In the wild west of Spain: Extremadura & Gredos in early May

John Muddeman
10/07/2012 00:21:44

A photo-blog combining the observations of two trips to the area in the first half of May, with the wildlife at its peak, especially in the Gredos mountains.

Posted in: Flora, Butterflies and Moths, Reptiles, Birds, Mammals, Endangered Wildlife and Habitats | Castile-Leon, Extremadura | Mainland Spain, Western Spain, Central Spain

A private trip to Extremadura with David for 4 days, looking principally for the abundant birdlife, was followed immediately by a week-long tour to Extremadura plus the Gredos mountains with a small group of three. Tragically, two other friends (Susan & Don) who were coming on this latter trip had to pull out just days before the trip started, so I dedicate this roughly chronologically ordered photo-blog to them.

Perhaps unexpected in Madrid, the Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker breeds at several sites
Dendrocopus minor© John Muddeman

Breeding plumaged Great Egret @ Arrocampo
Ardea alba© John Muddeman

A fairly recent colonist from N Africa, this is a female
Northern Banded Groundling dragonfly
Brachythemis impartita© John Muddeman

and an unusual wet meadow nearby houses a fine
colony of the scarce Lax-flowered Orchid
Orchis laxiflora© John Muddeman

Greater Broomrape near the Magasca river
Orobanche rapum-genistae© John Muddeman

A gorgeous Spanish Marbled White
Melanargia ines© John Muddeman

The ever impressive Eurasian Black Vulture
Aegypius monachus© John Muddeman

A 'No shooting' Eurasian Hoopoe!
Upupa epops© John Muddeman

A still fluffy Stone-curlew chick on the Trujillo plains
Burhinus oedicnemus© John Muddeman

Female Common Quail feeding on the roadside
Coturnix coturnix© John Muddeman

Back-lit, these mullein flowers were a roadside treat
Verbascum sp.© John Muddeman

A confiding male Barn Swallow, Talavan
Hirundo rustica© John Muddeman

Adult Black Stork in Monfragüe
Ciconia nigra© John Muddeman

The male Spanish Imperial Eagle of the Portilla
del Tiétar pair carrying the remains of a rabbit
Aquila adalberti© John Muddeman

While two Eurasian Eagle-owl chicks peered out
from their nesting ledge
Bubo-bubo© John Muddeman

A Long-tailed Blue butterfly supping salts
Lampides boeticus© John Muddeman

A gorgeous patch of this sprawling mallow sp.
caught our eye in the rice fields© John Muddeman

Where we also enjoyed seeing a few summer-
plumaged Grey Plover - a scarce bird here!
Pluvialis squatarola© John Muddeman

At the Tornavacas Pass numerous insects included
this solid-looking longhorn beetle
Iberodorcadion sp.© John Muddeman

and this colourful day-flying moth
Eurranthis plummistaria© John Muddeman

While a pasture in the middle Gredos
was full of exquisite Green-winged Orchids
Orchis morio© John Muddeman

Several Ocellated Lizards were sunning themselves
on one trackside bank in the Gredos
Timon lepidus© John Muddeman

Impressive banks of wild daffodils can
be seen in the Gredos
Narcissus pseudonarcissus© John Muddeman

And close up they look like this
Narcissus pseudonarcissus© John Muddeman

While on the main track appears another
delightful tiny wild daffodil: the Rock Narcissus
Narcissus rupicola© John Muddeman

and also the gorgeous Hoop-petticoat Narcissus
Narcissus bulbocodium© John Muddeman

Here Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush males are always
a stunning sight
Monticola saxatilis© John Muddeman

Along with this nonchalent-looking
male Spanish Ibex taking a break
Capra hispanica© John Muddeman

this colourful, basking male Schreiber's Green Lizard
Lacerta schreiberi© John Muddeman

A remarkable bright orange Bumble-bee
fed in the riverside pasture
Bombus sp.© John Muddeman

One of the very last new species was this
fine male Cirl Bunting
Emberiza cirlus© John Muddeman

Read more blog posts