Huétor Fields and El Temple, Granada Province, Spain.

A late walk around the patch and the a whizz over to El Temple.

Ebird List for Huétor Fields.

Ebird List for El Temple.

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

After having a lousy nights sleep due to a lingering cough I didn't get down to the fields until gone 11, however I did find the territorial male Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax), Stone Curlew (Alcaraván Común / Burhinus oedicnemus), 2x Black-winged Kites (Elanio Común / Elanus caeruleus), 3x Montagu's Harriers (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) which spent a good while hassling a rather tatty looking Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans). 

Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Little Bustard (Sisón Común / Tetrax tetrax).

Other species seen included Turtle Doves (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Spanish (Yellow) Wagtail (Lavandera Boyera / Motacilla flava iberiae), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

I went back home and sat at the Laptop for a while trying to catch up with the blog after having so many photographs to sort through after two great days in Grazalema but later in the day I got a message from friend Juan Pérez Contreras to tell me that there was a female Red-footed Falcon (Cernícalo patirrojo / Falco vespertinus) out on El Temple, so I decided to head out there even though the weather looked a bit dodgy.

Montagu's Harrier (Aguilucho Cenizo / Circus pygargus) attacking the Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

I arrived on site and spent some time searching the area but mostly from the car as the storms had arrived and it was raining quite heavily but during this search I did find lots more Turtle Doves, 6x Little Bustards, 8x Stone Curlews, Black-winged Kite, Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas) x1, Short-toed Eagle (Culebrera Europeo / Circaetus gallicus) x3, Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and Lesser Kestrel (Cernicola Primilla / Falco naumanni), Little Owl (Mochuelo Europeo / Athene noctua) and Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito Real / Picus sharpei).

The storms on its way.

The welcome rain but wish it had waited a couple of hours.

I decided to have a drive down to the lower fields, as I went I messaged Juan for some more information and just as he sent it through I actually found the bird sat up in one of the many Almond trees, I watched this bird for a while until it dropped off and out of sight.

Red-footed Falcon (Cernícalo patirrojo / Falco vespertinus) female.

Red-footed Falcon (Cernícalo patirrojo / Falco vespertinus) female.

Red-footed Falcon (Cernícalo patirrojo / Falco vespertinus) female.

A few minutes later either it or another bird came in from totally the opposite direction making me suspect that there may have been two birds involved but I never saw two at the same time, other species seen were Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Calandra Lark (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra) and Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis).

La Rana, Near La Rana, Venta Puerto de Gáliz area, Cadiz Province, Spain.

Heading out South West for a long wanted species.

Looking down over the Village.

Sue and I started the day with a leisurely breakfast and a sit on the terrace checking out the many Pallid (Vencejo Pálido /Apus pallidus) and Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus) which were belting around the roof tops or feeding much higher up and a pale morph Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Libelloides ictericus.

Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi).

Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera).

European Umbrella Milkwort (Chicoia loca / Tolpis barbata).

We got the kit together and headed up to La Rana and had a very nice walk around this usually damp site which was the same as many places, very dry. 

0345 Nemophora raddaella.

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

We parked and as we sorted our selves we had a group of four Griffon Vultures (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and as we walked around the site Sue found a very nice specimen of Iberian Wingless Mantis (Apteromantis aptera), other insects included Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), the day flying Moth 0345 Nemophora raddaella and two types of Owlflys including Libelloides baeticus and Libelloides ictericus. 

Hybrid Goatsbeard (Barba Macho / Geropogon hybridus).

Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus).

Blue Thistle (Cardo azul / Carduncellus caeruleus).

Long-headed Poppy (Amapola oblonga / Papaver dubium).

Even though the site was extremely dry there were still a few Western Three-toed Skinks (Chalcides striatus) around and several flower species including Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), European Umbrella Milkwort (Chicoia loca / Tolpis barbata), Hybrid Goatsbeard (Barba Macho / Geropogon hybridus), St Bernard's lily (Anthericum baeticum), Mediterranean Fleabane (Hierba pulguera / Pulicaria odora), Wild Gladiolus (Gladiolus italicus), Long-headed Poppy (Amapola oblonga / Papaver dubium) and Blue Thistle (Cardo azul / Carduncellus caeruleus).

St Bernard's lily (Anthericum baeticum).

Mediterranean Fleabane (Hierba pulguera / Pulicaria odora).

Tragopogon porrifolius.

Bird wise we saw European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Común / Merops apiaster), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Rock (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricapilla), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator)

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

As we walked back to the car we followed the verge which was very well vegetated and had a good number of flowers including Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Tragopogon porrifolius, Candlestick Bugloss (Echium boissieri) and Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).

Yellow Phlomis (Phlomis lychnitis).

Purple Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea).

Phlomis crinita subsp malacitana.

Star-of-Bethlehem (Ajo de Lobo / Ornithogalum narbonense.

As we entered our second site which was just down the road Sue pointed out a spike of Late Sawfly Orchid (Ophrys ficalhoana) which was just holding onto a single decent flower and a short walk into the area produce Yellow (Phlomis lychnitis) and Purple Phlomis (Phlomis purpurea) as well as Phlomis crinita subsp malacitana, Biarum arundarum, Selfheal (Hierba de las Heridas / Prunella laciniata), Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus), Narbonense Star-of-Bethlehem (Ajo de Lobo / Ornithogalum narbonense), Narrow-leaved rock-rose (Cistus monspeliensis), 3959 Aglaope infausta, Black-veined White, Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Golden Oriole and a nice Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis).

3959 Aglaope infausta.

Near La Rana.

Sue photographing the Phlomis plants.

We then headed to our main site of the day which was a longish drive out to the South west, by the time we reached Puerto de Gáliz it was lunch time so we had a nice meal before checking a nearby roadside verge where we found a good number of Butterflies including Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Small and Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), Iberian (Melanargia lachesis) and Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba), Southern Blue (Polyommatus celina), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Small White (Pieris rapae), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), a very rapid Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius) which just zipped passed us, Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) and what I at first thought were female Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) but they were tatty and in the end we convinced our selves that they were probably Provençal Fritillary (Melitaea deione) but they looked too big.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) female.

Aetherie Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) male.

Anyway we continued searching and as we were walking back towards the car we found my first 100% Aetherie Fritillary and as it was a nice male it made things easier and after checking the photo's the three females were also Aetherie's and not Provençal.

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines).

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia).

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).

We moved to another site where we didn't see any more Aetherie's but added Large Tortoiseshell  (Nymphalis polychloros) and saw a lot of the same species as earlier plus Italian Sainfoin (Hedysarum coronarium).

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia).

Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathseba) and Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia).

On the way back to Sue's we stopped the once on the roadside where we found spikes of both Delphinium pentagynum, Salvia barrelieri and Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) ootheca which Sue found attached to a rock, we continued on to Sue's, I loaded up my stuff and after having a Coffee I headed off home.

Delphinium pentagynum.

Salvia barrelieri.

Mediterranean Mantis (Iris oratoria) ootheca.