Sierra de Morena, Andujar, Jaen Province, Spain.

A nice day Lynx hunting with friends Chamila and Manuel.

Ebird List, 45 Species.

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

I left home early and reached the Los Pinos just before 08.00 where we all went in to the bar for some breakfast before heading out onto the main area for the Lynx, on the way out we started the list off with Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer).

Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus).

Our first stop was at a double firebreak where heard a singing Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and heard a distant Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) which was the first of the year for us all.

Morning Fog.

Clearing fog.

and the fogs cleared.

In this area we also added Angel's tears Narcissus (Narcissus triandus), Ramping (Fumaria capreolata) and Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Grey-leaved (Cistus albidus) and Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer), Eruca (Eruca sativa), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis) and Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We moved on out to the main area and set ourselves up at one of the shelters, we spent several hours here scanning the area for the Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) but as hard as we tried we only managed a few Red (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) and Fallow Deer (Gamo común / Dama dama), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small White (Pieris rapae), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

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

We also so recorded Griffon (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Cinereous / European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus), Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus) and a male Hen Harrier (Aguilucho Pálido / Circus cyaneus) which flew straight through and off to the North.

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

Other bird species included Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Common (Urraca / Pica pica) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii).

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii).

Mid afternoon we decided to head along the road and down to the dam, on the way down we found Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii), Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum), Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), Spanish Bluebell (Scilla hispanica), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Palmate Anemone (Anemone palmata), the feather leaves of Giant Fennel (Ferula communis), Red (Silene dioica) and White Campion (Silene latifolia) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Just before we reached the bottom of the road near the dam we saw a group of Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) walk off and once we had parked we notice some of the smaller females had settled in the sun and allowed us to get some photo's.

Presa del Jándula.

Rio de Jándula.

We crossed the dam and walked into the tunnel and out the other side where we saw another Ibex as well as Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), a nice male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirundo daurica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

Pantano del Jándula.

We went back up the hill and made our way back to the view point where we again settled in for the rest of the afternoon adding Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) and Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra) before heading back to the accommodation and then later going out for a meal.