Butterflies & 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 & Moths of Andalucia

Tour participants: Simon Tonkin & Niki Williamson (leaders) with eleven Naturetrek clients

Summary

This five-day exploration of the fascinating of the Strait of Gibraltar and around yielded and 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 . 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 to the north, and the Strait Natural Park stretching south to the sea, so we were in immediate reach of a range of different . 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 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, 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

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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 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,

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

Red Admiral, Wall and Meadow Brown were all present in this , 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 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 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.

After taking our daily ice cream, we spent the rest of the afternoon at a strip of coastal heath, along the narrowest part of the Strait, where the cliffs of and meet the waters of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and Africa looks only a stone’s throw away. Here, moths and butterflies make the crossing between continents as well as soaring raptors, such as the Painted Lady we saw here. We also managed to connect with a pair of handsome Black-eared Wheatears and a Tawny Pipit.

On the way home we made one last stop for the birders in the group. It seemed wrong to be so close to Tarifa without visiting the bustling Lesser Kestrel colony which has made its home in the seafront fort. By now the chicks are close to fledging, and we enjoyed seeing their faces appearing at the front of the nesting holes while their busy parents brought them large-bodies insects and small reptiles to eat.

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

Day 5 Friday 16th June

The moth traps this morning had a little more green in the palate, with a Scarce Silver Lines and Earias albovenosana, reminiscent of Cream-bordered Green Pea. We also had a rather lovely Small Lappet, presumed extinct in the UK, and more additions to the Waves, which in the end included Bright, Ochraceous, Dwarf Cream, Small Dusty, Portland Riband and Coral-bordered.

We had a leisurely start to the morning, allowing everyone plenty of time to pack and relax. We then headed up the hill into the ‘cloud forest’ area of the Alcornacales Natural Park, where moisture from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic gathers in the hills and ensures humid conditions all year round. Here we showed the group a colony of the endangered casi-endemic Portuguese Sundew Drosophyllum lusitanicum. Apart from populations in and Northern Morocco, this carnivorous plant is only recorded in this part of Spain and is becoming increasingly rare due to habitat destruction. It catches its small prey by entrapping them in sticky red baubles on its and stem, where it asphyxiates and digests them. The group was able to witness this sinister little plant trapping flies first hand.

Before leaving we took a final walk around the grounds, exploring some of the gardens and wooded areas we had not yet visited, and enjoying Huerta Grande’s Speckled Woods, Monarchs and Purple Hairstreaks for one last time.

With that it was time to say “Hasta luego!” to our hosts and take our Lepidopteran tales and memories back to the UK, via Malaga airport.

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

Species Lists

Moths (96 species)

Common Name Scientific name Tinea trinotella Bordered Ermel Ethmia bipunctella Carcina quercana Stygia australis Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana Meal Moth Pyralis farinalis Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia (O.) glaucinalis Endotricha flammealis repandana Scoparia ambigualis Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis Common Purple & Gold Pyrausta purpuralis Olive- Pearl Palpita vitrealis Long-legged China-mark punctalis Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella Small Lappet Phyllodesma ilicifolia Oak Hawk-moth Marumba quercus Spiny Hook-tip Watsonalla uncinula Chinese Character glaucata 'Spanish Character' Cilix hispanica Dorset Cream Wave trimaculata Banded Grey Rhoptria asperaria Horse Chestnut Pachycnemia hippocastanaria Brimstone Moth luteolata Canary-shouldered Thorn Ennomos alniaria Lunar Thorn lunularia Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria rhomboidaria Lydd Beauty repandata Brindled White-spot Parectropis similaria Adactylotis gesticularia Embellished Thorn Campaea honoraria Jersey Emerald Pseudoterpna coronillaria Dingy Mocha pendularia Blair's Mocha Small Blood-vein Scopula imitaria Bright Wave ochrata Ochraceous Wave Dwarf Cream Wave Idaea seriata Treble Brown Spot Coral-bordered Wave Idaea ostrinaria Portland Ribbon Wave Vestal Rhodometra sacraria Gem Orthonama obstipata Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

Common Name Scientific name Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata Marbled Brown dodonaea Raphia hybris Pinion-streaked Snout Schrankia costaestrigalis Passenger Dysgonia algira Scarce Blackneck Lygephila craccae Sorcerer leucomelas Four-spotted Tyta luctuosa Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni Spectacle Abrostola tripartita Scarce Marbled minutata Purple Marbled Small Marbled Brocade platyptera Bordered Straw Heliothis peltigera Platyperigea aspersa Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua Brown Rustic ferruginea Guernsey Underwing sericata Latin juventina Latreille's Latin Beautiful Yellow Underwing Anarta myrtilli Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea Flame Shoulder Ochropleura plecta Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum Pearly Underwing Peridroma saucia Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum Ocneria rubea Yellow-tail Euproctis similis Small Black Arches Meganola strigula Least Black Arches confusalis Scarce Silver-lines Bena bicolorana [Cream-bordered Green Pea type] Earias albovenosana mesogona Four-spotted Footman Lithosia quadra Scarce Footman Eilema complana Speckled Footman Coscinia cribraria Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa Pale Shoulder Acontia lucida Drymonia querna Dark-crimson Underwing sponsa Blairs Mocha Cyclophora puppilaria Alchymist alchymista False Mocha Small Marbled Eublemma parva Chrysocrambus dentuellus Phyllodesma suberifolia

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

Butterflies (=recorded but not counted) June Common name Scientific name 12 13 14 15 16 PAPILIONIDAE

1 Swallowtail Papilio machaon ✓ ✓ ✓

2 Large White Pieris brassicae ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3 Small White Pieris rapae ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4 Bath White Pontia daplidice ✓ ✓ 5 Morocco Orange Tip Anthocharis belia ✓ 6 Clouded Yellow Colias crocea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 7 Berger's Clouded Yellow Colias australis ✓ 8 Brimstone rhamni ✓ 9 Cleopatra Gonepteryx Cleopatra ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

10 Monarch Danaus plexippus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 11 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta ✓ ✓ 12 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 13 Two-tailed Pasha Charaxes jasius ✓ ✓ SATYRIDAE

14 Meadow Brown Miniola jurtina.hispulla ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 15 Spanish Gatekeeper bathseba ✓ ✓ ✓ 16 Southern Gatekeeper ✓ ✓ ✓ 17 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 18 Wall Brown Lasiommata megera ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ LYCAENIDAE

19 Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus ✓ ✓ ✓ 20 Ilex Hairstreak Satyrium ilicis ✓ ✓ 21 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 22 Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus ✓ 23 Lang's Short-tailed Blue Leptotes pirithous ✓ ✓ 24 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus ✓ ✓ ✓ 25 Southern Brown Argus Aricia cramera ✓ ✓ ✓ 26 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 27 Geranium Bronze Cacyreus marshalli ✓ ✓ HESPERIIDAE

28 Red Underwing Skipper Spialia sertorius ✓ ✓ 29 Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae ✓ 30 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris ✓

Birds (H = heard only) 1 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa 1+ 2 Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis 4+ 3 White Stork Ciconia ciconia 50+ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis ✓ ✓ 5+ ✓ ✓ 5 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus 1 6 Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus 20+ 70+ 50+ 150+ ✓ 7 Gibraltar Buzzard Buteo rufinus cirtensis x Buteo buteo 1 8 Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus 1 1 9 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus 1 2 3+ 10 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 1 1 1 11 Black Kite Milvus migrans 1

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 12 13 14 15 16 12 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 13 Rock Dove (Feral) Columba livia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 14 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 6+ 10+ 20+ 15 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 16 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 1+ 17 Tawny Owl Strix aluco 1 1 18 Little Owl Athene noctua 1 19 Pallid Swift Apus pallidus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 20 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1H 21 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster 4+ 22 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 1 1 1 23 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 1 c.10 24 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 2+ 6+ 3+ 25 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 1+ 26 Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator 4+ 3+ 27 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 1H 28 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 1 29 Northern Raven Corvus corax 2+ 4+ 2+ 30 European Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus 3+ 6+ 5+ 10+ 31 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 1+ 1+ 32 Great Tit Parus major 10+ 6 ✓ 33 Crested Lark Galerida cristata ✓ ✓ 2+ 3+ 34 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 35 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum 2+ ✓ 36 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica 3+ 2+ 2+ 37 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti 1 2+ 38 Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus 1 1 3 10+ 1 39 Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli 3+ 6+ 20+ 40 Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta 1+ 3+ 10+ 6+ 41 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis 1 3+ 5+ 2+ 42 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 10+ 20+ ✓ ✓ 43 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 44 Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla 3+ 3+ 2+ ✓ ✓ 45 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes ✓ ✓ ✓ 10+ ✓ 46 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla 3+ 5+ 20+ 47 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 48 Common Blackbird Turdus merula ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 49 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 2+ 5+ 2 3+ 50 European Robin Erithacus rubecula 1 1 1 2+ 51 Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos 3+ 1+ 10+ 1 52 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius 1 53 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 54 Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica 2+ 55 House Sparrow Passer domesticus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 56 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 2 57 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 58 Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes 2H 59 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris ✓ ✓ 6+ ✓ ✓ 60 Common Linnet cannabina ✓ ✓ ✓ 61 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 62 European Serin Serinus serinus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

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Butterflies & Moths of Andalucia Tour Report

June Common name Scientific name 12 13 14 15 16 63 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra 2+ 1+ 10+ 15+ 64 Rock Bunting Emberiza cia 1 65 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 1H 1H 5+

Odonata 1 Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea ✓ 2 Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum ✓ 3 Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii ✓ 4 Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 Large Pincertail Onychogomphus uncatus ✓ 6 Copper Demoiselle Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis ✓ 7 Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo ✓ 8 Orange-spotted Emerald Oxygastra curtisii ✓ 9 Long Skimmer Orthetrum trinacria ✓

Reptiles and Amphibians 1 Common Toad Bufo bufo ✓ 2 Iberian Pool Frog Rana perezi ✓ ✓ 3 Mediterranean Chameleon Chamaeleo chamaeleon 1 4 Iberian Wall Lizard Podarcis hispanica ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 Iberian Rock Lizard Iberolacerta monticola ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 6 Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauritanica ✓ ✓ 7 Ocellated Lizard Timon lepidus ✓ 8 Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus ✓

Other insects 1 Scarab Hunter Wasp Megascolia maculata flavifron ✓ 2 Lobed Agriope Argiope lobata ✓

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