Santo Domingo de Silos, La Yecla, Covarrubias, La Yecla, Peñacoba and Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain

A nice day, with a look at La Yecla and a spot nearby before a visit to the beautiful town of Covarrubias and then an evening Silos.

Ebird List for La Yecla.

The walk to the Gorge.

After breakfast and saying goodbye to Enzo and Francesco, Paqui and I went just up the road to do a walk along the gorge at La Yecla, when we got there we found it was all taped up and closed, later we found out that there had been an accident earlier in the week when someone was hit by falling rocks.

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

La Yecla.

We still spent some time watching the Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) near the entrance to the road tunnels, here we also saw Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Booted Eagle (Aguila Calzada / Aquila penntuas), Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Peregrine Falcon (Halcón Peregrino / Falco peregrinus), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Eurasian Blue Tit (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Europeo / Certhia brachydactyla), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus).

As the Gorge was closed we decided to have a look around the nice town of Covarrubias which turned out to be a very good idea as Paqui really liked the place.

We enjoyed the visit, bought a few bits in one of the shops, and had a coffee before heading back towards La Yecla, but we went out to a nearby site with a small pool that usually has water; today it was just a damp patch with a couple of puddles.

♀ Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea).

♀ Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea).

Whilst there we picked up a ♀ Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Short-tailed (Cupido argiades) x1, Chalk Hill  (Lysandra coridon) and Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) x1, Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora) x2, Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Rock Grayling (Hipparchia alcyone).

Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma).

Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades).

Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon).

Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon).

Cardinal Fritillary (Argynnis pandora).

Rock Grayling (Hipparchia alcyone).

As it was getting quite warm we decided to head back to Santi's where we had some lunch and the chilled for a while before we all went down into the village, where we had some very nice food in Restaurante Villa de Silos before returning to Santi's.

The main Plaza in Silos.

Sad Hill Cemetery, Claustro románico de Santo Domingo de Silos and Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Province, Spain.

A brilliant day with a visit to one of my favourite places and the Eclipses.

 

At the Entrance.

We got up early and after breakfast we all headed up to Sad Hill Cemetery, the location for the final scenes of my favourite movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Info board at the site.

We walked around the area for a while with Santi, Enzo and Francesco before they headed back to Silos, Paqui and I did a bit more of a walk around the wetter areas finding Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Black (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus) ♀, European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), 

Sardinian (Curruca Cabecinegra / Curruca melanocephala), Western Subalpine (Curruca Carrasqueña Occidental / Curruca iberiae) ♂, Western Orphean (Curruca Mirlona Occidental / Curruca hortensis) and Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) and European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator) and Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real / Lanius meridionalis), Iberian Magpie (Rabilargo Ibérico / Cyanopica cooki), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus) ♂ and Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia) ♂.

European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster).

European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus).

European Crested Tit (Herrerillo Capuchino / Lophophanes cristatus).

Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus) ♂.

Rock Bunting (Escribano Montesino / Emberiza cia).

Other species seen during the stroll were Bath White (Pontia daplidice), Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), Long-tailed (Lampides boeticus), Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous), Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) and Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus), Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe), Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), False Meadow Saffron (Colchicum montanum), Cornish Heath (Erica vagans), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), 

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) ♀.

Cornish Heath (Erica vagans).

False Meadow Saffron (Colchicum montanum).

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa).

We returned to the car and then after parking back at the house, we joined the others down in town for a drink.

Claustro románico de Santo Domingo de Silos.

Claustro románico de Santo Domingo de Silos.

Claustro románico de Santo Domingo de Silos.

Later Santi took Paqui and me down to the Claustro románico de Santo Domingo de Silos where we had a look around this impressive part of the monastery, later we went for a walk around the allotment areas and along the streams, here we saw Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Crag (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Black Redstart, Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto), Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow, Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Lang's Short-tailed and Long-tailed Blue, Large Bindweed (Calystegia silvatica) and Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum).

Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto).

Large Bindweed (Calystegia silvatica).

Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum).

We walked back up through the town and then got ready for the main event, the total Eclipse, as we walked we took some photos of some of the older buildings on our way up the hill to Santi's.

Once we were back at the house we chilled out for a while before we all went up onto the terrace, where I got the cameras set up ready for the totality period of the eclipse, as I had been informed that this was the only time it was safe to take shots with out damaging the cameras.

People getting ready over the other side of the Valley.

 

 

All prepared with Glasses on.

It went darker than it looks in this shot.

It was an amazing experience. I went to Cornwall many years ago for the one there, but it was unfortunately cloudy, so it was fantastic to see this one well and share it with some special people.

Sunset after the event.