Back out looking for Butterflies with Andy Tweed who found me an unexpected lifer.
I spent a while birding the area around the hotel and started the day list off with Eurasian Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
We met at the Bar Restaurante Mesón de la Vega Albarracín where we had breakfast before heading out to a spot not too far away, on the way we saw Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Cirl (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
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| The habitat. |
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| and the other side of the road. |
We arrived at the spot which looked very interesting, it was still early so we checked around and heard and saw
Common Nightingale, European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) and European Serin.
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites). |
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites). |
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites). |
As we were walking around we checked on of the roadside fields where we found a few
Blues still roosting on the grasses there which included
Chapman's (Polyommatus Thersites) x3,
Common / Southern (Polyommatus icarus / celina) x1 and
Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes) x13+.
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| Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei) ♀. |
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| Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione). |
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| Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione). |
Other early species included
Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus),
Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei) x1♀,
Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) x6, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) x2,
Small Blue (Cupido minimus) x3 and a very smart ♂
Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris) which was a lifer species for me. |
| ♂ Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris). |
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| ♂ Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris). |
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| Small Blue (Cupido minimus). |
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| Small Blue (Cupido minimus). |
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| Small Blue (Cupido minimus). |
As it warmed up a bit we covered more of the area finding
Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus),
Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Common Blackbird,
European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola),
Western Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli),
Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) and
Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae),
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and
Corn Bunting.
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| ♀ Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides). |
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| Adonis aestivalis. |
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| Red-horned Poppy (Glaucium corniculatum). |
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| ??????????? |
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| Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata). |
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| Pyrausta sanguinalis (Scarce Crimson & Gold). |
As I walked back towards the car Andy called me over to see a ♀
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides), we also saw
Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata), Pyrausta sanguinalis (Scarce Crimson & Gold), Adonis aestivalis,
Red-horned Poppy (
Glaucium corniculatum), Bladder Campion (
Silene vulgaris), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata).
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| Andy photographing the Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis). |
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| Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis). |
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| Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis). |
Our next site was not far away and as we parked we saw a very nice
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) which drifted off so we walked one of the tracks, it was fairly quiet butterfly wise, however we did see several lemon yellow
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus),
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui),
Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia),
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) and a few more
Panoptes Blue.
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| Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
Bird wise we also saw and heard
Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae) and
Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).
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| A smart gate in an old building on this site. |
Back at the car and just as we were leaving I had what was almost certainly a
Spring Ringlet (
Erebia epistygne) but it just flew straight though and away, we headed back down the road we had come up and then visited a nearby Rambla where we had a walk and saw
Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae),
Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli),
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni),
Clouded Yellow,
Berger's Clouded Yellow, Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines),
Panoptes and
Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Southern Brown Argus and
Painted Lady. |
| Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae). |
As we walked we also saw Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Western Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).
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Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli). |
We again returned to the car and decided to have a run out to a valley near the town of Noguera de Albarracín, on the way we saw a few Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and as we came into the town we checked out a couple of flowering Lilac trees which had a very smart Iberian Scarce Swallowtail nectaring on the flowers.
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| The Valley. |
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| Cryptic Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia rosae). |
We parked up in the valley and then walked to a good puddling area where we spent some time getting some shots of a couple of
Cryptic Red-underwing Skippers (Spialia rosae) we put it down as this species as it was in an area of highish elevation and there was plenty of the needed Laval food plant, Iberian Scarce and
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon),
Clouded Yellow,
Berger's Clouded Yellow, Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni),
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas),
Wood White (
Leptidea sinapis),
Common Orange-tip and
Provence Orange-tip,
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Black-eyed (Glaucopsyche melanops),
Panoptes and
Small Blue,
Painted Lady, Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and on the way back to the car a rather tatty looking
Peacock (Aglais io).
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| Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) ♂. |
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| Small Blue (Cupido minimus). |
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| Small Blue (Cupido minimus). |
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| Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
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| Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
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| Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
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| Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). |
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| Peacock (Aglais io). |
Other species seen included
Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela maroccana),
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Eurasian Crag Martin,
Grey Wagtail, Eurasian Wren,
Great and
Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and
European Robin.
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| Symphytum tuberosum. |
Our final stop of the day was a puddling site on the way back to Albarracín and there were a lot of butterflies, 95% were Panoptes Blues along with a scattering of other species including Adonis, Chapman's, Small and a nice Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis), Comma (Polygonia c-album), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Brimstone, Painted Lady and the moth Drasteria cailino.
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| The Puddling site. |
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites) ♂. |
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites). |
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| Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) ♂. |
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| Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis) and Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
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| Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis). |
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| Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites). |
Birds also included
Griffon Vulture, Common Nightingale,
European Robin,
Cetti's Warbler,
Eurasian Wren,
Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Blackbird,
Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs),
European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris),
European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and
Cirl Bunting.
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| Panoptes Blues (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
After quite a while we headed back to the town where Andy dropped me off at my hotel, later we went out for our last meal on this trip.
