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Friday 20 August 2021

Rio Agar o Cacín, Sierra Tejeda, Granada Province, Spain.

A return to the valley of the Rio Agar o Cacín.
Steve and Lynn, Day Twelve.

Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus).
We headed back down to the same valley we had visited a few days earlier and parked in the same area but this time we walked upstream along the track for a few KMs to the Arroyo de la Venta.
Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus).
Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).
As we started we found an immature Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) which showed very nicely, in the same area we also had Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) and a couple of other insects which still need names.
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We continued on seeing
Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and a calling but unseen Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus).
Horseshoe Whip Snake (Coluber hippocrepis).
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).
As we walked we reached a pool down to the right where we watched a
Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) feeding on the far shore, a Horseshoe Whip Snake (Coluber hippocrepis) which swam to the far reed bed and as we walked down to a spot where we could see the whole pool we also saw Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca), Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus).
Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).
Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia).
Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).
We continued on and watched a couple of
Cardinal Fritillaries (Argynnis pandora) which were feeding on some small Carlina corymbosa subsp. hispanica along with several Southern Blues (Polyommatus celina), Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto) and a bit further along the track Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone), Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), Blue-winged (Oedipoda caerulescens) and Red-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda germanica).
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) male blue form.
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) male blue form.
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) male blue form.
Just before we reached a point where the Arroyo crossed the road and we had a large dragon fly passed us which I first called as an Emperor but Steve said he thought it was not and we soon sort the id when if flew by again and landed and showed itself to be a
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) of the blue form which is quite a rare sight. 
Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca).
Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).
Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).
In the same area we also found a very smart 
looking Long-horn Beetle which is called Aromia moschata ambrosiaca and down by the Arroyo we found Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene), Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), the exuvia's of both Western Spectre and Southern Hawker, Purple Hairstreak (Quercusia Quercus), Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia). 
Aromia moschata ambrosiaca.
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora).
Bath White (Pontia daplidice).
We continued on a short way to where the Arroyo again crosses the track again where Steve came up with the find of the day a very small Betic Midwife Toad (Alytes dickhilleni) which was clinging to a rock just above the water line, we also found several of this species Tadpoles.
Betic Midwife Toad (Alytes dickhilleni).
Betic Midwife Toad (Alytes dickhilleni).
In the same area we found Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Tree Grayling (Neohipparchia statilinus), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe), a couple of distant Common Buzzards (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and back in the water several Larva of the Western Spectre Dragonflies.
Betic Midwife Toad (Alytes dickhilleni) Tadpole.
We walked back to the car and drove back towards the Embalse de Bermejales and along the track we saw House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene).
Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene).
Our next stop was at the bar near the Embalse where we had a drink, whilst there we heard and saw a single Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus).
Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).
Our final stop of the day was just down the road at the concrete sided inlet to the Embalse where we checked the two remaining pools finding Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Orange-winged (Trithemis kirbyi) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata), Iberian Bluetail, Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus). 

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