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 © Naturetrek May 19 1 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 2 © Naturetrek May 19 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.