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Wednesday 26 July 2023

Albarracín, Zaviers / Monterde Rambla, Monumet Spot, Fuente La Corraliza and Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque, Teruel Province, Spain.

Back out into the Rambla's, Mountains and Woodlands.
Karen and Bob, Day Three.

Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus).
Today we were out side a little early picking up Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a group of around 20 or so Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) which were running across slopes above the town and soon we saw why, some *** **** had to dogs off their leads and they were chasing them.  
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).
Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia).
Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea).
Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
After Breakfast and the usual visit to the Supermarket we headed just up the road to the Rambla where everyone goes to try and find Southern Hermit (Chazara prieuri) but we were not lucky but from information received during the next few days it is a species that has become much more difficult.
Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma).
Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).
Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).
We arrived and walked up the track and parts of the barranco for a few bends finding Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Red-underwing (Spialia sertorius), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus), Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia), High Brown (Fabriciana adippe) and Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), a single Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Rock (Hipparchi alcyone), Great Banded (Kanetisa circe) and Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia) and Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).
Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).
Bird wise in the Rambla we saw and heard
Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and along the river near to the car we added Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis). 
Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).
Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).
Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).
Whilst we were down by the river we also found Small White (Pieris rapae), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and a very smart Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei) which I understand has been split from Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) which I had seen a couple of weeks earlier in the Pico's area.
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).
Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).
Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).
We moved up the road to the spot we first stopped at on the way in from Valencia but today even though it was much less windy there were less butterflies, however we still found Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) as well as Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax).
False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa).
False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa).
Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).
We decided to head for the Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque, on the way we stopped of at the Fuente at La Corraliza Área Recreativa and had a walk around the area, near the water trough we had the first False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa) of the trip along with Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Knapweed (Melitaea phoebe) and Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).
Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).
Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).
We continued on to the Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque where we parked and found a nice shaded spot to have our lunch near a small screen which overlooked a small pool where we saw
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) in the surrounding area we also added Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Iberian Green (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and in the poplar trees a calling Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).
Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) female.
Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii).
In the same area we picked up Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) before taking a nice drive across country back to Albarracin which had some very nice views.
Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) juvenile.
Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe) and Zygaena transalpina probably.
We Parked and as we walked back up to the accommodation we had several Griffon Vulture fly over us.
Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

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