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Friday 25 June 2021

Driving Home Via, Sierra de Gredos, Ávila Province, Spain.

Driving back home picking up a couple of year ticks on the way.
 
Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).
I had breakfast with Howard and Santi and thanked them for there kindness during my few days there, I had hoped to stay longed had to get back South.
Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).
I left Santo Domingo de Silos and headed across country to the Sierra de Gredos where I was hoping to pick up a couple of year ticks so I was very pleased to quickly find a few Ortolan Bunting's (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana) in the area around a bridge over the Río Barbellido on the way down to the Parking Plataforma de Gredos.
Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana).

Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana).

Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana).

Ortolan Bunting (Escribano Hortolano / Emberiza hortulana).

After getting some shots of the Bunting I started to drive back out of the site but made a fast stop when I saw two
Citril Finches (Verderón Serrano / Serinus citrinella) sat on the top of a dry stone wall near a Pine plantation.
Fledgling Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
Fledgling Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).
I made one more stop in amongst the Pine Woodlands where I saw a very nice fledgling
Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).
I reached the far side of the pines and then drove the rest of the way home without incident.

Thursday 24 June 2021

La Yecla area, twice, Burgos Province, Spain.

A couple of visits to the same area as yesterday.
 
Morcilla, Sad Hill Beer and Chorizo.

After breakfast Santi and I dropped down to the village to get some bread and whilst there I got some of my favorite Morcilla and Chorizo as well as a box of Beers to commemorate the Good, The Bad and the Ugly Movie.
Robust Spreadwing (Lestes dryas) pair in Tandem.
 
Robust Spreadwing (Lestes dryas).

Later Santi and I headed out passed La Yecla to a spot where I had been yesterday where we spent a while photographing Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata), Bug Orchid (Anacamptis coriophora) and on the small marshy pools several species of Dragon including Robust Spreadwing (Lestes dryas) which was the second new species following the first Azure Damselflies (Coenagrion puella) a couple of days.
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) Male.

Large Red Damselflies (Pyrrhosoma nymphula).

Around this pool there were good numbers of Azure Damselflies as well as several Large Red Damselflies (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) and both male and female Broad-bodied Chasers (Libellula depressa).
Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.
Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.
Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Female.
We returned to the house and had some lunch and then later I again returned to the same area where I started by parking on the roadside and watched the
Red-backed Shrikes (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) again as they are just Stunning birds which were busy feeding their young. 
Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia).
Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia).
Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri).
Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).
Comma (Polygonum c-album).
In the same area I also had views of
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

Over by the Pooooooo pile and along the valley I found Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Peacock (Aglais io), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri) and a couple of Comma's (Polygonum c-album), Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla).
Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata).
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula).
My last stop was at the small pools in the Marshy area where I hoped to get some better shots of the Dragon's seen earlier but as well as them I had nice views of another male Red-backed Shrike, White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius).
Robust Spreadwing (Lestes dryas).
Robust Spreadwing (Lestes dryas).
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa).
I returned to the car and drove back towards the house but on the way decided to make a last stop along a track which Santi had told me about earlier and I was very pleased I did as two specimens of one of the species I had most wanted to photograph, the Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta) were nectering on the flat tops of an Umbellifer plant.
Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus).
Grayling (Hipparchia semele).
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).
Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri).
In the same area I also had Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus),  Grayling (Hipparchia semele) and Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) along with Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).

Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).

Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).

Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).

Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).

 

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Sad Hill and La Yecla, Burgos Province, Spain.

An important bit of painting and then later some butterflies again.
 
Sad Hill.
I got up at Santi and Howard's and after a good breakfast Santi and I got a few bits done in the garden before we drove up to Sad Hill where part of the film the Good, the Bad and the Ugly was filmed and had a walk down to the spot where Jayne's Post was to give it a new coat of paint. 
An artist in action.
On the way we saw loads of French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata), a Silene species which still needs naming along with Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris).
Where the Gun Fight took place.

One of the locals.

After a soggy search we found Santi's and Jayne's Posts and Santi got to work with the paint brush, as strange as it sounds I felt much closer to Jayne here than anywhere back in the UK.
Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata).
Silene Species.
Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris).
We spent a while having a wonder around looking at the different Grave markers before we headed back down to the house, on the way we saw 15+ Cardinal Fritillaries (Argynnis pandora), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus).
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora).
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora).
We got back to the house and had some lunch and then later I headed out for a couple of hours in the area around La Yecla area, I first spent quite a while watching a pair of
Red-backed Shrikes (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) which were feeding a nest of youngsters in a Hawthorn bush a 100 meters away from the road.
Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Female.

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

After getting some distant views of the female and some great views of the male I parked at the Pooooo Pile again and walked up the valley again but went a bit further this time, around the pile I saw a nice
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe), Iberian Marbled White, Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) and further up the valley in the grassy meadows Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri) and lots of spikes of Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata).
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe).
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe).
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).
Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri).
On the second meadow area there were lots of
Robust Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza elata) and smaller numbers of Pyramidal (Anacamptis pyramidalia), Bee (Ophrys apifera) and Woodcock Orchids (Ophrys Scolopax).
Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).
Comma (Polygonum c-album).
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).
Grayling (Hipparchia semele),
In the same area I also had male and female
Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo), Comma (Polygonum c-album), Common Blue (Polyommatus celina), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) and Small White (Pieris rapae).
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa).
Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).
I got back to the car and as I did yesterday I checked out the water deposit where I found a male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa), Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) and Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).
Roe Deer (Corzo / Capreolus capreolus).
My last stop of the day was by the small pools in the boggy area just along the same road where I didn't find anything except for the Robust Marsh Orchids again and then a Roe Deer (Corzo / Capreolus capreolus) which flushed from a couple of Hawthorns.