Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra

Naturetrek Tour Report 1 - 7 May 2019

Eurasian Wryneck Spectacled Warbler

Penduline Tit Dupont’s Lark

Report and images compiled by Byron Palacios

Naturetrek Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Tour Report Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra

Tour participants: Byron Palacios (leader) with seven Naturetrek clients

Introduction

The contrasts of northern Spain can never be explained comprehensively; you need to experience them yourself. The dry lowlands and plains of Navarre, combined with the foothills and cragged mountainous Pyrenean woods and high meadows, offer one of the greatest birding experiences amongst one of the best wine areas of the world! From the very elusive and rare Dupont’s Lark, the enigmatic Bearded Vulture and the endemic Citril Finch, we cruised though breathtaking landscapes with their wonderful birdlife. Alongside, we enjoyed the taste of delicious wine, shared in the knowledge people who carefully produce them and who are passionate about them ... tasting them from the actual vineyards! The Birds & Wines of Navarre has proved to be an exciting tour across an unknown land which hides superb treasures yet to be discovered!

Day 1 Wednesday 1st May

London Standsted – Zaragoza – Burgui After a good flight, we arrived at Zaragoza airport on time and ready to start our tour. Once our minibus was sorted and ready to go, we set off, heading north towards the base of the Navarre Pyrenees, driving through breathtaking landscapes. We eventually arrived in the village of Burgui where our lovely rural hotel was waiting for us. Our hosts Yolanda and Jose were ready to greet us and to offer us the best rural accommodation and local cuisine...and of course, local wines! We retired to our bedrooms in order to get ready for a delicious supper, wine tasting and a restful night’s sleep.

Day 2 Thursday 2nd May

Tres Coronas Pass – Arbayun Gorge – Lumbier – Fago Valley Some of us went for a stroll along the river in the village on this beautiful sunny morning; it was chilly though, but crisp and gorgeous! After a delicious breakfast, we set off driving to the top of the closest pass, Tres Coronas Pass, where we had terrific views of the Pyrenees mountains and lovely birds such as Crested Tits. We then drove a short distance through the valley making a second stop at the Foz de Arbayun where the stunning views over the river Salazar literarily took our breath away. So too, did the birds we managed to see here: Griffon Vulture, Alpine Swifts, Crag Martins, Egyptian Vulture, Blue Rock Thrush, and we had good views of Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) which flew over the ridge. We also had great views of a pair of Short-toed Snake Eagles and a distant Bonelli’s Eagle. We also found interesting wild flowers and butterflies around. After a good time spent in this site, we continued our driving towards the lower part of the main gorge, this time at the base of the river Irati, the Foz de Lumbier. It was ideal weather for taking a nice walk, following the old rail track and tunnels which follow the river, leaving dramatic gorges of sheer rock on both sides of the path. We managed to see Red-billed Choughs, Blue Rock Thrush, Egyptian Vulture, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, and a very nice Nightingale which showed himself in the open very nicely!

After enjoying our picnic lunch on this site, we drove around the Yesa Dam, driving up the valley of the river Veral. A few spots along this very narrow mountain road produced great wildlife sightings amongst the butterflies and other interesting invertebrates, alongside birds such as Western Bonelli’s Warblers, Northern

Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

Raven, Subalpine Warbler, Blackcap, Griffon Vulture and great views of Golden Eagle. A second stop was made in order to get great views of another Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) flying above our vehicle and we had great views of it. A final stop offered great views of the Rocal Valley and a pair of active Crested Tits and other interesting invertebrates and wild flowers; we then continued driving down the valley till made it back to our lodge in Burgui where we took a nice break and to get ready for another evening tasting local wines and enjoying a delicious local supper!

Day 3 Friday 3rd May

Larra-Belagua Valley – St. Martin Pass – Zuriza Valley - Ansó After a delicious local breakfast, we headed north through Isaba and onto a narrower road surrounded by tall conifers and pristine Beech woods. The weather looked overcast and we eventually met snow as we reached 1,300 metres in altitude; this stopped our plans. We decided to keep trying the area of St Martin Pass by the French border, but the snow was all over the place. Despite these unexpected weather conditions, we saw interesting birds such as Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Linnets, European Serin and Alpine Chough, amongst others. We then found a nice local mountain café where we enjoyed refreshments which were very welcome.

We then jumped in our minibus and drove down the valley and into the Zuriza Valley where we made a few stops that produced very interesting birds such as the endemic Citril Finch, Barn Swallows, Crag Martins, Long- tailed Tits, Firecrest and Spotted Flycatcher, amongst others. A group of Bearded Vulture were seen eating a carcass very close to the track, alongside a pair of Egyptian Vultures, which gave great views. We continued along this fabulous road taking a stroll in the open part of the valley but not for long as it was very windy and chilly, so we continued in the van towards the end of the road from where we found a nice group of Chamois grazing in the distance; this was a good spot to enjoy our packed lunch.

The weather wasn’t the best, it was overcast and cold, not the best weather for raptors; in spite of this, we saw many Griffon Vultures, Black and Red Kites, and Northern Raven. We couldn’t find any signs here of Bearded Vultures (Lammergeier) and we looked for them intensively with no positive results. We managed to see other birds such as Firecrest, Red-billed and Alpine Choughs, Crag Martins and Black Redstart, amongst others.

We finally started to drive back towards Burgui making a final stop by the river Esca, just a few kilometres away from our rural hotel, where we checked the skies for more raptors, getting fantastic views of Booted Eagle, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Egyptian and Griffon Vulture, amongst others. We finally arrived at our lodge to take a break and get ready for our last evening of wines, local nibbles and superb delicious food!

Day 4 Saturday 4th May

Larra-Belagua Valley – St Martin Pass – Mallos de Riglos – Alfaro After a very nice breakfast, we set off back to the tops of the Navarre Pyrenees going through the St. Martin Pass into France where we had a nice time enjoying a gorgeous landscape and exploring the snowy mountain tops, all covered in fresh white snow. We drifted down the valley where we had a coffee break overlooking a good dozen Black Storks and Eurasian Curlews flying over the top of the valley and heading north. We left the

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Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

Roncal Valley in order to continue with our tour heading to the lowlands where the weather was much better and sunny, very breeze though. We hit the road and took the Hoya de Huesca route admiring the beautiful landscape of the Pyrenees. We made a stop to take some photos, and another stop to enjoy the beautiful rock formations of Los Mallos de Riglos; we also had good birds here such as Egyptian and Griffon Vultures soaring around.

We continued with our journey heading to our final destination Alfaro, where we arrived in the late afternoon in good time to check in and take a break before gathering together to do our usual checklist, enjoy drinks and nibbles followed by a delicious supper!

Day 5 Sunday 5th May

Ablitas Regional Reserve – Ruiz-Jimenez Vineyards – Sotos de Alfaro (river Ebro) After an early breakfast, we drove out of Alfaro heading south towards the village of Ablitas in order to check the dry and scrubby hills behind the village, a protected local reserve and home of the very rare and timid Dupont’s Lark. We drove along the dirt and rocky tracks enjoying the first Eurasian Hoopoes and European Bee-eaters perched on bare tree-like bushes, until we heard the beautiful symphony of our main target, Dupont’s Lark. We stopped the minibus and scanned the terrain very carefully where this very elusive and inconspicuous bird might be hidden. And then it was spotted a few metres away from the van amongst some thick scrub, and even better, it flew right in the open, on top of a little rock, brilliant! We enjoyed watching and photographing this beautiful bird. After our success, we decided to take a walk which produced great views of Calandra, Thekla, Crested and Greater Short-toed Larks, getting also great views of the overlooked Lesser Short-toed Lark. In the same walk we spotted two pairs of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse flying, catching a group of them landing very close to us, which allowed us fantastic views of these wonderful birds! We got in the minibus again and drove a short distance to an old quarry where we had great views of Lesser Kestrels, Spotless Starlings, Rock Sparrow, Western Jackdaws, Red-billed Chough, Eurasian Hoopoe, and a Golden Eagle crossing by over our vehicle, amazing!

We then drove back north to the village of Aldeanueva de Ebro in order to visit the vineyards of Bodegas Ruiz Jimenez. Here we were greeted by a lovely pair of young Golden Eagles perched on one of the pylons amongst the vineyard. Very surprised by this great sighting of the eagles, we then met up with Rocío, the granddaughter of the mentor of this family business. She was able to share with us all her experience and knowledge of their fantastic family business and how they make their wine. We were all amused by her charming and knowledgeable lecture about wines from Rioja and the differences with the wines from Navarra. We then tasted three wonderful wines which were really nice, alongside some delicious Spanish ‘nibbles’, local cheese, salchichon (cured sausage) and wine truffles, which went down very well with the beautiful wines we were offered. After a wonderful tertulia (social gathering), friendly and pleasant chats about wines, we said ‘adios’ to Rocio and drove back to Alfaro where we arrived at our hotel in time for a quick break before heading for a nice walk to the area known as Sotos de Alfaro, right on the River Ebro basin. As soon as we arrived, we enjoyed great birds such as Common Kingfisher, Squacco Heron, Booted Eagle, Melodious Warbler and Nightingale. The river also offered great views of Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Woodchat Shrike, and glimpses of Golden Oriole which were calling from many directions and most of us managed to get good views of two flying birds. As well as these, the walk produced more Serins, Tree Sparrow, Woodchat Shrike, more Melodious Warblers, Cirl Bunting, Cetti’s Warbler, and fantastic views of Penduline Tits, beautiful!

Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

After this lovely walk, we drove back to our hotel in order to take a nice break and get ready for a lovely dinner and to enjoy tasting some great local wines.

Day 6 Monday 6th May

Pitillas Lake – Olite – Bardenas Reales Natural Park After a nice early breakfast, we set off north to Laguna de Pitillas (Pitillas Lake) where we arrived in about 20 minutes on a beautiful sunny morning. We started exploring the southern part of the lake which produced lovely birds such as Common Pochard, Gadwall, Eurasian Coot, Great Crested, Little and Black-necked Grebes, Red- crested Pochard, Grey and Purple Herons, and booming Eurasian Bittern. We continued driving along the track which surrounds the lake, finding Thekla Larks, Corn Buntings and Red-legged Partirdge running around. We took a stroll which produced amazing close views of European Bee-eaters, Tawny Pipit, European Stonechat, Spectacled Warbler, Eurasian Hoopoe, Crested Larks, Rock Sparrows, Little Owl, and Common Kestrels. Further afield, we had great views of plenty Black-eared Wheatears, Lesser Kestrel, Western Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle and Montagu’s Harrier.

We then arrived at the lake’s visitor centre in order to have our picnic lunch whilst enjoying the fantastic views of the area alongside birds such as Western Marsh Harrier, Black Tern, Black-necked Grebe, Whiskered Terns and Purple Herons, amongst others. It was time to continue with our day, leaving Pitillas behind and heading eight kilometres north to the lovely and ancient village of Olite. Here we enjoyed of a little walk in the village, together with an ice cream, beer or a nice coffee. We then drove southwards into the Bardenas Reales Natural Park where we explored this lovely area driving along the dirt tracks and making several stops which produced important birds for our list such as Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Dartford Warbler, Tawny Pipit, Whinchat, Stonechat, Corn Bunting, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Black-eared and Northern Wheatears, Black Redstart and Lesser Short-toed Lark, amongst others. We made a special stop at the Castil de Tierra to take some photos of this very impressive natural monument, followed by a short drive to one of the upper tracks where we found plenty of European Bee-eaters, Rock Sparrows, Garden Warbler, Spotless Starlings and very elusive Spectacled and Dartford Warblers. We also found a pair of Little Owls perched on top of an old building very close to the road.

We finally retired to our hotel in Alfaro in order to take a break and gathered together again for a wine tasting session at our hotel’s very own cellar, followed by checklist and a delicious dinner.

Day 7 Tuesday 7th May

Ablitas – Zaragoza airport Some of us woke up very early to have a little stroll in the environs of our hotel, which produced Eurasian Wryneck, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Golden Oriole and Spotted Flycatcher. After breakfast and a quick birding stop by the river, we set off southwards to visit, once again, the area of Ablitas which we thought was worth a second visit. It was very worthwhile as our first stop produced a great array of birds such as Dartford, Sardinian, Spectacled, Melodious and Western Orphean Warblers, Turtle Doves, Woodlark, Woodchat Shrike, Black Kites and Common Kestrel, amongst others. We explored different tracks which produced great views of lots of European Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Booted Eagle, and a pair of Lesser Kestrels. We stopped along one of the

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Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

main tracks which produced a truly ‘lark bonanza’ by having great views of Calandra, Greater and Lesser Short- toed Larks, Skylark, Crested and Thekla Larks, and the very rare and elusive Dupont’s Lark, which we all enjoyed watching once again! After this great visit to this reserve, we started to make our way to Zzaragoza airport, making a lunch stop along the way which was a good chance to share amongst ourselves the highlights of this great tour.

We had a nice experience in the ancient Reyno de Navarra, enjoying its diverse of landscape and habitats, its food, and of course its gorgeous food and wines...and the birdlife! We were pretty lucky with the weather throughout the whole tour; although a bit chilly at times, especially in the mountains, it was dry and pleasant mostly! We returned home happy and satisfied, and for some, with a wish of come back to this lovely land one day...AGUR!

Wines Tasted During the Tour:

PIEDEMONTE, Crianza 2015 (Cabernet/Merlot/Tempranillo). Bodegas Piedemonte, Olite. Navarra. PIEDEMONTE, Gamma (Viura/Chardonnay/Moscatel). Bodegas Piedemente, Olite. Navarra. CASTILLO MONJARDIN (Chardonnay). Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin. Navarra EMERGENTE (Chardonnay Afrutado), Bodegas Marquez de Montecierzo. Navarra. CASTROVIEJO, Gran Reserva 2008 (Tempranillo 85%, Graciano 10%, Mazuelo 5%). Bodegas Castroviejo. La Rioja. CONDE DEL REAL, Crianza 2015 (Garnacha 60%, Tempranillo 30%, Graciano 5%, Mazuelo 5%). Viñedos de Alfaro. La Rioja-Navarra. PROPIEDAD, Garnacha 2015. Bodegas Palacios-Remondo. La Rioja. PÉTALOS DEL BIERZO, 2016 (Mencia). Bodegas Descendientes de J. Palacios. Castilla & León. PLÁCET, 2017 (Viura). Bodegas Palacios-Remondo. La Rioja.

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Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

Species Lists

Birds (=recorded but not counted; H = heard only) May Common name Scientific name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa    2 Mute Swan Cygnus olor  3 Garganey Spatula querquedula  4 Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata  5 Gadwall Mareca strepera  6 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos       7 Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina  8 Common Pochard Aythya ferina  9 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba   10 Common Swift Apus apus       11 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus h h  12 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata  13 Feral Pigeon - I Columba livia var. domestica       14 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus        15 European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur  16 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto       17 Water Rail Rallus aquaticus h 18 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus h 19 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra  20 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis   21 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus  22 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis  23 Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus  24 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus  25 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius  26 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata  27 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos      28 Common Redshank Tringa totanus   29 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia  30 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus  31 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis    32 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida  33 Black Tern Chlidonias niger  34 Black Stork Ciconia nigra 12 35 White Stork Ciconia ciconia      36 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo  37 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia   38 Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris h 39 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides  40 Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis      41 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea    42 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea   43 Great Egret Ardea alba  44 Little Egret Egretta garzetta    45 Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus   46 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus   47 European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus 

Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 48 Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus       49 Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus  50 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus      51 Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos   52 Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata  53 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus     54 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus  55 Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus  56 Red Kite Milvus milvus        57 Black Kite Milvus migrans        58 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo        59 Tawny Owl Strix aluco h h 60 Little Owl Athene noctua   61 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops    62 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis h  63 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster     64 Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla  65 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor  66 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major      67 Iberian Green Woodpecker Picus sharpei h  68 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni    69 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus       70 Merlin Falco columbarius   71 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus   72 Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis  73 Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator     74 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus h    75 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius    76 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica        77 Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax      78 Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus   79 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula      80 Carrion Crow Corvus corone        81 Northern Raven Corvus corax       82 Coal Tit Periparus ater h h  83 European Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus  84 Marsh Tit Poecile palustris  85 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus        86 Great Tit Parus major       87 Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus  88 Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus  89 Woodlark Lullula arborea  90 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis   91 Thekla Lark Galerida theklae     92 Crested Lark Galerida cristata       93 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla    94 Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra    95 Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti   96 Lesser Short-toed Lark Alaudala rufescens  97 Sand Martin Riparia riparia   98 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica       

Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 99 Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris     100 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum        101 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti  h h 102 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus    103 Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli  h 104 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus  105 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita h h 106 Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus  107 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus  108 Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus   109 Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta    110 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis   111 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla       112 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin    113 Western Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis  114 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis  115 Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata   116 Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata    117 Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans    118 Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala  119 Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla   120 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes h   121 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla  122 Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor        123 Common Blackbird Turdus merula        124 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos    125 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus  h   126 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata     127 European Robin Erithacus rubecula   128 Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos  h h   h 129 European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca    130 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros    131 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius  132 Whinchat Saxicola rubetra   133 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola h      134 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe      135 Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica    136 White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus    137 House Sparrow Passer domesticus       138 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus   139 Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia   140 Dunnock Prunella modularis   141 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea    142 White Wagtail Motacilla alba       143 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris  144 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis h 145 Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta   146 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs       147 Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula  148 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris    149 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina     

Spain – Birds and Wines of Navarra Tour Report

May Common name Scientific name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 150 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis        151 Citril Finch Carduelis citrinella   152 European Serin Serinus serinus       153 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra       154 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella  155 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus  156 Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 

Mammals 1 Pine Marten Martes martes 1 2 Pyreenean Chamois Rupicapra pyrenyca 2 3 European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 1   4 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes 1 1 5 Iberian Hare Lepus granatensis 

Butterflies

Scarce (Spanish) Swallowtail, Iphiclides podalirius Large White, Pieris brassicae Small White, Pieris rapae Western Dappled White, Euchloe crameri Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines Clouded Yellow, Colias crocea Brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni Cleopatra, Gonepteryx cleopatra Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi Baton Blue, Pseudophilotes baton Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera

Others

Large Psammodromus, Psammodromus algirus Common Wall Lizard, Podarcis muralis Viviparous Lizard, Zootoca vivipara Pyrenean Rock Lizard, Iberolacerta bonnali Burnet Companion Moth, Euclidia glyphica Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, Hemaris tityus Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, Hemaris fuciformis Latticed Heath Moth, Chiasmia clathrata Crowned Moth, Eurranthis plummistaria Tau Emperor, Aglia tau