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Thursday 15 June 2017

Los Barrios, Cadiz Province.

A days Dragon hunting.

Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita).
Jayne and I went down to breakfast at the hotel in La Linea and then she went on to Gibraltar and I went inland and spent the day on rivers around Los Barrios. I started by parking on a roadside South East of Los Barios, I walked along a track, through a farm yard and out to a point where a smaller Rio meets the Rio Palmones where I found several Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita), several male Epaulet Skimmers (Orthetrum chrysostigma), Iberian Blue-tails (Ischnura graellsii) as well as Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).
Epaulet Skimmers (Orthetrum chrysostigma).
Along the bank of the main river on the far side of the tributary amongst the woods I found Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).
Epaulet Skimmers (Orthetrum chrysostigma).
It was getting warmer so I walked back to the car picking up Monarch (Danaus plexippus), False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi), Small White (Pieris rapae), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).
Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).
I moved on to a site on the Rio Palmones and soon found Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Violet (Trithemis annulata) and Orange-winged Dropwings (Trithemis kirbyi) and a mating pair of Epaulet Skimmers and several White Storks which were on nests platforms on Pylons.
Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum).
I moved inland a little way along the same river and found a spot in a well shaded spot out of the sun and searched for Dragons amongst the overhanging trees. I quickly located the first of 3 Orange-spotted Emeralds (Oxygastra curtisii) and during the next 3 hours I also saw an egg laying female Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene) and a male Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) along with Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) and more Golden Orioles, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blue Tit, Nightingale, Cetti's Warbler and Bonelli's Warbler.
Cleopatra (Cleopatra / Gonepteryx cleopatra).
By mid afternoon it was getting warm so I headed back to the hotel and when Jayne came back from Gib we went and spent some time by the pool before an evening stroll along the front and a very nice meal in the Luna Beach Club.