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MALAGA SATURDAY 29 MARCH

Today we woke to pouring Spanish rain. It was expected to clear from the west,so we headed in that direction,up in the hills,to Ronda. We headed up the valley-a bit like Cwm Rhondda in south Wales-and saw kestrels,swallows,swifts and a kingfisher. As we got higher,a short-toed eagle was spotted and lots of griffon vultures. Once in Ronda,there was some sort of running and cycling event was taking place. Although it had now stopped raining,most of the participents were covered in mud! There was a band playing,too. Eventually,we found our way to the bull ring/museum. I'm not into bullfighting myself,but it is interesting to get a bit of Spanish culture while in their country. For an extra euro,they lend you an earphone, which explains all the things you are seeing as you walk around the bull-ring and museum. It was very good and,thankfully,the rain held off.Ronda is perched high on a rocky outcrop,with driveable access only on one side. On the other,and quite near the bull-ring,is a sheer drop of hundreds of feet-see picture below. Over this gorge,we saw our only butterfly of the day,a Large White. Also present were several pairs of lesser kestrels. By now,it was late afternoon,and time to head back. By now,most of the cloud had cleared the high hills,revealing fresh snow! Snow in south Spain? Well i never!

Here is a photo from our hotel balcony. From here,you can see what a big,sprawling city Malaga is. White taking this picture,a cattle egret flew past,with it's distinctive yellow bill,and spotless starlings were on a nearby lawn. A great start to the day!

MALAGA LAST DAY.SUNDAY 30 MARCH

Waking up to glorious blue skies,we decided to head up into the hills. Quite a few booted eagles were seen circling,gaining height,and then drifting off,probably on miration. Getting out of the car,our first thought was how cold it was! We soon realised no butterflies would be active at this height,so we made our way back down,and decided to walk some of the south-facing slopes above Malaga.Here,in a sheltered sun-trap,we soon saw our first butterflies,a Wall and a Spanish Festoon. Next was a Black-eyed Blue. We slowly made our way to the bottom of the slope,where a tiny buzzing butterfly was seen,a grizzled skipper that turned out to be a Red-underwing Skipper-new for the trip. Quite a few flowers were in bloom here,and these were attracting the butterflies,including several whites. Green Striped,Large,Small and our first Bath Whites. A slightly worn Brown Argus was present,too. Several Clouded Yellows were seen. It had proved quite a productive morning!

Lovely shots, Buzzard. That skipper positively glows.

Yes - really good photos. As David says, that red-underwing skipper is brilliant.

Guy

Thanks very much. I was delighted to see it. I did think of cropping the picture,but i try to keep keep cropping to a minimum,in case it reduces the quality,and spoils the enjoyment for people.

MALAGA LAST DAY PART 2

We were going to drive higher this afternoon,and search for habitats higher up. But this area was so productive,we decided to continue to search this area,increasing our time in the field,not in the car. We climbed the next hill,and at the top,several butterflies were hill-topping.As Guy mentioned last year,this is is when males gather on hilltops,waiting for virgin females to arrive. At least 3 Swallowtails,Walls and a Scarce Swallowtail,our first of the trip,were present here. Another Scarce was laying eggs on an almond tree lower down. Sometimes the 3 Swallowtails would go into combat. From a British point of view,an unusural thing to see. Then an uneasy truce would break out-untill the next time! Climbing another hill,several Black-eyed Blues were located,including the the female below.Athough it was clouding over,a couple of Red Admiral were hill-topping here,and a Swallowtail and Scarce Swallowtail were also present. Several burnet moths were feeding on flowers. All around,swallows,red rumped swallows,housemartins,swifts and alpine swifts were flying. Also on this hillside was a new species-the last of the trip. Checking among the Black-eyed Blues,one was different. It was a Long-tailed Blue,quickly followed by another. Making our way down the hill,another Red-underwing Skipper was on the path. As the sun reappeared,the day ended as it began-with a Wall. Walking back toward the hire car for the last time,we passed several bushes laden with oranges,and some rocks with several larks perched on top that were probably Thelka larks,and a few clumps of pink orchids. Now,it was time to head through Malaga to the airport,for our delayed flight home.

Some Great Shots Essex Buzzard, I loved the Festoons and Provence Orange Tip from a few posts back, and that photo of the wildflowers is stunning - very jealous

Very nice report, EB, with lovely photos.

Love the side on Scarce Swallowtail.

Best wishes,

Lee

That flower patch on the hillside looks quite special.

I bet it's teeming with insects come May.

SUMMARY

Our aim,when we booked this trip,was to kick-start the season,and also to see some of the spring European species which i usurally miss on my summer trips to Europe. It was a brilliant success. Good weather,flowers,birds and a great crop of butterflies in two great locations. And it didn't cost a fortune,either!

Highlights of the trip surely must be the Spanish Festoons. I was hoping to see a few and grab a few photo's. But they were everywhere! So mush so i was almost ignoring them in the end! Almost! The Provence (or Moroccan) Orangetips were great,too,as were the Green-striped Whites. All species one would miss if they went in summer.

On the debit side,i couldn't find the Provence Hairstreak,that curious half Small Copper half Green Hairstreak butterfly,which i was hoping to see. I would like to go back in a couple of years,if so,i will do some more research first.

A few more pictures from our last afternoon in Malaga,of species mentioned in my last post,to follow shortly.

Those last few pictures. Enjoy!

ANEMONE DAY!

Last Wednesday,2 April, i headed off to Stour Wood,part of the RSPB's Stour Wood and Copperas Bay reserve. The bay is good for birds,especially in winter. But in Spring,it's the wonderful carpet of wood anemones i come to see. What a spectacular sight they are! This is perhaps one of the best carpets of woodland flowers on earth-and it's right here in Essex! Colour is everywhere now. On the edge of the wood,horse-chestnut trees were resplendant in bright fresh green leaves.

Lovely images, Buzzard. Wood Anemone is undoubtedly one of the finest wild flowers of the British Isles. It's wonderful to see them carpeting the woodlands at this time of year.

Thanks David. Do you get them in South Wales? When you see them en masse like that,they are an absolute treasure to see. Such simple flowers,they have to be one of my favorites!

9 APRIL

With another fine day expected,this morning i headed off to Hylands Park,near Chelmsford. In late summer,this is the location of the V-Festival. But at this time of the year,this big park has many treaures. The meadows were full of dandylions. Ignored by many,i think they are atractive close to. It's not just me,either,several Peacocks,and a few Small Tortoiseshells,were feeding on them.

At the bottom of the park is the river. On the banks,are beds of stinging nettles. These nettlebeds were alive with Small Torts and Peacocks. Some were clearly males,as they were chasing everything that came near.But many more were females,laying eggs. While there were pleny of nettles to choose from,the Peacock and Small Tort in the picture were laying on the same leaf! While i was watching this fascinating behavior,i noticed cuckoo flower,or ladies smock,was in flower in the damper areas. This means Orangetip season is here. Sure enough,an Orangetip flew past,which i chased until it landed. This was the only one i saw,suggesting emergence is in the early stages. Lovely to see,i truely love this species. Later,while walking by the river,i disturbed another white from the grass. My first Green-veined White of the year!

A very nice morning,in lovely surroundings.

essexbuzzard wrote:While there were pleny of nettles to choose from,the Peacock and Small Tort in the picture were laying on the same leaf!

Excellent observation, Mark!

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks Pete. I found it extraordinary that,despite having a whole riverbank to choose from,two different species were laying on the same leaf. There must have been something about it that was better than all the others!

It was too cold in East Anglia for butterflies today,but a couple of times in the last week or so,i have managed to sneek out at lunchtime to check out the edge of a nearby farm field. I was well rewarded,with Brimstones,Orange Tips, Green-veined and Large Whites,Small Torts and abundant Peacocks-they are having a great start this year! Some were feeding on oilseed rape. I couldn't resist a photo of an Orange Tip.

Willow warblers have returned from Africa. They have declined greatly in southern England in recent years,although the opposite is the case in the north-west. Their lovely,descending song would be a great loss to the countryside were it to disappear.

SUPER SUSSEX!

I enjoy living where i do but it must be said,Essex,and East Anglia in general,can be a bit lacking in terms of butterfly species. So yesterday,Thursday,with the promise of improving weather, i headed down to Sussex for my first day trip of the year.

I spent the morning at Mill Hill, a south-west facing slope near Shoreham. Here fly Grizzled and Dingy Skippers. With the sun now rising,it wasn't long before i saw a grey blur shoot past-my first Grizzled Skipper. As the day warmed,more were seen. Some were already a little worn,but most were fresh and absolutely gorgeous! Then i started to see my first Dingy Skippers-slightly larger and browner. Several Brimstones were about,and a sparkling male Wall was too quick for a photo. Not so a lovely Green Hairstreak, it was sitting on a spray of flowering hawthorn for several minutes. At the bottom of the slope,an adder was basking and this small pink moth was seen. All too soon,it was lunchtime,and time to head elsewhere...

Hi Mark,
Great to see you in Sussex! That first shot of a Grizzly is particularly good - a real stonker. The Green Hairstreak is mint fresh - it's a shame they lose their condition so quickly. Hope to catch up again soon.
BWs, Neil

I too love the photos. What camera/lens do you use? I could almost believe the butterflies and moth were in the room with me. It was also great to see the Black Eyed Blue on your recent trip to Malaga as it is a species I have never seen and it certainly got the pulse racing. I am very tempted to do an early trip for spring species I have made a special trip to the Greek island of Chios to see one of my favourite butterflies (yes you've guessed it) the False Apollo and I wasn't disappointed. I did go to Northern Greece last year for Eastern Greenish Black Tip but they were virtually over when I arrived, and as they fly so fast, I only saw a couple of blurred flypasts. I did however visit Madeira in February 2013 where I saw hundreds of Clouded Yellows throughout the island. It looks like you got your timing spot on in Malaga and I'd also love to see Provence Hairstreak!

Regards
Mike
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