Near Huetor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Walking Yogi the dog. 

 

Yogi.

Paul and Cherry decided to spend their summer holidays back in a wet and stormy UK and this meant that we had the great pleasure of a visit from Yogi their mad hound. He has to be one of the best behaved and mild manned dogs we have ever known and I was looking forward to taking him for some nice walks. 

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

The first longish one was in the Olive groves and along one of the barranco's behind the house. We headed out and immediately started to pick up Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and good sized flocks of Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki). 

An Immature Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) was flushed from a fig tree just as we reached the barranco along with the parents, a pair of Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica). On the dried out grassy bank on the far side of the almost dry barranco there were several species of butterfly including Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Small White (Artogeia rapae) and Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines). Also seen here was a single adult male Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) which perched on the dead tips of some Fennel plants. 

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Amongst the olives we also flushed good numbers of Rabbits (Orycolagus cuniculus) and Iberian Brown Hare (Liebre ibérica / Lepus granatensis) which all bolted for cover quickly. As we continued up the barranco we passed some Oak woodland and a few Poplars, along here we added Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea) x4, Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), a silent Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and just as we reach the top of the barranco we found a small breeding colony of European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) with about 8 nest holes. 

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

On the way back we flushed more Hares and a family party of about 20 Red-legged Partridges (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) and down near the back of the house we added Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), not bad for a walk with the dog.