Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.: Almargen, Teba Back Track (Arroyo del Chumbo and Arroyo del Cañuelo) and Rio Guadalhorce North of Álora, Malaga Province, Spain.

Thursday, 2 October 2025

Almargen, Teba Back Track (Arroyo del Chumbo and Arroyo del Cañuelo) and Rio Guadalhorce North of Álora, Malaga Province, Spain.

Looking for Dragons in Malaga Province with Lynn and Steve.

We started the day with a drive across to the town of Almargen, at the camping spot we saw Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and on the way we added Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) and Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) to the day list.

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

We arrived at Almargen where we checked a spot on the edge of town, along a small rather smelly Arroyo hoping to find a late Yellow-Veined Skimmer (Orthetrum nitidinerve) but we didn't have any luck, we did however find a Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x1♀, Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides) x1, Small White (Pieris rapae) x2, Eurasian Collared Dove, Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Cetti's Warbler (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Spotless Starling, European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

We checked a couple more spots but didn't find and where worth checking out so we headed down towards Álora but took a track across country calling at Arroyo del Chumbo and Arroyo del Cañuelo, at the first spot we found Crimson Speckled (Utetheisa pulchella) moths, Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator) x1♂, Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) x1♂ and x1♀, Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) x2♂ and x1♀, Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Common Kestrel, Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala) and European Goldfinch.

Lynn and Steve at the Arroyo del Cañuelo.

Further along the track we stopped again at the Arroyo del Cañuelo and saw Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) x1♂, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x3♂ and x2♀, Red-veined Darter x1♂ and x1♀, Desert Darter (Sympetrum sinaiticum) x1♂, Scarlet Darter x1♂ and Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) x2♂, Small White (Pieris rapae) and just before we reached the main road south a Short-toed Snake Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus).

We continued on and were fairly quickly at a spot North of Álora where we had been several times before but this time things had changed as the old washed out bridge had been replaced making access a little harder but we managed to get down to the river where we were pleased to find Ringed Cascaders (Zygonyx torridus) still on the wing, in fact we managed to find 4♂ and 1♀ which was in tandem with one of the ♂s.

Ringed Cascaders (Zygonyx torridus) mating.

As we searched the area we also found good numbers of other dragon species including Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) x6♂ and x4♀, Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) x2♂ and 1♀, Lesser Emperor 1♂, Western Spectre (Boyeria Irene) x1♂, Epaulet Skimmer (Orthetrum chrysostigma) x60+♂ and x2♀, Red-veined Darter x5, Scarlet Darter x20+, Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) x2♂ and 1♀ and Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) x15+, Crimson Speckled, Water Speedwell (Veronica anagallis-aquatica), Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa), Common Waxbill (Estrilda Ondulada / Estrilda astrild), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus).