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Friday 28 July 2023

Moscardón area, Teruel Province, Spain.

Back to the Amazing Meadow near Moscardón.
Karen and Bob, Day Five.

The Grayling Species weren't difficult to find.
We were out looking out over the town before breakfast picking up Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).
Male Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima).
Female Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima).
Female Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).
Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).
After Breakfast we headed to Moscardón again, on the approach we again saw Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).
The Monumental Pine !!!!
Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe).
Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).
Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino).
Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).
We parked and started with a walk to the meadows where the Monumental Pine stood, here we found
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), both male and female Azure Chalkhill (Lysandra caelestissima) and Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Great Banded (Kanetisa circe), Rock (Hipparchi alcyone) and Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Safflower (Pyrgus carthami) and Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).
Spanish Heath (Coenonympha glycerion iphioides).
Spanish Heath (Coenonympha glycerion iphioides).
Spanish Heath (Coenonympha glycerion iphioides).
Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis).
Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).
Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta).
We crossed back over the road and started to walk towards the water troughs, on the way we saw and heard Great Spotted (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).
Me trying to get some shots of the Mother of Pearl Blue (Polyommatus nivescens).
Mother of Pearl Blue (Polyommatus nivescens).
Mother of Pearl Blue (Polyommatus nivescens).
Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe).
Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe).
Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).
New butterflies kept coming including an
Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei) which Karen saw, Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Lesser Marbled (Brenthis ino), Silver-Washed (Argynnis paphia), Knapweed (Melitaea phoebe) and High Brown Fritillaries (Fabriciana adippe), Spanish Heath (Coenonympha glycerion iphioides), Comma (Polygonum c-album), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto) and then a semi tatty, slightly washed out looking Mother of Pearl Blue (Polyommatus nivescens).
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione).

Around the concrete troughs, on the beds of Thyme plants we found
False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi) as well as a female looking Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).
Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).
Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma).
False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).
As we walked back up towards the car again we checked the area around the wooden troughs finding Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione),
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta), Silver-spotted (Hesperia comma), Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon) and Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).
Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).
Mating pair of Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima).
Mating pair of Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima).
Concrete Water Trough.
Wooden Water Trough.
We returned to the car and went up the road to El Molino where we went straight down to the Puddling spot where we saw the a few days ago, today there were still good numbers but not as many and included
Damon (Polyommatus damon), Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice) as well as Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).
Getting down to their level.
Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).
Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).
Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon).
Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon).
Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon).
Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima).
Azure Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra caelestissima) a few of the masses.
Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).
Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius).
We went back to the Meadows but checked the pool and saw 
Common Spreadwing (Lestes Sponsa), Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) and a Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni).
Common Spreadwing (Lestes Sponsa).
Common Spreadwing (Lestes Sponsa).
Back at the meadows we parked in the same place but walked up the meadow in a different direction adding Damon and Oberthur's Anomalous Blues to the site list for our trip. 
Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).
Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).
False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa) on Karen's Arm.
Later we returned to the Village and then went out for a meal.

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