Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

A short walk along the Arroyo.

 

Misty morning after the rains.

I parked down in the Arroyo and the walked out in the Mesia direction finding Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and around the small Allotment a Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and both Black (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Redstarts (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus).

First snow of the winter.

I cut along the track to the bridge over the Arroyo, on the way I had Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), quite a few Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and a
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

I walked down the road towards town and then cut back towards the bar finding Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and as I walked the last bit I could hear the Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) again but it took a while to find it and I only got on it as it headed off west.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) flying west.

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

The Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) is still hanging around.

 

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

I had been down to Mecodona and on the way back I had a quick look on the fields as whilst I was driving around the ring road I saw the Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) from a few days ago fly in and land on the same fields.

White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

In the same area there were also several Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis).

La Linea, Cadiz Province, Spain.

A Spanish Lifer in from the East.

Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni).

I drove down to La Linea i some extreamly wet weather, as much as we need it I could have done with it later in the day but still I arrived before light and sat by the beach for it to stop raining and get light.

Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni).

I walked down to the area in Parque Princesa Sofía where the target bird an Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni) was last seen.
With directions from local English birder Ricky Owen I Walked around the areas of longer grass but I did not see the bird so I waked to another part of the Park where I heard and had a brief view of a Yellow-browed Warbler (Mosquitero Bilistado / Phylloscopus inornatus).

Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni).

The rain continued and I continued to search finding Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo).

Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni).

After a while I sent a message to Ricky to say that I had seen the Yellow-browed Warbler but had not found the Pipit, Ricky returned the message and said he would come and check I was looking in the correct place.

After a short while Ricky arrived on his motor bike and confirmed I was in the right place and typically just a minute or two after he arrived the bird flew up from the long grass and showed well, I think it was so surprised to see Ricky with out Camera and Bins it wanted to check the ID.

Olive-backed Pipit (Bisbita de Hodgson / Anthus hodgsoni).

It showed well and then dropped down again, Ricky went back to work (Thank you Ricky for your help) and I walked back to the car in the rain and collected a chair and tripod and walked back again.

I spent the next 1.5 hours sat in the chair and waited for the bird to pop up again, after an hour and 10 mins it came up and spent some time preenng in the rain. I was happy with the views so I headed back to the car and made my way to Estapona where I dropped some idems off to a friend before driving back home.

Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

A wet visit to the Sierra, my first in 18 months.

 

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Monica, Ed and Myself drove up the Sierra, the weather was not very good so we decided to drive straight out to the furthest point on the Sierra Gordon side of the area, on the way we had quite a few Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), lots of Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), more than expected Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and at least 4 Northern's (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

We reached the crags where we checked the areas of Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) bushes where we had views if not brief of several Ring Ouzels (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), as well as a few Blackbirds (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros). I do not expect the thrushes to hang around very long as the erry supple was almost all gone already and can only guess there were not many to begin with.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

We turned around and at that point we had a few Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), a single Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and a Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) which was feeding in a sheltered spot by one of the Goat herders houses.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

We went back down the hill passed Charca del Negro and then turned right and started to take our way towards the village of Salar so that we could check the other area of Hawthorn bushes but found even less berries and no birds. 

Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).

We continued on and had superb views of a large group of 30 or so male Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica) which just leasurly wandered up a slope infront of us and away, as we dropped down the hill we picked up Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and then in the more wooded areas Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

9.5KM stroll around the patch with Ed and Monica.

Ebird list for the day.

Morning Cloud.

Ed and I drove down to Huétor and we walked along a track out from the town towards the railway line and we soon started the list with Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and along one of the gaps in an Artichoke field Ed had a Bluethroat (Pechiazul / Luscinia svecica).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

On the rough fields to our left we found around 90 odd Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus) and on the opposite field the first of 27 Northern Lapwings (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus) and another couple of Stone Curlews.

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

We continued on and found the first of at least 3 Whinchats (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), a Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) which came up from the irrigation channel and there were several White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), lots of Blackcaps (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita) and as we turned across the Asparagus fields to the road again a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) did a fly through.

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

We walked up on to the railway bridge where we saw the winter flock of around 25 Little Bustards (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), along with a group of Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) which were following a tractor which was also attracting good numbers of White Wagtails.

We took a track between the fields to keep off the road and had views of Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which was sat up on a pylon and in amongst the feathery folage of the Asparagus a couple of Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) which dashed around making views difficult.

We got back to the road and continued on up to the bar finding Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and lots of Feral Pigeons (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) on the old Cortijo.

Small White (Pieris rapae).

We walked out onto the bank of the Arroyo and crossed to the far side where we checked the Lucerne fields where we had a group of Zitting Cisticola's (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis) chasing each other out into the reeds near the road, more Meadow Pipits, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and at the far end near the allotment Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and along the rough track a Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Iberian  (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

At this point Monica rang to say she was walking down to meet us so we turned around and headed back to the ar where we met her and took the track along the other side of the Arroyo and in the area where there were several fig trees we picked up Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), another Whinchat and several Blackcaps.

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

We took the track again along the arroyo and once we reached the part with water we had Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and along the far stretch a couple of Desert Orange-tips (Colotis evagore).
We turned back towards the town and followed the irrigation channels flushing up a couple of Snipe (Agachadiza Común / Gallinago gallinago), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and as we reached the left turn Ed picked up a Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) in flight so we headed along the track to the area where we thought it had landed, we soon found it and manged to get some shots before returning to the main track.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus).

As we continued on we saw the bird fly off west, we continued on back towards the car but added nothing else on the way.

Common Crane (Grulla Común / Grus grus) flying West.

Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

3 and a bit KM around the patch.

 

Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

I drove down to the start point and then walked back along the track towards the bar, on the fields and around the small allotment I found a couple of Black Redstarts (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), a single Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), loads of Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) most sat up on the overhead cables, the first of 3 Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), lots of Spotless Starlings (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and at least 4 Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris) mixed in with them, several Iberian  Magpies (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) in the pomegranate trees on the far side of the fields, Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), the first of the winters Meadow Pipits (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), a single Western Yellow Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava) that had not moved on and when everything went up I picked up a Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) and as I was watching it I picked up a Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) which was passing West (a good local rarity).

Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).

I dropped down into the dry Arroyo and I found Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), 4 Western Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and 2 migrating Barn Swallows (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Down in the arroyo I found a small area of water from a leaking irrigation channel forming a pool where I found Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and at least 7 Tree Sparrows (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus). 

Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).

I turned around and walked back along the arroyo and then up on to the track along the southern edge and down to some fig trees in a small field where I picked up several new species on the chainlink fence including Whinchat (Tarabilla Nortena / Saxicola rubetra), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and in the same area Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

I continued on around the roads back to the car finding Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) in a Walnut Tree, Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) in an Asparagus field, Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) in another chainlink fence as well as several fly over Skylarks (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis).

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) female.

I went home and spent some time in the hide where I got some shots of Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Robin, House Sparrow and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).

Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Later I returned to the fields and as I was parked on the bank of the Arroyo a female Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) did a fly past and soon disappeared out over the fields towards Loja. 

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) male.

I also had Common Stonechat and Greenfinch sat in the Almond trees near the allotment before going back to the house.

House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) female.

House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) male.

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus).

Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).