Spain's Picos de Europa Mountains Naturetrek Tour Report 13 - 20 June 2019 Hummingbird Hawk-moth Early Spider Orchid Fuente De Lizard Orchid Report & Images by Matthew Capper Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Spain's Picos de Europa Mountains Tour participants: Laura Benito and Matthew Capper (leaders) with 13 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Thursday 13th June Overcast After meeting with Laura at Asturias Airport, we loaded the bags, divided up into vehicles and headed off for Espinama. The lateness of the plane meant we stopped on route for a bite to eat and arrived rather late into the night. Wildlife wise, there was not much of note other than Barn Owl and a Fox, both after it had got dark. A quick roll call to allocate rooms and we were off to bed for a well-deserved sleep. Day 2 Friday 14th June Sunny and clear, then cloudy with drizzle in the evening The morning dawned bright and sunny and the early risers were out before breakfast, seeing a nice selection of species including a Black Kite circling over the woods. We all assembled in the dining room for breakfast and plans were laid out for the day. We began with a stroll around the village, soon seeing Serin, Spotted Flycatcher and a very smart pair of Red-backed Shrikes. The best bird, however, was a Short-toed Snake Eagle over the adjacent hillside that gave us nice, if distant, views. An Iberian Marbled White was fluttering about in a small meadow area and a Large Wall butterfly and Common Wall Lizard were sunning themselves on an adjacent wall. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was a brief addition for a lucky few before we crossed the road and headed down the other side. A Black Redstart was feeding a youngster and here we came across our first orchid of the trip, the striking and impressive Lizard Orchid. Our first Crag Martin zoomed low over our heads and then we hit raptor gold with first a Booted Eagle, then a Short-toed Snake Eagle and then our first Griffon Vultures all in the same binocular view. A short drive took us into Potes where everyone got the chance to wander around this charming little town and several found the temptation of coffee and cake too good to resist! After loading up on supplies, we headed off to Pendes and an area of ancient coppiced Sweet Chestnut trees. En route both Red Squirrel and Swallowtail crossed our paths and as we pulled up, an Egyptian Vulture swept past low in front of us, so we piled out to enjoy excellent close views. We were to see this, or another bird, several times over the next couple of hours. Our picnic lunch was held at tables and benches amongst the Sweet Chestnuts accompanied by a family party of Common Redstarts, a male Stonechat, Serin, Griffon Vultures, Short-toed Snake Eagle and singing Song Thrush. Ravens cronked overhead from time to time and Red-billed Chough could be seen and heard in the distance. By now it had become slightly overcast and breezy and so butterflies were scarce. But we did see Speckled Wood, Small White, Brimstone and a couple of fritillaries that were brief and therefore went unidentified. Plants included Pyrenean Eryngo, Milk Thistle, Mountain Sheep’s-bit and Sage-leaved Cistus. A Tree Pipit was enjoyed, creeping around the base of a ditch by the side of the road and we wandered over to a trough where we saw the large distinctive tadpoles of Midwife Toad. Our next stop was the tiny hamlet of Mogrovejo but sadly the hay meadow had just been cut and so we were out of luck with the orchids. However, we were amply compensated by the birds. First it was Griffon Vultures © Naturetrek August 19 1 Spain's Picos de Europa Mountains Tour Report circling and sat up on the cliff opposite and then another Egyptian Vulture below us that perched up, allowing ‘scope views. A Crag Martin circled low over us and then, as we were watching a Raven being chased by a Carrion Crow, our attention was drawn to a bird higher up - a Golden Eagle drifting over the Valley and away into the distance. No sooner had we enjoyed the moment than another bird of prey was spotted flying left to right above the cliffs: a rather nice Honey Buzzard. A family of Swallows was perched up, being fed by the parents, and a Blackcap was singing close by. Then a distinctive chirrup gave away our last good bird of the day, Cirl Bunting, which flew up and perched at the top of a nearby tree. A short drive and we arrived back at Espinama, just as it started to drizzle. After a nice break, we reconvened for the evening log and then enjoyed an excellent meal, whilst reflecting on a wonderful first day. Day 3 Saturday 15th June Overnight rain gave way to a clear day with hot sunshine We assembled for a pre-breakfast walk and did a small circuit along the river in Espinama. A Black Kite was a nice start and we picked up a selection of flowers such as Bastard Balm and Black Rampion, along with the tracks of Badger, Fox and Red Deer. One of the highlights though was a singing male Firecrest that showed its fiery crest for us. After breakfast we took the path to Pido and meandered in the way only a Naturetrek group can! Black Redstarts and Common Redstarts gave side-by-side comparison and Black Woodpecker and Wryneck were calling from the woods and scattered trees respectively. We got our first notable butterfly - the endemic Chapman’s Ringlet and then as the day started to warm, began to add a few more such as Dark Green Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Duke of Burgundy, Small Blue and Clouded Yellow. Early Purple, Pyramidal, Common Spotted and Burnt Orchids were all new, along with species such as Linaria faucicola, Scrambling Gromwell, Hepatica and Pyrenean Valerian. A Slow Worm was seen by a lucky few. We returned to the hotel courtyard for a picnic in the shade, adding Rock Lizard to the day list in the process, and then spent the afternoon pottering around near the village of Brez. The woodland here had a much more Mediterranean feel to it with Holm and Cork Oak both dominating. Our first stop brought more impressive Lizard Orchids and we had a Middle Spotted Woodpecker calling from the woodland nearby. There were a few more butterflies such as Long-tailed Blue, Cleopatra and Iberian Marbled White. Our final stop brought us breathtaking views and a cool breeze. An Egyptian Vulture greeted us along with a singing Western Bonelli’s Warbler. Insect life was abundant now that day had turned hot. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, another Dark Green Fritillary, more Clouded Yellows, Common Blues and Wall Brown; all were on the wing. We had fun taking photos of Hummingbird Hawk-moths, Leaf Beetle, Napoleon Crab Spider (the markings really do look like Napoleon!) and Beautiful Demoiselle. We reluctantly returned to the vehicle, adding Black Kite, Cirl Bunting and Short-toed Snake Eagle before heading back to the hotel. There was time to relax before dinner and the more intrepid were lucky enough to see a Viperine Snake. A great way to end the day. 2 © Naturetrek August 19 Spain's Picos de Europa Mountains Tour Report Day 4 Sunday 16th June Very warm, sunny, cloudless sky What a day! The weather was perfect, the views were stunning and the wildlife incredible. We had a slightly earlier breakfast to ensure we were on one of the first cable cars of the day from Fuente Dé and as we assembled outside the hotel, our regular early morning Black Kite was circling overhead with a Buzzard. After parking up, most of the group went for a wander, seeing Oberthur’s Skipper, a few orchids and Firecrest, Black Redstart and Nuthatch were all in the conifers at the base station. Before long we were ascending Europe’s longest single-span cable-car line, taking less than four minutes to ascend 800 metres in height. At the top, we were soon watching Alpine Choughs from the viewing platform and had our first Snowfinches, close by. Griffon Vultures drifted by at eye level and a Short-toed Snake Eagle showed extremely well. We walked across some short turf, adding Trumpet and Spring Gentians along with a lovely selection of Alpine flowers. Alpine Accentor showed nicely along with Red-billed Chough, Water Pipit, more Snowfinch and Northern Wheatears. A Golden Eagle showed over one of the Peaks and we then had a nice surprise as a Bearded Vulture flew across in front of us and performed for quite some time, drifting over our heads and away. Amazing! Butterflies mostly consisted of Small Tortoiseshell, but we also saw Long-tailed Blue, Spotted Fritillary, Clouded Yellow and Large and Small Whites. In the distance were three or four Chamois but we needed the telescopes to really see them well. Two of the group decided to take the walk back down and descend into Espinama whilst the main party walked along under the imposing peak of Peña Vieja and stopped for lunch at the most reliable area for Wallcreeper. Once refreshed, and having shared our lunches with the Alpine Choughs, we staked out the cliffs and scree slopes having heard a distant Wallcreeper singing.