Sierra Morena, Andújar, Jaén Province, Spain.

Day two with Friends and Friends of Friends looking for the Lynx.

Ebird List for La Lancha, 33 Species.

Ebird List for Embalse del Jándula, 24 Species.

Not a bad view even when the Lynx is not showing.

Kiersten, Richard, Anne, Barbara, Derek and Myself had an 07.30 breakfast before heading out to the main area for the Lynx but took the drive out slowly seeing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and a field full of Spanish Fighting Bull (Bos taurus taurus).

Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina).

Common Magpies (Urraca / Pica pica) the natural Lynx alarms.

Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica).

Just as we were about to arrive at my favorite spot I looked down to the left and below us and was amazed to see a male Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) so we were out as rapidly as possible and had good views as the Lynx crossed a couple of tracks and disappeared into a bush and was not seen again.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Cinereous / European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

We continued on to the spot where I have been lucky on several occasions and set up the seats and waited to see what came in, birds seen in the next 6 hours included Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Cinereous / European Black (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) and Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), a female Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos).

Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla).

Common stork's bill (Erodium ciconium).

Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus).

Other species seen by me included Bath (Pontia daplidice), Western Dappled (Euchloe crameri) and Small White (Pieris rapae), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus), 8256 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata), Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Mouflon (Moflon / Ovis orientalis), Angel's tears Narcissus (Narcissus triandus), Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Common stork's bill (Erodium ciconium), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum) and others in th group also had an Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) and a dead Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) which had unfortunately been run over.

8256 Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata).

At some point during the morning we were joined by Annette and Sean (Friends of Kiersten and Richards) who were coming up for just the one night.

Barbara, Kiersten, Anne, Richard and Derek.

Just after 16:00 we notice a car load of people go rather quickly along the road but they didn't say anything so we packed our kit up and decided to head down to the Embalse del Jándula but a few bends on we came across the car load of German Lynx watchers who passed us and their friends including a number of the people I got onto this mornings male watching another Lynx on a distant ridge which we enjoyed for a while. 

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Even though we got views of the animal I was just a tad pissed off that they couldn't be bothered to give us the knod when they drove passed us after I made sure they all saw the one we found earlier in the day.

Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina).

Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) the second distant view.

After the Lynx had disappeared over the ridge we dropped down to the embalse and spent some time on the road over the Dam where we added Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) as well as 2 more Blue-rock Thrush but this time they were males, Red-billed Chough, Griffon and Cinereous / European Black Vulture, Sparrowhawk, Little Owl and several Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina).

As we returned to the car we were surprised to hear two calling Tawny Owls (Cárabo Común / Strix aluco) and a couple of Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which were new to a few of the group.

Looking South along the Rio Jándula from the Dam.

We headed back along the track towards La Caracola adding Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops) and Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) on the way.

Embalse del Jándula.

Later we had a few beers and a meal again with a drop of Red Wine.