A morning on the terrace, Near Huétor Tajar, Granada Province, Spain.

Some work and the birding on the terrace.

Ebird list for Terrace.

Ebird List for Hacho.

The full sun.

I started the day by putting my kit up on the terrace preparing for a day sat down in a straight backed chair trying to rest the back but the last stretch of Green Railing just kept staring back at me so I got the tools and spent a couple of hours wire brushing and sanding it down ready for some paint.

Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Once it was finished I sat down and started to catch up with a few bits on the laptop and watching what was moving in and over the Olives, the best thing was that the pair of Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) had obviously been interested in the nest box for far longer than I realized and were actually feeding young this morning, funny how you miss the things that are happening right under your nose.

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) male.

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) male.

Other species included Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and 2x Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus). 

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri),

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri),

Later at around 14.00, just when it was starting to get a tad warm I decided to go for a walk up Hacho, well as far as the top car park.

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

I parked under one of the many Almond trees near the start of the track and walked back down hill to start with as I had seen a couple of whites on some Mustard type plants, when I arrived the Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri) x9 (total for walk) had been joined by the first of 20 or so Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) I would see during the walk.

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)

On the first stretch up to the Quarry I heard and saw Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), as well as Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) x1, Small White (Pieris rapae) x1, Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) x8+, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x2 and Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x2.

Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

At the fork by the Quarry I went uphill as far as the top car park, on the way I found several spikes of the beautiful Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) x1F, Lorquin's (Cupido lorquinii) x7 and Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes) x5, Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) x2, Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) and some fly over European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum).

Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri).

On my way back down the hill to the junction I found a patch of yellow flowers with at least 5 Black-eyed Blues (Glaucopsyche melanops) feeding on it, Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Cloven Petalled Campion (Silene colorata), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis), Ground-pine Germander (Teucrium pseudochamaepitys) and where I turned left along the top of the quarry I saw a nice male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), a female Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and a more unexpected group of 4 Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii).

I continued on along the next section of the track finding a stunning Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), a stunning Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) which was off before I could get the camera on it, Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa) and Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca).

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

On my way back down to the car I found Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri), Linaria tristris and lots of dry spikes of Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Linaria tristris.

I returned home and planted myself up on the terrace but I didn't add anything but I could hear the Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) being extremely vocal.