The Spanish Tour for WINGS - Day 12 - 11th May 2023
It dawned grey and threatening in Tama but the pre-breakfast
amble still produced excellent views of a singing male Cirl Bunting along with both
Redstart species once again. Ravens kronked overhead and Firecrests sang from
the two big pine trees. The Iberian
Green Woodpeckers once again tantalised us and a Wryneck briefly sat on top of
an apple tree and sang stridently.
Cirl Bunting
Roe Deer
Common Redstart
Common Redstart
Common Redstart
Our plan was to make it up to the top of the Picos at Fuente Dé via the cable car.We arrived early to ensure that we got on the
first ride up and stood around in the light drizzle watching Gold and
Firecrests, Crested Tits and Mistle Thrushes while high above Choughs and
Griffons drifted in and out of the clouds.
I have to admit to
being slightly trepidatious but the four minute ride up was smooth and the view
down below and at the cliff walls was spectacular. Now, I had not quite grasped
the nature of this part of the trip (yes, it was all in the blurb I was sent
but the ‘bring a warm, coat, gloves etc’ seemed to have passed me by).I had layers but only my sandals and some ‘hope
no one notices’ socks.It was 0c at the
top station and it started to sleet as soon as we got out.We spent a few minutes adding more layers
before venturing out and further up into the mountains. The next couple of
hours were spent scouring the cliffs, scree slopes, boulder fields and alpine
meadows in somewhat challenging conditions at times with icy sleety snow and
billowing cloud.
Straight down...
However, we struck
lucky and found a pair of Snow Finches almost immediately foraging with a couple
of Alpine Choughs and they even stayed long enough to get the scopes set
up.Black Redstarts, Northern Wheatears
and Water Pipits were all in song and busy collecting insects for hidden broods.
Black Redstart
Water Pipit
Northern Wheatear
Black Redstart
Alpine Accentors
were also heard and then plonked themselves down in front of us where they
shuffled around making quiet little twittery sounds.It was so good to see them up here in the
mountains.Wallcreepers eluded us but
the scale of the search area was huge and I was equally happy to find some more
displaying Snowfinches and to pick out circling Griffons even higher up.
Alpine Accentor
Alpine Accentor
Alpine Accentor
Alpine Accentor
Alpine Accentor
Snow Finch
The rock faces lent
themselves to the imagination and the mighty Mandrill loomed down at us through
our visit. The alpine flora was wonderful and undoubtedly would have been even
better with some sunshine and taking pictures in the low light was somewhat
challenging.I was somewhat bemused to
find several large Slugs happily grazing away in the near freezing conditions.
Un-frozen Slug
The Mandrill
Alpine Lady's Mantle - Alchemilla alpina
Alpine Pasque Flower - Pulsatilla alpina
Alpine Rock Jasmine - Androsace alpina
Alpine Rock-Cress - Arabis alpina
Alpine Toadflax - Linaria alpina filicaulis
Alpine Toadflax - Linaria alpina filicaulis
Looked a bit like an early Purple Orchid but without spotted leaves... help!
Erinus alpinus
Globularia nudicaulis
Intermediate Wintercress - Barbarea intermedia
Lithodora fruticosa
Lithodora fruticosa
Despite being up a mountain it appears to be Matthiola triscuspidata
Alpine Forget-me-not - Myosotis alpestris & Hoary Plantain Plantago media
Pilosella breviscapa
Saxifrage sp
Short-leaved Gentian - Gentiana sierrae
Short-leaved Gentian - Gentiana sierrae
Short-leaved Gentian - Gentiana sierrae
Short-leaved Gentian - Gentiana sierrae
Genista hispanica
Genista hispanica
Spring Squill - Scilla verna
Spring Squill - Scilla verna
Spurge Laurel - Daphne laureola
Trumpet Gentian - Gentiana acaulis
Trumpet Gentian - Gentiana acaulis
Trumpet Gentian - Gentiana acaulis
Viola sp
Chamois tiptoed
across scree and glacially scarred rock and Red-billed Choughs joined Alpine
Choughs cavorting above us.A coffee was
required but there was still time afterwards (and once I could feel my fingers
again) for another brief venture out.The Water Pipits showed better and then Laura pointed at a large bird
drifting above us and through the increasingly heavy snow, just four of us
clapped eyes on an imposing adult Lammergeier disappearing back into the low
clouds!
Chamois
Water Pipit
Lammergeier
We could not
believe our luck but were somewhat nervous about returning to the rest of the
party back I the warm. We needn’t of worried as we found them all outside
smiling heartly at the two Lammergeiers that had drifted past them!There were better pictures than my
atmospheric one but at least we all saw this most majestic of mountain
denizens.
The Alpine Choughs
even came to see us before we caught the car back down but we had no crumbs
left to share.
Alpine Choughs
Yo-yo cloud
Lunch just around
the corner from the centre was excellent with Griffons on view over the ridge
and Red Deer in the meadows while Serins sang from the trees outside.Suitable warmed and refreshed we mossied
around the corner for a walk in the woods.It was still cool and grey but we did quite well considering with Song
Thrushes, Crested Tits, Long-tailed Tits (our 3rd Spanish race I
think) and Common Treecreepers seen and Firecrest and Bullfinch both
heard.A couple of very dark Red
Squirrels scampered around the Beech and Oak trees.
Spanish Bluebells
Florally it was
different again with carpets of spent Spanish Bluebells and a variety of new
species, some familiar and others new.
Asphodel
Bitter Vetch - Lathyrus linifolius
Black Bryony
Compfry sp
Cowslip
Crosswort
Viper's Bugloss - Echium vulgare
Liverleaf - Hepatica nobilis
Meadow Saxifrage - Saxifraga granulata
Mountain Kidney Vetch - Anthyllis montana
Pyrenean Valerian - Valeriana pyrenaica
Solomons Seal
Spanish Bluebells
Spotted Dead Nettle - Lamium maculatum
Spreading Bellflower - Campenula patula
Viper's Bugloss - Echium vulgare
Water Ragwort - Jacobaea aquatica
Sweet Woodruff - Galium odoratum
Wild Strawberry
A mighty fine Slug
Red Squirrel
Burnet Companion
One for Antony - on Beech
The weather was not
conducive to a lengthy walk and we soon returned to the vans before heading
back to Tama with a short stop at Cosgaya to look for Dippers.Once again I heard them a couple of times and
one almost parted my hair as it crossed the road but I still did not see it but
thankfully others did. Crag Martins were nesting under the bridge and Grey
Wagtails were doing what they do best while an adult Egyptian Vulture cruised the
cliff line not far above us.
With the day done
we retuned back to the hotel to chill out before dinner after a most successful
day.
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