Cerro Hacho, Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

A walk around the lower loop looking for Orchids.

Ebird List, 32 Species of Bird and 6 Orchids.

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

I parked up by the Quarry and and did the loop in a clock-wise direction, starting by having a look at the Giant Orchids (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) in amongst the Pines, I have no idea how many there are in the area but just in this patch I counted 90 flowering spikes and there must have been 5x as many blind rosettes.

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

In this area I also saw Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Long-tailed Tits (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and as I started to approach the Puddle I had several Common Crossbills (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) fly over.

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys fusca / foresteri).

As I walked on I found Broad-leaved Iris (Iris planifolia), Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica), Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina) and Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis) first of the year, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Cirl (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina).

Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

As I started to drop down towards the road I could hear a Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea) singing, Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) and a double spike of the Fan-lipped Orchid (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica).

Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis).

As I walked along the road and then back up to the car I added Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Erophila verna, Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis) and Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum).