The Pyrenees

It's been a while since I've written on here but only because I've been busy birding and dabbling with butterflies!

Fontalba, in the Catalan Pyrynees

With the cessation of Spring migration, it was time to explore and enjoy the fruits of the local breeding sites. With increasing temperatures, the more northerly and of course higher altitudes of the  Pyrenees offer a pleasant retreat. On top of that the birding, and flora and fauna in general are spectacular.

High up in the Catalan Pyrenees, the cooler temperatures offer a gentle retreat from the warming Mediterranean temperatures of Barcelona.

These factors have resulted in me visiting the Pyrenees on multiple occasions since the last blog post - I absolutely love it up there. For any nature-lover the Pyrenees are just a must visit. Life there is so much less affected by modern day agriculture, and urbanization. It's like taking a step back in time, to a more simple life which comes hand in hand with a vastly healthier environment. This is reflected ten-fold in the wildlife to be found there, and over the last few weeks I have been utterly blown away by the biodiversity up there, yet I feel like I have literally only skimmed the surface.

This post is just a summary of what I have visited and seen over the last few weeks, being broken down into birds, mammals, butterflies and plants. I've literally taken 1000s of photos and can't post them all so this is a snapshot of what's to see in the Catalan (mostly) Pyrenees.

 Let's begin with my favourites - the birds! Fontalba is a fantastic spot to see some of the Pyrenean specialists, often from the comfort of the car, with the exception of the higher level species such as Alpine Accentor & Rock Ptarmigan, of course.

First up is Black Woodpecker - the largest of European Woodpeckers. The bird below was picked up as it flushed as I opened the car door at a routine road-corner stop on the zig-zagging ascent up Fontalba. This bird was feeding in an area of conifers where a previous fire had killed a significant area of trees, which resulted in subsequent tree decomposition by various invertebrates, all of which provide ample feeding for woodpeckers.

Black Woodpecker, Fontalba

Decomposing conifers provide ample feeding for Black Woodpeckers at this site, as is evident above. 

The call of the Black Woodpecker in my opinion is an epic plaintive cry unlike any other European species in there is something very wild sounding about it, just like the habitat in which the species is found.

One of the star birds of the Pyrenees, is of course Citril Finch, and Fontalba is an excellent site for the species, especially in the higher reaches on grassy verges near conifers. They often show extremely well if approached in the car with caution, such as the bird below.

Citril Finch, Fontalba. Views like this are possible if approached cautiously with a car.

Rock Thrushes are to be found higher up, in the rockier zones. This one was picked up at over 2000m and was coming down from some rocky scree to feed in an area of short grass with a recently fledged juvenile.

Another nice species to be had is Red Crossbill. They are relatively common here and are best picked up on call. Note the call type is distinctive to this Pyrenean population. Again, with patience and field-craft one can get really nice views of this species at Fontalba.

Rock Buntings are also numerous along the roadside drive to the car park at the top. Knowing the call and song of the species can be helpful in pinning them down but at times they are obviously visible on the roadside verges.

Fontalba is one of the premium sites in Catalunya for Ring Ouzel. Again, towards the higher reaches in areas which conifers, listen for the distinctively simple song quite unlike its close relative, the Blackbird. This bird below was photographed close to the car park, with a male and two fledged juveniles and I spent an amazing 5 minutes in awe watching and photographing them. They are really something special.

Another Pyrenean specialist (in terms of Catalunya), is Red-backed Shrike. These are easy at Fontalba in the mid-level paddocks with shrubby areas. Just scan any bushes you see on the way up and you will pick them up.

Fontalba also has some great mammals to see, namely Alpine Marmot, which was reintroduced from Italy in the 1950s, and the Pyrenean subspecies of Chamois, which was nearly hunted to extinction for its skin but has made a remarkable comeback. With some field-craft and some clever positioning behind ridges and boulders one can obtain fantastic views  of both species at Fontalba. 

Marmot territories are pretty easy to pick up!

Another great thing about the Pyrenees are the butterflies. Species diversity is very high and there are plenty to keep you occupied if you get tired of looking at all of the amazing birds and mammals. I'm still learning myself, but here are some of the nicer species I've seen there so far this year:

Dewy Ringlet, Puigmal, Catalunya

Small Copper, Puigmal, Catalunya

Adonis Blue, Fontalba, Catalunya

Black-veined White, Fontalba, Catalunya

Pearl-bordered Fritillary (I think!), Enveitg.

Moroccan Orange Tip, Enveitg, French Pyrynees - close to Catalan border

Provencal Fritillary (I think!), Enveitg

With regards plants - the Pyrenees are awash with all kinds of beautiful and unusual plants including many rare specialists, and they are worth a visit for these alone. Here are some highlights from this Spring/Summer:

Genitan sp, Fontalba

Black Vanilla Orchid, Fontalba

Bug Orchid, Fontalba

Burnt-tip Orchid, Fontalba

Fragrant Orchid, Fontalba

Greater-butterfly Orchid, Enveitg.

So whether you are into birds, butterflies, plants, cool mammals or just fancy seeing some amazing scenery - the Catalan Pyrenees are a must see if you are in Catalunya and have time.