Cabo de Gata, Torre Garcia, Retamar, Retamar Park, Centro de visitantes Las Amoladeras, Faro de Cabo de Gata, Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata in Almeria, Spain.

Looking for a Tiger in Almeria.

 

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

We started the morning by trying to get to Rambler Morales but the track was blocked by a lorry and a large digger so we only managed to see Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula) x2, a male Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Crested Lark (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Yellow-legged (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis) and Audouin's Gull (Gaviota de Audouin / Larus audouinii) and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Our next stop was at the Salt Pans Hide where we saw Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Sanderling (Correlimos Tridáctilo / Calidris alba), Collared Pratincole (Canastera Común / Glareola pratincola), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Yellow-legged Gull, Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

We moved around the coast and visited Torre Garcia area where we were looking for the main target for the area the Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus), we parked and walked the area and after a while we found at least five, all of which were males.

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

In the same area we also picked up Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and several Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

Common Tiger Blue (Tarucus theophrastus).

We moved up the road to Retamar where we had a coffee before going down to the beach but we didn't find very much and only added Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna) Male.

African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna) Male.

We went back through the town and checked out the largish park there, around a couple of large very spiny Ziziphus spina-christi bushes where we found 20 odd more Common Tiger Blues and on the grass nearby we saw several African Grass Blue (Zizeeia knysna), as we walked around the park we also added Small White (Pieris rapae), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).

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We headed back towards Cabo but made a quick stop at the Centro de visitantes Las Amoladeras to check out the Botanical Garden there but unfortunately it was a complete waste land and had not been looked after for quite a long time, however we did see European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster). 

From the Light House.

Friends Karen and Rob at Faro de Cabo de Gata.

Me.

We tried to get down to the Rambla Morales again but the digger was still blocking the beach track so we tried another route but failed on another track but added Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Northern Wheatear, several Painted Lady's (Vanessa cardui), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Seaside Daisy (Asteriscus maritimus), Winged Sea Lavender (Limonium sinuatum) and Yellow horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum).

Winged Sea Lavender (Limonium sinuatum).

Our next stop was down at the Light House at the far end of the Cabo de Gata area, on the way we saw a Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus), we parked and had a walk around taking in the views and finding Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Northern Gannet (Alcatraz Atlántico / Morus bassanus).

Seaside Daisy (Asteriscus maritimus).

We drove back along the coast and took the track along the back side of the Saltpans, as we drove along this track we added Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), a Common Whitethroat (Curruca Zarcera / Sylvia communis), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Mediterranean / Lesser Short-toed Lark (Terrera Marismena / Calandrella rufescens), Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta), Kentish Plover (Chorlitejo Patinegro / Charadrius alexandrinus), Ringed Plover, Shelduck, Greater Flamingo, Common Redshank (Archibebe Común / Tringa totanus), Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed Tern, Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Slender-billed Gull (Gaviota Picofina / Larus genei), Audouin's Gull, Western Black-eared (Collalba Rubia / Oenanthe hispanica) and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Painted Lady's and Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

Avocet (Avoceta Común / Recurvirostra avosetta).

We came off the track and headed back to the Hotel and then later we went out to Retamar for a Pizza.