Noguera de Albarracín, Fuente de la Peña del Castillo, Puerto de Noguera de Albarracín and Roadside near Albarracín, Teruel Province, Spain.

Heading out North West.

Karen and Bob, Day Four.

 

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

As before, we had breakfast, headed for the Supermarket for some freash fruit for Lunch and then made our way out to a spot near the town of Noguera de Albarracín were we parked part way up a track and then had a nice walk out to a point where a small river crossed the track and then continued on for a good way up hill into the Pine Woodlands.

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).

Rock Grayling (Hipparchi alcyone).

The first part of the walk up to the point where the two streams cross the track was quiet butterfly wise but we did see Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and by the stream Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) and Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis).

Grayling (Hipparchia semele).

Grayling (Hipparchia semele).

Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia).

We checked the area around the stream before going for a walk along the track which went up through the Pine Woodlands, on the verges, the wet ditches and damp patches we recorded Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Rock (Hipparchi alcyone) and Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) and Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Silver-spotted (Hesperia comma), Red-underwing (Spialia sertorius), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and the large Tiger Moth 10605 Euplagia quadripunctaria.

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

We turned around and as the heat had started to build there were more butterflies becoming active on the way back down, we were soon watching a nice group of Silver-Washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia) on a patch of Bramble, High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe), at least 3x Iberian Sooty (Lycaena bleusei) and a single Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Escher's (Agrodiaetus escheri), Common / Southern (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) and a single nearly dead spike of Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) male.

Bird wise we saw Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).

Escher's Blue (Agrodiaetus escheri) female.

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).

Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

Once we reached the Streams we walked back to the village on the opposite side of the water adding Lulworth (Thymelicus acteon), Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Silver-Washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

We reached the car, had a coffee as we were leaving the town and then stopped for Lunch at Fuente de la Peña del Castillo but we didn't add anything so we continued on up through some very nice areas to the Puerto de Noguera de Albarracín and as we searched we saw lots of Silver-Washed Fritillaries, Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Peacock (Aglais io), our only Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron) of the trip, a mating pair of Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon) and a few female / immature Ruddy Darters (Sympetrum sanguineum).

Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon) and Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum).

On our way back around to Albarracín we made a stop at another high point finding plenty of Azure Chalkhill Blues (Lysandra caelestissima) along with Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

Further on we stopped at a track side pool where we added Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei), Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).

Our last stop before returning to the digs was on at a flower filled verge where we saw lots more Bath and Small Whites, Long Tailed and Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Southern Marbled (Carcharodus baeticus) and Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).

Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus).

Later we went into town for a walk and then had something to eat in Monty's again, good food.