Granada and the Alhambra, Granada Province.

A morning in the city and an afternoon at the Alhambra for the Ladies.

Day Three for the Leicester Ladies.

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

The morning started with me dropping the ladies off in the centre of the City for a few hours sightseeing and shopping, whilst they enjoyed them selves there I popped up to the woodlands behind the Alhambra and had a walk. Along a nice newly cut track I had good views of several bird species including Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus). 

Naked / Italian Man Orchid (Orchis italica).

Butterflies included Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum).

Wildflowers and Orchids were abundant and included Naked / Italian Man Orchid (Orchis italica), Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum subsp speculum), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Fan-lipped Orchid (Orchis conica), Blue Hounds-tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum), Neatostema apulum (Yellow Gromwell), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), White Mignonette (Reseda Alba), Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata ssp pullata), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Rosy garlic (Allium roseum), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) and Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus).

Jan, Rona and Sue in the Alhambra.

Later I parked up at the Alhambra and walked down through the wood seeing Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tits (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

I met the Ladies down in the town and we caught a bus back up to the Alhambra where we spent the next few hours admiring the amazing buildings and gardens before heading back to the houses at around 19:00.