SIERRA de LOJA.

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Friday, 10 April 2026

Coin, Monda areas in Malaga Province and Huétor Fields, Granada Province, Spain.

A morning looking for Orchids, Lunch with friends, a drink with another friend and a nice short walk with Paqui to finish the day very nicely.
Ebird List for Malaga.

I was up and ready for the off by 06:20 but as soon as I started out I could tell something wasn't right with one of the tyres, I pulled over and found a whacking great bolt in the front passenger side tyre.
The tyre was still fully inflated but I thought it wasn't worth the risk of driving all the way down to Malaga area, I returned to the house and then later went down to the tyre guys in Huétor who had me back on the road to Malaga a few minutes after they opened.
Serapias vomeracea.
Serapias vomeracea.
My first site was just to the north of Coin where I checked a roadside bank and soon found 20 or so spikes of the very smart Serapias vomeracea and a couple of Small Tongue Orchids (Serapias parviflora).
Serapias vomeracea.
Serapias vomeracea.
Small Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora).
I was soon on the move again to a spot near Monda finding lots of Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea), Mirror (Ophrys speculum) and a few almost over with due to the recent rains Bumble-bee Orchids (Ophrys bombyliflora) alongside the hybrid Ophrys x fernandii (O. bumbyliflora x O. speculum) and another spike which I am not sure about but Perry Van Munster from down in Malaga Province has Identified it for me as Ophrys x clapensis ( O. lutea x O. bombyliflora) thanks Perry.
Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).
Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).
Ophrys x fernandii (O. bumbyliflora x O. speculum).
Ophrys x clapensis ( O. lutea x O. bombyliflora).
Just a short distance back down the road I checked some olives seeing the hybrid Ophrys x diazii (O. alpujata × O. scolopax) and a single spike of Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys Scolopax) which retained just a single OKish flower.
Ophrys x diazii (O. alpujata × O. scolopax).
Ophrys x diazii (O. alpujata × O. scolopax).
Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys Scolopax).
I put the camera stuff away and headed for Malaga where I called at a Eurotex place and got a couple of boxes of their filler before meeting up with Barbara and Derek Etherton for Lunch at Ikea, as I was early I had a walk around the shop and got a couple of bits before we had a meal and a chat.
I then headed back home picking up a single Rose-ringed Parakeet (Cotorra de Kramer / Psittacula krameri) which was following a flock of Monk Parakeets (Cotorra Argentina / Myiopsitta monachus) before going out for a beer with friend Pau and then a walk with Paqui which finished the day off perfectly.

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