Osuna Area, Sevilla Province.

A few more Lifers and a day dodging the storms.
(Deb and Ian Day Two).

Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) taken by Deb.

Deb, Ian and I headed out West along the A92 into Sevilla Province, eventually turning off the motorway on the Western side of Osuna. We then headed in to the country following the newly laid high speed railway line, our first stop was a few Km clear of the town on the road side. Our first species was a nice male Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), which was quickly followed by a male Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), a small flock of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo). Our second stop was on the first bridge which crosses the railway line and our first surprise was that there were hundreds of very small Natterjack Toads (Sapo Corredor / Bufo calamita) trying to cross the track but they were trapped by the large curb stones.

Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis) taken by Deb.

From here we had very nice views of a cracking male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax) which was calling from a field along side the railway, a pair of Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax), singing Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and some nice views of Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) both on the ground and in flight. From here we moved on along to the second bridge but just as we went back onto the road again we saw a small bird fly across infront of the car and into some thistles, this turned out to be a very nice male Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata) which showed very nicely on the top of a spike of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) taken by Deb.

We continued to the bridge after some scanning we picked up a distant group of 6 Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) which gave Deb and Ian their second lifer of the morning but the views were not great so we decided to try and get a bit closer on one of the many tracks. In amongst the crop fields we had several nice views of the Iberian Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus / capensis) and Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

On the way we passed a large derelict cortijo were we stopped and got some good views of several Lesser Kestrels (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) amongst the hordes of Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) and picked up the first of at least nine Rollers (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) to be seen during the day. Further on we had good views of Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), another Roller, at least two Short-toed Eagles (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).

Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus) taken by Deb.

We parked at the end of one of the spurs off the main track and walked a bit further through the crops until we found the Great Bustards but we could only locate 5 of the birds. In the same area we also saw 3 more male Little Bustards, lots of Lesser Kestrels, Black Kites (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and in the fields near the Bustards there were dozens of both Western Cattle (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) that were probably feeding on some of the many Toads that were so common in the area. We retraced our steps and headed down towards the third bridge but on the way we had great views of several Black-bellied Sandgrouses (Ganga Ortega / Pterocles orientalis), the first were in flight but we did get views of some of the seven birds on the ground. Just before we got to bridge we had a small flock of around 20 Collared Pratincoles (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola) in a field along with several Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus).

Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) taken by Deb.

From the bridge we located Iberan Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) and both Red-rumped (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica). A little further along this road we turned on to a track and checked out a large group of Eucaliptus trees and soon had the next lifer on the list with a nice male Spanish Sparrow (Gorrión Moruno / Passer hispaniolensis) sitting on the nearby fence, with one in the bag we started finding them all over the site, in a nearby ditch we added Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Melodious Warblers (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta).

Nigella papillosa subsp atlantica.

We continued on along this track to a very large deserted Cortijo were we saw more Rollers, Lesser Kestrels, European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), a soaring Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), another of the many Corn Buntings (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia). We took a different track back to the road and again saw another Roller and a cracking male Montagu's Harrier along with Alpine (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus). Back at the road we headed off North again and parked on the road side and quickly found Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Onopordum nervosum.

We then retraced out steps back over the bridge and onto the main road again and continued on towards La Lantejuela on the way we stopped to look at some roadside plants which included the beautiful Nigella papillosa subsp atlantica and the spectacular thistle Onopordum nervosum. 

Whilst we were looking at these plants we also scanned a small area of water down near the railway line where we found Avocets (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta) and Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and in the air we had good views of more Black Kites, Booted Eagles and a small group of Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) which circled over the railway. We continued on and stopped near the Arroyo del Salado and found a juvenile Black-winged Kite (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), on the bridge another Roller and in the skies several pale phase Booted Eagles. Our next stop was in the town of La Lantejuela where we found a nice small bar and had some lunch.

Ian and Deb birding at the Lagunas.

After lunch we started to visit some of the many wetlands in the area and after the wet February and March that we had just had they were all pretty much full and several that I had not seen before had appeared. Our first stop was at Laguna de la Ballestera and Immediately we could pick out good numbers of Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Lesser

Black-backed

(Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus) and Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Reidora / Chroicocephalus ridibundus), along with several groups of Eurasian Coots (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos) and in the air a dozen or so Whiskered Terns (Fumarel Cariblanca / Chilidonias hybridus). We parked just on the edge of the Tamerisk trees and had a walk along the track quickly picking up Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), a flock of four roosting Grey Plovers (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola) one of which was in summer plumage, a couple of pairs of Kentish Plovers (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), a single Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) and a raucous Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus).

Grey Plovers (Chorlito Gris / Pluviali squatarola).

We then turned around and walked back towards the car, during the whole walk we were surrounded by lots of Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and out on the main lake there were several of both Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperors (Anax parthenope). In this area and during the day we also had several butterfly species including Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera). Once back at the car we continued on to we made our way to Laguna de Consuegra and again there were good numbers of Greater Falamingo's, this time we also had nice views of several summer plumaged Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), plus several Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis).

Storms over the Laguna's.

On the far end of the lake amongst the reeds there 30 or so Red-crested Pochards (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Common Pochard, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata) and in the air again there were 20+ Whiskered Terns zipping about. We continued on a short way seeing more Kentish Plovers, a singing Great Reed and lots of Reed Warblers. On the way back to the car we started to notice that there were several storms starting to brew up around us and one was already letting fly a few bolts of lightening and the thunder could be heard rumbling away in the distance. As we neared the car a couple of very smart looking Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) were seen chasing each other, one bird dropped on to a small reedy pool near the road and the second went over to a larger area of water on the far side of the road. We had a look for the first bird but even though the pool was small the reeds were dense and the bird remained unseen as did the bird on the larger pool.

More Storms over the Laguna's.

Whilst searching for the Heron we had cracking views of nest building Whiskered Terns, some passing Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) we had been seeing this species all morning but this was the first group any where near the water as all the other flocks had been feeding out over the fields. We then made our way back to the main road and headed for Laguna de la Turquilla but when we arrived I was disappointed to see that the reeds had almost completely swamp the lake and this made it impossible to see any birds on the water, we did have a few Red-crested Pochards in flight and in the area around the lake there were good numbers of both Black Kites and Booted Eagles as well as a pair of Common Buzzards. We then headed back towards Osuna but made a quick stop at another laguna on the way which held good numbers of Red-crested Pochard in two flocks which combined must have totaled over 200 birds.

Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius) taken by Deb

We also saw Avocet, Black winged Stilt and a few more Kentish Plovers. Continuing on we had brief views of an adult Black-winged Kite by the road but could not find any where to stop. We went through Osuna and got back onto the A92 and headed for home.

Loja to near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Debbie and Ian arrive from Guacin.
(Day One of Granada Part of the trip).

During the afternoon I collected Debbie and Ian from Loja train station where they arrived after spending quite a while down in the Cacares area of Malaga Province with our friends Penny and John. On the drive up to the house we had good views of a Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) sat on a wire fence,
Ian and I stayed in the car while Debbie tried to get a shot of the bird but it few off, she did however see a male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus). On the drive up to the house we also added several Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) to their life lists, we also saw more Magpies while we had a meal which Jayne prepared for us.
To finish off we heard but did not see Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis). Deb and Ian were visiting from Meadow in South Australia, they had been in Spain for a while and had seen quite a few species, so the next seven days were to be spent searching for Some interesting Target and gap in list Species.

Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

A days birding with the Axarquia bird group.

Ophrys tenthredinifera x Ophrys Picta.

I usually end up missing the groups meeting so I was very pleased when Steve Foster a visitor holidaying here said he would be interested in going as well and could get us to the meeting place. 

We arrived to met a group of ten more birders ready to brave the wind, possible heavy rain and cold, as it turns out we got two of the three and avoided the rain. 

We left the car park in three cars (thanks to the drivers who gave Steve and myself a lift up the hill) and started off by parking at the bottom of the narrow track up to the disused quarry and started the walk up. 

We soon picked up several Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) all before we left the cover of the Pine Woodlands.

Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo).

Once we were out in the open we started to find a wide selection of wildflowers including a few species of Orchid including one very special plant. Straight away we found Viola dementria, Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata ssp pullata), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus illyricus), White Mignonette (Reseda Alba), Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum) and nearer the top of the track we found several spikes of the Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta) and along side these was a single spike of a rare hybrid which we originally found on this meeting back on the 17th May 2012 between Ophrys tenthredinifera and Ophrys Picta and with information seen recently it was the first record of this Orchid for Granada Province at that time. 

We eventually (the plant hunters) reached the quarry to find that Bob and the others had already got the Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) in the scopes, in and around the quarry we also saw a very smart Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Linaria anticaria.

In the quarry and on the banks nearby there were also quite a few wildflowers including Chickweed (Cerastium boissieri), Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum), Mediterranean Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Linaria anticaria, Mediterranean Catchfly (Silene colorata), Navel-wort (Omphalodes commutata), Carduus granatensis and Crambe filiformis.

During the walk back down the hill we had good numbers of Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) heard only and Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto). We got back into the cars and headed up along the track through the Pine Woods where we heard and some of the saw a Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), plus Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) heard only. 

We made a quick stop at the lower end of the crags where we watched both Jackdaw and Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) enjoying the brisk breeze and doing some stylish aerobatics. Slightly higher up the crags we parked again and scanned the Hawthorn bushes where we could hear but did not see both Spectacled (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata) and Orphean Warblers (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis), plus Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba).

Plants around here were Buckler Mustard (Biscutella frutescens) which was in seed, Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium), Rosy garlic (Allium roseum) and Dianthus pungens. We then ventured out on to the tops and started seeing the first of the days Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Black-eared Wheatears (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) seeing both variations of the species. 

We steadily made our way to Charca del Negro, on the way we also saw Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Spectacled Warbler and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis). Plants included Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea), Pyramidal Orchid (Orquidea Pyramidal / Anacamptis pyramidalia), Blue Hedgehog Broom (Erinacea anthyllis), Southern Red Bartsia (Parentucellia latifolia), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum) and Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum). 

We had our lunch whilst we were at Charca and during this hour or so we had fantastic view of a male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) which came down quite close and showed very well, we also had nice views of Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and more Black Redstarts, Red-billed Choughs including a bird on a nest in the cliff nearby and Black-eared Wheartears including a stunning male. On the cliffs there were several cushions of the uncommon Saxifraga Camposii.

Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) taken by Bob Wright.

We moved on around the corner towards the goat cave and in the fields below the road we saw a fine male Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica), lots more Rock Sparrows, a pair of Black Wheatears and Erodium cheilanthifolium.
From here we started to make our way back down the hill but we did not add anything new. Other things seen during the day included Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) and Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba).
We arrived back at the small quarry on the way down and had more good views of the Eagle Owl and picked up a male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) to finish the day off nicely. Steve and myself then went in the service area for a coffee and waited for Jayne to pick us up on her way back from the Trabuca Craft Group.

The Group consisted of Bob Wright, Mary-Ann Murphy, Lesley Laver, Bryan Stapley, James Moore, Michael McLaine, Eric and Pat Lyon, Gerry Collins, Steve Forster and Myself.

Sierra Nevada, Granada Province.

A morning on the Northern lower slopes.

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

I headed out of Granada City after dropping Jayne in the city to visit Ford to get the car sorted but they were only doing jobs on cars that had been booked in so I had to arrange to take it back on Monday. In the mean time I headed back through the City and out on to the old road up the Northern slopes of Sierra Nevada. I was making for the Sweet chestnut woods along the upper parts of this beautiful drive.

Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata) with a Bee-fly species.

As I was driving between Guejar-Sierra a very old Spanish chap leap out in front of me and asked for a lift to a point further on which I did not know but I said yes and he jumped in and started to give me directions, a way along the road we came across a group of horse-men who were herding around 20 large cattle along the road which made getting along the road impossible but luckily the chap wanted to go to a bar along the road which follows the Rio Genil so we turned left and made our way there where I dropped him off and turned around and headed back to the road up the hill. 

On the way I tried but failed to get shots of the biggest Common Toad (Bufo bufo) I was amazed how fast the dam thing could go and it was soon in the cover of the track side vegetation.

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus).

Along this track I also came across the beautiful Spanish Rusty Foxglove (Digitalis obscura), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Bellardia trixago and Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major). I reached the road to find the Cattle had spent ten minutes resting on a large grass area but had just started off and the road was again blocked so I turned around and headed back through the tunnels and parked down near one of the bars and had a walk along one of the tracks down to the Rio Genil across a small bridge and up the track on the far side of the river.

View up to the Sierra.

Along here I found several species of Butterflies including Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes), both Marsh (Euphydryas aurinia) and Queen of Spain Fritillaries (Issoria lathonia) and Small White (Artogeia rapae). 

Birds included Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus).

Water Avens (Geum rivale).

From here I went a few hundred meters up the road where I parked up again and checked the gravel margins for mineral collecting Butterflies, first I counted another 20 or so Panoptes Blues, several Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus), a Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros), Large White (Pieris brassicae) and Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina). 

I then jumped back into the car and followed the trail of cow pats up the hill until I caught up with the herd, at this point there was a convenient parking slot so I left the car and walked the rest of the way up to the spot I had hoped to reach. I searched and quickly found half a dozen or so spikes of Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis), lots of Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanatera longifolia) and a few none flowering Robust Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza elata).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanatera longifolia).

Birds included two singing Common Chiffchaffs (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula). 

I turned around and started to make my way back down towards the car, by a spot that I call the stone wall site I found a few none flowering spikes of the uncommon Epipactis fagicola in a roadside ditch.

Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis).

Whilst I was searching for these orchids I was aware of a shuffling in the woods above the wall and soon found this to be a very large male Wild Boar (Felis silvestris) which stood looking at me for a few seconds before trotting off into the wood.

Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis).

Before I reached the car I saw Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and Tufted vetch (Vicia cracca).

Huétor Fields and Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

Another successful Spring walk for GRANADA WILDLIFE.

Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa).

I started the day off by having a quick look on the fields North of Huétor Tájar, I parked behind the bar where I parked beside the river and scanned the fields on the opposite bank and along the margins of the Arroyo where I soon located Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata). I then went back to the bar and had a coffee before meeting Mike Loombe and his wife and heading off to the meeting point at the Abades service area on the A92. Pretty soon there we twelve of us ready to head up the mountain, our first stop was at the turning point where we parked and had a walk up towards the disused quarry at the end of the narrow track.

Oyster type shells fossel.

We started our walk with views of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus). In amongst the mediterranian scrub we started to find lots of wild flowers and orchids including Mirror (Ophrys speculum subsp speculum), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and Pyramidal Orchids (Orquidea Pyramidal / Anacamptis pyramidalia), Chickweed (Cerastium boissieri), Common Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Viola dementria, White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata ssp pullata), Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum), Mediterranean Catchfly (Silene colorata), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium),  some going over Southern Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris ssp. australis) and Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Black-eared Wheatear (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica).

Once we reached the quarry we started to hear a Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) but it took quite a while to locate it but eventually we saw it, also seen were Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a distant Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus). Also on the crag we had nice views of three Spanish Ibex (Cabra pyreaica hispanica) but we had much better views of four animals on our walk back towards the car. We also added a male Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and back at the car we saw a distant soaring Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

We all then jumped back into the cars and headed for the crags area, we parked and soon added Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), a singing Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Sylvia conspicillata), a fine male Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), another male Stonechat, several more Jackdaws and our first Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax). We had a look at the fossels of what have been described as Oyster type shells where we had a nice male Iberian Wall Lizard (Podarcis hispanica). We moved on towards Charc del Negro but we did make several stops on the way and had good views of Black-eared Wheatears (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica), several Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), 22+ Honey Buzzards (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and a very nice male Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Erodium cheilanthifolium.

We parked just below Charca del Negro as the track is a bit rough and walked up to the pools which were both covered in carpet of Pond Water Crowsfoot (Ranunculus Peltatus), on the margins there were saw a good number of Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), along with a pair of Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and several more Rock Buntings.
In and around the pool we saw several Sharp-ribbed Salamanders (Pleurodeles waltl), a few male Red-veined Darters (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and a single male Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator). From here we started to walk off around towards the goat cave and at the first crag we had cracking views of both Blue (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) and Rufous-tailed Rock Thrushes (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) display flying from the highest point. Here we also saw more Black Redstarts, Crag Martins, Rock Buntings and Rock Sparrows.

Iberian Worm Lizard (Blanus cinereus).

Continuing on we added a few more wild flowers to the list including the very nice Erodium cheilanthifolium, Mediterranean Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Cynoglossum cheirifolium, Saxifraga Camposii and an Iberian Worm Lizard (Blanus cinereus). Some of the group had already started the walk back to the car and on down the hill and once we had had a look at the cave the rest of the group started the journey back down to the service area. On my way down I managed to get a few shots of the birds before heading off home.

Mollina, Laguna Herrera and Arroya Marin, Malaga Province.

An enjoyable days birding.

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes).

I took Jayne over to her meeting in Trabuco and then continued on to the Ford Garage in Antequera and after sorting out there I went on towards a site near Mollina. 

Here I was hoping to see a pair of Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes) which I had seen in both of the last two years.

Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

I arrived and almost straight I got a fleeting glimpse of what looked like a female flying into the nearby field. 

I parked the car on the side of the track and set up the scope on the window and waited for the bird to reappear, after just a few minutes a male bird appeared and then a second bird which I had expected to be the female flew in and landed next to the first male.

Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

This bird turned out to be a second male bird and a short scrap started but ended very quickly when the female bird turned up. 

At one point there were three Chats perched on a fence all within a meter of each other, after a short while the one male flew off and the two remaining birds copulated on the ground right in front of the car!!

Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia).

I spent quite a while watching the birds but they were not quite as cooperative as last year and remained at the far end of the fence so the shots were not as good but I kept well back as they had only arrived on site in the last few days.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Also seen here were  House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (GolondrinaComún / Hirundo rustica), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and (Greater) Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).

Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus).

Later I made my way over toward Laguna Herrera but took a quite complicated cross country route by a lot of farm tracks. 

I made a quick stop by a scrubby area amongst an area of grape vines where I watched a very nice male Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) quartering a large area of newly planted Olive trees, whilst I was watching this I became aware of another male Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin singing from a large patch of very tall Milk Thistles (Silybum marianum). 

At first I could not locate the bird but the song was carrying well, eventually after moving around to the side of the field I had distant views of the bird which was actually sat on a wooden post in amongst the thistles.

Poppy Field.

A some time I headed onward to the small area of flooded fields near Herrera which Bob Wright had said in his blog were drying out fast and he was not wrong, the furthest one had gone as had the five or six Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) nest which had been ploughed up by the farmer, a great shame. 

On what was left of the other pools there were still a few Black-winged Stilts, a single Greenshank (Archibebe Claro / Tringa nebularia), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Little Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Chico / Charadrius dubius), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), a couple of Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus) and an Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

Iberian Orchid (Ophrys vernixia).

I continued on down the track checking the fields on the way picking up a male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), a group of Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) and a pair of Ravens (Cuervo / Corvus corax). 

Before I got to the road I made another stop to take a couple of shots of a Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) field which looked fantastic. I then made my way around to the main Lagoon, on the track I picked up Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Man Orchid (Orchis anthropoporum).

From the track that runs along the side of the main lagoon I flushed a very smart Squacco Heron (Garcilla Cangrejera / Ardeola ralloides) from amongst the reeds, also seen along here I had some nice views of several pairs of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), at least three Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cullinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), dozens of Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus). 

At the far end of the pool we added Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta).

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Also seen along the margins were some Dragonflies including Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Small Flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora).

From the Lagoon I headed back towards Trabuco calling at Arroya Marin for an hour on the way, straight away I could hear or see Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parusater) and Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlano / Sylvia hortensis).

Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus illyricus).

During the trip along the valley I made a few stops looking for Orchids and was very pleased to find at least three spikes of the uncommon Iberian Orchid (Ophrys vernixia), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Man Orchid (Orchis anthropoporum), Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) and Small Flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora). 

Butterflies included Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera). 

I then made my way back towards Trabuco to pick Jayne up but could not resist stopping to take a few shots of a fields which was stuffed full of the beautiful Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus illyricus).

Padul, Granada Province.

A walk around the Padul wetland with Juan.

 

Borage (Borago officinalis) Hypochromatic plant.

Jayne and I headed up to Granada to Juan Perez and Beatriz's apartment where Jayne and Beatriz spent a coupleof hours working on Beatriz's English. Juan and I headed off to Padul for a couple of hours birding. We parked at the bar above the site and took the track down towards the visitor centre checking out the willow scrub areas on the way to the ringing / feeding station amongst the taller trees.
During this walk we saw several Nightingales (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), a nice male Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), both male and female Pied Flycatchers (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).
We turn around from feeding station and made our way back the way we had just come on the way we picked up the species Juan had wanted a Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin) and a group of white flowered Borage (Borago officinalis) plants. Once we were out in the open with a view of the main lake we could see the nest of a Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) which was right out in the middle of the lake in an isolated tree. From this area we could also see a pair and a half of Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) on the lake and in the air there were a few House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
We then moved on and continued along the board walk around to the hide on the smelly channel, on the way we had good views of a Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus) singing from the top of a track side tree, Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).
On the way we also saw a few Iberian Water Frogs (Rana Común / Rana Perezi), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

From the hide we did not add many species but we did pick up Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica). We then headed back around to the car and then we headed back to Juans and then home.