Hacho, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk around my second favourite local Hill.

 

Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia).

I parked down the gravel area at the start of the track as at this time of the year it is all to easy to start a fire with a hot exhaust pipe on the car.

Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia).

I started to walk the North facing slope where i spent quite a while chasing several Southern Gatekeepers (Pyronia cecilia) around trying to get upper and underwing shots.

Linum tenue ??????

Black Horehound (Ballota nigra).

On the ban I also found Dictamnus hispanicus but the flowers were pasted their best, lots of a Yellow Flax flower which I am not sure about yet, Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre), Yellow (Phlomis lychnitis) and Red Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).

False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina).

I crossed over to the south facing slope where I found more butterflies including Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina) and Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra).

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

As I walked I saw and heard Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca).

Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca).

Up passed the junction I took the lower look to the opposite side of the quarry, on the way seeing a single Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca) which showed well clinging to a grass stem and a stick in the wind.

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Butterflies on this loop included several Adonis Blues (Lysandra bellargus), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto) and Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Klasea pinnatifida.

Scabious Seed head.

Dianthus broteri.

On the walk back around and down to the car I found a flock / family party of Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Dianthus broteri, Klasea pinnatifida and Childing Pink (Petrorhagia prolifera).

Blue Spotted Hairstreak (Satyrium spini).