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 bathseba), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

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), Southern Blue (Polyommatus 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).

Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Moth Count.

 

9492 Polyphaenis sericata (Guernsey Underwing).

As usual I ran the Actinic on the lower terrace and as it was quite warm there were quite a few moths but unfortunately this morning it was a rushed trap check as I had to get off out so I just looked for the most interesting species and did not do a count.

8804 / 5 Bryophila ravula / vandalusiae.

Species included 5578 Lamoria anella, 5993 Euzophera pinguis, 6347 Chrysocrambus dentuellus, 8059 Scopula marginepunctata (Mullein Wave), 8099 Bright Wave (Idaea ochrata), 8211 Rhodometra sacraria (The Vestal), 8804 / 5 Bryophila ravula / vandalusiae, 9370 Helicoverpa armigera (Scarce Bordered Straw), 9492 Polyphaenis sericata (Guernsey Underwing),

8059 Scopula marginepunctata (Mullein Wave).

6347 Chrysocrambus dentuellus.

5993 Euzophera pinguis. ID by Martin Honey.

8211 Rhodometra sacraria (The Vestal).

9370 Helicoverpa armigera (Scarce Bordered Straw).

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10003 Mythimna vitellina (The Delicate).

4351 Neocochylis hybridella, Id by Anita Beijer.

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5578 Lamoria anella.

8099 Bright Wave (Idaea ochrata).

 

Mirador Del Alto De Hondonero, Malaga Province, Spain.

Still searching for a Butterfly Lifer but the wind won again.

 

The view from below the Mirador.

I returned to the Mirador del Alto where I had been a couple of days earlier hoping for more favorable weather and all the way there and halfway up the track all looked good but things soon went down hill as I got towards the Mirador again.

The sun coming up over the ridge above the Mirador.

Today the sun was out but the breaks in the high winds that had come along on my last visit never happened so even though the sun was out the Frits weren't.

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

I dropped down the hill again and had a good search around the grasslands and around the pool, on the way I recorded Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius) and down by the pool the Migrant Spreadwings (Lestes barbarus) still showed well.

Male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

Birds included a singing male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

I went back up to the Mirador and walked down onto the grassy areas but struggled to find anything to photograph due to the wind but did see Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus),  Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

On the lower track I also heard a singing Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and as I walked back up towards the car Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Day flying moth that still needs a name.

I reached the car and again dropped back down the hill, strangely today I could not convince myself that any of the Skippers I had seen were Essex (Thymelicus lineola) but on Monday all that I saw were Essex.

Ladder Snake (Culebra de Escalera / Etaphe scalaris).

I decided to admit defeat and headed home but as I dropped further down I had a very handsome Ladder Snake (Culebra de Escalera / Etaphe scalaris) on the track.