Lynn, Steve and I have another good day in Cadiz Province.
Lynn and Steve, Day Seven.
I was up fairly early and spent a while sat on the balcony of the hotel where I recorded Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
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| The Rio Hozgarganta. |
Our first site of the day was at a spot Steve and I have visited before along the Rio Hozgarganta, after parking we dropped to the river as it was a lot more open at the bridge than it used to be, we worked our way to the west going upstream.
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| Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli). |
During the walk and the search at the far end we saw and heard
Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Barn Swallow,
Western House Martin,
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster),
Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus),
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),
Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and
Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata),
Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes),
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail,
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and
European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) bird wise.
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| White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes). |
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| White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes). |
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| Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) ♂. |
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| Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) ♂. |
Dragonflies were also recorded including a star find of a
Green Hooktail (Paragomphus genei) x1♂ as well as
Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x5, White (Platycnemis latipes) x20+ and Orange Featherleg (Platycnemis acutipennis) x2
, Western Willow Spreadwing (Chalcolestes viridis),
Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) x10+, Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) x10+,
Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene) x2,
Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) x1♂
, Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) x1♂,
Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x4♂
, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x2♂
, Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) x2♂ and
Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x5♂
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| Steve Photographing Orange Featherleg (Platycnemis acutipennis). |
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| Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura). |
Other species included Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Small White (Pieris rapae), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura).
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| The Rio Guadiaro at the Venta de las Acacias. |
We returned to the car and then headed to another site had researched hoping to see the difficult and uncommon Orange-spotted Emerald (Oxygastra curtisii), at this spot we had nice views of a couple of
Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis),
Western House Martin,
Eurasian Blackcap, Western Olivaceous Warbler (Zarcero bereber / Iduna opaca),
Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and
European Serin.
At the first part of the river we also saw Copper Demoiselle x20+, White Featherleg and Orange Featherleg x4, Blue-eye, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x1♂, Orange-winged Dropwing and Violet Dropwing, Epaulet Skimmer x3♂, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and Small White.
I was having some sciatica pain, so I stayed on the rocks at the first spot before walking a little way back down stream and then back to the car, Lynn and Steve walked further upstream and had at least 2♂ Orange-spotted Emerald.
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| From the Terrace. |
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| and down n the fields. |
It was now getting quite hot and we were all pretty knackered so we had a steady drive back along the coast home where we sat out on the terrace and watched a passing storm, later I popped down the fields to meet Paqui as I hadn't seen for a couple of days.
