Alhama de Granada and Zafarraya areas, Granada Province.

A day guiding a bit to the south.

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).

I made my way down to the small, picturesque town of Alhama de Granada where I picked Mary Rose and Hugo from their hotel, we first headed north and out on to the fields towards Zafarraya where Calandra Larks (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) seemed to be everywhere, sometimes in small groups of six or more. 

Both Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla Larks (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) perched on rocks close to the road, several Greater Short-toed Larks (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) scurried around on the tarmac and single Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), several Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) were seen at this first stop. 

Butterflies were also seen including Large (Pieris brassicae), Bath (Pontia daplidice), Small (Artogeia rapae) and Spanish Marbled Whites (Melanargia ines), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and ♀ Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra). 

We moved on just a few hundred meters and had some cracking views of a pair of Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) perched out in the bright sun on road side rocks, Eurasian Hoopoes were heard and seen. 

Along with a distant call from a Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), European Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Western House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) were all seen well.

Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Again more butterflies showed up including a single fly-by Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

On the way to Zafarraya we stopped and had a brief listen in the much grazed Oak woodlands, here we added (Heard only) Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus).

At the cliffs we soon started to find new day species including the breeding Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) nosily chasing around the cliffs and cave entrance, followed by Pallid (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Alpine Swifts (Vencejo Real / Apus melba).  

Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) were seen and heard all along the railway walk but it took us a while to track down a singing male Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia). 

European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula).

Further along the track towards the tunnel a cracking pair of Black Wheatears (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) showed well on the rocks and bushes on the slope, while a couple of Eurasian Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) flew close enough for us all to pick out the tail spots easily. 

On the walk back, a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus) chased around the top of the main crag, upsetting the many Red-billed Choughs and a ♂ Blue Rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).  

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) and Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) were also added to a growing butterfly list.

We moved on to a larger area of oak woodland back towards Alhama, on the way we picked up Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica) and what I think will probably be Mary Rose's bird of the day European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster). 

In the woodlands we got views of Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonero Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), European Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea). 

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).

A stream which was flowing through the area gave us views of a fine ♂ Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and more butterflies also appeared including Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae) and Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Wild flowers were also seen on the roadside verges, these included Wild Leek (Allium ampeloprasum), Rabbits bread (Andryala integrifolia), Blue Alkanet (Anchusa azurea), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Narrow-leaved Cistis (Cistis monspliensis), Thapsia (Thapsia villosa) and Scabiosa stellata.

We then made our way to the Pantaneta de Alhama, on the lake we managed to find Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra) and Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis). 

We then went to one of the bars opposite and had a bit of lunch before setting off on a walk through the gorge below Alhama, along the river we soon picked up a Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) singing from some pines and in the riverside growth European Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) were all eventually picked out. 

Western Jackdaws (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), more Red-billed Choughs, European Crag Martins and Red-rumped Swallows patrolled the skies and brief views were had of both Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) and Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotraustes) in the poplar tree plantation.

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) was the last of the butterflies for the day, but we also added a nice Common Golden Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii). 

Common Golden Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii).

Other birds seen included Eurasian Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinula Chloropus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).