Arroyo Vilano, La Fabrica, Granada Province, Spain.*

A warm afternoon walk.

The Arroyo Vilano with water.

I had been away over night to help a friend coming out of a rehabilitation, so when I got home I caught up with a few tasks and then in the afternoon when the temperature had reached +32 I decided to go for a walk just when everyone with a brain would be heading for cover.

Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) Male.

I parked above the Arroyo to the North of La Fabrica and walked down to the water which was still flowing quite well here, just 300m down stream its been completely dry for weeks ????? guess its either going underground somewhere or its being diverted to irrigate the bloody Olives.

Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) Male.

Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) Male.

Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) Male.

Anyway I walked a short way down stream and then crossed to the far bank and headed up stream and continued on for a km or so, further than normal as the storms earlier in the spring had cleared a lot of the vegetation and trees.

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) pair in Tandem.

During the walk I recorded 8 species of Dragon which were Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x1M, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x2M, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x2M and 1F, Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) x25+M and 2F, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x18+M and 5F, Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) x9M,  Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) x6M and Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) x6M.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) Male.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) Male.

Butterflies seen included African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna) x6, Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) x2, Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x7+, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x1, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x1, Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x1, Small White (Pieris rapae) x4, Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) x2, Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) x2 and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) x6.

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) Male.

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) Male.

Birds were quiet at this time of the day as expected but I did record European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).

Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii) Male.

Other species seen included Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Small Fleabane (Pulicaria vulgaris) and Spanish Oyster Thistle (Scolymos hispanicus).

Heading back down stream.