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Sunday 14 May 2023

La Rana, Near La Rana, Venta Puerto de Gáliz area, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Heading out South West for a long wanted species.

Looking down over the Village.
Sue and I started the day with a leisurely breakfast and a sit on the terrace checking out the many Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) which were belting around the roof tops or feeding much higher up and a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).
Libelloides ictericus.
Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).
Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).
European Umbrella Milkwort (Chicoia loca / Tolpis barbata).
We got the kit together and headed up to La Rana and had a very nice walk around this usually damp site which was the same as many places, very dry. 
0345 Nemophora raddaella.
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).
We parked and as we sorted our selves we had a group of four Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and as we walked around the site Sue found a very nice specimen of Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera), other insects included Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), the day flying Moth 0345 Nemophora raddaella and two types of Owlflys including Libelloides baeticus and Libelloides ictericus
Hybrid Goatsbeard (Barba Macho / Geropogon hybridus).
Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus).
Blue Thistle (Cardo azul / Carduncellus caeruleus).
Long-headed Poppy (Amapola oblonga / Papaver dubium).
Even though the site was extremely dry there were still a few Western Three-toed Skinks (Chalcides striatus) around and several flower species including Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), European Umbrella Milkwort (Chicoia loca / Tolpis barbata), Hybrid Goatsbeard (Barba Macho / Geropogon hybridus), St Bernard's lily (Anthericum baeticum), Mediterranean Fleabane (Hierba pulguera / Pulicaria odora), Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus), Long-headed Poppy (Amapola oblonga / Papaver dubium) and Blue Thistle (Cardo azul / Carduncellus caeruleus).
St Bernard's lily (Anthericum baeticum).
Mediterranean Fleabane (Hierba pulguera / Pulicaria odora).
Tragopogon porrifolius.
Bird wise we saw European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Rock (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator)
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).
Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).
As we walked back to the car we followed the verge which was very well vegetated and had a good number of flowers including Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Tragopogon porrifolius, Candlestick Bugloss (Echium boissieri) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).
Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis).
Purple Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea).
Phlomis crinita subsp malacitana.
Star-of-Bethlehem (Ajo de Lobo / Ornithogalum narbonense.
As we entered our second site which was just down the road Sue pointed out a spike of Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana) which was just holding onto a single decent flower and a short walk into the area produce Yellow (Phlomis lychnitis) and Purple Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea) as well as Phlomis crinita subsp malacitana, Biarum arundarum, Selfheal (Hierba de las Heridas / Prunella laciniata), Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus), Narbonense Star-of-Bethlehem (Ajo de Lobo / Ornithogalum narbonense), Narrow-leaved rock-rose (Cistus monspeliensis), 3959 Aglaope infausta, Black-veined White, Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Golden Oriole and a nice Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).
3959 Aglaope infausta.
Near La Rana.
Sue photographing the Phlomis plants.
We then headed to our main site of the day which was a longish drive out to the South west, by the time we reached Puerto de Gáliz it was lunch time so we had a nice meal before checking a nearby roadside verge where we found a good number of Butterflies including Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Small and Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), Iberian (Melanargia lachesis) and Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Small White (Pieris rapae), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), a very rapid Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) which just zipped passed us, Marsh Fritillary (Euphydrayas aurinia) and what I at first thought were female Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) but they were tatty and in the end we convinced our selves that they were probably Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) but they looked too big.
Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Anyway we continued searching and as we were walking back towards the car we found my first 100%
Aetherie Fritillary and as it was a nice male it made things easier and after checking the photo's the three females were also Aetherie's and not Provençal.
Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydrayas aurinia).
Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).
We moved to another site where we didn't see any more Aetherie's but added
Large Tortoiseshell  (Nymphalis polychlorus) and saw a lot of the same species as earlier plus Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium).
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Marsh Fritillary (Euphydrayas aurinia).

Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba) and Marsh Fritillary (Euphydrayas aurinia).

On the way back to Sue's we stopped the once on the roadside where we found spikes of both Delphinium pentagynum, Salvia barrelieri and Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) ootheca which Sue found attached to a rock, we continued on to Sue's, I loaded up my stuff and after having a Coffee I headed off home.
Delphinium pentagynum.


Salvia barrelieri.

Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) ootheca.


2 comments:

Alcalabirder said...

An interesting account. Pleased to see you caught up with your target, Aetherie Fritillary. I had Marsh Fritillary in pretty much the same spot some years ago.

LojaWldlife said...

We also had Marsh there, I will try to get there two weeks earlier next year as the females were a tad tatty but the male still looked good.