SIERRA de LOJA.

Sunday, 22 June 2025

Almuñécar, Playa de las Azucenas and Castell de ferro in Granada Province, Spain.

A trip down to the Granada Coast.
Ebird List for Playa de las Azucenas. 
 
We started out early to get to the Flea market in Almuñécar as Deb and Ian wanted to get a few bits to take home and I wanted a couple more of the painted plates for the wall in the Kitchen.
After a successful walk around there we headed along the coast to try and see the exotic species the Black-rumped Waxbill (Estrilda Culinegra / Estrilda troglodytes) which was getting reported on Ebird regularly and the first 2 birds we saw were this species, the only 2 we saw.
Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild).
It had been a while since I had visited this site, it was good to see how much further they have taken the path way along the back of the beach, as we walked we saw 
Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), European Turtle (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus), Yellow-legged Gull (Gaviota Patiamarilla / Larus Michahellis), a Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) which we watch take a European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) from it's perch in the taller reeds, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala).
We continued on along the coast to Castell de Ferro to a spot that I visit most years for the small but beautiful Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore) and very shortly after parking we found at least 5 on a couple of Common Lantana (Lantana camara) bushes.
Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

At the same spot we also had Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).
Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

Desert Orange-tip (Colotis evagore).

We returned to the car when I notice that there was a mobile Churros van just down the road and as Deb and Ian had not tried it we went down and got some along with some of the chocolate sauce as well, we sat in the car and eat it but I was quite surprise to hear that it was an experience that neither Deb or I want to repeat !!!!!!!!!
We then jumped back on to the motorway and headed back up to the house as it was getting quite hot.

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