Parque Natural Hoces del Río Duratón in Segovia Province, Fuentes de Nava in Palencia Province and Ojedo, Cantabria, Spain.

Continuing on further North.

 

Dawn at Parque Natural Hoces del Río Duratón.

I left the hotel in Sepúlveda and was out on the plains before dawn and I was delighted to hear a singing Dupont's Lark (Alondra Ricotí / Chersophilus duponti) off in the distance which was easier to hear this morning as there was no wind, I walked further along the track hearing the bird call a couple more times.

The arriving storm.

In the same area I had singing Calandra (Calandria / Melanocorypha calandra), Crested (Cogujada / Galerida cristata), Greater Short-toed (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla) and Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Linnet (Pardillo Común / Carduelis cannabina), Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Red-billed Chough (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Jackdaw (Grajilla / Corvus monedula) and a couple of singing Golden Orioles (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus) off in a pine plantation across a shallow ravine.

Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus).

Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus).

I continued on up to the car park and then turned around to start my drive up to Fuente de Nava, I scanned the fields as I was traveling out but on the track next to a water filled puddle I notice a bird pop out from the vegetation and when I got the bins on it I realized I was watching an immature Dupont's Lark, very pleased I left the site and drove North.

Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus).

I headed off adding Mistle (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Black Kite (Milano Negro / Milvus migrans).

Black-tailed Godwit (Aguja Colinegra / Limosa limosa).

On the way I saw a sign for a laguna de Navalaegua so I took at detour and whilst there I added Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus).

I moved on and after a while I arrived at the car park at the eastern end of the Fuente de Nava reserve and then walked out on to the board walk just across the road where I had good views of at least 3 Savi's (Buscarla Unicolor / Locustella luscinoides), Reed (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus) and Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Penduline Tit (Pájaro Moscón / Remiz pendulinus), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus) and lots of 8289 Camptogramma bilineata moths which came up from everywhere as I walked.

8289 Camptogramma bilineata.

I returned to the main track and walked out towards the tower hide, on the way I had several calling Common Cuckoo's (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna) and Migrant Spreadwing (Lestes barbarus), Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis), Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Green-veined White (Pieris napi).

Aglaope infausta.

I reached the far end of the walk after passing the tower hide which was unfortunately closed and checked the fields from the furthest view point but I did not find anything new until I turned around and started back when I had a Hobby (Alcotán Europeo / Falco subbuteo) come passed me along the track which swerved a few time before zipping off over the lake.

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii).

Young Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica).

I returned to the blind at the end of the boardwalk and again listened to the reeling Savi's Warblers and had a couple of Purple Herons (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea) flyby.

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis).

I went just a shot way up the road to another hide over looking another lake but in general it was quiet but I did add Greater Flamingo's (Flamenco Común / Phoenicopterus roseus), Gull-billed Terns (Pagaza Piconegra / Gelochelidon nilotica), Zitting Cisticola (Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), a teneral Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Green-veined White (Pieris napi) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).

I left and drove north towards Ojedo on the edge of the Pico's de Europa but at around 14.30 near Santa Cruz de Boedo as I was heading North along the A67 I was extremely surprise to have a Barn Owl (Lechuza Común / Tyto alba) fly across in front of me and at a junction a very short way on I was so very unhappy to see another Barn Owl dead in the hard shoulder.

De Prunner's Ringlet (Erebia triaria).

De Prunner's Ringlet (Erebia triaria).

De Prunner's Ringlet (Erebia triaria).

I left the motorway and when on the minor road to wards my hotel for the next 5 nights stopping on the way at Mirador de Las Matas just after Cervera de Pisuerga and walked along the trails in both directions, going north the track went through some mixed woodland and then in to an area of Pine Woodland.

Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia celadussa).

Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia celadussa).

Just as I entered the wood there was a nice male Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and a small fritillary which I got some shots and later had help to Identify it as Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia celadussa) by Edmond MacKrill and on Mariposas diurnas de Andalucia by Ceci Mp, Thanks.

Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense).

Sriped Shieldbug (Graphosoma italicum).

Bastard Balm (Melittis melissophyllum).

Just a bit further up the track I had another new species when a De Prunner's Ringlet (Erebia triaria) flew passed and then landed a couple of times allowing me to get some poor but identifiable shots.

Green-veined White (Pieris napi).

Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus).

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus).

In the same area I had Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra), Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus), Spanish Gatekeeper (Pyronia bathsheba), Sriped Shieldbug (Graphosoma italicum), Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), Bell Heather (Erica cinerea), Bastard Balm (Melittis melissophyllum), Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major).

View from my room.

I continued on to the Hostal along this winding road with some stunning views, I arrived at Hostal Toscana and checked in. I was pleased to meet Carmela who was the daughter of Nisio the owner and she checked me in and showed me to my room. I really enjoyed my 5 nights here, the room was comfortable and nice with some good birding out of the window.

Before dark I saw a family of Common Redstarts (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus).