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.
