Travelling South, Spain.

Heading back South after a brilliant trip to visit Santi.

 

Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Paqui and I set off after a coffee and thanking Santi for a very nice few days with some very good memories.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) Adult Left and Juv Right.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Eurasian Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris).

Just after we started the drive, we made our first stop at La Yecla where we again spent a while watching the Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), a single flyby Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus), we also saw Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), European Honey Buzzard (Aberjero Europeo / Pernis apivorus), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus).

As we walked back to the car, it started to warm up, and we saw single Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) ♀.

We continued on south and as we drove we picked up Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Red (Milano Real / Milvus milvus) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra) before we stopped again to get some photo's of one of the many Sunflower fields and added Crested Lark (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata).

Our next stop was at a spot to the south of Madrid after having a fairly quiet drive through the City, out on the fields we searched of birds, it was fairly quiet, however we did get great views of a couple of Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus) x2, Booted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Black Stork (Cigüena Negra / Ciconia nigra), a few Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Woodchat (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris).

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Cinereous  / Eurasian Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

Black Storks (Cigüena Negra / Ciconia nigra).

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata).

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Ganga Ibérica / Pterocles alchata).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis).

Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Other species seen as we drove around these fields were Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi), Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi) ♀.

Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta) ♀.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) .

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ♀.

Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) ♀.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

We returned to the motorway and then completed the drive south and once we got home we unpacked and got the washing on after a cracking few days away.