Cacín Valley, Contra-embalse de Bermejalis, Embalse de Bermejalis, Zafarraya area, North of Zafarraya, Hacho and near the House, Granada Province, Spain.

A long loop around the more distant parts of the Patch.

Ebird List for Contra-embalse.

 

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus).

Steve and I headed off south but quickly popped into the fields at the bottom of the road on the way starting the days list off with Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) and Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

We continued on across the A92 through Moraleda and then on down to the area around the Contra-embalse but stopped at the bridge before there and checked the tracks along the Rio Cacín adding Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), my first Golden Orioles (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) of the year, Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Cetti's (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and a Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) up by the dam.

Linaria hirta.

Along the irrigation Channel we saw Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) before driving up to the nearby Embalse where we again parked and on the water we saw Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus) and in the air and around the margins several more species were seen including Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum),  Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum),  Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Linaria hirta, Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides) and Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

Small White (Pieris rapae).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

We continued on down the Valley and just before we reached the Embalse de Bermejalis we stopped again, Steve managed to get brief views of a Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila-azor Perdicera / Hieraaetus faciatus) but it was lost to view before I got on it, in the same area we also had Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia) and Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina).

Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica).

Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Hypochromic Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

We reached the Embalse and parked by the dam and went for a walk through the Pine woodlands looking for some Orchids, Steve had hoped to see Italian Man Orchid (Orchis Italica) but I was pretty sure that they would be over by now so we were both pleased to find just a single smaller spike that still had some good flowers on, along with lots more Yellow Bees, Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta) and Mirror Orchids (Ophrys speculum) which included a single hypochromic spike which was the highlight of the day for me.

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta).

Other species seen included Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) x2, Small White x4, Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and a Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus).

We made our way across country via Alhama de Granada to Zafarraya and to a spot near the town where we were going to be looking for some more Orchids, we spent some time walking around the site and recorded Yellow Bees, Small Woodcock and Mirror Orchids which we had already seen but added some past their best Bumble-bee (Ophrys bombyliflora) and a really nice show of the stunning Pink Butterfly Orchids (Orchis papilionacea) with most of around 50 or so spikes still being in good condition.

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Other species seen were Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua) and Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Ophrys ficalhoana.

Ophrys ficalhoana.

Ophrys ficalhoana.

We moved a little way to the North towards Loja and parked in an area of Oak woodland and had a short walk but added a couple of nice Orchids to the trip list, the first was Ophrys ficalhoana, the taller and later flowering cousin of Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera) and this was quickly followed by Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei) which is another impressive looking species.

Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).

Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).

Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei).

In this area we also had Yellow Bee, Mirror, Small Woodcock, Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis), Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata), Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia), Lizard Orchids (Himanthoglosum hircinum) which were still not in flower, Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra) and Spanish Festoon.

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata).

We continued the drive up to Loja and then on up to Hacho, on the way we saw at least 5 Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Wild flowers on Hacho.

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

We parked in amongst the Almonds at Hacho and walked up through the scrub to the quarry and then around to the smaller quarry were we turned around and followed the track back to the car, during this walk we recorded Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Small, Large (Pieris brassicae) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), Adonis (Lysandra bellargus), Southern and Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops), Pink Butterfly, Mirror and Yellow Bee Orchids.

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes).

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenodes) amongst the floweres.

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Our final stop of the day was amongst the more eco Olive grove near the house where we found Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae), Small, Western Dappled and Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Small Copper, Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Southern Blue and a new species for Steve the Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae).

We returned to the house and after having something to eat we heard a calling Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) from the Terrace.