Sierra de Loja, Granada Province, Spain.

Up my favourate Hill again.

Deb and Ian, Day Three.

Ebird List for Lower Quarries.

Ebird List for Sierra de Loja.

Ebird List for Realenga de Agicampe.

Looking down to Loja.

We Started the day by heading out to Loja and then up the hill, between the lower and middle quarries we recorded Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) which was a new bird for the year.

Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum).

Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris).

Viola dementria.

We parked at the middle quarry and walked down the hill back towards the main track, along here we saw Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Curruca undata), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and most surprisingly was a Common Grasshopper Warbler (Buscarla pintoja / Locustella luscinioides) which flushed from right at our feet and then stopped for a few seconds in the bottom of a small Almond bush before disappearing.

Rusty-back Fern (Ceterach officinarum), Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis), Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea), Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), Viola dementria, Starry Clover (Trifolium stellatum), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata), Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa), Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri), Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum), Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea) and Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia) which weren't quite in flower.

Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura).

Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri).

Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri).

After returning to the car we headed up along the crags out onto the tops and then over to the far crags, on the way we saw Western Black-eared (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica) and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) and some lovely clumps of Iris Subbiflora.

Iris Subbiflora.

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

We arrived at the far crags where we spent a good while searching for and eventually finding a male Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis) which was always distant but did many very nice display flights from the clifftops above us.

Western Black-eared (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica).

Western Black-eared (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica).

Western Black-eared (Collalba Rubia Occidental / Oenanthe hispanica).

Common Rock Thrush (Roquero Roja / Monticola saxatilis).

In the same area we also had great views of a male Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) as it picked lichen off a small Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) right next to the car and a smart looking Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis).

Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis).

Western Orphean Warbler (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis).

Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator).

In this area we also had Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), several Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Looking out West.

Other species included Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Blue Hedgehog Broom (Erinacea anthyllis), Andalucian Wall Lizard (Podarcis vaucheri) and a Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica).

On the way down we stopped off at Charca del Negro again and had a look for the Sharp-ribbed Salamander (Pleurodeles waltl) which we saw amongst the white flowers of the Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus peltatus) and a couple of Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x2.

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

 Further down on the road out towards Salar we had a small bird flicked across the track in front of us and sat nicely in another stunted Hawthorn and when we stopped next to it we found a very smart male Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata) and it showed well for us.

Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata).

Spectacled Warbler (Curruca Tomillera / Curruca conspicillata).

As we went on we came to a puddle in the track which had a large number of Butterflies puddling which included loads of Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x4, Black-eyed (Glaucopsyche melanops) x3 and Panoptes Blues (Pseudophilotes panoptes) 65+, Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) x8, Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) x1 and Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) x4.  

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes).

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Continuing on we saw Small (Pieris rapae) x15+ and Large White (Pieris brassicae) x2,  Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x4, Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Lizard Orchid (Himanthoglosum hircinum) not in flower yet and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Once down we found a place for a coffee and then headed back to the house where we spent the rest of the day up on the terrace adding European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki).