Best year yet for Loja / Granada Wildlife.
Third place in the bird catigory goes to Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes), locally a very rare species. We have just one site in the area but the birds showed well and posed beautifully for the Camera.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2w7UCiwT53DtoXc7cXCnGWpkz-R9ZH5lh13ZtWJ_LA7qHbgMRqkTLBBP_TjLv9eGCx9rmypaNn0QSbEp2ywqaC6OTPYY6yFg9I8u7NKkj3rcka_Oc7I3HTU920nLsAr_raJYhgKTo8js/s1600/13th+June+14-2.jpg) |
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes). |
In second came the stunning Little Swifts (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis) which we saw during the very successful spring tour in Western Andalucia, these were a Spanish lifer (seen in UK and Morocco before).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI1tt-T8TilGaVi5ZggRPb9beUf66BstXasQu7tOYBYLoTIPPG_KSo48T1Q1F-Ju5EoQ5b_82s6_QNm0Y98SC4mCLjDw5zjYqjwsSl0FvD72xI8ZTiCWIbtoloCF1Gmsj_5rOu9AnlIA/s1600/Spring+tour+37.jpg) |
Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mFMcTbQTPB9ICizjCUZERJHMu4CNBU9GzisstH-PTqJQZNMS7w5_hoGWAXksGTxSGPbDIWnGfHUQoyNdvNlZgJZV6sTGsOKyma7kkvOyVoSleA2Xox9LiDA9NKuZwKf0aaqHSoWNjKY/s1600/Spring+tour+36.jpg) |
Little Swift (Vencejo Moro / Apus affinis). |
Bird of the year for me was not actually a lifer but a rare and
difficult to see species which I spent a superb hour and a half watching
at Padul Wetland near Granada. This Baillon's Crake
(Polluela Chica / Porzana pusilla) performed in the smelly ditch and
showed down to less than a meter for a lot of the time, too close to
focus on.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmRusL_Y8BEnfWZItPinTDDVFqVkBmYcIW8Q1ATNI44U0YE1MGiK3X_U9sJ4jIl-Ec13rSXV0L76SG1Oye5NtR-JR0yDaovmWrFpDjtb7u22HQUbCCi3qAojwNdZGGtbOq7h-7JkhrLI/s1600/8th+April+14-5.jpg) |
Baillon's Crake
(Polluela Chica / Porzana pusilla). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGeXO-2l4yn3xlrJCni3oPpntp5-PZ0vYTqDum7KQ_KCAZV5p_anW51EgEDea2iukgOKv_ZRx1oKENrZCp1kI7oxEpk4dXCX0azVrr289vNvUxhfhEgGlhyzjwpyPTmtIqUqDWT1B0b0/s1600/8th+April+14-1.jpg) |
Baillon's Crake
(Polluela Chica / Porzana pusilla). |
Dargonflies featured well in 2014 with a couple of tour dedecated to the superb insects. In third came the stunning Orange-spotted Emerald (Oxygastra curtisii) with several insects being see during a tour at the end of May.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhay_RAW3BqL-FBYXKc6v14DHpyovVAOz6qbkNFNjXiXSQDD0g40o9Oy7aUZJERpygDbFSKkEUgw6_XIHm8tva_IjHNK9AfO1YhyEZ3D4yHt187_wJMYq4k-I_vb9-vjm4hhnYJgrJNkPw/s1600/31st+May+14-1.jpg) |
Orange-spotted Emerald (Oxygastra curtisii). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-eLsYaJu0a5e-i-GioEcRkGPybgc5RuYIfQs_PXdrTn6Tktj5QTjAsyGJoLCkxHheOGYpfFghZ04osKLo_KNor6Epu1aW-KcKXbw7xJii8uQaPmTobZZEo8FY7H3Zjc2l4XUwBFwngM/s1600/31st+May+14-2.jpg) |
Orange-spotted Emerald (Oxygastra curtisii). |
In second and I can not believe it's only in second came the amazing Splendid Cruiser (Macromia splendens) which lead Steve Jones and I a merry dance back in May. A super rare species which we were lucky enought to get some shots of after a lot of hard work.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BVJR7c4g-N_HMfDRjXtKV3toIH2b7ou9mTM7AgCXl_zrYK6LqYNdHPooy_lyPDPeZRtjZtVO0ObE4nW5Ye7_gE_K314ntpt0IOmUPZSGpLebGknSXWu6QGAdXVV0TNbs7u0mUC95bYo/s1600/1st+June+14-1.jpg) |
Splendid Cruiser (Macromia splendens). |
Top slot for the Dragons goes to a species I had heard of but never expected to see, the Green Hooktail (Paragomphus genei). Thanks must go to Fernando Enrique Navarrete for showing us this stunning species.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhH5My8Kaq4xl5GYGKorD1N7Jr7kf5WFoSzXBxjl4OjTRT6vJXOrXGMOnu5AEVtOJ6nOjs_EN4e8-WSww-tFZ_p4Lvq9a7Bv3ksNo_yoNBvS8Cxgj9yrLtxYk8gUsFE27U2_34H2jUqs/s1600/8th+Aug+14-3.jpg) |
Green Hooktail (Paragomphus genei). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4bMEXGhRBBzYT8Xdf8n0xQlezTfGdP7jDtCINtr2sUAlGT7NtUjwSG1sNYyAem5P_8M5EPJDDXGcLSAtPXjtq4ceC3-Pk1VJxMjg6q3-wJ6OnvL9iy5xKRZ6nZjAWzaFw55zO1To_6M/s1600/8th+Aug+14-4.jpg) |
Green Hooktail (Paragomphus genei). |
Several days tours also targeted Butterflies with some very interesting species being seen including.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoERI4BLFo7bn37ulvaDpTQ1NXVhyphenhyphen1IhqoL03OHstWam5yeadxQ0JC2XETYt6WmgTnKWK9Jw5R5e1BeksVO_wAkFzvwzIt0J0k0AiM7UdZ02Z00TF47U2Ek_QfbeNbpbKXYGXDN9wMAQ/s1600/13th-July-14-18.jpg) |
Apollo (Apolo / Parnassius apollo subsp nevadensis). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNSt9PKw116qBrbyHh78CC2JgQ_H5oPdS8VgExvMZSSx301THxyoc1PGW1vMVaRUZRkJMdX7rIMWJJMrld0Va2ee_fNTo-TkDY0ponnOuloTfpQPddYZttAB71LhO0AbMHQ5TPDEI0A4/s1600/15th+May+14-1.jpg) |
Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LMrgI3eZzXFrRwvOSRypn2wKMxVDlisbwOUH-_NvOd3zE1_FHnsExh1O1ygmVMW0gghYAZv8Rqg6BUgMDHr__0jHwrISYAVyEMx8MbXce_HEDwCTxSDHbRX2OaqTMVwrS2VnDv4oKTQ/s1600/15th+May+14-4.jpg) |
Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvC06SNjiHgD67rs_tLRkCvvmzVxltu0RlRJONnwqqxiB3VoFFM3RxhjDbqbzj0Hm4PXc1alFzFfHJl4K_cfTkzRiNEO58OI3YmZoVg_VMVgiYlZCXYMgUunXpvTCajZGGxAIjNrsFyg/s1600/11th+Aug+14-14.jpg) |
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias de Berger / Colias alfacariensis). |
Orchids were also seen on several of the tours with a couple of dedecated multi-day tours going further afield in to Malaga and Cadiz Provinces.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMZEctEPKpadBkOJFtYNz5fVhDZo9pU8k4IAlx-knpWjlJGD42mDY90Do-_PV7oxErglZEMNlRJGC61_FoPI8lAA8XVW1ekkk0sSoiWZcU8BmfVQANzwSS1Qc7m_LXFiYv0I_uBgWlVs/s1600/6th+April+14-4.jpg) |
Dark Spider Orchid (Ophrys incubacea). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx65Iu9RqUKwByFEA03F0L0AsevhaMUmRzV7gk-HnODNQqb0E1kuMiM107loYQhUlesrwuNFEZbYwLqquSsPp1hmv3T5EH2NFV49ozblasvW7Y-mfU86nyi-ZOiIrimrbg4MfVkCc8Xwk/s1600/6th-April-14-8.jpg) |
Man Orchid (Orchis anthropophora). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbpMnzt3Qx01kea-O61mu0qqUYw3_QOIb_3lAco5T4cK_PvuhYkR8YGNaUrKU8PJRciLVjpnPwXCjCmyc38S6I9lmhZMuPLm7kbJy76F4c1v3Qycf9xTDiHkNWpWBi-acrjSOxMJtmos/s1600/10th-June-11-1.jpg) |
Algerian Butterfly Orchid (plantanthera algeriensis). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeqcnD7esI_nuHqpbC8H36Nt7_LQ3csT_q5XdXcuASn6KvRATgKThaR7a9jOKUkuBPgXo5R05fpK9ybXHX8f_48_rUuEr8PgyXRPddOpzy9xHv5G4MmhhvMuBfmgt4eh0w5ToGEvOB8U/s1600/12th-Mar-11-1.jpg) |
Bumblebee Orchid (Orquídea abejorro / Ophrys bombyliflora). |
Wild Flowers were seen in good numbers including several of the very rare and endemic Sierra Nevada species.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Zqu0ZCzrZWilpXVClvmn-7g94NlW-g_ehS49TgCUulcGsgJ7J_xF0oKhnzA6xb4U80tb3AGT8e-u1Ov2z-fNqFw1mTy79Q-S6aqUQxgqJAJ8myi1O2P0O0nC-G_gvk1BAxttfwU6sBw/s1600/13th+July+14-1.jpg) |
Nevada House Leek (Sempervivum minutum). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6Kz9mAgMyTD25dI3QCPgK88Z1xxlfGD8GYTwAfIMSnaxrBmtJLM90bxIGB5JU2EzrG0PJqcf3dRHpg99g-4qsA9RxDnZPQvhPvGfeTlUqbbKoHjQcez8_TmUMHi8WDGcSLJ35qw_TMM/s1600/13th+July+14-2.jpg) |
Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtmuq2HEspmahVpTw2fzLtEIKgEoECRdGU_QQ6X43jjqi2HgOzjFHBKufQA-dSFMeMU6znJRDqUn6qee-rNzSrQr2L4yBSuN5r1eWMNmQIFMf9k4CfpOApDU7DTAdPuBvoLJ8ojddhpY/s1600/13th-July-14-23.jpg) |
Aquilegia nevadensis. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISIh1VowVMI-zeT8_sE6iDRqIYzC5ljXBgqxV4Qp2zCrpv15YR0kwR0xUc0PIRPjV3Lo0ZqUFlk1t0du1tQYqmZetzcrFnOmRFStEutDKg7k_7Tg0HvM-g3PWd90xgew1dzzDgWgOZEI/s1600/13th-July-14-25.jpg) |
Linaria glacialis. |
1 comment:
Words fail me Mick - every species/photo is superb. To me they all rank equally. A truly splendid array of what there is to see in your back yard. And a wonderful testament to your skills as both a guide and a photographer. I always seem to be waiting for the next installment !!
All the best for 2015.
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