Sierra Nevada and Balsa de Regidor, Granada Province, Spain.

Up in the hills for a day.

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica).

Kate, Jim and I drove up to the highest accessible point seeing several Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Cabra pyreaica) on the way. 

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Once we were at the car park we checked out an area of pine trees and the rocky slopes there finding Linnets (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), 4 or 5 Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and a flock of Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus).

Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus).

Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus).

We dropped down the hill a bit and had a shot walk out on the slopes where we checked the track side mint plants and found Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Red-billed Choughs (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax).

On the bird front we had White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis).

Prionyx kirbii.

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera)

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Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Tachina fera?????

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Again we dropped down and stopped again by the Botanical Gardens and checked the area out just down hill from the car park where we had good numbers of Butterflies on the Ragwort plants including lots of Small Coppers, Wall Browns, Southern Brown Argus, Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) as well as Prionyx kirbii and the variable Bristly Fly (Tachina fera).

Bumblebee Species possilby Bombus pascuorum???????

We again moved lower down to the Visitors center and found Clouded Yellow, Wall Brown, Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) and a Bumblebee species which was possibly Bombus pascuorum.

Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia).

On the old road down towards Guejar Sierra making a stop at a regular spot on the way down where we found Merendera pyrenaica, Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia), Southern Brown Argus, Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus).

Merendera pyrenaica.

In the pines on the far side of the grassed area we heard and saw Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Further down we spent a while by the river looking for Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus) but we only managed to finding Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea).

Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).

Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).

Our last stop of the day was on the way back at Balsa de Regidor where there were lots more Dragons around than on our last visit including Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Violet (Trithemis annulata) and Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi),  Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) as well as Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).