Sierra de Loja, Granada Province.

A very frosty trip up the hill.

The View from the Sierra.

Steve and I made our way up the Sierra hoping to do some bird photography but due to the severe cold snap in the area a large number of birds had moved to lower ground but we did see several Ring Ouzels ( Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blue-rock (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrushes (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Corn (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura). 

A hard frost.

Down in the woodlands near the motorway we had lots of Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia) and several spikes of Giant Orchids (Himantoglossum robertiana) just starting to flower.

Frost on the Hawthorns.

Icicles in the Goat Cave.

Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia).

Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum robertiana).

Steve amongst the frost.

More frost on the Hawthorns.

More frost.

And more.

Icicles in the Goat Cave.

Steve in the goat cave.

View from the Sierra.

Frost again.

Frost.