Arroyo De Prado Negro and Los Mimbres, Granada Province, Spain.

A hot days Dragon and Butterfly hunting with Lynn and Steve.

Steve and Lynn, Day Two.

 

False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa).

I was up early and did a few bits around the house and whilst I was pottering I started the day list off with Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) x2, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).

Beautiful Demoiselles (Calopteryx virgo).

Beautiful Demoiselles (Calopteryx virgo).

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis).

We started out at 09.30 and headed along the A92 passed Granada and into the Sierra de Huétor to a spot along the Arroyo de Prado Negro which I can safely say has the coldest water I have ever walked in.

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Volucella zonaria.

European Hornet (Vespa crabro).

We parked and walked out on to the first of the meadows where we started the list off with House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis) and a smart Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus).

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

We jumped the first of the off shoot channels and checked an area of thistles adding Southern (Polyommatus celina) and Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) heard, Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca).

The next section was a thicket of Hawthorn bushes which Lynn and I passed via the track to the one side and Steve navigated the bushes, as we walked we had Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus), Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and at the other end of the trees near another of the stream diversions Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra) and a very large Hoverfly called Volucella zonaria which is a very successful Hornet Mimic.

Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis).

Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis).

We worked our way up the arroyo from where the second channel exits the main stream finding lots of both Copper (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) and Beautiful Demoiselles (Calopteryx virgo), more Common Golden Rings, Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca), Western Willow Spreadwing (Lestres viridis), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla) which was only heard.

Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis).

Berger's Clouded Yellows (Colias alfacariensis).

Berger's Clouded Yellows (Colias alfacariensis).

We moved out on to the grasslands again and headed up through what was an old water deposit and in amongst some thistles we had the first of three male Berger's Clouded Yellows (Colias alfacariensis), later on the walk back we also noted a female of the same species being chased relentlessly by one of these males.

Crab Spider (Thomisus onustus) with a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Cranefly species.

As we moved on up the stream we had the first Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene) of the morning, Safflower (Pyrgus carthami) and Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi), Small White (Pieris rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos).

Dasypogon diadema.

Dasypogon diadema.

We reached a point where there were so many fallen tree trunks it made hard to move forward so we turned around and made our way back towards the car, on the way we had a species of Crab Spider (Thomisus onustus) starting to devour a male Clouded Yellow butterfly, Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia), Cone-head Mantis (Empusa pennata), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and both dark and pale morph Booted Eagles (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus).

Buprestis novemmaculata.

We reached the car and had some food before driving down the road to another spot where we walked the track and then in to the Scrub next to the Pine Woodlands where we dropped on just my second ever
False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa) as well as Iberian Marbled White, Bath White, Clouded Yellow, Southern Brown Argus, Tree Grayling, Dasypogon diadema and Buprestis novemmaculata before we returned to the house and had a very nice evening chatting up on the terrace.