Algarinejo area and the Eastern end of Emabalse de Iznajar, Granada Province, Spain.

All four of us go for a couple of very nice river walks.

Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).

Jayne, Lynn, Steve and I all set off heading North to Algarinejo for the first of two walks we were going to do today, partly looking for dragonflies but also to get a good step count in for Jayne's challenge. 

Jayne on a rather wobbly bridge.

We arrived at the first spot and parked, in the trees near by we started the list off with Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) which were paticularly common on this river. 

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) Female.

Further down we dropped down through the woodlands to the rivers edge, we saw a couple of moths on this darker stretch, a huge Catocala elocata and a much smaller Stegania trimaculata (Dorset Cream Wave). 

Steve with his big one.

We continued on along the valley of this superb little river passing open areas, gorges, waterfalls and going in and out of different types of woodland. 

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

During the walk lots of species were seen including Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Caught.

There were quite a few Dragonflies and Butterflies seen along the way as well, these included Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x 1M, Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Western Willow Spreadwing (Lestres viridis) x 3M, Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Spanish Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra). 

Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis).

At the far end of the walk I went on ahead slightly from the others and found a very nice little bar and by the time Jayne, Lynn and Steve found me I was enjoying a beer. 

Jayne wading, fine with the snakes but the rat made her take to dry land.

After ther others had had a drink we walked back to the car and then dropped down onto one of the rivers near Zagra where it flows in to the Embalse de Iznajar. on our way down to the start of this second walk we had a very nice Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) come out of a track side tree and circle around us. 

Large Pincertail (Onychogomphus uncatus) Female.

Once down by the dry arm of the lake we walked up stream along the rio for a couple of KM before we started to spot snakes which Jayne and Lynn were not too bothered about but we we found Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) it was time to turn around. 

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) Male.

However by this time we had found good numbers of birds including Crag Martin, European Bee-eater, Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa) as well as Viperine Snake (Culebra Viperina / Natrix maura), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi),  Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri), Orange-winged and Violet Dropwings (Trithemis annulata), White Featherleg, Small Pincertail, Epaulet (Orthetrum chrysostigma), Keeled (Orthetrum coerulescens) and Southern Skimmers (Orthetrum brunneum), Copper Demoiselle, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and a single male Mediterranean Bluet (Coenagrion caerulescens) which Lynn found.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) Male.

Once we were back at the car we headed home and added just a Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) which flew over the garden.

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) Female.

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) Male.

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi). Male.