Above Lanjarón, Granada Province, Spain.

Up on the Southern Slopes of the Sierra Nevada Today.

Day Three with Paul Selby.

 

We were out early again and headed for Lanjarón and then onto some tracks up into the hills, we parked and walked up a steep track to the site where we were hoping to find the uncommon Andalusian Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus violetae).

On the walk up to the meadow we saw or heard Great Spotted (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Western Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus).

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

Out on the meadow we started the butterfly list with the first of a great many Iberian Marbled Whites (Melanargia lachesis) x100s and Great Banded Graylings (Brintesia circe) x50+ along with smaller numbers of Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora) x2, Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra) x3, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x5, Small (Thymelicus sylvestris) x9+ and Cryptic Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia rosae) x3, Holly (Celastrina argiolus) x2, Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) x2 and Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina) x15+, Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera) x10+, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x2, Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia) x2, Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) x3, Small White (Pieris rapae) x5, Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) x2, Oriental Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lupina), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera) x3.

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

On a patch of Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) which we checked several times we saw False Mallow / Mallow (Carcharodus tripolina / alceae) and Southern Marbled Skipper (Muschampia baeticus), Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) and False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi).

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

Birds seen out on the main site were Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Up at the top of the site there was a small pool which had patrolling Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) as well as several Red-veined (Sympetrum fonscolombii) and Scarlet Darters (Crocothemis erythraea).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Muschampia baeticus).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Muschampia baeticus).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Muschampia baeticus).

Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi).

After quite a long time on site I heard Paul shout me and when I got to where he was he said he had been watching a Andalusian Anomalous Blue flying near to him but it never landed and then just before I got there it disappeared which was a shame but as it was a lifer for Paul and I had seen one a week earlier it didn't really matter that I missed it, just pleased Paul caught up with the 5th of the six species he had come to see.

Chorthippus jucundus.

On the walk back down towards the car we had good numbers of the iberica subspecies of Purple Hairstreak (Favonius Quercus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and a cruising Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) dragonfly.  

Plain Tiger Habitat.

As Paul had seen the target, if not well we still decided to drop down to the coast near Motril / Charca Suarez where we visited an overgrown area of fields which was covered in the creeping Stranglewort (Cynanchum acutum) which is the larval food plant of the stunning Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) and as we got out of the car we saw the first of around at least 15 on the wing including a couple of the pale rear winged form alcippus.

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus).

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus).

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus).

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus).

In the same area we also saw Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Balloon Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) and Paul had a Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) form alcippus.

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) form alcippus.

Stranglewort (Cynanchum acutum) the Larval Food Plant for the Tiger.

Balloon Cotton Bush (Gomphocarpus physocarpus).

This was a very nice way to finish off the three days, we then headed along the coast to Malaga Airport for Paul's flight home, after say goodbye I headed back home.