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Spain, six trips.
Montes Universales & Pyrenees, August 2021 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jos   

Following on from a trip to the Italian Alps a couple of weeks earlier, a shift to the west - ten days in north-east Spain between the 4th and 15th of August. Primarily focussing on the Montes Universales, a range of mountains located between Madrid and Valencia, I then added a day on the coast near Valencia and a short extension to the eastern Pyrenees. With the walled town of Albarracín at its heart, the Montes Universales rise to 1900 metres and are a mix of arid scrub at lower altitudes and juniper or pine forest at higher elevation. Hot and dry in summer, with temperatures touching 40 C, a relative abundance of greenery and flowers does nevertheless exist along river courses and streams. In these areas, butterflies are abundant and include quite a number of species endemic to the region or north-east Spain. The main targets on this trip were Zapater's Ringlet, Mother of Pearl Blue and Southern Hermit, though the ultimate goal was simply to enjoy the spectacle of butterflies in dramatic landscapes.

Having had a very productive first week, I then spontaneously decided to add extensions to the coast and the Pyrenees, the ideas here being to see African Grass Blue and Mediterranean Skipper on the coast and thereafter a selection of high mountain species.

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Autumnal Andalucia 2017, Butterflies & Migration. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jos   

European Chameleon

 

 

September in Andalusia, raptors across the Strait of Gibraltar, flocks of Greater Flamingoes and other waterbirds on the saltpans, a fantastic array of traditional resident species across the region. However, for me, the main focus of this four-day trip was the search for several late season butterflies, most specifically Two-tailed Pasha, Geranium Bronze and the highly localised Desert Orange Tip and Zeller's Skipper.

 

 

 

 

Bald Ibis

 

 

Despite September being way past the peak butterfly season, I did still manage to see a total of 22 species, including all my targets, plus some additional bonuses such as European Chameleon and a good range of birds, including impressive raptor movements and some highly desirable species such as Rüppell's Vulture, Long-legged Buzzard and Bald Ibis.

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Spain, Bears, Butterflies & Birds. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jos   

 Turquoise Blue

 

Travelling between 24-27 August 2016, this short trip was timed to coincide with the relatively brief period each year that Brown Bears emerge onto the open slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains to feed on berries. The plan was to look for the bears morning and evening, then spend the days searching for late season butterflies, this proving very successful with many species seen.

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The Spanish Pyrenees, a Winter Weekend. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jos   

Alpine Accentor

 

A mini-break in the Aragon Pyrenees, a winter fiesta of Lammergeiers and Wallcreepers in the mountains themselves and bustards, sandgrouses and larks in adjacent steppes.

With three full days at my disposal, fortunately marked by crisp blue skies throughout, this was a very successful little trip, the basic plan being to spend one day in the foothills in and around Mallos de Riglos, the next at higher altitudes and the last exploring the grasslands of Los Monegros a few kilometres to the south.

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Lynx, Tree Frog & Bustards, Spanish Weekend 2011. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jos   

Stripeless Tree Frog

 

A whirlwind tour of central Spain, reaquainting with Iberian Lynx before heading over to Extremadura for delights on the plains.

My second trip to Andujar in less than a year, the quest was two-fold, to seek out the enigmatic Iberian Lynx again, and taking advantage of the time of year, to look for Stripeless Tree Frogs and other amphibians. With these conquered, the plan was then to head over to the grasslands north of Trujillo for bustards, sandgrouse and other specialities such as Great Spotted Cuckoo.

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