Pendleton Pages

Bird List, Granada, Spain, 2 June 2010

Cypress & Pine

Darro River valley

Oak and Maquis

Oak woodland

Darro valley farms

I revisited my running route from three days ago, hiking with camera this time from Plaza Nueva up to the Alhambra, through the parking lots and up to the left onto the ridge, down somewhat across the valley through olive fields then up to the ridge above the Darro river. From there I followed Parque Periurbano trails out a mile or so to the trail which descends into the valley, then followed the upper trail across the brushy/grassy slopes back into the pine forest just above the Alhambra. Sky was still dark when I left at 0545, temperature about 21C. Sunrise was at 0711. Many songs and calls that I still can't recognize but I did confirm the identity of several others.
Counted 30 species, covered about 6.5 miles in 3 hours.

SpeciesNotes Common Kestrel 2 Falcons flying down the ridge towards the Alhambra around sunrise Cuckoo 2 Maquis Collared Dove 2 Open country, Albaycin Rock Dove 10 Around Alhambra Woodpigeon 4 Calls "huhoooohu rooorooo" Little Owl 3 Heard calling in woods and parking lot sycamores, a long-repeated "tutook tutook tutook tutook...". Mottled gray-brown, crow-sized but w/ smaller body, long wings, bat-like flight w/ wingtips clapping together below body on takeoff. Common Swift 40++ Appeared over open country (olive groves) at 0650, 20 minutes before sunrise. Red-rumped Swallow 2 Pair on open slope above Rio Darro House Martin 3 Albaycin Wren 3 Woods & thickets Robin 11 Mostly in woods below Alhambra. "tseeet" and "teekteek" calls. Stonechat 1 Brushy open hillside Blackbird 25 Everywhere, singing before dawn. Sardinian Warbler 3 Maquis. Medium-gray above, pale gray below w/ black head, white throat, red eye. Blackcap 2 Dense broadleaf woods Western Bonelli's Warbler 2 Oaks in maquis. Call "qureeeep". Song a dry ringing "chechechechechechecheche" with variations, about 1 sec long, junco-like but drier. Active, hovers. Darkish line through eye, pale line over eye but indistinct. Olive brown above, possibly more yellowish on rump. Spotted Flycatcher 1 Woods edge Long-tailed Tit 5 Famiy group in maquis, querelous call, very active. Great Tit 8 Oaks and pines. Golden Oriole 1 Song phrases very similar to Western Meadowlark. Spotless Starling 2 Over Alhambra Jay 5 Oaks and woods Magpie 2 Open areas w/ trees House Sparrow 10 Chaffinch 8 Open or dry woods, seem wary and difficult to see well. Song is loud and frequent "tsitsitsitstsichrichrichrichriteerteerchereeeeur" w/ variations, emphasis on last note. Reddish gray below, darker under chin, gray head, white wingbars. Serin 5 Began singing (like Anna's Hummingbird but more robust) at 0658, 10-15 minutes before sunrise. Greenfinch 2 Woods/edges Goldfinch 2 Bushes in open country, fairly tame but hard to photograph nonetheless. Song less tinkling than in Toledo. Cirl Bunting 1 Photographed (poorly) in bush Rock Bunting 2 Singing from tops of bushes in open areas. Thin song w/ clear notes and trills.