Loja Wildlife, Granada Province, Spain.

Thursday, 27 July 2023

Noguera de Albarracín, Fuente de la Peña del Castillo, Puerto de Noguera de Albarracín and Roadside near Albarracín, Teruel Province, Spain.

Heading out North West.

Karen and Rob, Day Four.

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

As before, we had breakfast, headed for the Supermarket for some fresh fruit for Lunch and then made our way out to a spot near the town of Noguera de Albarracín were we parked part way up a track and then had a nice walk out to a point where a small river crossed the track and then continued on for a good way up hill into the Pine Woodlands.

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus).

Rock Grayling (Hipparchia alcyone).

The first part of the walk up to the point where the two streams cross the track was quiet butterfly wise but we did see Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and by the stream Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) and Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis).

Grayling (Hipparchia semele).

Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia).

We checked the area around the stream before going for a walk along the track which went up through the Pine Woodlands, on the verges, the wet ditches and damp patches we recorded Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Rock (Hipparchia alcyone) and Great Banded Grayling (), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Silver-spotted (Hesperia comma), Red-underwing (Spialia sertorius), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and the large Tiger Moth 10605 Euplagia quadripunctaria.

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

We turned around and as the heat had started to build there were more butterflies becoming active on the way back down, we were soon watching a nice group of Silver-Washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia) on a patch of Bramble, High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe), at least 3x Iberian Sooty (Lycaena bleusei) and a single Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), Escher's ( escheri), Common / Southern (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Small (Pieris rapae) and Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) and a single nearly dead spike of Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).

Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) male.

Bird wise we saw Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus) and Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli).

Escher's Blue (Polyommatus escheri) female.

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon).

Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum).

Once we reached the Streams we walked back to the village on the opposite side of the water adding Lulworth (Thymelicus acteon), Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

Silver-Washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia).

Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia).

We reached the car, had a coffee as we were leaving the town and then stopped for Lunch at Fuente de la Peña del Castillo but we didn't add anything so we continued on up through some very nice areas to the Puerto de Noguera de Albarracín and as we searched we saw lots of Silver-Washed Fritillaries, Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Peacock (Aglais io), our only Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron) of the trip, a mating pair of Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon) and a few female / immature Ruddy Darters (Sympetrum sanguineum).

Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon) and Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron).

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum).

On our way back around to Albarracín we made a stop at another high point finding plenty of Azure Chalkhill Blues (Lysandra caelestissima) along with Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris) and Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus).

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

Further on we stopped at a track side pool where we added Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei), Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans) and Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Oberthur's Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus fabressei).

Our last stop before returning to the digs was on at a flower filled verge where we saw lots more Bath and Small Whites, Long Tailed and Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Southern Marbled (Carcharodus baeticus) and Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).

Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Bath White (Pontia daplidice).

Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus).

Later we went into town for a walk and then had something to eat in Monty's again, good food.

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Albarracín, Zaviers / Monterde Rambla, Monumet Spot, Fuente La Corraliza and Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque, Teruel Province, Spain.

Back out into the Rambla's, Mountains and Woodlands.

Karen and Bob, Day Three.

Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus).

Today we were out side a little early picking up Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and a group of around 20 or so Spanish Ibex (Cabra montés / Capra pyrenaica hispanica) which were running across slopes above the town and soon we saw why, some *** **** had to dogs off their leads and they were chasing them.

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).

Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia).

Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea).

Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

After Breakfast and the usual visit to the Supermarket we headed just up the road to the Rambla where everyone goes to try and find Southern Hermit (Chazara prieuri) but we were not lucky but from information received during the next few days it is a species that has become much more difficult.

Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma).

Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli).

We arrived and walked up the track and parts of the barranco for a few bends finding Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Red-underwing (Spialia sertorius), Sage (Muschampia proto) and Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Long-tailed Blue (Lampides baeticus), Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia), High Brown (Fabriciana adippe) and Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma), Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli), a single Black Satyr (Satyrus actaea), Grayling (Hipparchia semele), Rock (Hipparchia alcyone), Great Banded () and Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia) and Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

Bird wise in the Rambla we saw and heard Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasquena / Sylvia cantillans) and Dartford Warbler (Curruca Rabilarga / Sylvia undata), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) and along the river near to the car we added Long-tailed (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus) and Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis).

Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei).

Whilst we were down by the river we also found Small White (Pieris rapae), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and a very smart Iberian Sooty Copper (Lycaena bleusei) which I understand has been split from Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus) which I had seen a couple of weeks earlier in the Pico's area.

Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus).

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

We moved up the road to the spot we first stopped at on the way in from Valencia but today even though it was much less windy there were less butterflies, however we still found Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus), Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans), Common / Southern Blue (Polyommatus icarus / celina), Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) as well as Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax).

False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa).

Rock Grayling (Hipparchia alcyone).

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas).

We decided to head for the Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque, on the way we stopped of at the Fuente at La Corraliza Área Recreativa and had a walk around the area, near the water trough we had the first False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa) of the trip along with Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia), Knapweed (Melitaea phoebe) and Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora), Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and Common Crossbill (Piquituerto Común / Loxia curvirostra).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Spanish Chalk-hill Blue (Lysandra albicans).

We continued on to the Centro de Interpretación de Dornaque where we parked and found a nice shaded spot to have our lunch near a small screen which overlooked a small pool where we saw White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris) and Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) in the surrounding area we also added Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Iberian Green (Pito Real / Picus sharpei) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and in the poplar trees a calling Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus).

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) female.

Common Golden Ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii).

In the same area we picked up Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta) and Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) before taking a nice drive across country back to Albarracin which had some very nice views.