Mirador del Alto de Hondonero and Garganta del Guadalhorce, Malaga Province, Spain.

Another day in the hills with Lynn and Steve.

 

Looking out to the North.

I drove over to Lynn and Steve's campsite and we then dropped down to the Restaurante Paneque Rosario for breakfast and then headed off up into the hills.

and looking behind us at the crags.

Our first stop was at the highest point for the day at Mirador del Alto de Hondonero where we parked and then walked a largish loop taking in Fuente Toril and then down along the track beyond the fields, we then turned left across the stoney grassland eventually weaving our way up to the pool below the Observatorio Lagunas de Hondoner and then through the trees back to the car.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros).

As we walked we saw and heard Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Amongst the Orchids.

Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea).

Southern Early Purple Orchid (Orchis olbienis).

Orchids included Pink Butterfly (Orchis papilionacea), Southern Early Purple (Orchis olbienis), Mirror (Ophrys speculum), Sawfly (Ophrys tenthredinifera), Ophrys dyris, Somber Bee (Ophrys lupercalis), Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Small Woodcock (Ophrys picta) and Bumble-bee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora) but best of all was a couple of spikes of Ophrys x benaventei (Ophrys bombyflora x Ophrys picta) which was new to me.

Bumble-bee Orchid (Ophrys bombyliflora).

Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Ophrys dyris.

Ophrys x benaventei (Ophrys bombyflora x Ophrys picta).

Ophrys x benaventei (Ophrys bombyflora x Ophrys picta).

Ophrys x benaventei (Ophrys bombyflora x Ophrys picta).

Photographing the Hybrid.

Butterflies were also on the wing and we found Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Large White (Pieris brassicae).

Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus).

Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

We got back to the car and then dropped just a short way back down the hill and parked again just passed the turning up to Observatorio Lagunas de Hondoner where we checked the roadside areas for butterflies finding Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) and Small White (Pieris rapae) as well as Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera) and Bombus terrestris ??????

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides).

Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides).

Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina).

Further down we parked again and followed the Arroyo de Portillos for a short way up stream, here we added Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) and Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni).

Bombus terrestris ??????

Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites).

A grassy meadow next to the Arroyo de Portillos.

We dropped back down to Rosario and then took to the tracks just before the motorway and then followed a couple more tracks until we got to one which followed the Guadalhorce for awhile, we made a stop in a nice flower rich area finding Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Small and Large White, Clouded Yellow, Provence Orange-tip, Painted Lady, Macroglossum stellatarum (Hummingbird Hawkmoth), Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum), Yellow Bee, Mirror and Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).

Crown Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum) and ???????

As we continued on along the track we picked up Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Nightingale, European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris), Short-toed Treecreeper, Corn Bunting, Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and a nice bit of exposed Geology.