Laguna Dulce in Malaga Province and the Grazalema area in Cadiz Province, Spain.

A brilliant day looking for Orchids with Paqui and Sue Eatock.

Ebird list for Laguna Dulce.

 

I started the days list with Eurasian Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), Red-necked Nightjar (Chotacabras Cuellirrojo / Caprimulgus ruficollis) and Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea).

I headed down to Huétor where I met Paqui and we went off to the west heading out towards Grazalema where we were going to meet up with Sue for a day looking for Orchids.

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

Black-necked Grebe (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

Our first stop of the day was at Laguna Dulce where we scanned the lake finding Red-crested (Pato Colorado / Netta rufina) and Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Greater Flamingo (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Little (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis), a ♂ Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Cetti's (Cetia Ruiseñor / Cettia cetti) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Laguna Dulce.

Paqui watching the Black-necked Grebes (Zampullín Cuellinegro / Podiceps nigricollis).

We returned to the car and then headed off towards Grazalema, on the way we saw good numbers of Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) around Olvera and then at a spot not too far from the village we did our first bit of Orchid hunting.

Lax-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora).

Lax-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora).

Here we found several spikes of Lax-flowered Orchids (Orchis laxiflora) as well as Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Small Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora), 

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Small Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora).

Small Tongue Orchid (Serapias parviflora).

Convolvulus meonanthus.

Hybrid Goatsbeard (Geropogon hybridus).

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).

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Photographing the Lax-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora).

Other species seen at this site included Hybrid Goatsbeard (Geropogon hybridus), Convolvulus meonanthus, Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines) x2, Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) x1, Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Western Bonelli's (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta).

Hairy Lupin (Lupinus micranthus).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

We returned to the car and made our way to Mesón Los Alamillos, where we had a coffee and met up with Sue, we recorded European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla) before heading out to a spot nearby to look for the first Orchids of the day, as we walked we found Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana), Firecrests (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Hairy Lupin (Lupinus micranthus), Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and at least 6 spikes of Ophrys apifera var. bicolor.

Ophrys apifera var. bicolor.

Ophrys apifera var. bicolor.

We got back to the car and went to another site just a few KMs down the road where we walked out onto some roadside fields, on the way to the main site we saw Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Scilla peruviana, Armeria villosa subsp. longiaristata, Small Tongue, Tongue (Serapias lingua) and Heart-flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias cordigera), Ophrys algarviensis, Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) and Clouded Yellow.

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Heart-flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias cordigera).

Heart-flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias cordigera).

Heart-flowered Tongue Orchid (Serapias cordigera) ??????????

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) on Scilla peruviana.

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) on Armeria villosa subsp. longiaristata.

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) on Scilla peruviana.

We headed back towards Grazalema and stopped Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium), St Bernard's lily (Anthericum baeticum), Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum), Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii), Ophrys algarviensis including a hypochromatic plant, a surprise Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) which landed several times but not long enough for me to get a photo and an Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

Paqui amongst the Iris.

Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium).

Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium) hypochromatic.

Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum) and a Burnet species.

Paqui and Sue amongst the Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium).

Ophrys algarviensis hypochromatic. 

Ophrys algarviensis. 

Once we had seen everything in this area we made a quick visit to another spot for Ophrys apifera var. bicolor with more plants, as well as a few spikes of Small Woodcock Orchid (Ophrys picta) and more Ophrys algarviensis. 

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea) form Minor.

Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea) form Minor.

Lange's Orchid (Orchis langei).

Dense-flowered Orchid (Neotinea maculata).

Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana).

An odd Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea).

Our final stop was above the town of Grazalema, after parking Sue showed us several spikes of Yellow Bee (Ophrys lutea) and its more uncommon form Minor, Dense-flowered (Neotinea maculata), Lange's (Orchis langei) and Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana).

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua).

Just along the road from this spot we also saw a variety of differently coloured Tongue Orchid spikes before dropping back into Grazalema for some lunch.

Paqui and Sue.

Paqui and Me.

After Lunch on our way back to collect Sue's car we called at another roadside spot where there were a good number of Lax-flowered Orchid spikes with some of them in better condition than the ones we had seen earlier.

Lax-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora).

Lax-flowered Orchid (Orchis laxiflora).

Back at Mesón Los Alamillos we said goodbye to Sue after a brilliant few hours with her and thanked her for showing us some great species, Paqui and I then headed off back to Huétor.