Santo Domingo de Silos and La Yecla, Burgos Province, Spain.

Birding in Santi's Garden and a walk near La Yecla.

Swallowtails (Papilio machaon).

Santi and I spent a while getting some weeding done in his garden and whilst we were doing we saw Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), House (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and plenty of the usual Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).

Later we went for a visit to the road I had taken yesterday near La Yecla and up by a small pool at the far end of the road we saw or heard Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis) and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata).

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis).

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis).

In the same area we also had Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene), Provence (Anthocharis euphenoides) and Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines), Panoptes (Pseudophilotes panoptes) and Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) along with Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii) and White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum).

Escher's Blue (Polyommatus escheri).

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus).

Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela maroccana).

We came back along the road and parked near a stream and checked out an area of mud / cattle pooooo where there were at least 5x Swallowtails (Papilio machaon), 1x Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), 2x Wood White (Leptidea sinapis), a mating pair of  Green Tiger Beetles (Cicindela maroccana), and out on some nearby fields 8x Clouded Yellows (Colias croceus), 4x Berger's Clouded Yellows (Colias alfacariensis), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), a calling Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

As we drove back towards the house we checked some Pines where I had seen a spike of Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia) as I drove yesterday, we parked and walked up to the spike and found just one more before heading back.