Spanish Travels - Part 3, El Pinillo

This final installment covers my stroll in the mountains above Benalmadena which began as always with the walk up a steep hill from El Pinillo train station. Arriving at the motorway underpass a Sparrowhawk provided the first entertainment and I could already hear singing Chaffinches, they seem to flourish in the dry forest of the sierras.

Mountain views.

Wandering up through the woods was rather quiet apart from those Chaffinches and the odd Great Tit and Sardinian Warbler. A pair of croaking Ravens and some shrieking Jays were the only other interesting finds. Exiting the woods brought me out in the rocky terrain of the higher mountains where the sunshine was surprisingly hot.

Ibex.

Thekla Larks showed soon afterwards though I couldn't find Black Wheatears, they may move down the mountain in winter. A more than welcome replacement was a pair of Rock Buntings, I see them occasionally here but by no means on every visit. A Dartford Warbler posed briefly at the top of a bush and Linnets could be heard twittering. Several overflying Crossbills called as they passed and a scan of the surrounding hills revealed Crag Martins feeding.

Large White and Lang's Short-tailed Blue.

Perhaps the highlight of the day interrupted the birding for a bit as a flock ( I hope that's the word) of ten Ibex made their way down an almost sheer cliff. Sitting down allowed me to stay unobtrusive and the Ibex approached quite closely. I believe the group was made up of females and kids and they treated me to prolonged views. While watching them the calling a pair of Kestrels alerted me to an immature Peregrine whose fly past was clearly annoying its smaller cousins.

Spanish Festoons.

Leaving the Ibex behind I began to make my way back down paying attention to a growing number of butterflies. Several Lang's Short-tailed Blues were noted and a few Wall Browns. Two Painted Ladies may well have arrived from Africa as they looked pretty worn and perhaps came in at the same time as that Vagrant Emperor. Butterfly watching paused briefly as I looked up to admire some Crested Tits but the woods for the most part remained quiet. My favourite butterfly moment of the whole visit was the large number of Spanish Festoons which looked as if they had just emerged. Normally I only see a couple on each visit but their were loads today, at least twenty. They were a very colourful way to end what had been an interesting visit.

Ibex again.