Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Fuente De and road to Potes, Asturias.

Sunday 23 June 2019

Fuente De and road to Potes, Asturias.

A day of Rivers and woodlands.

Pico's Day two.

Bastard Balm (Melittis melissophyllum).

I started off the day with a walk around the hotel and along the road back towards Potes seeing and hearing Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Treecreeper (Agateador Norteño / Certhia familiaris), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), a fine male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).

a calling Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) in the pines around the cable car building, a good number of House Martins (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and what turned out to be the only Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) of the trip and sadly remained a guide only species.

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).

After breackfast we drove along the road out towards calling in at a couple of spots where we had a walk out along woodland trails, on the first we had our only Marsh Tit (Carbonero Palustre /Parus palustris) of the trip, as well as Blue and Great Tit, Nuthatch, Firecrest, Common Chaffinch, Blackcap, Robin, Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia), Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus),

On one of the woodland trails.

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Bastard Balm (Melittis melissophyllum), Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Hedgerow Cranesbill (Geranium pyrenaicum),

Spanish Slug (Arion vulgaris).

Stinking (Helleborus foetidus) and Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis), Martagon Lily (Lilium Martagon) but not in flower, Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) and several of the large black Spanish Slugs (Arion vulgaris).

Bumblebee Bee species on a Scabious flower.

Just along the road we made another stop where we crossed the river on an old stone bridge where we found lot os freshed spikes of the parasitic Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae), along with Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and White Stonecrop (Sedum album) all growing on the rocky walls.

Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae).

Further up the track we had several Beautiful Demoiselle's (Calopteryx virgo) mostly females but we also had at least one male, a single male Common Golden Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) and Mike L had a male Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) as well.

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) female.

By the gate which ended our walk along this nice productive track we found several Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) butterflies, Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Bath Asparagus (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum), Hoary Plantain (Plantago media), Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium), Red Campion (Silene dioica), Musk Mallow (Malva moschata), Round-headed Leek (Allium sphaerocephalon), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Black Redstart, Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and as we walked back towards

Unknown but smart looking insect species.

the van on the edge of a smelly and damp Poo pile we added Wood (Leptidea sinapis), Small (Pieris rapae) and Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi), Mallow / False Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae / tripolinus), Holly (Celastrina argiolus) and Little Blue (Cupido minimus).

Martagon Lily (Lilium Martagon).

We reached Potes and had a stop for some lunch and whilst we sat outside one of the bars we picked up Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin, Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans) and a fly over Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Martagon Lily (Lilium Martagon).

As we worked our way back towards Fuente De we made a stop in a Walnut plantation and almost straight away we could hear a rapid call from a woodpecker which I was fairly sure was a Middle-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Mediano / Dendrocopos medius) and after a few minutes the first of the two birds we saw came in and showed quite well and was followed by a second bird which sat nicely for me, a third bird was also heard on the far side of the river.

Bath Asparagus (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum).

In the same area we also had adult and immature Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion).

As well as Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias corcea), Comma (Polygonum c-album), Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca), Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium), Malling Toadflax (Chaenorhinum origanifolium), Self heal (Prunella vulgaris) and Woad (Isatis tinctoria).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Very happy with the Woodpecker views we headed back to the holet and then went out for a walk on one of the tracks above the cable car station but as we started out the rain began and continued on and off for the rest of the evening.

Small (Pieris rapae) and Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi).

On the walk we had many of the birds seen during the day including another Middle-spotted Woodpecker, we also added a few new plants to the list including Agimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), Common Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum) and a very smart looking Linaria species which still needs a name.