Sierra de Morena, Andujar, Jaen Province, Spain.

Another day in the Sierra but with Anna and Charles Hughs today.

Ebird List for La Lancha, 18 Species.

 

Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri) male.

Anna, Charles and I started the day nice and easily with breakfast at La Caracola before heading out to the Rio Jándula and up to the Presa de El Encinarejo, we parked and walked out onto the bridge where we found Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans), Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla),Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs),  Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri) female.

Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

We returned to the car and checked some rocks near the car park finding Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and a nice Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

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

We got back into the car and made our way along the river making a few stops along the track, at the first stop we heard a drumming Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) and when we tracked it down we found a very nice Male bird which actually behaved quite well.

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) male.

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) male.

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) male.

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) male.

Other stuff seen along the track included Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca), Narrow-leaved Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium), Long-headed Poppy (Papaver dubium),  Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum), Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum), French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and a couple of Red Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) which chased each other around a large Pine Tree. 

Narrow-leaved Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius).

Long-headed Poppy (Papaver dubium).

Also seen were Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) calling noisily from a pool on the far side of the river and a herd of Red Deer (Ciervo común / Cervus elaphus) which were running around on the far bank with an imposter amongst them, a similarly coloured feral goat.

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum).

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum).

Down at the far end of the track at the picnic area we made another stop and added Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), a distant Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) which was at first perched on a large Pylon and then flew off, Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).

Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium).

Linaria spartea ?????

From here we headed out to La Lancha, on the way out we made a few stops for plants and birds before we dropped down to the Dam, species included Linaria spartea, Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Griffon  (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Cinereous / European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Snake's Head Fritillary (Fritillaria  lusitanica), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Palmate Anemone (Anemone palmata),  Champagne (Orchis champagneuxii) and Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii).

We reached the dam and had some lunch before Charles and I went for a walk across the dam and into the tunnel where another couple showed us some roosting bats, we also saw Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Great Cormorant and Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

We headed back up the hill and set ourselves up at a spot where we could see a good bit of the area where we scanned for the Lynx but we only managed to find Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum), Lesser Snapdragon (Misopates orontium), Gum (Cistus ladanifer) and  Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Narrow-leaved rock-rose (Cistus monspeliensis), Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), Tree Germander (Teucrium fruticans), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and a passing Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos) which in this area are more uncommon than the Imperials.

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

Later in the day we drove back towards La Caracola slowly, on the way we saw Fallow Deer (Gamo común / Dama dama), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus),