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TRIP REPORT
EBRO DELTA & SPANISH PYRENEES
7-‐3-‐2015 TO 12-‐3-‐2015
RICHARD PITTAM & GLYN SELLORS
WALLCREEPER – RIGLOS
FACTS & FIGURES
WE BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS WITH EASYJET – LUTON TO BARCELONA – IT’S ABOUT THREE HOURS’ DRIVE TO RIGLOS IN THE SPANISH PYRENEES FROM BARCELONA. CAR PARKING AT LUTON AIRPORT -‐ £ 32 EACH EASYJET FLIGHTS – £ 163 EACH BARCELONA CAR HIRE – £ 89 EACH FUEL COSTS IN SPAIN -‐ APPROX. £ 70 EACH ACCOMMODATION COSTS IN SPAIN -‐ APPROX. £ 170 EACH FOR 5 NIGHTS KILOMETRES DRIVEN IN SPAIN – 1800 TOTAL COSTS INCLUDING SPENDING MONEY – APPROX. £ 650 EACH
ITINERARY OUR ACCOMMODATION FOR THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS WAS A LOVELY SMALL HOTEL IN MURILLO DE GALLEGO -‐ WHEN WE ARRIVED THERE WAS A VILLAGE BONFIRE IN THE TOWN SQUARE & ALL THE FOOD WAS FREE & THE DRINKS WERE VERY REASONABLY PRICED. IT’S ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES’ DRIVE TO RIGLOS, WE SPENT TWO DAYS AT RIGLOS SEARCHING FOR WALLCREEPERS & ALPINE ACCENTORS ETC. EVENTUALLY WE SAW THREE WALLCREEPERS & ALSO CAUGHT UP WITH ALPINE ACCENTOR ON OUR SECOND DAY. WE ALSO VISITED VALLE DE ASTUN ON THE SPANISH/FRENCH BORDER – THERE WAS TOO MUCH SNOW, BUT WE DID SEE A FEW ALPINE CHOUGHS. ON OUR SECOND DAY WE DROVE TO THE MONASTERY AT SAN JUAN DE LA PENA – THE PINEWOODS ARE GOOD FOR BLACK WOODPECKERS, FIRECRESTS, CRESTED TITS & SHORT-‐TOED TREECREEPERS ETC. WE DID MANAGE TO GET BRIEF VIEWS OF THREE BLACK WOODPECKERS – ALSO A NICE MALE BLACK REDSTART. LOWER DOWN ON OUR RETURN JOURNEY THERE WERE CIRL BUNTINGS, WOOD LARKS & ROCK SPARROWS.
FROM RIGLOS WE DROVE TO FUENTES DE EBRO & BOOKED IN AT THE HOTEL ELENA FOR ONE NIGHT – IT’S THIRTY MINUTES’ DRIVE TO EL PLANERON RESERVE NEAR BELCHITE – WELL KNOWN FOR DUPONT’S LARKS, LESSER SHORT-‐TOED LARKS, CALANDRA LARKS & THEKLA LARKS – ALSO PIN-‐TAILED & BLACK-‐BELLIED SANDGROUSE. THE NEXT MORNING WE ARRIVED AT FIRST LIGHT – DUPONT’S LARKS WERE SINGING & EVENTUALLY WE HAD GOOD VIEWS OF ONE ON THE GROUND. A FLOCK OF 30+ PIN-‐TAILED SANDGROUSE FLEW OVER & THEKLA, CALANDRA & LESSER SHORT-‐TOED LARKS WERE EVERYWHERE, BUT DIFFICULT TO PHOTOGRAPH. LATER THE SAME DAY WE MADE OUR WAY TO SANT CARLES ON THE EAST COAST ON THE EBRO DELTA FOR TWO DAYS BIRDING AROUND THE DELTA & PUNTA DE LA BANYA. MOST OF THE SUMMER VISITORS DON’T ARRIVE UNTIL EARLY APRIL, BUT THERE WERE STILL PLENTY OF AUDOUIN’S & SLENDER-‐BILLED GULLS. RICHARD & I WANTED TO PHOTOGRAPH BOTH OF THESE BEAUTIFUL GULLS + ANY OTHER BIRDS AROUND THE DELTA. ON OUR LAST DAY, AFTER LUNCH, WE MADE OUR WAY TO BARCELONA AIRPORT VIA MONTSERRAT & CALLED IN AT THE MONASTERY – NOT MANY BIRDS, BUT SPECTACULAR SCENERY. BOOKS – WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS IN SPAIN & PORTUGAL – LAURENCE ROSE.
SYSTEMATIC LIST
SHELDUCK MALLARD GADWALL SHOVELER GARGANEY – 100+ TERUEL LAKE, ALCANIZ TEAL POCHARD TUFTED DUCK
RED-‐LEGGED PARTRIDGE BLACK-‐NECKED GREBE – 9 EBRO DELTA GREAT CRESTED GREBE CORMORANT CATTLE EGRET LITTLE EGRET GREAT WHITE EGRET – SEVERAL EBRO DELTA GREY HERON WHITE STORK GLOSSY IBIS – C. 3 EBRO DELTA GREATER FLAMINGO – EBRO DELTA GRIFFON VULTURE – FAIRLY COMMON EGYPTIAN VULTURE – 1 ADULT RIGLOS BONELLI’S EAGLE – AN ADULT FLEW RIGHT OVER OUR CAR EN ROUTE TO BARCELONA AIRPORT RED KITE MARSH HARRIER COMMON BUZZARD SPARROWHAWK PEREGRINE – ADULT EBRO DELTA & ADULT RIGLOS MERLIN – 1 EL PLANERON, BELCHITE MOORHEN COOT PURPLE SWAMPHEN – 30+ EBRO DELTA COMMON CRANE – SEVERAL FLOCKS MIGRATING NORTH – C. 2500 – YOU CAN HEAR THEIR CALLS FROM SEVERAL KILOMETRES
OYSTERCATCHER AVOCET – A FEW EBRO DELTA BLACK-‐WINGED STILT – A FEW EBRO DELTA & EN ROUTE LITTLE RINGED PLOVER – C. 2 EBRO DELTA RINGED PLOVER KENTISH PLOVER – C. 20 EBRO DELTA GREY PLOVER LAPWING SANDERLING – C. 100 EBRO DELTA TURNSTONE – EBRO DELTA LITTLE STINT – C. 50+ EBRO DELTA DUNLIN WOOD SANDPIPER – 1 EBRO DELTA GREEN SANDPIPER – C. 6 EBRO DELTA COMMON SANDPIPER REDSHANK GREENSHANK – C. 20 EBRO DELTA CURLEW BLACK-‐HEADED GULL SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL – C. 20 EBRO DELTA – STUNNING MEDITERRANEAN GULL – C. 50 EBRO DELTA YELLOW-‐LEGGED GULL LESSER BLACK-‐BACKED GULL AUDOUIN’S GULL – C. 50 EBRO DELTA – ANOTHER STUNNING GULL
SANDWICH TERN PIN-‐TAILED SANDGROUSE – 33 EL PLANERON, BELCHITE ROCK DOVE – RIGLOS WOOD PIGEON COLLARED DOVE KINGFISHER BLACK WOODPECKER – 3 SAN JUAN DA LA PENA MONASTERY – RATHER SHY GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER GREEN WOODPECKER THEKLA LARK – FAIRLY COMMON -‐ EL PLANERON, BELCHITE CRESTED LARK WOOD LARK – C. 3 EN ROUTE TO SAN JUAN DE LA PENA MONASTERY LESSER SHORT-‐TOED LARK – FAIRLY COMMON – EL PLANERON, BELCHITE CALANDRA LARK – FAIRLY COMMON – EL PLANERON, BELCHITE – DIFFICULT TO GET CLOSE TO THESE BIG LARKS DUPONT’S LARK – C. 6 SINGING EL PLANERON, BELCHITE – 1 SEEN WELL ON THE GROUND CRAG MARTIN BARN SWALLOW WATER PIPIT – C. 6 EBRO DELTA – RATHER SCRUFFY WHEN THEY’RE MOULTING INTO SUMMER PLUMAGE MEADOW PIPIT WHITE WAGTAIL – MUCH DARKER THAN BRITISH MIGRANTS GREY WAGTAIL DIPPER – 2 ECHO VALLEY, PYRENEES ( BLACK-‐BELLIED ) ALPINE ACCENTOR – 1 POSSIBLY 2 ON OUR SECOND VISIT TO RIGLOS
ROBIN BLACK REDSTART STONECHAT SONG THRUSH MISTLE THRUSH BLACKCAP SARDINIAN WARBLER ZITTING CISTICOLA – MAINLY EBRO DELTA, BUT FAIRLY COMMON CHIFFCHAFF FIRECREST – FAIRLY COMMON – SHOWED WELL AT SAN JUAN DE LA PENA MONASTERY GOLDCREST GREAT TIT BLUE TIT COAL TIT CRESTED TIT – FAIRLY COMMON IN THE PYRENEES LONG-‐TAILED TIT NUTHATCH WALLCREEPER – 3 RIGLOS – ON OUR FIRST VISIT WE SAW 1 AFTER SEARCHING FOR 2 HOURS – ON OUR SECOND VISIT WE SAW 3 IN THE AFTERNOON SHORT-‐TOED TREECREEPER – FAIRLY COMMON SAN JUAN DE LA PENA MONASTERY IBERIAN GREY SHRIKE – 1 EL PLANERON, BELCHITE MAGPIE JACKDAW RED-‐BILLED CHOUGH – RIGLOS
ALPINE CHOUGH – C. 7 VALLE DE ASTUN, PYRENEES CARRION CROW RAVEN STARLING SPOTLESS STARLING HOUSE SPARROW ROCK SPARROW – HEARD AT RIGLOS & SEEN WELL EN ROUTE TO SAN JUAN DE LA PENA MONASTERY CHAFFINCH BULLFINCH LINNET GOLDFINCH GREENFINCH SISKIN SERIN – COMMON HAWFINCH – SEVERAL FLEW FROM A SMALL GARDEN, RIGLOS REED BUNTING CIRL BUNTING – FAIRLY COMMON CORN BUNTING
RIGLOS, SPANISH PYRENEES
RIGLOS, SPANISH PYRENEES
WALLCREEPER, RIGLOS
WALLCREEPER, RIGLOS
ALPINE ACCENTOR, RIGLOS
ALPINE ACCENTOR, RIGLOS
FIRECREST, SAN JUAN DE LA PENA
FIRECREST, SAN JUAN DE LA PENA
BLACK REDSTART, SAN JUAN DE LA PENA
BLACK REDSTART, SAN JUAN DE LA PENA
VALLE DE ASTUN, PYRENEES
ALPINE CHOUGH, VALLE DE ASTUN
WHITE WAGTAIL, SAN JUAN DE LA PENA
SUNSET, RIGLOS
EN ROUTE TO PYRENEES
EL PLANERON, BELCHITE
LESSER SHORT-‐TOED LARK, EL PLANERON, BELCHITE
GRIFFON VULTURE, EL PLANERON, BELCHITE
MALE SERIN
AUDOUIN’S GULL, EBRO DELTA
AUDOUIN’S GULL, EBRO DELTA
GREATER FLAMINGOS, EBRO DELTA
PEREGRINE, EBRO DELTA
GREENSHANK, EBRO DELTA
YELLOW-‐LEGGED GULL, EBRO DELTA
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
FIRST-‐SUMMER SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA, SECOND-‐SUMMER?
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
SLENDER-‐BILLED GULL, EBRO DELTA
MEDITERRANEAN GULL, EBRO DELTA
