A Butterfly day in the mountains of Granada Province.
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Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe). |
I left Home and made my way up to Granada where I was going to meet up with Steve and Elena Powell for a day in the hills looking for butterflies, on the way I started the list with
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula),
Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis) and
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Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae). |
I arrived at the meeting point and found a few more bits before Steve arrived including
Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata),
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula),
Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris),
House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor).
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Apollo (Parnassius apollo). |
Steve and Elena arrived and fully masked up we went off up to the car park at 2500 making one roadside stop on the way when we saw a pale morph
Booted Eagle (
Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus) soaring above a nearby hill, whilst parked we also had a family party of
Northern Wheatears (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), a small group of
Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), a display flying Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and a fly over
Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).
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Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus). |
As we moved on up towards the car park at 2500m we had a herd of
Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica) chilling on a rocky out crop.
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Nevada House Leek (Sempervivum minutum). |
We parked and walked up to the gate house finding
Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), one of which was carrying food to a nest in a small shed nearby and as we started to walk out towards the Hoya de San Juan a flock of
Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) circled us several times and passed by several times during our walk.
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Spanish Brassy Ringlet (Erebia hispania). |
As we walked out we had several family parties of
Northern Wheatears quite close to the path and the first
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) of the day. Further on we added
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris),
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), the first of just a few
Apollo (
Parnassius apollo) of the Nevada subspecies, several Long-tailed Blues (Lampides baeticus) and on a rocky scree area a female
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis).
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Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron). |
We continued on out towards the area of Burreguiles at the head of the barranco de San Juan, on the way we had
Nevada House Leek (Sempervivum minutum), Anarrhinum laxiflorum,
Eryngium glaciale, Dianthus subacaulis ssp brachyanthus, Ptilotrichum spinosum,
Sideritis glacialis,
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea),
Leontodon boryi,
Erigeron frigidus,
Euphrasia willommii, a single
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus),
Spanish Brassy Ringlet (Erebia hispania) which was one of the few butterflies seen in any numbers,
Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron),
Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), the first of a few
Idas Blue (Plebejus idas) and just as we reached the wetter areas a smart
Nevada Blue () sat out on the track.
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Idas Blue (Plebejus idas). |
In the area of the Gullies I found lots of plants including
Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata),
Mediterranean Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria),
Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina),
Gentiana boryi,
Gentiana sierrae,
Plantago nivalis,
Saxifraga stellaris ssp alpigena,
Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris),
Black Sedge (Carex nigra / Carex negro), the tiny uncommon
Moonwort (Lunaria menor / Botrychium lunaria) and
Lotus corniculatus subsp glacialis.
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Nevada Blue (). |
As we walked back we found
Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Tawny Pipit, more Northern Wheatears, Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea),
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera),
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and
Small White (
Pieris rapae).
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Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata). |
Once we returned to the car we dropped down to our next stop on one of the tracks out on to the ski runs from the resort, on the rocks near the barrier we saw a family of
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and as we walked out on to the track towards the first of the wet areas a
Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) flew up the valley.
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Gentiana sierrae. |
I walked up the damp area I also added a couple of
White Wagtails (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), more
Robust Marsh Orchids,
Clouded Yellow and just down the track on the
Horse Mint (Mentha longifolia) a couple of
Bath Whites (Pontia daplidice),
Purple-shot Coppers and further along the track the first of quite a few
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis),
Nevada Blue, our only
Dark-green Fritillary () of the day,
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) and
Mountain Argus (Aricia montensis).
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Gentiana boryi. |
We dropped down to the area just below the Botanic gardens and checked an area of Thistles and Button Flower seeing
Great Banded Grayling (),
Southern Brown Argus, Thread-winged Lacewing (Nemoptera bipennis), a mating pair of Clouded Yellows, Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and
Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).
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Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe). |
We made another stop near the visitors center checking a short area of roadside verge but a lot of the tall thistles that the butterflies usually enjoy had been hacked back so we only added a coupe of
Small Skippers (Thymelicus sylvestris),
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus), a single
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra),
Grayling (Hipparchia semele) and another few
Southern Brown Argus.
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Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera). |
Just up the road we took the old road down towards Guejar Sierra and after a few Km we pulled on to an area of grassland and on a rocky patch we had soon found a couple of new species, firstly there was a very smart
Lesser-spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia), which was quickly followed by a
Dusky Heath (
Coenonympha dorus), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina),
False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi), both
Iberian Scarce (Iphiclides feisthameli) and
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).
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Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus). |
Then on the opposite side of the road a possible
Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon),
Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and
Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) and
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).
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Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis). |
Continuing on along the narrow road we dropped down to our next stop by a roadside water fountain, as we walked back up the road we saw several
Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris) which occasionally dropped down and sat on the
Wild Clematis (Clematis flammula), where Steve managed to get some underwing shots when perched for him. I only managed to get one that landed but instantly opened its wings full but still superb to see.
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Mountain Argus (Aricia montensis). |
In the same area we had
Iberian Marbled Whites,
Wall Brown,
Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous),
Large White (Pieris brassicae),
Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea),
Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea),
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),
Coal Tit (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater),
Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and as we drove down to the last but one stop a Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) crossed the road.
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Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) mating pair. |
We again parked on the roadside and had a short walk, I checked a spot of some Orchids I had seen in the passed but both the Robust Marsh Orchids and the Epipactis Fageticola were dry and over with.
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Lesser-spotted Fritillary (Melitaea trivia). |
Butterfly wise it was very quiet and we only added Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and the last site down near the village was even quieter and all we saw heard was a Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) before we set off back to my car and then home.
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Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus). |
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Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus). |
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Nevada Blue (). |
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Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina). |
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Huge Hoverfly Species. |
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Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe). |
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Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). |
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Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus). |
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Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis). |
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Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous). |
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Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris). |
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