Travelling South to Malaga via Tablas de Daimiel in Ciudad Real.

Granada Wildlifes tour of Belchite and the Pyrenees.

Day Eight. 

An 1100KM drive with a stop at Tablas wetlands.

Norfolk / Green-eyed Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) a new species for my Spanish dragonfly list.

Photographing the Norfolk Hawker.

Today was going to be a long one as we had a long drive ahead of us, on the way down the Hecho Valley we started the list off with House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Black (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and a couple of Red-backed Shrikes (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) sat on roadside wires.

Norfolk / Green-eyed Hawker (Aeshna isoceles).

Once we were out of the Valley we made our way south past Zaragoza and around Madrid, on the way adding Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Rock Pigeon (Paloma Bravia / Columba livia), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur). 

Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina).

South of Madrid we added Roller (Carraca / Coracias garrulus), Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and after coming off the motorway we saw a Rufous Bush Robin (Alzacola / Cercotrichas galactotes) sat on the top of a roadside telegraph pole.

Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina).

Our only proper birding stop of the day was Tablas de Daimiel, a superb wetland site with board walks that take you through and across pools and reedbeds. 

On the board walk at Tablas.

After we parked we spent three hours wandering around the seeing some really nice species, in the car park on some Lavender we found a good selection of Butterflies including Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small Whites (Pieris rapae), Long-tailed (Lampides boeticus) and Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Great White Egret (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

On the board walks and islands birds including Woodchat Shrike, Red-rumped and Barn Swallow, European Bee-eater, Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Great Reed (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Savi's (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides) Western Olivaceous Warblers (Zarcero Pálido Occidental / Hippolais opaca), Bearded Tit (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus), 

Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Yellow (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae) and White Wagtails, Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Little Bittern (Avetorillo Común / Ixobrychus minutus), Night (Marinete Común / Nycticorax nycticorax), Purple (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) and Grey Herons (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Great White (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba), Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Cattle Egrets (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Great Crested (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus) and Little Grebes (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Red-crested Pochard (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera), Western Swamp-hen (Calamon Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-headed (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus) and Yellow-legged Gulls, Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Little (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta) and Great White Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) and a female Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Norfolk / Green-eyed Hawker (Aeshna isoceles), Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) were also seen.

Catfish and its youngsters.

After the three hours it was getting a tad warm so we headed south through Jaen, Granada and down to Malaga where we dropped Andy M into the city, Andy P to the starting point where his daughter picked him up and the Juliet and David home before I dropped the Van back and Jayne picked me up and we went home.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), male.

I would like to say thanks to Andy M, Andy P, Juliet and David for a super trip and for making the 9 days so memorable, we saw a great number of bird species along with some butterflies, dragonflies, orchids, wildflowers and mammals and I do not think I have laughed quite so much on a tour before, THANKS.

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto).