit to the Guadalhorce river mouth.



White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

We parked in Benalmádena and walked up passed the very nice parque de la Paloma to the car boot sale nearby. On the way we saw a couple of tatty looking Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies gliding around the flower beds. We then spent quite a while wandering around the market looking through the stuff people were trying to sell, 99.9% of which should be in a landfill site and the other 0.01% was well over priced (sometimes higher than buying a new one). We came away totally empty handed and headed to the very good Gusman Garden Center not to far away before I dropped Jayne in to the Larios Center in Malaga and went birding at Guadalhorce for a couple of hours.
As I drove through the Guadalamar estate I heard and saw the expected Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), several Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and hordes of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), one of which was doing a cracking Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) impression and another which was taking off a Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia) to perfection. I dug the bins and scope out of the car and walked up to the end of the raised bank and set my self up, I did not move from here for the next two hours and spent the time either scanning the sea or back on to the Nature reserve.
Just below me on the rocks there were a small number of Ruddy Turnstones (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres) and a couple of Common Sandpipers (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and amongst the masses of rubbish which had been washed down river in the last rains there were several Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), a Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and a pair of Common Stonechats (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata). Out at sea I could see hundreds of Gulls most of which were wintering Lesser Black-backs (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus) and Black-headed (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), with surprisingly few Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and as far as I could see just a couple of Audouin's (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii). These were joined by good numbers of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Sandwich Terns (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis), along with lesser numbers of both Scopoli’s (Calonectris diomedea) and Balearic Shearwaters (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus).

Ruddy Turnstone (Vuelvepiedras Común / Arenaria interpres).

Off shore there are two rather ugly structures which as you would expect were covered in Gulls and a few Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo) but today they were joined by not just one but two Western Ospreys (Águila Pescardora / Pandion haliaetus) which was a bit of a surprise, I have seen them on the reserve regularly but not out at sea! Behind me on the river singletons of both Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and a noisy fast moving Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis). During the couple of hours I was sat there I scanned the reserve several times and added Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and two immature Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus ruber) to the growing list. As the time came to leave I walked back along the edge of the ditch which runs down the western side of the ridge where I flushed a real Greenshank and picked up Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), a female Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and the star bird a nice blue throated Bluethroat (Ruiseñor Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica). I then went and picked Jayne up and we continued the shopping part of the trip with a visit to Ikea, Leroy Merlins and Decathlon before heading home, arriving back there at just before 22:00. Well we did make a full day of it as we had left home at 08:30 !

Loja, Granada Province.

Late passage or wintering birds????

Jayne and I were driving into Loja to collect some bits and pieces, on the way we passed through Esperanza where a sizable flock of hirundines drew my attention, so we stopped and scanned the birds finding that the flock contained at least 2 House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), a single Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and about 50 Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province.

A quick whizz around the local patch.

Whilst Jayne was doing some baking I decided to go and have a quick look around the fields just down the road and see what was about. I started on the fields just behind the bar near our house and spent quite a while sat there just scanning the pylons and the tree tops looking for one of the two wintering Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) but with out any success, I did however see a couple of Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) one of which  has been around for a while and is almost black, Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and a Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) which was perched up on the roof of a nearby disused Cortijo.
Down on the fields and along the river there were plenty of passerines including loads of White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Meadow Pipits (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer Montanus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), a cracking male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and on the wires which cross the whole area there must have been around 400 Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) which had come up off the fields when a couple of female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) started to quarter the fields. I then dropped down towards the town on the back road and parked on the railway bridge which gave me a nice elevated view of the site, from here I picked out around 150 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) on a nearby Lucerne field, a dozen or so Stone Curlews (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) which were lying low in some deep furrows and a single Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which flew along the railway line. 
I then move back to my original spot and had one last scan and added Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), a single Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which dropped into a near by ditch and started to pick off what looked like young Iberian Water Frog (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula). On the way back up to the house I had a good few minutes watching and trying to count a flock of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) that were moving quickly through the Olive trees near the house, by the time I had finished I guessed that there were around 125 birds in this single group.

The Balsa del Regidor, Granada Province.

Counting Cattle Egrets.

While Juan Pérez Contreras, Beatriz Pérez Machado and José Mª González Cachinero were carring out their regular count of the Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) coming to the roost near Ogíjares on the Southern out skirts of Granada City I went to the much smaller roost at the Balsa del Regidor just off the A92 at Morelada. On the lake there were a good numbers of duck but all bar none were just Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), these were joined by quite a few Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) about 35 in total, several Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and along with some Common Moorhens (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus). 
During the hour or so I was there a few Raptor species where recorded passing through the area including a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), a large female Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) which spent quite a while perched on a nearby pylon and then just as before dark a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) passed over the lake (probable the bird seen earlier in the week).
Other species I picked up included Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a female Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata) which dropped in right at the close. During the count I saw 174 Western Cattle Egrets not quite the 2971 the others recorded in Granada but an enjoyable couple of hours.

Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

A search for Red-knobbed Coots.



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

I had arranged to meet up with Juan Perez at the Embalse de Cacín during the afternoon to try and find some of the Red-knobbed Coots (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) that were seen by fellow local birders Jorge Garzón and Juanfra Jiménez. On the way I stopped and checked the service road along the A92 near Moraleda where I had seen a Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) last Saturday whilst returning home from the RAM seabird survey. I drove along the southern side of the motorway and soon found a cracking adult Kite sat on almost the same telegraph post it had been on on Saturday, as I approached in the car the bird flew and I thought that it was a bit flighty and I had flushed it but it suddenly dropped down into the lucerne field and came back to the same post with a dead Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis) which it sat and devoured over the next ten minutes giving me some amazing views.  

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

After the treat of watching this bird for a while I left it there and carried on to the agricultural areas near to Morelada looking for the two Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) Jorge and Juanfra had seen on the same day as they found the Coots, I did not find any Cranes but i did see a male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), a male Merlin (Esmerejón / Falco columbarius), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Thekla (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus). I then pushed on down to the Embalse where I was to met up with Juan, on the way I saw a male Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) sat on the roof of an old ruin, Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) on roadside rock piles and lots of Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) which flew up from the Almond plantations on my way down into El Turro.  

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

On the way from El Turro down to the lake several species were either seen or heard in the pines that line the route, these included Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and  Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla). I made a quick stop at the bridge just below the dam over the Rio Cacín, here I heard a Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and saw Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Blue  (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea). I then moved on down to the side of the lake and started to check out the Coots that I could see but they were all Eurasian (Focha Común / Fulica atra), there were also good numbers of Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), 3x Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo) and a single Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea). 

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).

In the pine woodlands on the far shore several Jays (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and a flock of  Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) were making plenty of noise whilst an immature  Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquilachrysaetos) was flapping low over the ridge behind me hunting Rabbits. Other species seen before Juan arrived included White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula). Juan then arrived and we rescanned all the Coot that were visible but found nothing new, so we moved a few hundred meters up the lake towards the dam where we could get onto some higher ground and look down the full length of the near shore. Once at the second spot Juan had picked up the Red-knobbed Coot which was waring the white neck collar but it was quite some distance away back along the shore near where we had been standing originally but had been hidden by a largish reedbed. From up here we also saw Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and a couple of Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) which flew when I went to have a look at the furthest point near the dam. 

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).

After some time scanning the lake and finding no more Coots we decided to see if we could get nearer the bird we had seen to try and read the number on the neck collar. We arrived and could not find the bird but after a few minutes it swam out from the reeds just a few meters away from where we were stood up on the bank and gave us nice views which were plenty good enough to read the number and see the nice bluish bill and raised rear end. From this point the only new species see was a distant Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus). I then headed home and Juan went off towards Granada doing some birding on the way. 

Later Juan got some information back from the people running a reintroduction project for the Coots in Donnana to say that the bird we had seen was an immature male that had been released early last year.

RAM, Motril Port and Charca del Suarez, Granada Province.

A new bird for the Granada List.


Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus).

I met Juan Perez at the usual place and we made our way down to Cabo Sacratif to Carry out the RAM sea bird survey for November. After the winds and rain of the previous week I was very pleased to find that the weather down on the coast was much more mild and there was just a steady breeze in off the sea. We started the sea watch at 08:30 and soon started to record good numbers of Northern Gannets (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus) and Balearic Shearwater (Pardela Balear / Puffinus mauretanicus) with the Gannets moving both east and west but all the Balearic were passing eastwards. During the watch we also saw a few Cory's Shearwater (Pardela Cenicienta / Calonectris diomedea), 3 Great Skua's (Págalo Grande / Catharacta skua), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocorax carbo), Sandwich Tern (Charrán Patinegro / Sterna sandvicensis) and Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser Black-backed (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus), Mediterranean (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Audouin's Gulls (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus).

Sea bird passage was not all that was going on, whilst we were sat on the headland we were well aware of an almost constant passage of passerines west along the coast. Flocks of finches which were made up of mainly Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Serin's (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) were flying by but amongst the common birds we also picked out a few Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus) which were a new species for my Granada list and at least three Brambling (Pizón Real / Fringilla montifringilla) a year tick. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus).

Other species seen whist at this site included Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Meadow Pipit (Bistita Común / Anthus pratensis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer Domesticus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Gaviota Somria / Larus fuscus).

We then moved on to Motril Port to spend some time looking through the wintering Gull flocks to read some of the colour rings. We made a good start with a couple of Med Gulls one which was from Hungary (HUR3) and another from Italy (OCAJ), a Black-headed Gull (TJYW) from Poland and Lesser Black-backs from Belgium (LCA.T), Norway (TW) and UK plus other places. Our next stop was at Charca del Suarez where we started at the small hide on the anti-clockwise route around the reserve but there was a work party in the reeds so we did not see much from here and decided co continue on around to the next hide which was much quieter. Here we added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Anas clypeata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus) and Western Swamp-hen (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio) to the list along with Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), a single Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) which had either decided to winter or was just a bit late passing through, Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and a female Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus). 

Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii).

We moved on around the reserve, a few Dragonflies were still on the wing, the commonest were the 20 plus Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) we saw but we also recorded a few Migrant Hawkers (Aeshna mixta) and small numbers of both Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator). A few butterflies were also seen during the visit including Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Small  (Artogeia rapae), Large (Pieris brassicae) and Bath Whites (Pontia daplidice), a single Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) and what Juan thought was probably a Plain Tiger ((Danaus chrysippus) but I missed getting good views which was a pain as I have not yet caught up with species in Spain. We moved on again and spent some time in the main hide scanning the main pool, new species here included Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Wigeon (Silbón Europeo / Anas Penelope), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Great Tit (Carbonero Común / Parus major), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis). 

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

We spent some time at the last smaller hide looking for a female Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca) but dipped on it and did not add anything new to the day list. At 1 o'clock we made our way back towards the exit and had a drive out to the rear of the reserve to check the wet areas, as we were searching the site we bumped into two more Spanish birders who were doing some ringing on the area. During the morning they had seen a couple of  Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus), a male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) and had caught and ringed a Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) which again was either on a late passage or as the ringer suspects a wintering bird. We went and had a look in some areas Juan knew trying to catch up with the Cranes as the chap that saw them thought that they had landed not far away but we could not find them. 

Mediterranean Gull (Gaviota Cabecinegra / Larus melanocephalus).

We did however add Reed Bunting (Escribano Palustre / Emberiza schoeniclus), Song (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrushes (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and a sizable flock of Siskins (30+) to the list.

We then started to make our way back to Granada where I dropped off Juan and headed home, on the way a splendid adult Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus) was seen perched on a telegraph pole at the side of the A92 and on the fields to the north of Huetor I also added Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and a female Hen Harrier.