Holiday to Tenerife Part 2 (final)

[Philzoid]

My other half made it clear that this year she would not be interested in another bus tour around La Gomera so I had to come to terms with missing the 'butterfly oasis' at the stop-off or Garajonay national Park. However my insistence of going back up to Canadas del Teide (Teide National Park) had been given the thumbs up (probably because she didn't want to see a grown man sulk ). Before she changed her mind I took the decision to leave Masca and head towards Teide. We took the route to Chio and entered the park on the TF-38 western side then linked up with the TF-21 on the south side.

The weather was cloudy on the south side of the island with cloud spilling in over the ridge of mountains on the south side of the national park caldera making for even more magical scenery .

We drove on to the spot close to the foot of the cable car where we'd been 'accosted by hordes' of Canary Blue butterflies in 2014. Not so this time. The ladies were not keen on going for a walk so I did some exploring in the hope that a Canary Blue (or anything else for that matter) would turn up.

Eventually one did but it had no intention on getting up close and intimate. A couple of shots with the Tamron and a later record shot of another was all I could muster.

A bee on Shrubby Scabious Pterocephalus lasiospermus which were flowering in profusion at this time

Canary Blue (female)

Also seen were a nice female Galotia galoti galoti lacertid lizard, a curious looking spider and another Bordered Straw .

I.D anyone?

Bordered Straw Heleothis peltigera

On my way out of the national park I consoled myself with better luck to be had in Vilaflor but it wasn't to be . Time was getting on and the whole town was shrouded within a cloud (with the last 10Km descent a slow scary drive to get there) The heavy clinging moisture ensured that the only thing worth doing was holing up in a cafe (La Paz again). In 2014, Vilaflor had been memorable for butterflies and escaping a parking ticket from 'Lee Van Cleef'.

The next port of call was a visit to the waterpark Aqualand. Again in the past I've seen my fair share of unusual beasties but this holiday wasn't working out as I'd hoped . A couple of Spanish Sparrows, a small White (after extensive searching of the scented geranium flower beds) and Geranium Bronze was all I could manage.

Spanish Sparrow

The next morning I was back searching the rough ground around Monterey again. This time I managed a record shot of an African Grass Blue and another female Long-tailed.

A tiny butterfly is Zizeeria knysna, so easily lost in the background

While the others stayed around the penthouse pool. I took a drive over to calle galicia (Costa Adeje) where the Club-la Costa sales rep had tipped me off about a low level kestrel nest only 4 metres from the ground. However when I arrived the birds had fledged and only one youngster was visible, nestled higher-up in the signage of a nearby burger king. This holiday was proving just plain unlucky in this respect . Sometimes bad luck comes in big doses .

There was still a holiday to fit in so after I drove us to Santa Cruz stopping at Candelaria to see the wonderful Basilica of that name and to get lunch.

Parking was tricky to find in Santa Cruz but we managed it near the centre and got a few hours in to do some shopping. Time would not permit me to drive on and explore further north as I'd suggested in my last report.

Santa Cruz lovely city. This "Banana Computer" building caught my attention

Afterwards we left Santa Cruz for fish supper at the "Crazy Crab" Los Abrigos

"Lee" scrounging around the restaurant tables, Los Abrigos

Los Abrigos harbour, another magical place at night

And so to our last day, no time to fit in a butterfly session but time to fit in a visit to Jungle Park (zoo) before our early evening flight.
One of the highlights of Jungle Park is the bird flight display, so anyone who is interested in birds will probably enjoy seeing the following up close:-

Southern Ground Hornbill; Harris Hawk; Bald Eagle; Andean Condor; King Vulture; Maribou Stork; White stork; Abdim's Stork; Ruppel's Griffin Vulture; White-headed Vulture; Hooded Vulture and African Spoonbill .

Maribou Stork

White-headed Vulture

In addition to the zoo birds there were wild Black-crowned Night Herons nesting in the trees:-

The one butterfly on this holiday which proved to be better than in previous years was the Canary Speckled Wood . However even though encounters were more frequent, getting a decent number of good pictures was another matter.

Later on my wish for a Monarch was finally granted

So that was it, a total of 7 species but all apart from the Canary speckled Wood a bit scarcer to find so although a nice holiday it was not as good as I'd hoped for, for a first time in May. Although I wasn't to know it at the time the August trip to France rescued the year from the disappointment of Tenerife and ensured my overall memories of 2015 from a butterfly & wildlife perspective, were fond ones .

Phil

[David M]

Glad you got to see a Monarch, Phil. That must have been some compensation for the 'family duties' you were obliged to participate in?

[Wurzel]

You may have only seen 7 species but 6 of those would have been lifers for me! Great shots of the Canary, LTB and vultures!

Have a goodun (Chrimble)

Wurzel

[Chris Jackson]

A nice account of your holidays, Phil.

Many of those butterflies would be lifers for me too.

Cheers, Chris

[Philzoid]

Glad you got to see a Monarch, Phil. That must have been some compensation for the 'family duties' you were obliged to participate in?

Yes David. It was good to see Monarchs (this time at the 11th hour) and get my pictures at the same place as in 2014 .

WRT obligatory family duties: - Holidays always leave me in this minor predicament as Sharon and now the girls (as they have grown older) prefer to do more ‘normal’ holiday activities (or lack of activities). If you just happen to have a holiday in a wildlife ‘hotspot’ that’s a bonus (but fundamentally It’s all left down to give and take; negotiation etc. to ensure we all get a bit of what we want).

Ideally I would love to find a time one day to have the independence of doing solely my own thing, to go to somewhere abroad at the ‘right place and time’ to see as much nature as possible (while I’m still able to do so). On a more positive note I have still a lot to do/see in the UK and there should be opportunities to take for a couple of days off to go to relevant sites up north and see northern species such as artaxerces Northern Brown Argus; Large Heath; Scotch Argus and Chequered Skipper. High Brown Fritillary is on my radar too.

I admire anyone who can engender an interest of nature in their offspring. However, kids these days have their own ideas and much more choice available to them (but also ironically less chance of getting experience of outside as they are not let out to play on their own at the young ages that we were). As it is my girls have to put up with a nature obsessed dad who spends virtually all his spare time buried in his hobbies (moth trapping and recording for example) so I appreciate the fact that I probably get away with quite a lot.

You may have only seen 7 species but 6 of those would have been lifers for me! Great shots of the Canary, LTB and vultures!

Thanks Wurzel I know it’s only a small matter of time when you’ll be seeing LTB aplenty if the frequency of these UK influxes is anything to go by. And if you get to have a holiday abroad to more Mediterranean climes Long-tailed Blue; Bath White and Geranium Bronze (and with a bit of luck Monarch) will be falling down like dominoes .

A nice account of your holidays, Phil.

Many of those butterflies would be lifers for me too.

Cheers, Chris

Thanks Chris . I assume the ones you haven’t seen are those endemic to the Canaries?. Do you ever see Monarchs in the Marseille area

[Chris Jackson]

I assume the ones you haven’t seen are those endemic to the Canaries?. Do you ever see Monarchs in the Marseille area

In France we supposedly have Monarchs on the West coast and Plain Tiger on the Med. coast, but these sightings must be sporadic. The Two-tailed Pasha no longer over-awes me as it once did, however, a Plain Tiger, now that would be Something !!

Roll-on the New Year and let's get winter over and done with.
Cheers, Chris

[Philzoid]

Roll-on the New Year and let's get winter over and done with.Cheers, Chris

Winter hasn't started here yet (in SE England anyway) and I'm hoping it will hold off for a couple of weeks at least for Southern Spain. Am I likely to see butterflies from end of Dec to beginning of Jan in Andalusia

however, a Plain Tiger, now that would be Something !!

The first Danaid I ever saw was Plain Tiger ... I'm pretty sure of that . It was in Tenerife and I was In a CLC (Paradise) resort swimming pool when it just lolloped over. I remember the lack of the bold black veins characteristic of Monarch (but it would be years later before I got to see a Monarch proper). This was in November in 2008. Back then I wasn't into my butterflies as much as now but I'm still convinced in my head that I saw it despite the fact that this species is an uncommon non resident on Tenerife.

Thanks for your comments Chris. Butterfly season starts early in your neck of the woods

Phil

[Mikhail]

For your interest the spider looks very much like Aculepeira annulipes aka the Teide spider, endemic to Tenerife. A great find.

M.

[Philzoid]

That's brilliant, another endemic. Thanks Mikhail

[Chris Jackson]

Winter hasn't started here yet (in SE England anyway) and I'm hoping it will hold off for a couple of weeks at least for Southern Spain. Am I likely to see butterflies from end of Dec to beginning of Jan in Andalusia

Phil,
Look at this link.

http://diatheo.weebly.com/papillons-agr ... mbre1.html

It is for Tristan Lafranchi's publishing site and (albeit in French with no inebriated Scotsman to interpret ) this page lists the BFs he saw in Spain (Catalogna - wherever that is) on the 16th of December.
(You may even spot my name a little further down the page - ho ho ho ).

So I would say there is plenty of scope for seeing butterflies
I will be keeping an eye open for your report of course.

Chris

[Philzoid]

I will be keeping an eye open for your report of course.

So long you don't mind seeing lots of scenery pictures .
Seriously I pleased to see there is stuff about. Perhaps I'll get a chance for a confirmatory sighting of Southern Small white. it also looks like Lang's Short tailed Blue is in good numbers (Le Plus abundant) + the pic is yours too

Last time I was in Spain (2009) I didn't meet any inebriated Scotsmen but a huge and animated Russian cornered me outside the a newsagent's and while waiting for it to open he took it on himself to teach me to speak Russian (repeat after me). I'm sure he was alright really but I breathed a sign of relief when the newsagent's eventually opened .