Scotland ~ Days 7-9

~Friday~

On this day we decided to visit Sanna Bay; the beach here is probably one of the most beautiful in the UK, and so it was with no hesitation that we spent a while exploring what the dunes had to offer. Lots of Sand Martins were visiting their colonies (the peninsular as a whole had an abundance of these), and a male Wheatear was busy collecting food.

Wheatear 

On our drive back we pulled into a lay-by to scan the ridges for eagles. Alas there were none, but we were still very glad we stopped as we had very good views of a pair of Whinchat, along with my first Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary of the trip.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Male Whinchat

~Saturday~

As it was my final full day at the house, I decided to start the day by getting up early and explore the woods near the cottage. 3 Wood Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher were good to see.

Wood Warbler

We then drove to the RSPB's Glenborrodale reserve. En route we stopped as Matt spotted a large raptor just breaking the horizon, which excitingly turned out to be a Golden Eagle!

Golden Eagle

The reserve itself provided a very pleasant walk with 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a reeling Grasshopper Warbler, several Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and 1 very fresh looking Chequered Skipper!

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Chequered Skipper

Chequered Skipper

~Sunday~

The long drive back from the highlands to Rugby took all day, though a brief stop near Arnside yielded a few Northern Brown Argus, the 2nd butterfly lifer of the trip for me!

Northern Brown Argus

Spain Trip Report (of sorts..!)

Last weekend I spent 4 days in the Sierra de Andujar in southern Spain (approximately 3 hours north of Malaga). The main target of the trip was the critically endangered Iberian Lynx which, regrettably, I failed to see! However I saw a wealth of wildlife much of which I have had high on my wishlist for a number of years. I won't go through the exact details (much of the information regarding seeing Lynx is readily available online) so instead I'll just share some photos of some of my favourite moments from the trip.

Getting there was thankfully straightforward with return flights to Malaga available relatively cheaply and our accommodation at Villa Matilde was great and in an ideal location for Lynx searching.

Whilst at Sierra de Andujar, we split our time between La Lancha and Encinarejo (mainly the former) and visited the Guadalhorce reserve in Malaga upon arrival at the airport. We also briefly stopped at El Torcal near Antequera on our return in search of Spanish Ibex which we had failed to see at La Lancha. The wildlife highlights (these are just some of over 100 species seen on the trip) include:

White-Headed Duck
At least 8 seen at Guadalhorce including a couple of black-headed individuals (this is a variation in 1st winter males).

Greater Flamingo
3 at Guadalhorce (all 1st-winters) including one that showed very well briefly along the river.

Griffon Vulture
Relatively common at Sierra de Andujar (and a few seen at El Torcal) including flocks of 40+ birds riding thermals.

Black (Cinnaerous) Vulture
3 seen near La Lancha including one low individual

Spanish Imperial Eagle
A couple seen near La Lancha including one circling with a small group Griffon Vultures.

Booted Eagle
1 seen distantly at Guadalhorce.

Zitting Cisticola
A surprisingly large number displaying at Guadalhorce including some birds showing well.

Sardinian Warbler
Relatively abundant

Dartford Warbler
Common in Sierra de Andujar

Crested Tit
2 at La Lancha

Black Redstart
Very common!

Crested Lark
4 seen distantly at Guadalhorce

Thekla Lark

2 unexpectedly seen near La Lancha

Blue Rock Thrush
An adult male and 1st-winter male seen near La Lancha

Iberian Grey Shrike
A couple seen near La Lancha

Azure-Winged Magpies
Fairly common at Sierra de Andujar with small, mobile flocks very noticeable in the valley near La Lancha. Generally quite shy but we got very good views at Encinarejo. One of my favourite species form the trip!

Monk Parakeets
Frequently seen flying over in Malaga and I eventually located a flock feeding on berries just outside the Guadalhorce reserve.

Chough
2 at La Lancha

Hoopoe
2 seen at Guadalhorce, 1 near La Lancha and a group of 4 along the Encinarejo trail.

Spotless Starling
A few seen most days.

Serin
Common across the region often associating with Goldfinches and Greenfinches.

Hawfinch
A flock of 3 near La Lancha  and at least 12 along the Encinarejo trail.

Rock Bunting
2 at La Lancha and relatively common at El Torcal including a very approachable female in the car park.

Crag Martin
Several at Guadalhorce and seen occasionally at Sierra de Andujar.

Wild Boar
1 seen near La Lancha

Mouflon
3 seen near La Lancha

Spanish Ibex
Having failed to see them at La Lancha we stopped off at El Torcal on our journey back to the airport. After some searching I eventually came across a herd(?) of 16 animals. A bit of clambering over the rocks and I had superb views!