A-341 NW of Zafarraya, Venta De La Leche in Granada Province and Laguna Chica in Malaga Provice, Spain.

Down along the western side of the Sierra de Loja with Lynn and Steve.

 

 Biarum arundanum.

I drove down to Lynn and Steve at there site near Rosario, on the way there I picked up 2 Little Owls (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) on the wires before Huétor, Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Western Jackdaw (Grajilla occidental / Corvus monedula).

At the camp site I saw or heard Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

From the site we headed across country to the A-341 and went south towards Zafarra on the way we saw at least 15 to 20 Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Sardinian Warbler and Woodlark.

We stopped before the town to check a track but it was so dry and over grazed that we found very little in flower, there were none of the target Autumn Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) which looking at the site was no surprise, we did find Biarum arundanum and Maritime Squill (Drimia maritima).

As we were walking we were met by Lucas Gutiérrez Jiménez who had also been looking for the Orchids but didn't find anything either, as we walked we also recorded Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), 25+ Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Eurasian Jay (Arrendajo Euroasiático / Garrulus glandarius), Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallow (Golondrina Dáurica / Cecropis daurica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Long-tailed (Mito Común / Aegithalos caudatus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), House Sparrow, European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and a single Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x1.

As nice as it was to hear the bells on these Sheep and Goats they are the reason this area and so many others are left so degraded, totally cleared of all flowers and covered in poo which changes the soil greatly.

Nice well cover.

After some time we moved on and headed North to a spot Lynn and Steve had showed me earlier in the year along a track near Venta de la Leche (Strange name), we parked near a small pool and checked the reeds and the margins finding a single Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) x1♂, Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).

Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus) which is the only thing that survived the Sheep and Goats.

Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus).

Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus).

We then walked the dry fields seeing lots of Late Crocus (Crocus serotinus), Common Woodpigeon, Griffon Vulture, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major),  Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, Western House Martin, Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), European Pied Flycatcher (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca), Common Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Eurasian Jay, Spotless Starling, Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Thekla's Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae), Sardinian Warbler, Cirl Bunting, Common Chaffinch and European Goldfinch.

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

We also saw Southern Grizzled (Pyrgus malvoides) x3 and Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto) x1, a rather tatty Purple Hairstreak (Favonius Quercus iberica) x1, Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x1♂, Small White (Pieris rapae) x2, Meadow Brown x 4 and lots of 10535 Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) moths x30+.

Purple Hairstreak (Favonius Quercus iberica).

We continued on up the valley and after a drink in the Venta San Rafael in Venta del Rayo we headed for Laguna Chica which we hadn't been to for a good while, we parked and had some food before dropping down to a dry Laguna.

A very dry Laguna Chica.

Laguna Chica.

Steve photographing one of the male Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

We made our way through the Tamarisks out onto the dry pool area where we searched the marginal vegetation finding Vagrant Emperor (Anax ephippiger) x4♂, Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus) x4♂, Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x1♂ and x1♀, Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x8+, Bath White (Pontia daplidice) x2, Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki) and back by the car I found a nest of European Hornets (Vespa crabro).

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

We started to make our way back to the Camp site but called in at a small culvert which held a small trickle of water but added nothing new so we called it a day.