A morning at the Corpus Christi parade in Zahara and a bit of plant hunting.
 |
| Phyllodesma suberifolia. |
Just after 07:00 I got up and went out in to the garden and checked the moth Trap which I had set up near the house the evening before, I was very pleased to find two
Oak Hawkmoths (Marumba quercus),
Phyllodesma suberifolia,
Oak Hooktip (Watsonella uncinula),
Chinese Charactor (Cilix algirica),
Portland Ribbon Wave (daea degeneraria),
Jersey Emerald (Pseudoterpna coronillaria), Euproctis chrysorrhoea chrysorrhoea f. punctigera, Idaea ostrinaria, The Four Spotted (Tyta luctuos),
Euzophera pinguis,
Idaea lutulentaria and Purple Marbled (Eublemma ostrina).
 |
| Oak Hawkmoth (Marumba quercus). |
Later Sam, Sue, Jayne and I went to Zahara via Grazalema to watch the parade which moves between temporary shrines around the town which has been decked with reeds, sedges which covered the roads and on the walls they had
Oleander (Nerium oleander) and
Retama (Lygos sphaerocarpa).
We spent some time walking the streets and watching the last couple of Shrine blessings before walking back down to the car which we parked on the outskirts.
 |
| Church in Zahara. |
Also seen whilst we were in the town were
Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni),
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus),
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster),
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
Booted Eagle (
Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and
Geranium Bronze (
Cacyreus marshalli).
 |
| Jayne, Sue and Sam in Zahara. |
Once we reached the car we drove back up over the hill dodging muppets on racing bikes who think is fun to come around hairpin bends in gangs on the wrong side of the road which is fine but it scratches the paint work on the bonnet when you fatten them. Just below the Pañomes pass we made a stop and checked the roadside out for plants finding Curry Plant (Helecrisum stoechaes), Woolly Lavender (Lavandula lanata),
White stonecrop (Sedum album),
Cliffhanger (Chaenorhinum villosum),
Putoria (Putoria calabrica)
, Sedum amplexicaule, Yellow flax (Linum tenue),
White Flax (Linum suffruticosum),
Rock phagnalon (Phagnalon rupestre) and several others plus
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros),
Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli),
Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and on the way back to Sue and Sam´s
Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius).
 |
| Woolly Lavender (Lavandula lanata). |
Once back at Sue´s we packed our stuff into the car said our goodbyes and headed home, on the way we saw
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus),
Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and
Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni) over the fields and
Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus),
White-headed Duck (Malvasia Cabeciblanca / Oxyura leucocephala) and
Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba) as we passed Laguna dulce.
