Rio Genil in Granada and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning on the edge of Granada City and then back on my patch which gave me a new Butterfly species.

Ebird List for Granada.

Ebird List for the fields. 

Mandarin Duck (Pato mandarín / Aix galericulata) partly eclipse Male.

I started the day with a drive up to Granada to get a boot load of logs but did a detour to a spot friend Juan had told me about for a Mandarin Duck (Pato mandarín / Aix galericulata) which had been around for some time.

Mandarin Duck (Pato mandarín / Aix galericulata) partly eclipse Male.

I arrived and couldn't find it where it was expected so I walked further up stream into the City but found nothing, so on the way back I crossed the Rio Genil and walked back on the opposite side and soon found the target sat on a shelf in the stone wall with a female Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Mandarin Duck (Pato mandarín / Aix galericulata) partly eclipse Male.

During the walk I also saw Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys lupercalis).

I returned to my car and then headed just down the road to Bobadilla for the logs and then I headed home before going up to Cerro Hacho to check on some Orchids, I parked and walked a shot way along the lower loop and soon found 5 spikes of Fan-lipped Orchids (Anacamptis collina) 2 of which were of the var. flavescens.

Fan-lipped Orchids (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

Fan-lipped Orchids (Anacamptis collina) var. flavescens.

Fan-lipped Orchids (Anacamptis collina).

I also saw Giant (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) and Somber Bee Orchid (Ophrys lupercalis), Wild Grape Hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).

Southern Small Whites (Pieris mannii).

I dropped back to the house but decided to have a quick look at the fields but it was fairly quiet and I only recorded Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Red Avadavat (Bengali Rojo / Amandava amandava), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Green-Striped (Euchloe belemia) x2, Small White (Pieris rapae) x4 and what I had thought were another pair of mating Small Whites but it appears I got it wrong and was put right by friend Ed McKrill-Verstraeten (THANKS) who pointed out that they were actually Southern Small Whites (Pieris mannii) a lifer species for me.