Our early morning Easy Jet flight from London Stansted to Bilbao on May 18th was a short 1hour 40 minutes. The formalities of the car hire were quickly sorted and we were soon on our way to the Pyrenees, a journey of approximately three hours.We spent five nights in a comfortable bungalow at Camping Pirineos which was located on the main N 240 road just east of Puente la Reina (contacted through their website http://www.pirinet.com/pirineos/ ). This proved to be an ideal base to explore the various birding sites, most of which were only a short drive away.
The journey from the airport was fairly uneventful although we did note a few birds of interest including several hundred Griffon Vultures, 40 Red Kites, 20 Black Kites, a single Hobby and Booted Eagle as well as two Ravens. As we approached our destination we made a short stop at the Embalse de Yesa which proved to be almost devoid of any birds. The area around the campsite and on the opposite side of the road was quite productive with at least 10 Western Bonelli’s Warblers, two Dartford Warblers, several Nightingales, Woodlark, Firecrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Spotless Starling and Cirl Bunting. Close by the minor road leading to Alestuey is apparently a site for Eagle Owl and although our visits proved fruitless for that species we did hear two Scop’s Owls calling there as well as two Nightjars. A visit to Jaca for Rock Sparrow was disappointing. At the old Citadel described as a site where dozens of pairs nest we saw only a single individual. Also there were Tree Sparrow, Crag Martin and White Wagtail.
May 19th. Today we drove up the Hecho Valley to the walking refuge at Gabardito, the well known site for Wallcreeper. After walking for approximately twenty minutes along the main track through the woodland you emerge out of the trees with a clear view back down the valley and a steep rock face to your right, this is where to stand. If visiting in the morning a useful tip is not to continue around the corner and in to the sunshine, if you do this you have gone too far. After only a short time the male appeared and was in view intermittently for over an hour showing superbly at times. A little later we also saw the female, albeit briefly. The proximity of the path being directly beneath the rock face meant that looking through the telescope was rather uncomfortable but despite this difficulty Mike was able to obtain some quite acceptable video footage of the bird. It was good to reacquaint myself with this species again after nearly 30 years (Cheddar, Somerset!) A mammal standing up high on a crag proved to be an Izard (Chamois).
Birds of prey were much in evidence and apart from the numerous Griffon Vultures we also noted our first two Lammergeiers, three Egyptian Vultures, one Golden Eagle, a migrating flock of five Honey Buzzards and a single Peregrine Falcon. Flocks of Chough and Alpine Chough were constantly flying over head and we estimated there were approximately 50 of each. Other birds of interest included Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and Firecrest. A woodpecker calling in the bottom of the valley was frustrating. Fortunately as we were walking back to the car it flew across in front of us and proved to be an Iberian Green Woodpecker. The grassed area around the refuge was favoured by Citril Finches and eight birds were seen feeding there.
After a successful morning I was looking forward to lunch. Unfortunately my plate of ham, green beans and chips was presented in such a way that even looking at it made me feel ill. However Mike was able to save me from any potential embarrassment as he quickly polished off not only his own but also most of mine as well.
As we headed back down through the Hecho Valley birds included Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Red-backed Shrike and Woodchat Shrike. We then took the short drive around to the Anso Valley. Scanning an area of arable fields produced Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier and a ringtail Montagu’s Harrier. This took the total number of raptors seen today to a very respectable 14 species. In the same general area we also recorded Quail, Turtle Dove, Thekla Lark, Northern Wheatear, Stonechat, Subalpine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Spotless Starling and Cirl Bunting. A quick look on the River Aragon before returning to Camping Pirineos produced a single Yellow-legged Gull and Common Sandpiper.
May 20th. Today we drove over to the small town of Riglos, a known site for Black Wheatear. Although we searched the area behind the church there was no sign of the birds. Perhaps a visit on a week day would have been preferable to a Saturday as the site is popular with climbers and there was quite a lot of disturbance. Black Redstarts were very common and we counted at least 30. Other species included 20 Alpine Swifts, two Woodlarks, 50 Crag Martins, three Tawny Pipits, three Subalpine Warblers and four Sardinian Warblers. We left Riglos and took the short drive to Aguero where the habitat was similar. Although we again failed to locate Black Wheatear we did see six Bee-eater, three Blue Rock Thrush and a single Golden Oriole.
A brief stop at the Embalse de la Pena produced two singing Great Reed Warblers in the reed bed. During the journey to Riglos we noted at least 10 Woodchat Shrikes along with a single Rock Sparrow sat on a bridge beside the road. We returned to Jaca where a single Hoopoe was the only one recorded on the trip. Another evening visit to the Eagle Owl site on the road to Alastuey again produced Scop’s Owl and Nightjar. It is probably worth mentioning that we also visited the park in Jaca which is a well known site for Scop’s Owl but failed to see or even hear any. Other birders we spoke to had also failed. Excavation works were being undertaken at the quiet end of the park favoured by the birds which probably explains their absence.
May 21st. Our first port of call was the Mirador d’Oroel. From the car park we could hear Black Woodpecker calling in the forest, although it was some distance away. We decided to drive back along the track where we soon located a stunning male drumming on the trunk of a Pine tree. The bird remained in view for several minutes and Mike was able to obtain some excellent video footage before it disappeared through the woodland. Apart from Jay and Nuthatch few other birds were noted.
We then drove to the ski resort of Astun where we were hoping to connect with Snow Finch and Alpine Accentor. As we emerged from the car the drop in temperature was very apparent which called for sweatshirts, fleeces and gloves. Unfortunately the ski lifts were not operational, although we were aware of this before our arrival and so therefore walking was the only option. A quite exhausting walk took us to a height of 2100 metres but we failed to locate either species. Apparently the recent weather has been unseasonably warm and the birds have presumably already moved to higher altitudes. However the walk was not entirely in vain as two superb Lammergeiers and a Golden Eagle cruised overhead. A strange call coming from amongst the rocks proved to be an Alpine Marmot. Around the ski station Water Pipits were particularly common and we counted at least 25 and two male and a single female Rock Thrush were a welcome addition to the trip list.
A drive over to Portalet again failed to produce Snow Finch and Alpine Accentor and the only bird species seen were Water Pipit and Northern Wheatear. Alpine Marmots were easy to see and we counted at least ten along with a single Izard.
The drive back down through the Valle de Tena produced Osprey, Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle.
May 22nd. Today we decided to return to Gabardito and were not disappointed. The male Wallcreeper appeared after less than ten minutes wait and if anything performed better than on our previous visit. Similar species were noted to last time although we saw/heard two or three Iberian Green Woodpeckers. Citril Finch were much more in evidence, there were at least 30. Common Crossbill and Marsh Tit were new species for the trip.
We then drove further up the Hecho Valley past the Boca de Infierno to the parking area at Selva de Oza, where we scanned for raptors. This was a good move as in less than one hour we saw five different Lammergeiers which made a total of nine birds for the trip. Other birds of prey included seven Egyptian Vultures, three Honey Buzzards and singles each of Golden Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Common Buzzard, Osprey and Hobby. Apart from the more usual species we recorded our only Rock Bunting of the trip, a singing male just beyond the village of Siresa.
A quick look at the area around Santa Engracia produced Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Quail and Tawny Pipit.
May 23rd. A drive up to the woodland around San Juan de la Pena was rather unproductive apart from Eurasian Tree Creeper, Nuthatch and three Red Squirrels. After checking out of Camping Pirineos we drove to a site on the minor road to Arres, just a little way past Puente la Reina. The area was perhaps a couple of kilometres along the road on the left and consisted of a hillside with Box growing closest to the roadside and Pine trees beyond. Although it appeared little different to much of the other habitat around it was certainly an excellent spot. As soon as we emerged from the car an Ortolan Bunting could be heard singing on the hillside. However, locating it was far from easy and it took the best part of one hour before we finally found it singing from the top of a small tree. Although we only saw the one individual it is possible that a second bird was present. For much of the time that we were trying to locate the Ortolan Bunting a Western Orphean Warbler was present in the bushes by the roadside, often singing out in the open on the dead branches. Other birds in the area included Bee Eater, Tawny Pipit, Melodious Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Cirl Bunting and Golden Oriole.
Near Santa Engracia we noted an immature male Montagu’s Harrier, two Northern Wheatears and two Bee-eaters. Before driving back to Bilbao we stopped in the Anso Valley where the more unusual raptors included three Golden Eagles and two Honey Buzzards. A Blue Rock Thrush was seen perched on the adjacent rocks and pair of Red-backed Shrikes was present in bushes by the roadside.
Total number of species seen = 107.
John.hopper1 AT ntlworld.com