Ansó, Gabardito, Hecho Valley, Aragón, Spain.

Up in the hills above and in the Hecho Valley, dips and bonus's.

Ebird List for Rio Aragón.

Ebird List for Gabadito walk.

Ebird List for 9 Diseminado Afueras.

Ebird List for further up the Valley.

 

The View from the Refugio at Gabardito.

We were up and out fairly early, as we went down to the car park where I started the list off with Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Bonelli's Warbler (Mosquitero Papialbo / Phylloscopus bonelli), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor) and as we drove to Gabadito we picked up Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

The Aragón Subordán at the start of the road to Gabardito.

The Crags above Gabardito.

The view form above Gabardito.

We turned off the main road up the Hecho valley onto the minor road up to the Refugio de Gabardito but just before the we crossed the Rio de Aragón Subordán we parked up and had a short walk seeing Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteno / Emberiza cirlus), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Blue (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Long-tailed Tit (Mito / Aegithalos caudatus), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Griffon (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) and Egyptian Vulture (Alimoche Común / Neophron percnopterus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo) and Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Sylvia atricailla). 

Saponaria ocymoides.

Viola riviniana.

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca).

Slug Species.

One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora).

Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis).

Globularia punctata.

Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina).

As we started to drive up to the Refugio we had good views of our first Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio), heard Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapillus), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea) and Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos) as well as Wild Aquilegia's (Aquilegia vulgaris), Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia) and Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus).

Duke of Burgandy (Hamearis lucina).

Duke of Burgandy (Hamearis lucina).

Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanathera longifolia).

Anthyllis species.

Rock Jasmine (Androsace villosa).

Fairy Foxglove (Erinus alpinus).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Once we reached the car park we kitted up and went for a walk out on the main trail, straight away we picked up Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla), Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Parus ater), Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula) and Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus). 

Photographing the One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora).

Photographing the One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora).

Plants included Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis), Common Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus), Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata), Common (Pyrola minor) and One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora) and Alchemilla-leaved Cinquefoil (Potentilla alchemilloides).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)???????

Veronica tenuifolia ????

Pyrenean Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium ssp. pyrenaica).

Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus).

We reached the watch point where we unfortunately dipped on the Wallcreeper (Treparriscos / Tichodroma muraria) but we did see Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus), Crag Martin (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Alpine Swift (Vencejo Real / Apus melba), a male Citril Finch (Verderón Serrano / Serinus citrinella) and then Ricky called the star bird a Black Woodpecker (Picamaderos Negro / Dryocopus martius).

Elder-flowered Orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina) and Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Elder-flowered Orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina).

Elder-flowered Orchid (Dactylorhiza sambucina).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula).

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) hipochromatic.

Other species seen were Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula), Small (Aglais urticae) and Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychlorus), Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina), Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna), Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis), Cowslip (Primula veris), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Pyrenean Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium ssp. pyrenaica), Rock Jasmine (Androsace villosa), Creeping Globularia (Globularia repens), Fairy Foxglove (Erinus alpinus) and Alpine Gentian (Gentiana alpina).

Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula) Male.

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

As we dropped down the hill we added Duke of Burgandy (Hamearis lucina), Wood White (Leptidea sinapis), Common Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines), Lange's Orchid (Androrchis langei), Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca), Common Cuckoo (Cuco Común / Cuculus canorus), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius) and Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita). 

Citril Finch (Verderón Serrano / Serinus citrinella).

Citril Finch (Verderón Serrano / Serinus citrinella).

Red-backed Shrike (Alcaudón Dorsirrojo / Lanius collurio) Male.

Yellowhammer (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella) male.

From the junction at the bottom of the road we headed off further up the valley, on he way and before the rain stopped play at around 16:30 (Much later than forecast) we picked up a pair of Bullfinch (Camachuelo Común / Pyrrhula pyrrhula), Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Yellowhammer (Escribano Cerillo / Emberiza citronella), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes), several more Red-backed Shrikes, Common Toad (Bufo bufo), good numbers of both colour forms of Elder-flowered (Dactylorhiza sambucina) and loads of Early Purple and Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae), Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia), Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) and Small White (Pieris rapae).

Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia).

Common Toad (Bufo bufo).

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).

The rain started so we turned around and headed back to Ansó, on the way we Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos) and Red Kite (Milano Real / Milvus milvus).

Amongst the Orchids.

We got back to digs and then later had a nice meal before hitting the pit as we planned to make an earlish start in the morning.