Spotted in the rain

A couple of days with relatives by Fortingall in Perthshire were nearly totally rained out but the grounds of the house are home to a great deal of wildlife and there was just enough light to capture these.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata




Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), male


Female


Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Spain, Chronoillogically

Three days birding in Spain with some of the best company a guy could hope for. What could be better. 140 bird species (including a grand total of 70 lifers between us!!) and loads of other wildlife.

There are other accounts of the trip by:
Bogbumper and
Wanderingbirders

Use this entry to work through the trip in chronological order.

The arrival
The Alijar Hacienda
What a Bonanza
Algaida and the northern salinas
Road to nowhere
Hidden Pools of Sanlucar
Nightjar sunset
Storks at El Portal
Laguna da Medina
Sotogrande
Seeking Sanctuary
Ojen Valley
Run to the hills
Flowery Places
Villaluengo Pass
Las Covezuela
Grazalema Mirador
Puerto de las Palomas

Puerto de las Palomas

Our last two stops before the trip back to the airport were at the two highest points of the Grazalema ring. The last of these at Puerto del Boyar (1103m) provided the only definite Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica), high on a ridge. But before that at Puerto de las Palomes (1157m) on the Zahara road (CA531) were some spectacular sights.



A remarkable swarm of Swift (mainly Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)) possibly running into tens of thousands of birds were accompanied by Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) seemingly coming out of nowhere. There were also swarms of Hummingbird Hawk-moths (Macroglossum stellatarum) on the clumps of Echium albicans and with them, all too briefly and unfortunately not photographed, one of the highlights of the trip for me, a huge Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis).

The fast-flying ascalaphid were numerous here but difficult to track down stationary.

Hummingbird Hawk-moths (Macroglossum stellatarum)





Libelloides coccajus (an ascalphid related to ant-lions and lacewings)


Nikon CP995

Grazalema Mirador

The drive around to the village of Grazalema provided two more Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus gallicus), one perched on a high ledge, and three Dartford Warblers (Sylvia undata) on the edge of the village itself.

Just outide the village at the first mirador on the road to Zahara de la Sierra we had our best encounter with the local buntings (Cirl and Rock), more Black Wheatears and some good insects.

Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)

Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)

Nikon CP995

Next - Puerto de las Palomas

Las Covezuelas

Another inspired stop not far from Villaluengo. The highlight was a point-blank encounter with three Bonelli's Warblers (Phylloscopus bonelli) and tantalisingly perhaps the only Rufous Bush-chat (Cercotrichas galactotes) of the trip.

Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)

Nikon CP995

Next - Grazalema Mirador

Villaluengo Pass

Km 10 on the road near Villaluengo del Rosario and one of the most productive stops of the whole trip. Unpromising at first, a little time revealed masses of birds (Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Chough, Great Tit, Blackbird, Sardinian, Subalpine, Orphean and Olivacious Warbler, Griffon Vulture, Stonechat and Black Wheatear) and butterflies (Black-veined White, Morrocan Orange-tip, Spanish Marbled White, Scarce Swallowtail, etc.).

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Synaphe moldavica (a skipper-like moth common in the high places)




Bright Wave (Idaea ochrata)


Marsh Fritillary (Eurodryas aurinia)


Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)


Nikon CP995

Next - Las Covezuelas

Flowery Places

Our first stop in the mountains was the village of El Bosque where the flowers were attracting many insects.


Nikon CP995

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura)

Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)


Nikon CP995

Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina)

Nikon CP995

Provencal fritillary (Mellicta deione)

Nikon CP995

Cleopatra (Goneopteryx cleopatra), female

Nikon CP995

Royal Burnet (Zygaena sarpedon)


Nikon CP995

Next - Villaluengo Pass

Run to the hills

Our final day was to be spent in the Sierras around Grazalema but on the way we stopped for a look at a quarry near Arcos de la Frontera


Nemoptera bipennis - the long streamers are modified hindwings.


Mylabris quadripunctata


Nikon CP995

Next - Flowery Places

Ojen Valley

We eventually ended up at the renowned Ojen Valley, where Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae) was added to the list along with Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) and some more insects caught our attention.

Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)



Nikon CP995

Next - Run to the hills

Seeking Sanctuary

A run around the coast via Tarifa, where a couple of distant Cory's Shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) and a Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) added to the trip lifers for some team members. Then on to a shallow valley containing the snappily named Santuario de Nuesta Señora de la Luz.

Nikon CP995

The bottom of the valley held a large swarm of Spanish Sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis) and a pair of Montagu's Harriers (Circus pygargus). Further along the CAP2213 road past the Santuario things got far more interesting and frequent stops provided some of the creatures of the trip including a pair of White-rumped Swifts (Apus caffer) and a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Other goodies included Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and much more.

Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)


Digiscoped with Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 + 20x eyepeice

Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauretanica)

Nikon CP995

Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus)

Nikon CP995

Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines)

Nikon CP995

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

Nikon CP995

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Nikon CP995

Paper Wasps (Polistes gallicus?)


Nikon CP995

Next - Ojen Valley

Sotogrande

A brief, fairly unproductive stop at the 'exclusive' resort of Sotogrande. The blue hindwings of the conspicuous grasshopper only show in flight.

Blue-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens)


Scarab Beetle (Scarabaeus sacer?)


Nikon CP995

Next - Seeking Sanctuary