Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Rio Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Rio Guadalhorce, Malaga Province.

All day spent in 300 meters of Dragon heaven.

Steve getting down and clean in some good quality water for a change.

Steve and I dropped Jayne, Lynn and Barb off in Malaga City before heading a way North to a spot on the Guadalhorce where we have visited a few time now but never get tried of going and this ear was equally as good.

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) male.

We parked and walked down to the water, the course of the river had changed a bit but not as drastically as some in Granada Province after the winter rains.

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) female.

With in seconds we had the first of 7 male Ringed Cascaders (Zygonyx torridus) flying around our heads and several Faded Pincertails (Onychogomphus costae) whizzing around at water level by our feet, AMAZING.

Ringed Cascaders (Zygonyx torridus).

Just a short wade and we were surrounded by male and female Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) which were on the bulrush leaves in a narrow fast flowing channel. I came back out of the channel as it was rather too fast flowing and I walked around to a wider stretch seeing at least another 2 male Cascaders.

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

In the slacker reach of the river we added Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii), Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Epaulet (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

I sat down in the river and tried to get some shots of the Faded Pincertail on a perch which it was returning to regularly, it came in once and then I could not find it until I looked at my knee and it was quite happily sat there.

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

In the area we also saw Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Clouded Yellow (Colias Común / Colias corcea), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Iberian Barbel (Luciobarbus comizo) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).