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Thursday 8 June 2017

Irati Woods, Navarra.

Granada Wildlifes tour of Belchite and the Pyrenees.
Day Six.
Woodpecker hunting.

The start of the walk.
Around the hotel we started the day list off as usual with Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).
Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).
On our way out to the woods we stopped at as few spots as possible as it was 80 odd KM along a very winding road but we did see Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), a nice male Blue-rock Thrush (Roquero Solitario / Monticola solitarius) which took the species off the guide only list, Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and Large White (Pieris brassicae).
Large Skipper (Ochlodes venatus).
Near Garde, Ochavagia and along the NA40 we boosted the list with Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Red-billed (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Alpine Choughs (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina) and Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe).
Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri).
Once we were down in the woodlands we parked and had a chat with the lady in the shed and she gave us info about the bird we wanted and which trail to look for it on. So we started the walk and soon had good views of Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Coal (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater) and Crested Tits (Herrerillo Capuchino / Parus cristatus), Dipper (Mirlo Acuático / Cinclus cinclus), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Treecreeper (Agateador Norteño / Certhia familiaris), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla) and then for the second time I missed a White-backed Woodpecker (Pico Dorsiblanco / Dendrocopos leucotos) by seconds but I was pleased that Andy M managed to get brief but good views of one when it flew past him and disappeared into a lager pine tree just before the rest of us came around the corner.
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe).
We continued on to the spot we were told that they are regularly seen but after spending quite a while there we decied to walk back for lunch and on the way we picked up Wood (Leptidea sinapis), Small (Pieris rapae) and Western Dappled Whites (Euchloe crameri), Large Skipper (Ochlodes venatus) and Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), High Brown (Fabriciana adippe) and Cardinal Fritillaries (Pandora / Argynnis pandora), Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans), Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), a pair of soaring Northern Goshawk (Azor Común / Accipitor gentillis) along with a couple of Griffon Vultures and a singing male Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus). 
High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe).
Once we were back at the van we had some lunch and then started to make our way back towards the hotel, we stopped on the top of the highest point and had a stretch of the legs and in a bit of pine woodland came across a mixed flock of tits including Blue, Great, Coal, Crested, Long-tailed and Marsh Tit (Carbonero Palustre / Parus palustris) along with Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus) and during the rest of the drive back we added Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Bullfinch, Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula), Carrion Crow as well as Lizard (Himantoglosum hircinum), Fragrant (Gymnadenia conopsea) and Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalia).
Sheildbug Species.
We reached the hotel and after getting freshened up had another good evening meal and a few more laughs.

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