Fuente de, Cantabria, Spain.

Bird, Butterflies and Wild Flowers up high in the Mountain.

The view down into the valley from near the upper station.

I set off quite early as I wanted to get up onto the tops as early as possible and it worked well because as soon as I got there I got my ticket and went straight up, once at the top I went out along the main track towards the spot where in the past I have seen the Wallcreeper (Treparriscos / Tichodroma muraria).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus).

On the way I saw Red-billed (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus), Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe) and Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).

Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium).

Malling Toadflax (Chaenorhinum origanifolium).

Imbricate Sandwort (Arenaria tetraquetra).

Erodium daucoides.

Linaria Species.

Silene Species.

There were also good amounts of plants along the side of the path including Yellow Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium), Malling Toadflax (Chaenorhinum origanifolium), Erodium daucoides, Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea), Purple Gromwell (Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum), Fairy Foxglove (Erinus alpinus), Rock Jasmine (Androsace villosa), Iberian Greenweed (Genista legionensis), Matted Globularia (Globularia repens), Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima ssp. alpina) and Pink Sandwort (Arenaria purpurascens).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Galium Species.

Alpine Toadflax (Linaria alpina ssp. filicaulis).

Saxifrage species.

The start of the Scree crags.

At the junction in the track I turned left and walked along the scree slopes and down to the next junction where I spent quite a while looking for the Wallcreeper, on the way I had my first views of a pair of Snowfinches  (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis) and quite a few patches of Alpine Toadflax (Linaria alpina ssp. filicaulis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

I spent a while at the next junction before continuing on along the track as the sun was already out on the slopes, as I walked I had my first Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis), Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans), Raven (Cuervo / Corvus corax) and then a very confiding pair of feeding Snowfinches.

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis).

I turned around and worked my way back down to the first junction and then I started to head back to the Cable Car, as I came around one of the corners I again bumped into friends Monica and Ed, I told them about what I had seen but they had just decided to turn around so I joined them.

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Lefebvre's Ringlet (Erebia lefebvrei).

Common Brassy Ringlet (Erebia cassioides).

Common Brassy Ringlet (Erebia cassioides).

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris).

Pyrenean Trumpet Gentian (Gentiana occidentalis).

We dropped down off the main track to go to a small pool they had found on the way up seeing Lefebvre's (Erebia lefebvrei) and Common Brassy Ringlet (Erebia cassioides) on the way which were both new species for me.

Wild Aquilegia (Aquilegia vulgaris).

Foxglove Species.

Down by the small pool they had see we had some lunch before checking the margins for puddling Butterflies and we soon found Turquoise (Polyommatus dorylas), Small (Cupido minimus), Common (Polyommatus icarus) and Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus), Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow (Colias corceua), Marbled (Carcharodus lavatherae) and Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus) and Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Turquoise Blue (Polyommatus dorylas).

Turquoise Blue (Polyommatus dorylas).

Turquoise (Polyommatus dorylas) and Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Mazarine (Cyaniris semiargus) and Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas).

Small Blue (Cupido minimus).

Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus).

While we were there a group of Butterfly hunters came down to the spot, it was great to meet up with their guide, friend Pau Lucio, chat to a couple of people who I had taken out in the past and hear that they were having a great time on their trip.

Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae).

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides).

We also had a nice male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) and as we walked back to the Cable Car we also saw Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola), Pyrenean Trumpet Gentian (Gentiana occidentalis), Phyteuma orbiculare, Wild Aquilegia's (Aquilegia vulgaris) and a Foxglove species that still needs a name.

Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta).