Andalucia

[Michaeljf]

Hi all,
we'll be going to Andalucia (Southern Spain) in a fortnight's time....dividing our time between Gibraltar and Malagar region. We will spend some time in the Los Alcornocales national park and the Serrania de Ronda areas, hoping to do both Bird, Landscape and Butterfly spotting and photography. Although it may be too late for some of the species, I am hoping to see the Two-Tailed Pasha amongst others (luck involved, of course). Are there any spots anyone can recommend for butterflies generally? I have a book on Southern Spain's birding areas by Ernest Garcia/Andrew Paterson and the Crossbill guide on the Andalusian Seirras to use as a good indicator of spots for nature walks etc, in the absence of more specific areas.

If we can manage it we may take the laptop and email some pictures in. If we can get connections etc etc

[Padfield]

I worked in Gibraltar for my year off before going to university, way back in 1983, and then again for a couple of months during the long vacation in 1985. Two tailed pashas flew right at the top of the rock and were easy to see in August (second brood), though not to photograph! In those days, the Upper Rock was free but now you have to pay - £9.00 per person last time I visited, in 2007, though I got away without paying by telling them my history on the Rock. Those were formative years for me and I didn't spend my whole time butterflying, but I do remember in particular among the summer species the striped graylings - really lovely butterflies. Spanish and southern gatekeepers both fly on the Rock. By July/August I was actually pining to go home (those were the pre-communications days, when travelling meant being isolated and feeling alone!!) and also trying to seduce a girl called Debbie, whose billets doux I still have... I rarely left the Rock (and in those days it was forbidden to cross the border with a camera) but I did take a holiday into the Sierra Nevada in July 1983 and found Spanish chalk-hill blue commonly, as well as dusky heath.

If you visit the Rock, the Mediterranean Steps are a must - that is where a lot of butterflies fly. The slopes above Catalan Bay are lovely too, though probably not so good for butterflies in the summer - better in spring. For birding, Europa point is fantastic for seawatching and the cemetery, at the northern end, is good for small stuff. You won't be there during the migrant season, so there will be less of that about. Lesser kestrels breed in the north face of the Rock.

That's not much help, but it might prompt someone else to reply to the thread. I never get down south these days.

Guy

PS - If you visit Holy Trinity Cathedral in Gibraltar, you might be interested to know that the little squares of rubber under the feet of the chairs at the back of the church were all cut by me from a tractor tyre in 1983, with a Swiss Army knife, and nailed on individually. Few people remember me now, but my legacy lives on in the muffled silence at the back of the church when people move the chairs...

[Michaeljf]

Hi Guy,

thanks for the reply, it got lost in the other threads and I've only just seen it. Anything is helpful, at the moment we're only looking to stay one day in Gibraltar but if it looks more successful for butterflies we may go there for longer as we're going to be based 'along the coast' at Estipona for one week and for about 4 days in the Ronda mountains (easy to remember if you live in Wales where we have the Rhonda valleys)

Incidentally, when I was in Whitecross Green Wood / Bernwood meadows about 3 weeks back I bumped into Steve Woodhall (writer of the superb/excellent/I'm not worthy) book on Butterflies of South Africa (sorry, that is name-dropping of the highest butterfly order). He mentioned that the road to Ronda from Marbella (ish) was quite good for the Two-tailed Pasha. Though seeing these lovelies at the start of August might be hoping for too much, but we live in hope. As with the Purple Emperors, best photos come with freshly-emerged butterflies even though one runs the risk of not seeing any

p.s. I'll make sure I look for your rubber-squares. Impressive stuff

Michael

[Michaeljf]

Hi all,

As mentioned previously, we have just got back from Andalucia (Southern Spain) having spent about 12 days out there. Overall it was a disappointment for both Butterflies and other wildlife, though this may have been due to expectations and comparison with other places visited, including Britain. For instance, in the time we were out there we saw no Fritillaries at all: in the many areas of dried out scrubland, regardless of the nature of sun-parched areas, we did not see graylings or similar species that one would normally expect. We saw no ‘standard’ common species such as Red Admirals, Peacocks, Painted Ladies, Small or Large Tortoiseshells etc. Compare this with a walk in France or Britain, and it would compare quite unfavourably (at least, on a day with nice weather). It wasn’t all bad: yes, there was constant sunshine (Erm, frankly, it was too hot for walking in the open ground past 10am and stayed hot until around midnight) and I did see a number of ‘target’ species that I was hoping for (more on that later...). We also hoped to see many birds of prey and despite a couple of excellent bird sightings, the numbers of smaller birds and raptors was much less than hoped....

I’ll try and put the best photos up in groups in collections of each 3 days (or so), as I’m still processing half of them.

Day One: Tuesday 27th July – on arrival in Alpandeire (near Ronda, Malaga Province) late afternoon, I managed to spot some resident Geranium Bronze butterflies in our host’s garden. After dinner we had a walk around the village and saw several blues and one huge grasshopper (Locust?) that was about the size of my forefinger (!). I noticed that the village was surrounded by Fennel plants, all stripped of leaves, but wasn’t sure if this was done by caterpillars previously or maybe other insects. There was the constant sound of Cicadas, and they were to prove to be the most constant insect during our whole trip - heard in almost every location. And god, are they ugly close-up!

Day Two: Wednesday 28th July – An early start and we went to Jimera de Libar, and walked the foot of the town to try and find the Rio Guadiano river that runs all the way up to Ronda. At the river we watched Swallows feeding their fledgling young, and with more lush vegetation there were more butterflies in the shape of skippers, blues and browns. The Skipper that caught my attention most was possibly the Red-underwing skipper. We also had a brief view of a European Swallowtail, and as we walked back to our car at the village of Jimera de Libar we saw several Scarce Swallowtails. However, these were mostly feeding at ragwort flowers that were behind some barbed wire so there was no chance of a good photo!

Day Three: Thursday 29th July – on advice from our host, we started early again and walked around our home village of Alpandeire using an old Moorish track which dropped down to a local stream and then round to the next village. Unfortunately the stream had dried up but there were plenty of Oleander bushes growing around the stream’s trail. There proved to be few specimens here apart from a few Wall butterflies, but as we worked our way up again to the village there were more flowers with Small Coppers, Brown Argus, Mallow Skippers, Scarce Swallowtails, Southern Gatekeepers and possible Carline Skippers. I managed a few half-decent shots of the Scarce Swallowtails as they were moving very fast due to the very hot weather. By the time we got back to the village we were well and truly knackered by the weather too...

More tomorrow, hopefully.

Michael

Geranium Bronze in our host's garden

Geranium Bronze, so small a good photo is unlikely..

Unidentified Blue, probably common as muck

Common Blue (until told otherwise)...

A big cricket or locust. And ugly, except to it's mum.

A Cicada, singing to it's hearts content. And now, this is ugly!

Rio Guadiano river

Swallow at rivers edge, asking for food..

...and mummy Swallow duly arrives with a bit of food..

Red-Underwing skipper

Red Underwing Skipper, upperwings photo

Red-Underwing Skipper

View back towards the mountains behind Rio Guadiano

Mallow Skipper at Alpandiere track

Southern Gatekeeper

Brown Argus at Alpandiere

Scarce Swallowtail at Alpandiere

Scarce Swallowtail at Alpandiere

Unidentified Skipper, possibly Carline

Carline Skipper, upperwings

Moorish track near Alpandeire

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Michael,

So that's what a Cicada looks like! Crikey, they are ugly.

Fantastic pictures of the Swallows!

I don't think either of those blues are Common but I'm sure Guy will be able to ID them....

I'm off to Spain in about 5 weeks too.

Cheers

Lee

[Padfield]

Hi Michael,

I actually do think those first two blues are common blues - the species is often small in Iberia, with relatively dark margins.

The skippers are not red-underside, though, or Carline. Apart from the mallow skipper, I think they're all sage skippers, Muschampia proto. Matt has a good selection of pictures of this species on his website, here:

http://www.eurobutterflies.com/species_pages/proto.htm

Guy

[Michaeljf]

Hi Guy/Lee,
cheers on the Skipper ID, though the first one I saw at the Guadiano definitely had a different shade on the underwing, I suppose it was just a variation rather than a different species I'm glad I can leave ID'ing to those that know

Lee - I hope your trip goes well, at least the weather should have died down a bit by then. It's one of the few places where I've been and it was too hot for me to really enjoy the day

Michael

[traplican]

So that's what a Cicada looks like! Crikey, they are ugly.

Hi Lee,
this year I have taken some pictures of Cicada near Jankovice.

Traplican

[Lee Hurrell]

I should leave the European ID's to Guy really shouldn't I
I was comparing them to the UK ssp.

Thanks Michael, I went the same sort of time last year and it was still baking but not as hot as it has been out there recently

Nice pic Traplican. I'm well used to hearing them but I'd never actually seen them before!

Cheers

Lee

[Michaeljf]

Day Four: Friday 30th July

Determined to beat the sun again, we tried another walk from Alpandeire nearer the MA515 road which was supposed to be good for local birds including Blue Rock Thrushes and Raptors. Getting to the walk just after 7:30 am proved no better for the bird spotting, though we did see a few skylarks and the odd Griffin Vulture from the distance. The track here was extremely dry and rocky and we had the continued presence of skippers (no doubt Sage Skippers!) and some Small Coppers and a few browns - possibly Dusky Browns, Hermits and some Black Satyrs. We then went to Ronda City for midday, which proved to be a beautiful town including some nice communal parks and the wonderful gorge (now bereft of Raptors as per our lunchtime viewing). On the return to our village again we visited the Guadiano river near Jimera de Libar, finding a good range of wild flowers (angelica etc) where there were again the ubiquitous skippers and several Scarce Swallowtails and a few whites, Meadow Browns, Cleopatra and Common Blues/Brown Argus were flying. One of the Scarce Swallowtails seemed about twice the size of previously seen specimens - although it hadn’t managed to ‘fill out’ its wings properly. I wondered whether the heat had produced this effect. After a slightly better day for butterflies this was the end to our Alpandeire section of the holiday and I wondered if we would do any better by the coast.

Day Five: Saturday 31st July
After an early start and a quick revisit of the Alpandeire dry track, we journeyed down to Estepona via Gaucin and then stopping at Sierra Crestellina, a huge limestone ridge that is good for Raptors. We had planned to stop at Gaucin, but there were too many tourists. This turned out to be a good move as there was low cloud at S Crestellina and there were immediately some low-flying short-toed Eagles and Griffin Vultures, including the sight of one of the ST Eagles chomping down a very big snake whilst flying. After S Crestellina we stopped fortuitously at a small walk into a gorge called La Sierra de la Utrera. Although we were now into early afternoon there was a strong breeze which took the heat temperature down a bit for walking – and just before the Utrera gorge there was a big bank of small flowers – possibly a sort of small stone-based Rosemary – which was attracting a good selection of blues (including holly blues), skippers, walls, clouded yellows and the odd short-tailed blue. In fact, the Wall butterfly looked especially colourful, but perhaps not the Large Wall Brown that I expected when I first saw it. After a hour or so in the gorge we made our way back to the car and continued on to Estepona for the evening.

A dry walk at Alpandeire

A Hermit in early morning light

Dusky Heath

Large Scarce Swallowtail, crumpled wings...

Scarce Swallowtail, twice the size of a male...

Goodbye Alpandeire, a brief but hot visit!

Holly Blues at Utrera Gorge

Clouded Yellows in Utrera Gorge

It's got to be a...Sage Skipper...

La Sierra de la Utrera Gorge

Wall Butterfly at Utrera Gorge

Sierra Crestellina

[Michaeljf]

A quick view of the Raptors at Sierra Crestellina...

Short-Toed Eagle at Sierra Crestellina

A sequence of ST Eagle and snake's demise...

Short-Toed Eagle with disappearing snake...

Passing Griffin Vulture at Crestellina

[Roger Gibbons]

Michael,

Your Hermit isn't a Hermit - I would go for Tree Grayling unless there is some form of Grayling endemic to the region that I am not familiar with.

Roger

[Michaeljf]

Day Six: Sunday 1st August
One of those ‘write-off’ days you get. We first went to Pinar Del Ray in San Roque (Los Alcornocales reserve) but this turned out to be good only for pines and the odd brown. We continued to Jimena de la Frontera (same region) but found the castle of the town was a long walk up and couldn’t find a parking spot (I omit the fact we couldn’t find the previous spot which was supposed to be near Old Castellar). After getting hot & bothered we returned to La Sierra de la Utera from Saturday, where a one-tailed version of a Scarce Swallowtail had joined the previous days butterflies. We called it a day after that and headed back to Estepona.

Day Seven: Monday 2nd August
After another early start, we drove in the opposite direction to Malaga (where Michelle Obama was visiting!) and went to Rio Guadalhorce, a Natural complex of ponds and low scrub that had been protected to encourage wetland birds etc. This was a lovely (though hot) walk which was a credit to the work that had been done to encourage wildlife, very close to the big City. We wandered from hide-to-hide escaping the mid-day sun while watching a range of gulls, Black-Winged stilts, Herons, Egrets and plovers.

After the visit to Rio Guadalhorce, we stopped at the district of Arroyo de La Miel and took the cable-car to Mount Calamorro. The views from the cable-car stop weren’t that great (Malaga region is one big seaside mash of holiday houses): we’d missed the Raptor display: and there was a big chunk taken from the mountain for excavating limestone (didn’t improve the view) - but to my surprise there were several European Swallowtails flying about right on top of the mount, in beautiful condition. There were also some more Dusky Heaths and Striped Graylings, though the Graylings were in no mood to stop and I didn’t want to fall down a mountain just to get a half-decent shot of them!

More tomorrow: Tuesday and Gibraltar, where things finally started improving on the butterfly front...

Michael

Scarce Swallowtail with one sword, friendly and imperfect!

Black-winged Stilt in the morning sun

European Swallowtail at Mount Calamorro

Swallowtail at Mount Calamorro

If there's no flowers, a good rock will do!

View from Mount Calamorro, across lots of hotels (!)

Swallowtails - can't get enough of them...

Dusky Heath at Mount Calamorro

[NickB]

Cracking shots! Keep them coming, Michaeljf!

N

[Michaeljf]

Cracking shots! Keep them coming, Michaeljf!

Thanks Nick - as long as I get round to it, the best photos should be coming next

[Michaeljf]

Day Eight: Tuesday 3rd August - First trip to Gibraltar

An even earlier start today, to make sure we got to Gibraltar at 7:30 am (an hours drive from our base in Estepona), yet even at this hour there was a reasonable queue of cars waiting to drive across the boarder check / airport strip (a bizarre way to enter anywhere). The number of mopeds buzzing around the cars has to be seen to be believed – how they don’t cause an accident, I’ll never know. We got to the free car park at Gibraltar Tropical Gardens by about 8:15 am, only to be greeted by a low mist covering the park and the rock generally, and wind beating through the trees as fine as any British winter! We skipped the cold weather briefly for a morning coffee in a local pub (the weather was the coldest we’d experienced on our trip). However, after another hour or so we made our way back to the Gardens and found a flowering tree with about 20 hummingbird hawkmoths round it, even in the slightly cool morning weather. Another 10 or 20 minutes past and I saw both a Two-tailed pasha and Monarch butterfly pass, but the 2TP was too quick and the Monarch stayed high in the bush.

At this point we had to leave the gardens for a booked Dolphin Safari leaving from Marina Bay. However, it took at least an hour and 10 minutes to find the Bay and we nearly missed the Safari – by the time we found the right wharf we were hot and bothered (yes, the weather temperature had now climbed back to normal, even if the Cable Car had been cancelled for the day due to the winds). The safari only lasted about an hour but it was wonderful to see the dolphins follow the boat at speed. However, what with the choppy water and speed of the dolphins, trying to get a half-decent photo was hard work!

We were almost back near the Tropical gardens by 1:30, but passing the Nelson Cemetery I spotted some large cultivated flower beds and felt it could be a good spot for the butterflies – a hunch that turned correct, as there was a constant stream of about 3 fast-flying Monarchs and one Two-Tailed Pasha. The 2TP stayed high in the trees but the Monarchs flew around and around, not nectaring at the flowers very much, but just enough for me to fire off a few photos.

After another half hour we returned to the Tropical Gardens where I spoke to one of the gardeners, asking if there were Strawberry Trees, Fruit trees or any place in the gardens where the Two-Tailed Pasha stopped regularly. The Gardener informed me that the 2TP laid eggs on another tree that grew in the gardens, and pointed me in that direction. I found the trees and several Pashas that were swooping round and round and back to the same spots. Finally I got a few photos. Then a couple of locals passed me and told me that I should go to the children’s playground at the side of the Gardens, where there were quite a few Two-Tailed Pashas that were apparently drunk on the fallen fruit.

And that’s when the day turned both wonderful and strange as I watched about ten or so Pashas continually fly and stop on the ground, where the fruit had fallen and either fermented on its own or had fallen and been flattened out were they had been trodden on. I stayed in the same spot until late afternoon watching and photographing these wonderful butterflies. Previously I had been to Cyprus twice and South of France to try and see this species, and in this spot, they were as common as meadow browns in a local field at home.

By about 5:30pm we drove out of Gibraltar, which proved a mistake. Driving out is even worse than driving in! Even as we left I knew I’d have to return to ‘The Rock’ as I hadn’t even been to the top of the Island to try and see the bird life, or what other species might be there.

First view of a Monarch, but staying high in the bushes!

First sight of Dolphins in the sea

Dolphins swimming under the ships bow

Dolphins. They leap, but not as much as in a Marine Circus environment...

They're still cute. Unless you're a smaller fish.

This one is obviously enjoying watching our 'Safari'

Monarch nectaring in the Cemetery

Monarchs - built for gliding long distances. Only briefly stopping!

Monarchs seem to open their wings briefly, and unpredictably for the photographer

Monarch stopping briefly on flowers. Are they Milkweed plants?

First proper view of Two-Tailed Pasha

I would come to recognise this one - coming to the same bush and with a nick in it's wing...

[Michaeljf]

Other Two-Tailed Pasha photos from the first Gibraltar trip. This is my 2TP gallery

Two-Tailed Pasha resting on the tree

Very few would open their wings for me. This one did, briefly. Thank You!

Enjoying the fruit on the ground

Sometimes the 2TP would be under the playground bench. You'd hardly know they were there!

They all like fruit. Even if it is slightly squashed.

The Two-Tailed Pasha, quite willing to try the fruit on the tree too.

[Pete Eeles]

Yowza! Very nice find!

Did you find out what tree they were laying on, if it's not Strawberry Tree?

Cheers,

- Pete

[Michaeljf]

Did you find out what tree they were laying on, if it's not Strawberry Tree? - Pete

Unfortunately not - the gardener referred to the tree by it's latin name, and I forget (even) peoples names very easily (though I can always remember faces - that's not much help in this instance!). The trees he pointed to were quite small -- no bigger than, say, 3 year old Bay Willows (6 or 7 feet tall). The leaves were slim too. Maybe I should pop back and ask the gardener again in springtime It came as a surprise to me, and I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not (och, I'm so suspicious!). In Christodoulos Makris excellent 'Butterflies of Cyprus' book he speaks of the butterfly ovipositing on Nicotiana glauca, which was in the gardens, but I don't think it was the bush suggested. (n.b. Makris noted that the larvae seldom reached pupae stage on N glauca). Also Makris suggests the 2TP breeding on Orange and Grapefruit trees. Guess it'll remain a mystery for the moment.

[Michaeljf]

On the Gardens official website they have Osyris quadripartita as the larval plant of the 2TP - isn't the internet a wonderful resource?

http://www.gibraltargardens.gi/Butterflies.php