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Monday 16 May 2016

Sierra Nevada, Granada Province, Spain.

A day away from the traps with Dave in the mountains.
Day Six.

Grass Eggar (Lasiocampa trifolii) caterpillar.
Jayne, Dave and I left the house and headed up towards Granada City, on the way I was surprised to see a group of 5 Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) flying west along the route of the A92 near to the small pool called Balsa de Rigedor at Moraleda.  
Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).
We dropped Jayne off for a morning around the shops and headed towards El Purche where we checked a large area of grassland for day flying moths but we did not find a great deal except for 5116 Cydia ulicetana x1, 7926 Aspitates ochrearius x1, 8341 Chloroclysta siterata (Red-green Carpet) x1 and the caterpillar of the 1636 Grass Eggar (Lasiocampa trifolii). 
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).
In the same area I also saw Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea) for the butterfly list and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea) and Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) for the birds.
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).
We moved to another nice flower rich roadside meadow just up the road but the moths were equally bad but I managed to find a few nice butterflies again including a new species for my Spanish list Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) along with Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus) and Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus) just as we were dropping down to the car. 
Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione).
In the meadow the wild flowers included Andalusian Storksbill (Erodium recorderi), Bitting Stonecrop (Sedum acre), Blue Alkanet (Anchusa azurea), Common Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum major), Great Mullein (Verbascum giganteum), Mediterranean Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Rabbits bread (Andryala integrifolia), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum), White Mignonette (Reseda Alba), Yellow flax (Linum tenue) and masses of small yellow Dandelion type things which I do not like to have to identify.
Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii).
We again moved on and drove out to a rocky area some way from the road and searched the slopes there but again there were no Moths of note but we did find Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and Dense-flowered Orchids (Neotinea maculata), Cliffhanger (Chaenorhinum villosum), Ground-pine Germander (Teucrium pseudochamaepitys) and several species of flower that still need names.
Eumigus rubioi.
Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) were also recorded.
Lesser Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia).
We next had a sandwich at a nearby bar before dropping down on the old road back in to the city, on the way we made a couple of stops including a roadside meadow where I found Lesser Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), the Armour platted Eumigus rubioi, Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Upland Peony (Paeonia coriacea), White stonecrop (Sedum album), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).
Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanatera longifolia).
At a couple of stops further on down we picked up Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis), Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanatera longifolia) and some nowhere near to flowering Small-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis microphylla), Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula), several Goldwing (Synthymia fixa) moths, Mediterranean Shieldbug (Carpocoris mediterraneus), another Shieldbug Haploprocta sulcicornis and a couple of unidentified wild flowers.
Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis).
Barton's Orchid (Dactylorhiza insularis).
Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula).
Mediterranean Shieldbug (Carpocoris mediterraneus).
Haploprocta sulcicornis.

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