Malaga Airport, Malaga Province and Rio Pesquera, Zagra, Granada Province, Spain.

A run down to the airport and then a walk at a place we haven't been for a while.

Day three with Lynn and Steve.

 

Los Cangilones.

I started the day by picking up friend Chris to drop her down to Malaga Airport as her few day in Spain were ending, we had a good drive down and I was soon back up near Villanueva del Rosario meeting Lynn and Steve again.

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus).

Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus).

Today it was quite cloudy so we headed to the Zagra area where it looked a bit brighter and did a walk we had done several times in the past, we parked and walked towards Los Cangilones a short gorge which the Rio Pesquera passes through right at the start of the walk and straight away we had a pair of Bonelli's Eagle (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus) above us for a short while along with Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Looking up stream.

Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum).

Lower down along the river and on the rocks we added Common Kingfisher (Martin Pescador Común / Alcedo atthis), Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura), Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and  Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus).

Mediterranean Bluet's (Coenagrion caerulescens).

 

6601 Pyrausta despicata.

Once we were through the gorge we found the going harder than expected as there had been a lot of new growth along the river and up the banks.

Mediterranean Skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus).

As we fought our way through we saw Desert Darters (Sympetrum sinaiticum) x4, Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x1♀, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x5, Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x20+, Mediterranean Bluet's (Coenagrion caerulescens) x10, Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) x3, Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) x2, Mediterranean (Gegenes nostrodamus) x1 and Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto) x35+, Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) x2 and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) x1, Large (Pieris brassicae) x6 and Small White (Pieris rapae) x11, Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia) x2, Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x4 and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x5.

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

 

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

Birds added included Golden Eagle (Águila Real / Aquila chrysaetos), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis).

Other species included Small Fleabane (Pulicaria vulgaris), Wild Caper (Capparis spinosa), Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Red-winged (Oedipoda germanica), Blue-winged (Oedipoda caerulescens) and Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium), Carpentor Bee (Xylocopa violacea) and 6601 Pyrausta despicata.

Steve and Myself on our way back to the car.