May 30, 2006
Alps trip day 4: back to Lyon
The last day of the trip was spent driving back to Lyon to catch our respective trains/planes in the early afternoon. A random stop along the road SW of the Col du Lautaret produced some very pleasant surprises, including two singing Wrynecks (Torcol fourmilier)...
... a singing Rock Bunting (Bruant fou, my first in years)...
... and several obliging Red-backed Shrikes (Pie-grieche ecorcheur).
Another attractive orchid.
From the col we drove pretty much non-stop to the Charmont Som, just north of Grenoble. Nothing new was seen here, but we took the opportunity to enjoy our last looks at Alpine Swifts (Martinet a ventre blanc), Alpine Choughs (Chocard a bec jaune), Marmots and a singing Wheatear (Traquet motteux).
Four new species, lots of species I hadn't seen in years, great weather, great scenery and good company - hope I can get back to the Alps again this summer!
