Mirador Del Alto De Hondonero, Malaga Province, Spain.

Catching up with Andy Tweed and some good butterflies.

Looking down from the Mirador Del Alto De Hondonero.

I was out and about early and met Andy just below the car park at the Mirador but the sun had still not cleared the hill so it was birds that I was listing to start with including Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona / Sylvia hortensis), Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero Común / Hippolais polyglotta), Rock (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Cirl (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) being eaten by a Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

Once the sun came up over the ridge and the butterflies were soon on the wing, by far the commonest species was the Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), one of which was being eaten by a very smart looking Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione).

There were also good numbers of Provençal (Melitaea deione), Knapweed (Melitaea phoebe), Cardinal (Argynnis pandora) and at least 3 of the rare and local Spanish Fritillary (Euphydryas desfontainii).

False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus).

False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus).

False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus).

False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Also seen were Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines), Holly (Celastrina argiolus), Lorquin's (Cupido lorquinii), Southern (Polyommatus celina), Panoptes (Pseudophilotes panoptes) and False Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes abencerragus), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Small (Pieris rapae) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) and False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua).

We also had several Skipper species which I hope I have Ided correctly but included Rosy Grizzled (Pyrgus onopordi), Sage (Muschampia proto), Southern Marbled (Carcharodus baeticus) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Other things seen included Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), European Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus), Chimney Sweeper (Odezia atrata), Ophrys algarviensis (Thanks Perry), Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Large Blue Flax (Linum narbonense), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa), Prickly Poppy (Papaver argenone), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Red Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus) and Convolvulus meonanthus.

Convolvulus meonanthus.

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).