Andalucia

[Padfield]

These are just wonderful pictures! I'm glad the monarchs are back on the Rock. I saw my only European monarchs in the Trafalgar cemetery too, but I was told they disappeared later. Such a mobile butterfly can come and go as it pleases, I suppose.

When you talk about the 'tropical gardens' do you mean the Alameida gardens, or are there some other gardens?

Look forward to more pictures...

Guy

[Michaeljf]

When you talk about the 'tropical gardens' do you mean the Alameida gardens, or are there some other gardens? Guy

Yep, sorry Guy - it's my semantics (or the fact I didn't realise that was the official name) when I talk about the Gibraltar or Tropical Gardens I mean the Alameida gardens.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos - glad you're enjoying them! I shouldn't get too excited about the other photos though, I think I peaked on the Tuesday and it was quickly downhill afterwards

Michael

[Lee Hurrell]

Wow!

Stunning, Michael.

Cheers

Lee

[Michaeljf]

Day Nine: Wednesday 4th August
For a change - a slightly later start today - but we were in Sotogrande for around 9 am and a Paraje Natural on the estuary leading up to Rio Guadiaro as it sweeps through the Village of Sotogrande. The small section of coast unfortunately wasn’t worth visiting – only a fledgling Red-Rumped Swallow and the odd terrapin were visible at the Estuary right next to the communal beach. Even the local Bird-Hide was locked. For an ex-golfer it was mildly exciting to be so near to the Valderamma golf club: with the obviously wealthy clientele this was like a little Wentworth residence back in Surrey. We drove back to near Estepona and spent the rest of the day at the local Sello Safari Park, which was a pleasant (though expensive) interlude.

Day Ten: Thursday 5th August – Back to Gibraltar
Back to the usual early start, and back to driving into Gibraltar at 7:30 in the morning. This time we were greeted by mild conditions but another belt of cloud around the rock. Instead of spending the morning at the Botanic Gardens, we got the Cable-Car straight up to the upper rock – thinking that the view would make a great panorama – unfortunately one side of the rock was covered in the thick cloud. Walking past the Barbary Apes we made our way to the top of the rock and then down the Mediterranean steps, but there were no ‘early morning birds’, just a few very large spiders. The weather was sweltering and even making half the walk down and back the steps was hard work! I did see one Two-tailed Pasha passing but a photo would have been impossible.

Soon we were back in the Tropical Gardens – there were plenty of butterflies about, namely Cleopatra’s, the odd Monarch and Scarce Swallowtail, various common blues and short-tailed blues. However, I wanted to see if I could get some better shots of the Two-Tailed Pashas. This proved elusive: the 2TP’s had changed their habits from a few days previously: the cleaners had taken the rotten fruit off the floor of the playground, so there wasn’t much for the butterflies to stop and get excited about! Instead they were spending their time on the railings, on the food-plant bushes, flying around the tree and doing some courtship flying routines. Soon there were one or two fruits on the ground with a bit of help from myself, but its always amazing how butterflies behaviour can change from one day to the next. Again we went to Nelson’s cemetery and the Monarchs were still flying around the Cemetery with several returns to the beds of flowers that must have been the local milkweeds. These specimens looked in slightly worse condition so I assume there must have been at least 5 different Monarchs flying round the Cemetery.

Day Eleven: Friday 6th August – Last day
In two minds whether to try another different site or stay with one that had proved worth visiting, we returned again to La Sierra de la Utrera and Sierra Crestellina. We walked about two-thirds through the gorge but the flowers at the entrance of the Gorge proved to be the best spot for butterflies – of which there were less than previous days, though there were a few more local birds mostly in the form of Stonechats. Returning to Sierra Crestellina we again saw the Short-Toed Eagles. We followed this by stopping at the Valley of Rio Genal where we saw several dragonflies and frogs by the local river, and also stopped at the very pretty village of Casares.

By Saturday we were leaving Spain, though there was just time to see Michelle Obama’s private plane sitting on the Malaga runway as we left. As much as it was hot in Andalucia, soon we were back in a slightly chillier Wales, and immediately wished we had never left Spain...

A grey mist hangs over Gibraltar

No view of a Gibraltar Panorama with cloud over half the view...

Gibraltar 's Barbary Apes

Barbary Apes - not my cup of tea, but still worth a photo!

Two Tailed Pasha - the same as the first one I'd seen on Tuesday

2TP, now preferring to spend time on the Garden Gates

Re-appearance of the Geranium Bronze

2TP resting on Osyris quadripartita (possibly)

Flying Courtship ritual - if only the lens had focused properly!

The Playground Fruit Tree, still popular even on the 2nd day

Goodbye to the Gardens for this year

Monarch Butterfly nectaring from Milkweed flowers

Slightly patchy Monarch in the Cemetery

Within the Gorge at La Sierra de la Utrera

[Michaeljf]

So, there you are. The last of a brief diary of my trip to Southern Spain. As great as the highlights were - the Two-Tailed Pasha, The Swallowtail and the Monarch butterflies particularly - I still expected to see more species of both Butterflies and Birds. I'm in half a mind whether to go again in Spring sometime next year or 2012, as I'm sure there would be more wildlife and flowers in the spring to really enjoy the landscape properly (also under a slightly milder temperature). I hope you enjoyed the images and commentary, and hope that if anyone is considering a trip to either Gibraltar or Andalucia it might give you a few pointers of where to go, and where not to go...!

Michael

Short-Toed Eagle at Sierra Crestellina, in between the Cork Oaks

Short-Toed Eagle swoops overhead again

Flying round Sierra Crestellina

Two Short-Toed Eagles flying together

The pretty village of Casares

Frog in the Rio Genal riverbank

The Riverbank Frog

[Vince Massimo]

Excellent report Michael, and some fantastic photos. I particularly liked the images of the eagles, dolphins (always difficult) and of course the Two-Tailed Pashas and Monarchs. Gibraltar is now on my to-do list.

Vince

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Michael,

I agree with Vince, a wonderful report with really lovely pictures.

I'd like to go there too. I didn't realise Gilbraltar was as small as that, assuming that was the whole rock in your panorama shot.

All the best,

Lee

[NickB]

...I'm sure there would be more wildlife and flowers in the spring to really enjoy the landscape properly (also under a slightly milder temperature)......
Michael

So what would be the "best" time to go...? Easter? Or late April?
Looks like you had a good trip, anyway!
Nick

[Padfield]

Your view of the Rock with cloud shows the Levanter brewing up. This is the Eastern wind that rises over the Rock creating a very characteristic (and classic) local cloud cover, which seems to pour over the top of the Rock from the East. It may shade the western slopes and the town, but is very local and the moles are often left quite clear. It does change the behaviour of the butterflies, and two-tailed pashas in particular, even before the cloud gets dense. Westerly winds do not create cloud cover unless they bring clouds independently.

Anyone thinking of travelling to Gibraltar in spring might like to read my diary from 2007, which I have linked to before on these forums. You need to read from 19th February:

http://www.guypadfield.com/butterflyyear2007.html

Guy

[Michaeljf]

Thanks all for the kind comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos and diary summary. I've already had good success with butterfly spotting/photography this year thanks to other comments on this site, the least I can do is do the same, if only in a small way!

Guy - interesting comments on the cloud (or Levanter). I had a brief read of your diary from February 2007. I'm off tonight to Kent to see family and do a bit of horse-y photography in the morning, so I will have a look at the pictures properly when I come back.

Lee - Gibraltar is that small, but there's plenty to see, and certainly enough hard walking to do up on the rock. I admit that a couple of years ago I considered Gibraltar as a holiday destination (I probably looked at Guy's site in my deliberations!). In the end I didn't go to Gib earlier because I thought I would miss the natural landscape for my panoramic photography etc. In the end I visited Cyprus twice in the hope of seeing the Two-Tailed Pasha and didn't see one, though Cyprus has it's own unique beauty (certainly the Akamas Peninsula is worth going on its own).

As to the best time to go in Spring, interesting that Guy was seeing Festoons in February. I reckon for me timing would have to be April or May to see the arrival of the migratory birds as well. And I do like a bit of warmth in the spring, especially after a cold winter in Wales . Whether I could do another trip to Andalucia next year is another question entirely - 'we' would still would like to go to the Italian Dolomites, the Swiss Alps, South Africa, Croatia and France again in the next three years or so. So unless I win the lottery I'm going to have to be chosy and we'll be lucky to visit one or two places per year. Then again, there's certain species I don't want to miss in Britain next year, and I have had the offer of staying in Sandwich (Kent) at the time of The Open Championship for a bit of golf photography. Ho hum. So much to do, so little time

[David M]

Safe journey back, Michael. It won't surprise you to hear that S.Wales is still in the sixties (and has been ever since you went away).

[Pete Eeles]

Great report - now added to the "Trip Reports" section

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/reports.php#tripreports

Thanks Michael!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Michaeljf]

Great report - now added to the "Trip Reports" section :)Cheers, - Pete

Thanks Pete. I'm just working my way through the rest of the Trip Reports in that section, and your trip report to Bulgaria is one that stands out. It seems you'd seen almost all the species I am hoping to see next year (including Bee-eaters!) - great that you have given the area destinations too, so I may yet decide to go there. We shall see!

David - thanks for the welcome back. Driving back to Wales today it looks like South Wales has had the better of the weather this weekend!

[Padfield]

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

Well spotted Roger! I saw the picture but missed the caption. I agree, that is certainly a tree grayling. In Andalucia the species is already on the wing at the beginning of July (probably true in the south of France too, where you see them, Roger). I remember getting very excited about my first ones on 9th July 1983. In Switzerland, though, they're a September/October insect and there were none on the wing yet when I left for the UK this August.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

I am not 100% convinced that the Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae) from 9 August is actually that. Those white discal marks on the hindwing look very pronounced (usually not present or very pale in alceae) and I wonder if Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus boeticus) is a possibility. There has been a debate as to whether alceae COULD have pronounced white marks, and I believe the conclusion was that it could. There is a suggestion of a wavy post-discal line on the hindwing, also indicative of boeticus, but it is not conclusive and it may be that alceae can have indistinct pale, rather wavy, lines here, too.

This is a shot of alceae with nicely open wings:
http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/html ... es_27Jun09_

Michael’s shot looks to be a close match for the boeticus photo in the PACA atlas, and I am sure they will not be wrong. The boeticus summer generation is browner than the spring generation.

According to Lafranchis, boeticus is principally an Iberian species and flies in Andalucia in the summer.

However, I have not actually seen boeticus, but I have seen hundreds of alceae in France and none had these clear white discal marks. Maybe the Spanish populations of alceae have these white marks. I am also fairly confident that it is not a Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae) or Tufted Marbled (Carcharodus flocciferus).

I am not suggesting the “downgrading” of an ID of a rare species to a common species, actually quite the reverse. For that reason, the evidence needs to be convincing and the probability is that it is alceae. An expert opinion from someone who is familiar with the species (Matt?) would be interesting here.

Roger

[Padfield]

Strong white spots are common in Swiss alceae! But good thinking, Roger.

Michael's mallow skipper struck me as unexceptional, but I've never yet seen boeticus and when I've looked for it, of course, it's always been the underside that has interested me. It would be very interesting if we can string it into boeticus from the ups alone - I'll try when I get back to Switzerland and have my books to hand! Unless, Michael has an uns picture somewhere. Even a poor picture might settle the question.

I agree with Roger it's not one of the other Carcharodus that fly in the region.

Guy

[Michaeljf]

Hi Guy & Roger,
unfortunately I didn't get an underside shot of the Skipper - otherwise I would gladly upload it here. Below is the first photo again and a few more pictures of the same Skipper (Mallow or Southern Marbled) I'm not sure if they clarify things any more than previously. Apologies that the images aren't sharper. I am impressed by Rogers photos.

[Roger Gibbons]

So it was your alceae that scotched the white spot theory, Guy! I would have expected the Andalucia alceae to be similar to the Var alceae, but populations do vary.

Semi-rhetorical, but here is a photo of the boeticus from the PACA atlas published by OPIE, the French entomological society, a very learned body. What is there here that says boeticus rather than alceae?

It seems to have been a year of very puzzling ID questions. At least, for me.

Roger

[Matsukaze]

Hi All,

I'll be spending next week in Malaga city. Are there likely to be many butterflies on the wing, or would they mostly have finished for the year by now?

[Michaeljf]

Well considering we've still got butterflies here, I would think so. Species like the Queen of Spain Fritillary are supposed to be Trivoltine in brood, so they should be going into October. Your biggest problem would be where you are. Apart from Gibraltar I didn't see any butterflies in the cities, so you'll need to get into the country to see some species, I would think. Good luck - I hope you see some while you are out there. Should be good for Birding if you are interested.
Michael