Presa del Encinarejo and La Lancha, Sierra Morena, Jaen Province.

More birds and Mammals but the Lynx still eludes us.

Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra).

After breakfast at Caracola Guest house in the woods near to Los Pinos we loaded the car and heard at least 3 Tawny Owls (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) before we left. We dropped down to the Rio Jándula and drove up to the Dam and spent a couple of hours on the bridge over the river just below the dam wall, almost straight away we had good views in bad light of an Otter (Nutria / Lutra lutra) which watched us from a rock for a little while before swimming along the river heading East.

Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

As the light improved we picked up Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), several flights of Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), a rasping Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Woodpigeons (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), a couple of House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), several Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) which perched up on nearby wires, Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and both White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtails (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

A Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) flew in and started to fish on the bank amongst some rocks, as I watched the Heron stabbed at the water at the same moment as the Otters head came up and both momentarily struggled with the fish before the Otter dived with it.

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

We had a walk down the river on the northern bank and boosted the list with Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Steve getting down with the Daffadils.

I walked back to the car and left Steve and David to continue but I soon caught them up and when I did they showed me several plants of Hoop-petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium).

Provence Hairstreak (Cardenillo / Tomares ballus).

We jumped into the car again and drove down to the end of the track and checked the trees there which I had thought looked good for Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor), as we got out of the car we could hear a couple of Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea) but moments later I heard the first of a couple of Lesser Spots but they took some finding but eventually we found one drumming and had good but brief views, cracking bird.

Provence Hairstreak (Cardenillo / Tomares ballus).

In the same area we also had Iberian Green (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a stunning pair of adult Spanish Imperial Eagles (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Yellow Star of Bethlehem species.

Our next stop was at the Los Pinos bar and the back out to La Lancha area looking for the Lynx picking up a Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) on the way in, once there we again set up the chairs and started to watch the area in front of us but then we got the news that the Lynx had showed a couple of times during the morning, TYPICAL.

Hoop-petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium).

However we soon started to see some good stuff including European Black (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), another two adult Spanish Imperial Eagles and one immature as well, an immature Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) doe.

During the afternoon Steve found a couple of Provence Hairstreaks (Tomares ballus) which were settling on the Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus) plants, during the day we also saw Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Bath (Pontia daplidice) and Small Whites (Pieris rapae).

Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) doe.

Other species seen included Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Once the light dropped we started to hear a couple of distant Eagle Owl (Buho Real / Bubo bubo) and as we made our way back to the digs we saw several really smart stag Fallow Deer (Dama dama).

European Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

European Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).