Some work and the birding on the terrace.
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The full sun.
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I started the day by putting my kit up on the terrace preparing for a day sat down in a straight backed chair trying to rest the back but the last stretch of Green Railing just kept staring back at me so I got the tools and spent a couple of hours wire brushing and sanding it down ready for some paint.
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| Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus). |
Once it was finished I sat down and started to catch up with a few bits on the laptop and watching what was moving in and over the Olives, the best thing was that the pair of
Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) had obviously been interested in the nest box for far longer than I realized and were actually feeding young this morning, funny how you miss the things that are happening right under your nose. |
| Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) male. |
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Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) male.
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Other species included Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki),
Common (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) and Pallid Swift (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus),
Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica),
House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica),
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster),
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki),
Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus),
Collared (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and
Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur),
Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and 2x
Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).  |
| Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), |
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| Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri), |
Later at around 14.00, just when it was starting to get a tad warm I decided to go for a walk up Hacho, well as far as the top car park.
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| Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea). |
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| Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea). |
I parked under one of the many Almond trees near the start of the track and walked back down hill to start with as I had seen a couple of whites on some Mustard type plants, when I arrived the Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri) x9 (total for walk) had been joined by the first of 20 or so Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides) I would see during the walk.
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| Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe). |
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| Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) |
On the first stretch up to the Quarry I heard and saw
Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla),
Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and
Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus),
Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), as well as
Yellow Bee Orchid (Ophrys lutea),
Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus),
Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa), Southern Knapweed (Centaurea pullata),
Geranium Bronze (
Cacyreus marshalli) x1, Small White (
Pieris rapae) x1,
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) x8+,
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) x2 and
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) x2.
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Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli).
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At the fork by the Quarry I went uphill as far as the top car park, on the way I found several spikes of the beautiful
Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionacea), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus),
White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) x1F,
Lorquin's (Cupido lorquinii) x7 and Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes) x5,
Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) x2,
Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala),
Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes),
Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) and some fly over
European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster).
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| White Rockrose (Helianthemum apenninum). |
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| Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri). |
On my way back down the hill to the junction I found a patch of yellow flowers with at least 5
Black-eyed Blues (Glaucopsyche melanops) feeding on it,
Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Cloven Petalled Campion (Silene colorata), Field Marigold (Calendula arvensis),
Ground-pine Germander (Teucrium pseudochamaepitys) and where I turned left along the top of the quarry I saw a nice male
Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius), a female Black Wheatear (Collalba Negra / Oenanthe leucura) and a more unexpected group of 4 Rock Sparrows (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).
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| Panoptes Blue (Pseudophilotes panoptes). |
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| Lorquin's Blue (Cupido lorquinii). |
I continued on along the next section of the track finding a stunning
Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), a stunning Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) which was off before I could get the camera on it,
Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba
), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides),
Pitch Trefoil (Psoralea bituminosa) and Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca).
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| Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops). |
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| Black-eyed Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops). |
On my way back down to the car I found
Wild Peony (Paeonia broteri), Linaria tristris and lots of dry spikes of Giant Orchid (Himanthoglosum Robertiana).
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| Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas). |
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| Linaria tristris. |
I returned home and planted myself up on the terrace but I didn't add anything but I could hear the
Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) being extremely vocal.
