Going North to do some Butterfly hunting.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tQ5FKSts3IY_3Wy3uZe8QmlnAP2RPj7ZsgTL9V74MxgIhq60QQWvktA8q48j3FKZOUImcP144emB5YTJNYaaoF-UwAb1V2dx5_pjFbvp8VqlUMy5_2gX7aAEo8colFMrILPNaULzj82hoDKVSc8OBKI_dhTX_WBHygWwsnS2-pvevwBnZbIUnE1xvvQ/w640-h286/5th-July-23-2.jpg) |
Great Bustard (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) 8 of the 20 or so. |
I set off at just after 04.00, made a stop at around 09.00 for some breakfast and then pulled off again around an hour south of Madrid for a break and a bit of birding.
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Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda). |
I drove along some tracks in a large area of mixed agriculture, a site I have visited several times but over the years it has change from a vast area of cereal crop to an area which is now starting to be dominated by Olive trees and is becoming more and more sterile.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbI_e9PNaUG3q9_4lmH8zGiP9suZWIyNLVdcwXoVun3k3vZyDKV51q20xXzrRc8YnPLQTDpREd1sG_SX3KrG7roUyDbiF93SQMn5leU144TBb-u0nH60BLNiEtAf8Znh-P2eYgoaXskas2gyj4-YG9J8hzCLMRmX_mL64sQI3F_xHTgZ6fAsJgylv_kI/w640-h530/5th-July-23-3.jpg) |
Great Bustards (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda) |
However for the moment there are still some good areas and they still hold a decent number of the amazing
Great Bustard (Avutarda Común / Otis tarda), today I managed to see around 20 birds in two groups along with
Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator),
Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla),
Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata) and
Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra),
Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax),
Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula),
Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and
Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ewFGF88OZzj_gbbuVBbVMfuPC5p9ApCBpOuzg7whnkTUxckf-eKncYdjQUYgNukxq96ZDcuzc3IiNqrpgGVuOCus7DyhMZRcdFTF1sPLqut6qgvJkWwgSfmitSZF9HDbdPza_-r7kqTijFx6qE6VCi67jj9vhP4MOg6eiXqOUHRiI0BJas2eTupM0qg/w640-h552/5th-July-23-6.jpg) |
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora). |
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Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1JSz2gdNc4dUYWjuaRM23x6nASzQ1c-y8iH5cbQA1No97fXCLoT9tJctPjiQLmiBB2oMUXFyAedHECVeU0zBnO3TQl-XUch9NyjmJkiKeX8RRK24pN27HbcTMczUJSFeFF35mDpnTqn6azJsuUAp0kyatqp5KfPqwS80ZPrLsekOw853TRwpMktkhZQ/w628-h640/5th-July-23-8.jpg) |
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora). |
On the way I made a couple of roadside stops to stretch the legs, get some lunch and have a look for some Butterflies to start the trip list off with, somewhere between Madrid and Burgos I picked up
Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe),
Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis),
Small White (
Pieris rapae),
Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora),
Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc_d7Vp5Lh-DqeeqpAY6I0U499qXuNROcCfWUa_tFOnT-anUtv819z25ie4ALtB-jBiQYRgGGa9501TChz1RBQMmCWOPnE8ZSGWSgInxS9ya2Xyed0yJHapUvKL5bnB3cBvi7pgk0krYOAE_QRkOkEAGMCzOSEOfqxr_FDezNKiUxMGiSQ4jUfxqFL1w/w640-h592/5th-July-23-9.jpg) |
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus). |
Then later once I was on the minor roads I picked up
Red (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and
Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans),
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia),
Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata),
Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra) as I drove.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0ueuAJqgJLQgJiA4cMbylEyeLNwmDSCI3AKO2d4bcUNdXjwM8m3C81JQmpTM39L_g1SqGSJbjDZgAUvpx_I4IMpdzSdVoQjS-pEf1Q0Pc-EsVsUIAbYMUNd3tpbj9_kVl-7HYKqhkOoUaNowIEw-WzIbuReVkptwku2L0JfM8yGpYeyJgGFxJNRgikg/w598-h640/5th-July-23-10.jpg) |
Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba). |
At another roadside stop I spent a while trying to photograph an extremely flighty
Great Banded Grayling which gave me the run around for a while but whilst chasing it I also recorded
Long-tailed (Lampides baeticus) and Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous),
Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba),
Iberian Scarce Swallowtail,
Meadow Brown,
Pyramidal (Anacamptis pyramidalia) x2 and a very tatty looking Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcZ-b28UTh0o6fRsPpq3maiW39HOHPdIrW_yb1LfKHbpONmbywEjAQA_VI3onAbWaVKh9IRmHJG1DXovVRKwN9Z5Dqj5Bg8488Sd3WU73GZ8yXUo_qK0khW-2PkTyUntKbcoeeZwrrAKlfmE2N6geJsDIUd9jjkFNf84iiERWCrPDRdI-41uW23WFwRM/w640-h620/5th-July-23-12.jpg) |
Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous). |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwyj3RzWPWXhybPdHW83ecDHNsay8xHTZZ3S4VEvUnQ-XAfZkhASjWAuH0E7URxhuv9qtuW4eUA7oBRnMCIJiBWqiF79WEJINB0g2yftg8ZlFAMBSULT4DhhnDeFqSfZjvZr8MfnqTO9ZDqpkKwWuglhHPY2Newr0e3FGSG5CVTj-2CJ5VPisBksDWp8/w640-h636/5th-July-23-11.jpg) |
Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous). |
I continued on to Ojedo over Mirador de Piedrasluengas but didn't stop as it was getting on a bit and I wanted to check in at my digs for the next few nights.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaVKfa0-7ZHZI24Se5bfWuXymfo9Ug6Xq1qNXlIJ6QSo3sBZ2ZxZEIRsFxY05pWP5WCfSyy-Hs5USez5efhtjNORwkfRTikS65VJPnRuWd9Q32GDGOJE1MjwWKczoDI-vejGMvgaPF20d6-QTKMz3rkgxG2qHEv9GLYzP1gNlDk80HZDb-iTEsoBfmNk/s16000/5th-July-23-14.jpg) |
Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia). |
Later, after getting settled in I went into Potes for something to eat where I bumped into a couple of friends, Ed and Monica Mackrill, who had been camping in the area for a while and were also looking for butterflies.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_duGsqW5Gf5kxEb4PSCpxTTWHpP-oY2vsiZdEc_yzJBsWLQYD8Ga2-Kf0L5EJJ6blyeWnWnOtEEeNVmWEEtJ5VeblQHyQRG_-zbaX15spckvNmWQWe7lOeMvazOMFGrD8lkWwQu_Gwq-pINco562biWi0f_tGVRmBnHFN56G7b31U5_LUeA5K7v2ZrBw/w640-h534/5th-July-23-15.jpg) |
Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe). |
I went with them up to the restaurant on their camp site where we had a meal, chatted and arranged to meet next morning to visit a few nearby sites that Ed had already checked out and had found a few species I wanted, very exciting😀😀😀😀
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