Sierra Morena, Andújar, Jaén Province, Spain.

Another day in the stunning Sierra Morena.

Ebird List for Rio Jándula, 33 Species.

Ebird List for La Lancha, 36 Species.

 

Presa de El Encinarejo.

We were all up for a 06:45 breakfast and then we headed down to the Rio Jándula where we were going to look for the Otters (Nutria / Lutra lutra) I have seen there every time I have visited the area but today things were different due to the amount of water being released from the dam.

Rio Jándula in flood.

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).

Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).

We still spent quite a while scanning the slower moving pools in the river and found Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Siskin (Lúgano / Carduelis spinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and both Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Hoop-petticoat Daffodils (Narcissus bulbocodium).

Hoop-petticoat Daffodils (Narcissus bulbocodium).

The Ladies amongst the Hoop-petticoat Daffodils (Narcissus bulbocodium).

Getting the shots of the Hoop-petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium).

I think my shot of Kiersten was kinder 😀😀😀

After a while we decided to start to make our way back along the track towards the Área recreativa del Encinarejo, at a spot not to far along the track we stopped and scanned the river see a Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Hoop-petticoat Daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium), Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) and Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium).

One of the two Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba).

Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Rio Jándula looking up stream.

We continued on and Derek who was a little ahead of us had seen 2x Great Egrets (Garceta Grande / Egretta alba) but they ad flown off by the time we got there but we relocated them a little further down stream.

Spanish Fighting Bull (Bos taurus taurus).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) male.

Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus).

We reached the Área recreativa and spent a while searching the trees and the river there adding Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea) but there was no sign of the Otter's.

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Angel's tears Narcissus (Narcissus triandus).

Next we drove back out to the Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) area, on the way we saw Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata) and several Fallow Deer (Gamo común / Dama dama).

Watching for the Lynx.

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

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We reached the where we spent the rest of the day and found 20+ Mouflon (Moflon / Ovis orientalis), Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus), Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Cinereous / European Black (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Crested (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) x2, Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) female.

Mouflon (Moflon / Ovis orientalis) in the distance.

9206 Cucullia calendulae (Marigold Shark) Caterpillar.

Other species seen included Bath (Pontia daplidice), Western Dappled (Euchloe crameri) and Small White (Pieris rapae), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), 9206 Cucullia calendulae (Marigold Shark) caterpillar, Angel's tears Narcissus (Narcissus triandus), Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus) and Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus).

Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Annette and Sean headed off during the afternoon and the rest of us made our way back to La Caracola where we had Beer, Food and Wine again 😁😁😁