Sierra Morena, Rio Jándula and La Caracola, Jaen Province, Spain.

A day that we won't forget for a very long time.

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

We started by making a short visit to the hide in the garden at La Caracola, it was fairly quiet but we did see Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Champagne Orchid (Orchis champagneuxii).

We returned to the car and drove out to the main area where I have seen the Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) several times in the past but as it was not the best time of the year we were not expecting to do very well, how wrong we were.

Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua).

On the drive out to the spot we saw our only Orchid of the trip, around 30 spikes of Champagne Orchids (Orchis champagneuxii) as well as Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Woodlark (Totovia / Lullula arborea), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and a flyby Great Spotted Cuckoo (Crialo Europeo / Clamator gladarius).

My first view of todays Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina).

We reached the parking spot and then spent some time watching the slopes above and below us adding Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) and Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata) before we noticed a small group of people watching something in the scrub below the road.

Iberian Lynx (lince iberico / Lynx pardina) stalking the dog.

Steve dropped down to the track and went to see what they were looking at whilst I stayed at the spot scanning the bushes, after a while they walked back away from my spot but another guy came in from the opposite direction walking a dog and just after passing me he beckoned me over to him and said he had seen a Lynx, a few seconds later the female jumped up on to a big rock right in front of us checking for something in a large crack.

European Black Vulture (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus).

Kingfisher (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis) x2.

A couple of minutes later the others joined us and a youngster joined the female on the rock and showed incredibly well for the next 20 or so minutes, at one point the male saw the small dog and stalked it coming in to just a few meters, absolutely amazing experience.

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male.

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) female.

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

After a while the two animals moved off into the next cutting but still gave superb views until they headed off into the scrub and away so we decided to head off the site and down to the Rio Jándula where we parked and had a walk around near the Área recreativa del Encinarejo where we again heard but did not see the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) and also found Kingfishers (Martin Pescador / Alcedo atthis), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and a calling Scops Owl (Autillo Europeo / Otus scops).

Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

We headed further up the river seeing a couple of European Black Vultures (Buitre Negro / Aegypius monachus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and by the bridge House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Wryneck (Torcecuello / Jynx torquilla), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla).

Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

Other species seen included Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines), Rabbit (Conejo / Oryctolagus cuniculus), Brown Bluebell (Dipcadi serotinum), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas), Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris).

Later we headed back to La Caracola where we again went into the hide and had Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula).

Rio Jándula and La Caracola, Sierra Morena, Jaen Province, Spain.

The first day of three in Sierra Morena with friend Steve Powell.

Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti).

Steve had driven up to Salar yesterday so that we could get off North fairly early, on the way up westarted the list off with Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), a couple of Gull-billed Tern (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica) which were flying over a cereal field, Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto) and Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki). 

Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) a distant view of a nice male.

We parked at the Área recreativa del Encinarejo and soon had two new species for the year, calling Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus) and Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum).

Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata).

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum).

Pale Poppy (Papaver argemone).

Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus).

Other species included Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus).

Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major).

We came to the river and scanned up and down stream adding Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), lots of passing European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi) and Stripe-necked Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea).

We continued on over the bridge and just by chance I scanned back to the opposite bank and in one of the dead Poplar trees I picked up a tiny Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Pico Menor / Dryobates minor) but when we walked back around to the area we could not relocate it so we returned to the other bank again.

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

Iberian  Magpie (Rabilargo / Cyanopica cooki).

As we walked through the grassland there we saw some nice plants including Grey-leaved Cistus (Cistus albidus), Spotted Rockrose (Tuberaria guttata), Pale Poppy (Papaver argemone), Blue Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum creticum), Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum baeticum), Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), Mallow-leaved Convolvulus (Convolvulus althaeoides), Southern Red Bartsia (Parentucellia latifolia), Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) and Purple Bugloss (Echium plantagineum).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) male.

Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula) female.

We returned to the car hearing a Scops Owl (Autillo Europeo / Otus scops) and then drove up to the Presa de El Encinarejo, on the way we picked up Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus).

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male before a bath.

Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) male after a bath.

We walked out onto the bridge below the dam and soon added Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) and as it had warmed up nicely we also so a few butterflies including Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), both Small (Pieris rapae) and Large White (Pieris brassicae) along with Ramping Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata), Tassel Hyacinth (Leopoldia comosa) and Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus).

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) male.

Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) male.

We returned to the car and headed for La Caracola where we popped down to the hide and spent a couple of hours photographing the birds coming to the water there but only added Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), a couple of flyover Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and a flyby Hawfinch (Picogordo / Coccotraustes coccotrauetes) which unfortunately did not come to the water.