11/08/17 Throughout my time in Spain I’d entertained myself during those ‘spare moments’ by trying to get a definitive ID in-flight photo of the Red-rumped Swallows Cecropis daurica that flew around the apartment and MP1. I never succeeded (of course), but finding one doing a Buzby on a telephone li...

The absence of an underside cell spot seems to be the key (but not the definitive) indicator for Chapman’s but none of my pictures show it for this pair … and I didn’t want to disturb them from getting on with the business of making the next generation. According to Matt Rowlings you cannot discount...

I'd go for Chapman's as there is a nice clear gap between the orange and the black markings... I haven't read about this feature so I'm a bit unsure :? . What I will say although this pair looked like icarus you'd find in the UK they were different to all the other 'icarus' I encountered .... unles...

Are you sure the Small White wasn't a Southern? It's something to do with a fork in a vein I seem to recall There is a definite fork in the vein and Roger (Gibbons) has provided a useful diagnostic regarding this which enables identification between rapae and mannii: I've forgotten to look for that...

Hi Phil,For the shield bug I'd suggest Carpocoris mediterraneus.African Grass Blue is still on my wish list thanks for the shield bug ID. :D As for the African Grass blue .. get yourself down to Spain :wink: seriously, I first saw them in La Gomera then a couple of years on in Tenerife; then Fuengi...

Padfield wrote:... but the snake had moved between the first and second shots ...

Brilliant Thanks for doing this Guy. Look great to me ...perhaps I could've matched the colour balance a bit better but Great

Hi Phil,Out of interest, can you confirm that your "Common Blues" had an underside cell spot ? Hi Chris. Thanks for commenting :D .. you make a very good point and in-short the answer is no .. .I did not see a basal cell spot. I made the assumption of Common Blue simply on the fact they l...

And so, with everyone contented I set off in eager anticipation for Cabopino. 10Km further down the road and I was in Cabopino’s car-park, managing to save a few euros by going unnoticed by the self-styled car-park attendants. A hop over the small fence and I was among the dunes and almost immediate...

10/08/17 A sunny start to the morning and I’m shaking a leg while the others slumber. A nod and hello to the gardener as I go to dump the wine bottles in the glass recycling bin on my way to a new area of waste ground or My Patch 2 (MP2). This is a patch of cleared ground in a depression, framed in ...

Hi Wurzel It wasn’t France …. but it wasn’t bad and I might’ve underestimated the number of lifers I’d got :wink: (It tails-off a bit in part 2). The good thing was I had a bit more time to play with thanks to a nature reserve being beside the beach and our accommodation having a swimming pool to ke...

Charles Nicol wrote:i am used to the French Pashas... they do not mind being photographed

thought so

i enjoyed reading about your hols Phil Thanks Charles :) . .. there's a lot more to come :wink: sorry that you did not get a Pasha photo I get the impression from reading others experiences in this part of the world, that getting a sighting and a photo is relatively easy. Perhaps it was just a matt...

07/08/17 Our activity for the day was a trip to the beach: Andy’s Beach Cabopino, in my view the best beach on the Costa del Sol. Andy’s beach comes equipped with a busy beach bar serving food and drink; live (“retro”) music from Steve Nelson (now only Wednesdays and Sundays … he’s getting on a bit ...

In winter the rocky parts of the beach are frequented by turnstones Hi Matzukaze. Yes, Turnstones were a feature when I went there back in 2015: - 27/12/15 - 02/01/16. (see pic) I have a few more Zizeeria to follow but I agree they can be hard work to photo :) 2015.12.26 IMG_8214 Arenaria interpres...

A useful ID point to know for sage skippers, if you have undersides to confirm, is that they lack a pale spot at the base of s.1 on the underside of the hindwing. You can see this in both the underside shots above. Thanks Guy :)! I'll make sure to check the others before I post and make any correct...

Thanks for your comments guys ... always welcome :) . I was never convinced I had Cinquefoil Skipper hence the question mark and request for i.d assistance. I’d had suspected Sage skipper and when going through one of my later pictures I thought the butterfly was on a sage plant which alerted me to ...

After viewing some more of my images I've had second thoughts about the 'Cinquefoil Skipper'. It may be Muschampa proto or Sage Skipper

Phil

Whenever I go on a family holiday these days the first thing I look for is its potential to satisfy my main leisure interest of looking for butterflies and wildlife in general. Therefore, I wasn’t too optimistic on the outcome of an August holiday to southern Spain in the grip of a heat-wave. For su...

Cheers for the ID Bugboy They have come up with something a bit more interesting sounding as a name couldn't they They are also known as the Owl Midges; or more aptly Drain Flies or Sewer Flies in relation to where their larvae are found. I've found them in my car on a few occasions :shock: .... pe...

Sheepleas today hoping I might see a Clouded yellow (but not this time). Lots of meadow Brown; faded Chalk Hill and Common Blues and a surprise Silver-washed Fritillary :o IMG_0239 Meadow Brown mating pair, Sheepleas.jpg P1040130 Silver-washed Fritillary, Sheepleas.m.jpg Moving on to Box Hill hoping...