Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Naturetrek Tour Report 12 - 16 June 2017 Report compiled by Niki Williamson Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour participants: Simon Tonkin & Niki Williamson (leaders) with eleven Naturetrek clients Summary This five-day exploration of the fascinating Lepidoptera of the Strait of Gibraltar and around yielded butterfly and moth species of all shapes and sizes, from tiny Lang’s Short-tailed Blue up to soaring Monarch and Two- tailed Pasha, with a colourful array of Swallowtails, skippers, hawk-moths, waves and thorns in between! As well as delving in moth traps and chasing speedy butterflies, the group enjoyed relaxed days in perfect weather, taking in all the gorgeous birds, botany, scenery, culture and cuisine southern Andalusia has to offer. Day 1 Monday 12th June Simon and Niki met the group at Malaga airport, where they arrived from the UK on several different but closely timed flights, and whisked them away on the easy 90-minute journey to the Tarifa area. Our accommodation at the beautiful Huerta Grande eco-lodge is set in seven hectares of wooded grounds at the edge of the Alcornacales Natural Park. Our hosts had prepared a light lunch for us on our arrival, and we were able to unwind and absorb the tranquillity of our surroundings, seeing our first Speckled Wood (orange, rather than deeper brown here) and Monarch while we took a relaxed picnic. A lone Geranium Bronze popped in to say hello, and we spotted several Purple Hairstreaks flitting around the oak trees. We settled in to our lodgings in old colonial houses amongst the gardens, surrounded by singing Serin, Firecrest, Short-toed Treecreeper and Iberian Chiffchaff. In the late afternoon we headed out to explore the nearby countryside. Huerta Grande is ideally situated, with the largest cork oak forest in Europe to the north, and the Strait Natural Park stretching south to the sea, so we were in immediate reach of a range of different habitats. Moving down through the extensively grazed meadows, butterflies were numerous and included Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown and Wall Brown, as well as the impressive Cleopatra. Descending towards the sea through the forests, we came across Holly Blue, Spanish Gatekeeper and the intricately patterned Ilex Hairstreak. We headed back to the lodge to set up our moth traps, and more importantly to enjoy one of Antonio’s gin and tonics before our first delicious three course meal of the trip. Day 2 Tuesday 13th June Thanks to Ron for having packed his own moth trap (but no clothes!), we had not one but two treasure troves to sort through this morning – one from outside the Commandante house and one from the wooded area where the eco-lodge’s log cabins are situated. We did this with a breakfast break in the middle and soon had a fair haul of interesting species to admire and photograph. Among the pretty Waved Umbers, Willow Beauties and Spiny Hooktips were UK migrant Vestals, and the show was pretty much stolen by an enormous Oak Hawk-moth. We headed out to the Bolonia area, to explore the mountainous and coastal habitats there. At the top of Sierra de la Plata, after driving up through a maquis-covered landscape of Fan Palm and Cistus, we paused to take in the stunning view out over Algeciras Bay and the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia stretching out below us. There was a © Naturetrek July 17 1 Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report stiff breeze up here, but we had nice sightings of a Swallowtail butterfly. Above us, a pair of Common Kestrels called as they took it in turns to mob the Ravens which were getting too near their nest. We were also lucky enough to find an incredibly confiding male Blue Rock Thrush, which remained perched up on a boulder beside the road allowing great views. Taking a lower track around the mountainside, we stopped for our picnic next to a colony of some seventy pairs of Griffon Vultures, which delighted us by soaring low over our heads and screeching from their perches like prehistoric beasts. A Booted Eagle and a lone Egyptian Vulture also graced our lunchtime break. Wandering down the track a little further, we found a glade between Cork Oak trees which was rich in Lepidoptera. As well as the numerous browns, we found Bath White, Red Admiral, Southern Gatekeeper and Southern Brown Argus. The area also yielded Mallow, Small and Red Underwing Skippers, as well as Long-tailed and Lang’s Short-tailed Blues. Pleased with our sightings, we moved down the hill to the attractive coastal village of Bolonia, where a well- earned ice cream was called for! Suitably refreshed, we headed out along a beachfront boardwalk to explore the Tamarisk-dominated scrub and Stone Pine forests. For many, the find of the day was not actually a Lepidoptera, but a rather beautiful little Mediterranean Chameleon! We had hoped to find one of the small resident population of them here, and thanks to Gill’s keen eyes, we did. Day 3 Wednesday 14th June Last night we moved the main Robinson trap to a more open glade in the woodland, around the car park and reception area. The move paid off, and our breakfast moth haul was even better than yesterday’s. Lunar, Canary- shouldered and August Thorns, Small and Least Black Arches, Pale Shoulder, Latin, Scarce Footman, Passenger and Guernsey Underwing all awaited us, with local specialties Scarce Blackneck and Campaea honoraria (commonly known as Embellished Thorn) providing the cherries on our Lepidopteran cake! Once we’d sorted through them it was time to head back to the UK! Happily this was only twenty minutes away, across the border in the bizarre British enclave of Gibraltar. Taking a cablecar up the famous Rock of Gibraltar itself, we were able to enjoy the spectacular views of the Strait as well as having close encounters (some might say too close!) with the resident Barbary Macaques. A stroll round the Alameda Botanical Gardens was a real high point, yielding Geranium Bronze, Lang’s Short- tailed Blue, clouds of floating Monarchs and the spectacular Two-tailed Pasha, Europe’s largest butterfly. We enjoyed watching this massive concentration of Monarch’s (the only place in mainland Europe you can see them at this concentration) as we recorded them for prosperity on our memory cards (both electronically and mentally). We took our picnic lunch at Gibraltar Point lighthouse, at the peninsula’s southern end. Looking out to sea we were able to add Cory’s Shearwater and a pod of Common Dolphins to our wildlife list. After our obligatory ice cream, we headed back over the border, making a final stop for the day at La Marchenilla area just west of Algeciras. The flower-rich pastures in this area are a haven for wildlife thanks to the low intensity of grazing and lack of fertilizer use. Moroccan Orange Tip, Swallowtail, Large and Small Whites, Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, 2 © Naturetrek July 17 Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report Red Admiral, Wall and Meadow Brown were all present in this habitat, amongst others. We also had fantastic views of a pair of Woodchat Shrikes sat up on a pylon, a Booted Eagle, and an unusual ‘Gibraltar Buzzard’ (a hybrid of Common and Atlas Long-legged Buzzards that occurs in this area). Then it was back to Huerta Grande to relax with a refreshing drink, before another of chef Juan Carlos’s superb three-course meals. Tonight’s menu featured Pisto - a traditional Andalusian shepherd’s dish of courgette, garlic and tomato, topped with a gently-poached egg and accompanied with fresh local artisan bread. Moving outside to finish our wine in the balmy dusk, we enjoyed an extraordinary aerial display by dozens of Migrant Hawker dragonflies, newly arrived and busily hunting small flying insects above us. Day 4 Thursday 15th June This morning brought news that Gill, who had brought her bat detector, had recorded not only Kuhl’s Pipistrelle around the Reception area but also Daubenton’s around the swimming pool! Today’s morning moth session made it clear there were plenty of nocturnal things for them to eat, and brought yet more new species. Amongst the species added to the list were Coral-bordered Wave, Spanish Chinese Character, the small reddish Ocneria rubea, Sorceror, Lydd Beauty, Egyptian, UK migrant Blair’s Mocha, Red Data Book Dingy Mocha, and Pinion- streaked Snout. Today we explored the El Cabrito area in the Strait Natural Park. Farm tracks through this area of mixed Cork Oak, Wild Olive, scrub and pasture land wend pleasingly through glades and across streams all the way to the coast, giving a lovely mixture of habitats to explore. Amongst the Field Scabious, Sage-leaved Cistus and Golden Thistle we saw many butterflies including Berger’s Clouded Yellow, Bath White, Cleopatra, Ilex Hairstreak and more views of Two-tailed Pasha sailing past. The numerous streams crossing our path yielded Copper Demoiselles, Orange-Spotted Emerald and Long Skimmer dragonflies, proving our proximity to Africa with these special species of the area. We took our picnic lunch in a secluded valley with lots of Cork Oak trees to sit under, before taking a stroll along a river valley at the base of the hills. Here, the vegetation had formed a canuta or loose tunnel, making an incredibly picturesque setting to watch many Monarchs flitting peacefully around the pink-flowered Oleander bushes.