Mirador del Alto de Hondonero and Arroyo Marin, Malaga Province, Spain.

Getting John a couple of Butterfly lifers.

Pam and John, Day One.

Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

I was really pleased to pick up good friend Pam and John from Malaga yesterday and to be taking them out looking for Butterflies today, we headed out to Mirador del Alto de Hondonero near Villaneuva del Rosario and once we reached the highest point we could drive to we got out and had a walk.

Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

Pam stayed in the area around the car to do some drawing whilst John and I dropped down on to some nearby meadows where we were soon watching the first of the new species for John, there was a rather worn looking Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii) x9, however we soon found several more better looking insects.

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

As we searched the area we added Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) x5, Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) x8, Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x5, Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) x4, Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) x17+, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x25+, Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii) x3, Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops) x2, Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) x15+ and Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) x6.

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

As we walked around we also saw Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).

Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola).

We walked up to the car again and met up with Pam again before dropping lower down to the area near to the Bird Observatory, in the area around where we parked we found Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) x4 and Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola) x2, Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x6, Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) x4 and along a track to a pool below the Observatory we added several Panoptes (Pseudophilotes panoptes) x11 and a single False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) x2 and Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) x5.

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

In the same area we also saw and heard Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), the Owlfly Libelloides baeticus, Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major),  Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) and Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus).

Libelloides baeticus.

Longhorn Moth Species.

We again returned to the car and headed down into Rosario where we stopped and had a Coffee before heading to Arroyo Marin where we parked and had a walk, by the car we added Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Small White (Pieris rapae) x3, Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius) x2 and Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia) x9.

Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).

None flowering Epipactis helleborine subsp tremolsii.

Further along the lower track several Meadow Browns (Maniola jurtina) x3, Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and a none flowering spike of Epipactis helleborine subsp tremolsii.