Seeing the Pardel Lynx plus other wildlife.

The Pardel lynx in Sierra Morena.

Jayne, John and I set off at some unearthly hour to drive into the mountains in Jaen Province with a dream of seeing Pardel Lynx (Lynx pardina). This was a trip I had long waited to do and a species I had wanted to see for many years.
We arrived before the dawn but found the site was blanket in Mist and visibility was about 30 meters. We as soon as we got out we started to pick things up by including the Bellowing calls sound of a great number of rutting Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Little Owl and as soon as dawn arrived many species of passerine started to rise. Greenfinch (Greenfinch / Carduelis chloris), Jay (Jay / Eurasian Jay), Robin (Petirrrojo / Erithacus rubecula), Spotless Starling (Starling Black / Sturnus unicolor), Woodpigeon (Mourning Dove / Wood Pigeon), White Wagtail (Maríuerla / Montacilla alba), Song (Song Thrush / Turdus philomelos) and Mistle Thrush (Thrush Charlo / Mistle Thrush), Linnet (Linnet / Carduelis cannabina), Common Chiffchaff (Common Chiffchaff / Chiffchaff), Azure-winged Magpie (Azure-winged Magpie / Cyanopica cyanus) and Sardinian Warbler (Warbler / Sylvia melanocephala) were all heard.
John and I had a stroll along one of the tracks and I had a look at some of the trees and plants. The only blooms seen Belonged to Iberian Milk-vetch (Astragalus lusitanicus), a species I had seen before in the area around Grazalema. Round-leaved Oak (Quercus rotundifolia), Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) and Cistus bushes made up a vast amount of the ground about 12:30 cover.At the fog had cleared enough for some serious watching to take place. One of the first interesting finds was an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aguila Imperial Ibérica / Aguila adalberti) which was sitting in one of the larger Oaks, it later moved closer in a eucalyptus but Remain on view all day much to the dislike of the local Common Magpie (Magpie / Pica pica) and House Sparrow (House Sparrow) population pestered Which it all afternoon.
I then took a stroll along the track again and on my way back I stopped to talk to a couple of Spanish lads and suddenly notice Jayne and John waving madly and I soon realized that the walk was a big mistake. The next 200 meters were a blur, I was not but it was the fastest I have moved in a very very long time (probably since PE lessons at school), I got to the others to get a two second view thought the scope. I had seen a Lynx but not for any thing like long enough, but it was a start and I did not wonder off again for the rest of the day. Luckily a few minutes later the magnificent male Lynx came into view again a lot closer, it moved through the Oaks at speed and then appeared right out in the open on one of the tracks. We had marvelous views, it was still about 400 meters away through the scope but it was great. During the afternoon the animal was seen again briefly several times until its last sighting when it was about a KM away again through the scope but it could be seen lying in the grass cleaning its self out of sight before moving over to the day ridge.During we also saw Chaffinch (Chaffinch / Fringilla coelebs), Green Woodpecker (Green Woodpecker / Picus viridis) a couple call continuously all day, Blackbird (Common Blackbird / Turdus merula), Blackcap (Blackcap / Sylvia atricapilla), Red-legged Partridge (Partridge Red / Alectoris rufa), Red-billed Chough (Red-billed Chough / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Little Owl (European Little Owl / Athene noctua), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Great Spotted Woodpecker / Dendrocopos major), Goldfinch (Goldfinch / Carduelis carduelis), Long -tailed Tit (Myth / Long-tailed Tit), Spotless Starling (Starling Black / Sturnus unicolor), Hawfinch (Hawfinch / Coccotraustes coccotraustes), Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia), Blue Rock Thrush (Blue Rock Thrush / Monticola solitarius), Crag Martin (Crag Martin / Crag Martin) and Dartford Warbler (Dartford Warbler / Sylvia undata).

All the best Mick.

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