Nacimiento de la Villa, Near Torcal, Antequera, Malaga Province.

More rare Orange-winged Dropwings. 

A view down the valley.

I met up with the walkers at the Hotel Enslava in Antequera as usual and we set off to the start point which was on the road out towards El Torcal. I was a little worried how well the ankle would do but all was fine, it was a bit sore afterwards but nothing to bad. We first walked a shortish uphill stretch amongst some harvested crop fields, in the air above us I soon picked up Alpine (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) and Pallid Swifts (Vencejo Pálido / Apus pallidus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica). 

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi).

Lower down several Crested Larks (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and a single Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) were seen. Once we move into a more scrubby area more birds started to appear including Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis) and Woodchat Shrikes (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), a couple of immature Black-eared Wheatears (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulga / Falco tinnunculus). When we arrived back at the start point we had a look at the two man made pools which had been created to hold the water from the near by spring. Dragonflies were seen straight away including 3 males of the rare Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator). Birds included White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti’s Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster). 

The Pond.

Several species of butterfly were also seen during the morning including Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini), Clouded Yellow (Colias crocea), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina ssp hispulla), Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Striped Grayling (Pseudotergumia fidia) and Swallowtail (Papilio machaon). The last thing of interest was whilst I was driving home an immature Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus) flew west along the motorway.

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