Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Valencia to Albarracín in Teruel Province, Spain.

Monday 24 July 2023

Valencia to Albarracín in Teruel Province, Spain.

The first of a few good days searching for butterflies.

Karen and Bob, Day One.

False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

After a night of not much sleep due to inconsiderate prats making as much noise as possible as they arrived and departed at all hours I headed for the Airport to pick up Karen and Bob which I was pleased to say went smoothly and we were soon on our way out into the countryside away from the heat and humidity of the city.

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

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus).

Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).

As we drove through some beautiful scenery we picked up Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Booted Eagle (Aguililla Calzada / Hieraaetus pennatus).

Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

A few KMs short of Albarracín we pulled off the road and checked an area of Knapweed and Scabious flowers and we started the butterflies list with Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice), False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi), Silver-spotted (Hesperia comma) and Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), Common (Polyommatus icarus), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous), Long-tailed (Lampides baeticus), Chapman's (Polyommatus Thersites) and Spanish Chalk-hill Blues (Lysandra albicans), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) and Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) a good start to the trip List.

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

We went into the town and checked in to our accommodation and then headed back out to the Zaviers Rambla but is shown as Rambla de Monterde on maps, anyway we had a walk up and around the first three bends but it got a bit hot so we turned around and headed back, during the walk we recorded Spanish Chalk-hill Blues, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Clouded Yellow and Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), False Ilex Hairstreak, Chapman's and Long-tailed Blue, Sage Skipper, Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius), Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus).