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Friday 24 April 2015

Embalse de Bermejales and the Cacín Valley, Granada Province.

A couple of hours Orchid hunting with Jayne.

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii).
Jayne and I drove down to the lake via Moraleda, we parked then had a walk through the pine woodlands and after some time we walked back to the car with a very nice list of species including Champagne (Orchis champagneuxii), Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina), Giant  (Himantoglossum robertiana), Mirror (Ophrys speculum), Naked / Italian Man (Orchis italica), Ophrys forestieri, Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and the two hybrids Orchiaceras bivonae (gone over) and Ophrys x chobautii.
Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).
Birds included a calling Scop's Owl (Autillo Europeo / Otus scops), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) and Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla).
Ophrys x chobautii.
On our way back we came back north through the Cacín Valley and on the way we saw Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor / Hieraetus faciatus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cyanus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).
Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta).

Monday 20 April 2015

Illora and near Sierra de Huétor, Granada Province.

Seeing a friend and some nice Orchids.

Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea).
I met Ian Philips an Orchid expert from Malaga at the Huétor Tajar exit 203 before heading out to a site near Illora where we looked for the uncommon Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea) but at this spot we only found 2 blind rosettes so we put another address in to the sat-nav and made our way to a site near to Sierra de Huétor just to the north of Granada city.
Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea).
We arrived and searched the area of scrub and eventually turned up at least 7 very nice spikes and a lot of blind rosettes. In the same area we saw 100+ spikes of Southern Early Purple (Androrchis Olbiensis), a few Mirror (Ophrys speculum) and Yellow Bee Orchids (Ophrys lutea).
Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea).
We also had birds including Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius).
Lady Orchid (Orchis purpurea) taking a few shots.
From here we went and had some lunch before Ian headed back off down to Malaga and I went home.