Charca de Suarez and surroundings, Near Zafarraya and further North, Granada Province, Spain.

On the Coast and later up in the mountains.

Karen and Robert Day Three.

 

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

We started the day by driving down to Motril area where we had a coffee before heading into the Charca de Suarez nature reserve when it opened at 10:00.

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

The Small Laguna near the Entrance.

Pepe opened the gate and we had a walk around the small pool just inside finding Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

Southern Small White (Pieris mannii).

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Garden Poppy with some Honey Bees.

On the track towards Alamo Blanca we checked the raised viewing area as there we lots of wild flowers there but we only found Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) x1 and at least 8x Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Yellow flag-iris (Iris pseudacorus).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Robert checking the Butterfly Id board.

As we walked we added Yellow flag-iris (Iris pseudacorus), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) x13, Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and 4 flyover Glossy Ibis (Morito Común / Plegadis falcinellus).

Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Laguna Alamo Blanco.

The pool of Laguna Alamo Blanca was quiet, we only saw a few Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), a single Muscovy Duck (Pato criollo / Cairina moschata), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra)and the hybrid between it and the Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata) and a couple of Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) so we moved on and checked the hide over looking the Northern end of Laguna del Taraje where we saw a second Hybrid Coot, Northern Shoveler (Cuchara Común / Spatula clypeata) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna).

As we walked around to the main hide over looking Laguna de las Aneas we added Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x2, African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna) x3, more Iberian Bluetails, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x2, Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Monk Parakeet (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild) and a nice male Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus).

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea).

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

From the hide we saw Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Little (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta) and Western Cattle Egret (Garcilla Bueyera / Bubulcus ibis), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata), Great Cormorant (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo), Black-winged Stilt (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

Little Egrets (Garceta Común / Egretta garzetta).

Black-winged Stilts (Ciguenuela Común / Himantopus himantopus).

We moved on again and walked around to the Laguna del Trébol hide where we picked up Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) heard, 2 immature Western Swamp-hens (Calamón Común / Porphyrio porphyrio), Sedge Warbler (Carricerin Común / Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) and Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

Red-knobbed Coot (Focha Moruna / Fulca cristata).

Male European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).

Laguna del Trébol.

On our way around to the second hide over looking Laguna del Trébol we had a smart male European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), a calling Willow Warbler (Mosquitero Musical / Phylloscopus trochillus), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Female Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

Female Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos).

We didn't see anything new from the hide or at the hide overlooking Laguna del Lirio so we continued on back towards the entrance, I popped up to the hide at the southern end of Laguna del Taraje but apart from a couple of female Mallards with ducklings it was quiet so I caught up with Karen and Robert who had found a nice Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

Me Photographing the Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).

Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi).

At just after 13:00 Pepe let us all out and we went for something to eat before popping around to the waste ground at the back of the reserve where we hoped for a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) or two but due to the high winds I was not confident, however we found a slightly more sheltered spot were pleased to see a couple chasing each other and when we went behind the bank where they disappeared we found them mating.

Monarchs (Danaus plexippus).

Monarchs (Danaus plexippus).

We also saw a couple more Clouded Yellows x2, a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x1 and a Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) before we returned to the car and headed off along the coast to Velez Malaga and then inland to a spot near Zafarraya where we looked for some Orchids. 

Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica).

Conical Orchid (Neotinea conica).

At our first stop we found at least 150 spikes of Conical (Neotinea conica), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) x200+, Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera) x5, Mirror (Ophrys speculum) x25+, Bumble-bee (Ophrys bombyliflora) x12+, Giant (Himanthoglosum Robertiana) x75+, Fan-lipped (Anacamptis collina) x60+ and Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea) x80+.

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Mirror Orchid (Ophrys speculum).

Bumble-bee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora).

In the same area we also saw Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) x4 and Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) x2 before we continued on a few KMs to another spot where we found lots of not yet in flower Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia) x120+.

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

As we drove to Loja and then back to the house we had a pair of Bonelli's Eagles (Aguila Perdicera / Aquila faciatus), Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops).