Holiday to Spain 2017 Part 5a
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 8:41 pm
Part 5a … a short interlude
14/08/17
As our last day’s holiday was the 19th I was acutely aware that time was running out for my “big trip out” . However, it wasn’t to be on this day though. My daughters were set on going out on a dolphin spotting trip so that’s what we did on a boat from Fuengirola …….. and didn’t see any dolphins . We saw a flying fish though . Understandably there was no proper refund but the policy was an offer to go again at half price for all customers who missed out. The others were keen to do so but I declined (nothing to do with sitting on a loud droning boat for 90 minutes being tossed around on a choppy sea you understand ) because this gave me the opportunity to get my big trip in while they did their thing Prior to our pleasure cruise I’d done my usual search on MP1. First of all, I searched a cleared area where I’d first seen the Sage (Cinquefoil) Skipper. No skippers but a fast flying orange-brown butterfly alerted me to the presence that a Wall Brown was about.
The Wall, as is often seen with this species, did not let me anywhere near it. The shots were taken with zoom on the FZ-72. At the far end of the track I veered to the left and down the hill getting closer to the A-7 and discovered an old shack (where I presume someone lived) . This is something I saw in Tenerife too when exploring ‘waste ground’ near the resort: a shed constructed of bits of woods, corrugated iron, water barrels and palm leaves .. .and that one was definitely inhabited .
As well as some new grasshoppers (see pics) I came across another of those ‘Grizzled Skippers’. The plant the butterfly was on reminded me of sage and it was actually these pictures which persuaded me to revise my ID from Pyrgus cirsii to Muschampa proto. On my way back to the others, I came across what looked like a small Gatekeeper butterfly. The butterfly was worn but nevertheless alert and difficult to get near to continually moving-on and parking itself in inaccessible places . Although the underside looked plainer, less ornate than the cecelia I was used to seeing, I concluded that this was just another Southern Gatekeeper: - but a male this time. All the other ones I’d seen up until that point must have been females . The day finished with dinner on the veranda and another visit from a field cricket Tomorrow would be the big day
Phil
14/08/17
As our last day’s holiday was the 19th I was acutely aware that time was running out for my “big trip out” . However, it wasn’t to be on this day though. My daughters were set on going out on a dolphin spotting trip so that’s what we did on a boat from Fuengirola …….. and didn’t see any dolphins . We saw a flying fish though . Understandably there was no proper refund but the policy was an offer to go again at half price for all customers who missed out. The others were keen to do so but I declined (nothing to do with sitting on a loud droning boat for 90 minutes being tossed around on a choppy sea you understand ) because this gave me the opportunity to get my big trip in while they did their thing Prior to our pleasure cruise I’d done my usual search on MP1. First of all, I searched a cleared area where I’d first seen the Sage (Cinquefoil) Skipper. No skippers but a fast flying orange-brown butterfly alerted me to the presence that a Wall Brown was about.
The Wall, as is often seen with this species, did not let me anywhere near it. The shots were taken with zoom on the FZ-72. At the far end of the track I veered to the left and down the hill getting closer to the A-7 and discovered an old shack (where I presume someone lived) . This is something I saw in Tenerife too when exploring ‘waste ground’ near the resort: a shed constructed of bits of woods, corrugated iron, water barrels and palm leaves .. .and that one was definitely inhabited .
As well as some new grasshoppers (see pics) I came across another of those ‘Grizzled Skippers’. The plant the butterfly was on reminded me of sage and it was actually these pictures which persuaded me to revise my ID from Pyrgus cirsii to Muschampa proto. On my way back to the others, I came across what looked like a small Gatekeeper butterfly. The butterfly was worn but nevertheless alert and difficult to get near to continually moving-on and parking itself in inaccessible places . Although the underside looked plainer, less ornate than the cecelia I was used to seeing, I concluded that this was just another Southern Gatekeeper: - but a male this time. All the other ones I’d seen up until that point must have been females . The day finished with dinner on the veranda and another visit from a field cricket Tomorrow would be the big day
Phil