Rio Casarabanella and the Rio Guadalhorce near Alora, Malaga Province, Spain.

A couple of Rivers north of Malaga, one nice one not so nice.
Steve and Lynn, Day Six.

Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator).

Steve and I headed down to Malaga and then inland to visit a couple of rivers where we were again searching for Dragons, we started on the Rio Casarabanella which in past years has been brilliant but unfortunately the area which was good now has a raw sewage inlet somewhere up stream which contaminated pretty much the whole section. 

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) male.

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) male.

Epaulet Skimmers (Orthetrum chrysostigma) pair mating.

It always amazes me in this age that the local authorities allow this to happen so often and on so many good natural areas.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum).

We did however have a walk up stream trying to stay out of the water as much as possible finding a few species on the way including a very nice Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Keeled (Orthetrum coerulescens) and Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma), Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) and Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Grasshopper Species.

As we walked we also saw Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila pennatus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae).

Faded Pincertails (Onychogomphus costae).

Our next spot is one of my favorite spots where I enjoy seeing the best of the best dragonfly wise in my view, the Faded Pincertail (Onychogomphus costae). 

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus).

As we parked we had a male Ringed Cascader (Zygonyx torridus) flying between the reed beds, we saw several more patrolling males along the river and on a couple of occasions a pair in tamdem, I got one shot but its not great.

Cooling off with a Faded Pincertail.

Steve getting a close up of the Pincertail.

Looking up stream with a Pincetail on the rock.

Steve eyeing up his next photograph.

We spent several hours at this spot seeing more Broad Scarlets, Epaulet, Keeled and Southern Skimmers, Orange-winged Dropwings, Iberian Bluetail, White Featherleg, Blue / Common Emperor as well as Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis), Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) and Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii).

Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum).

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum).

Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii).

Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii).

In the same area we had Perez's Frogs (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and a couple of Green Sandpipers (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus). 

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

By 15.00 it was well over 40 degrees so even sitting in the river did not work and we decided after a really good few hours to head back towards the house.

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Later we sat out on the terrace and had both Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) and Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).

Mirador de Hondonera, Villanueva del Rosario and Salinas, Malaga Province, Spain.

Up on the windy hill and then out on the baking fields. 

Steve and Lynn, Day Five.

 

Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites).

We set off along the A92 and went up through Rosario on to the tracks out towards the Mirador but we first stopped at an area of grassland on the way up and dropped down below it to what had been a pool a couple of months ago but was now just dry cracked mud which was covered in Horse Mint (Mentha longifolia) and Penny Royal (Mentha pulegium) which in turn were covered in several species of butterfly.

Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus Thersites).

The best of these were both male and female Chapman's Blues (Polyommatus Thersites), Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) and Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).

In the brambles surrounding the dry pool we had a couple of Migrant Spreadwings (Lestes barbarus) and in the more general surroundings Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

We moved on up to the main Mirador but as with everything I have been there it was blowing a hoolie but we still had a walk down into the dip below the car park where we saw several of the species seen earlier but added Small White (Pieris rapae), a Grasshopper species that still needs a name, Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and a couple of Rock Buntings (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

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Trichodes leucopsideus.

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We dropped back down to Rosario and made our way to an area near Salinas where we looked for Dragonflies, on the way there we saw Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea) and Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata).

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).

Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma).

We parked on the side of the new railway line and checked out an area of water where a pipe has been leaking for several years now and as formed a pool finding Epaulet (Orthetrum chrysostigma) and Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

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Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea)  Young female.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) Middle aged female.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) Old Female.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) Old Female.

Nearby we parked again and checked the roadside ditches where we had more Migrant Spreadwings, Keeled Skimmers and Scarlet Darters as well as Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Bath White (Pontia daplidice) and an unidentified Hoverfly type thing.

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Birds included European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Feral (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata).