Laguna de Pitillas in Navarra and Sotos del Río Aragón near Berdún, Huesca, Aragon, Spain.

A visit to a very nice wetland and a good river site on our way to Berdún.

Deb and Ian, Day Forty Three.

Ebird List for Laguna de Pitillas the Observatorio.

Ebird List for Laguna de Pitillas second watch point.

Ebird List for Laguna de Pitillas Loop Drive.

Ebird List for Sotos del Río Aragón.

 

Early Morning Mute Swans (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor).

We left Vera de Moncayo early and headed for Laguna de Pitillas on our way to Berdún where we were staying for the next couple of nights, we arrived at the Laguna de Pitillas by 08:00 and parked at the visitors center which was closed so we set up the chairs and spent some time scanning the reeds and water.

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

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

Species seen included Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Common Shelduck (Tarro Blanco / Tadoma tadorna), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Mareca strepera), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Pochard (Porrón Europeo / Aythya ferina), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and a calling Eurasian Bittern (Avetoro Común / Botaurus stellaris) which was hiding well in the reed bed in front of us but didn't show, Ian did see a bird flying out in the distance but I missed it.

Deb looking out over the reed beds.

We also saw White Stork (Ciguena Blanca / Ciconia ciconia), Eurasian Spoonbill (Espátula Común / Platalea leucorodia), Grey (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) and Purple Heron (Garza Imperial / Ardea purpurea), Western Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Eurasian Hoopoe (Abubilla Común / Upupa epops), Crested (Cogujada Común / Galerida cristata) and Eurasian Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Zitting Cisticola (Cistícola Buitrón / Cisticola juncidis), Great Reed Warbler (Carricero Tordal / Acrocephalus arundinaceus), Common Nightingale (Ruisenor Común / Luscinia megarhynchos), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis) and Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra).

Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra).

Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra).

After a while we drove a short way around to another area where we could view the lake which we preferred to the center, on the way we picked up Calandra Lark (Calandria Común / Melanocorypha calandra), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus) and European Bee-eater (Abejaruco Europeo / Merops apiaster).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

Corn Bunting (Escribano Triguero / Emberiza calandra).

We parked on the track and walked down to the view point where we spent a while scanning the reed beds where we again heard Eurasian Bittern with at least 3 in the area and we also saw at least a couple of Bearded Tits (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus), Common Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus), Great Crested Grebe (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Water Rail (Rascón Europeo / Rallus aquaticus) and as we walked back to the car Deb managed to see a Common Quail (Codorniz Común / Coturnix coturnix) on the edge of a cereal field along the edge of the track.

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii).

We continued on to another spot where we heard more Water Rails and photographed several Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii) and saw Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum), Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Lesser (Anax parthenope) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator), Pale Shoulder Moth (Acontia lucida) and Perez's Frog (Rana Común / Pelophylax perezi), .

Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia).

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

At the highest point in the loop looking down on the Lake.

We continued on along the track and did a loop back to the road adding Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus), Rock Sparrow (Gorrión Chillón / Petronia petronia), European Turtle Dove (Tórtola Europea / Streptopelia turtur), Eurasian Magpie (Urraca Común / Pica pica), European Stonechat (Tarabilla Europea / Saxicola rubicola) and Greater Short-toed Lark (Terrera Común / Calandrella brachydactyla).

Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita).

We reached the road again and then started the drive up towards Berdún but called in to a spot along the Rio Aragon where we were looking for some more Orchid species, we parked and along the river near the bridge we saw Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos), Grey (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea) and White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum) and further along the track Common Chiffchaff (Mosquitero Común / Phylloscopus collybita), Iberian Green Woodpecker (Pito ibérico / Picus sharpei), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oropéndola Europea / Oriolus oriolus), Woodlark (Alondra Totovía / Lullula arborea), Melodious Warbler (Zarcero políglota / Hippolais polyglotta), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Garden Warbler (Curruca Mosquitera / Sylvia borin), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Nightingale, Cirl Bunting (Escribano Soteño / Emberiza cirlus) and Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs).

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera).

As we walked along the track following the river we saw Bee (Ophrys apifera), Bug (Anacamptis coriophora), Lesser Butterfly (Platanthera bifolia) and Greater Butterfly (Platanthera chlorantha), Lizard (Himanthoglosum hircinum), Robust Marsh (Dactylorhiza elata) and Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalia) and some not yet in flower Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris).

Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalia).

Lizard Orchid (Himanthoglosum hircinum).

Robust Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza elata).

Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia).

Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia).

Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha).

Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha).

Butterflies were also on the wing and we saw several Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe), Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus),  Grayling (Hipparchia semele) and Spanish Heath (Coenonympha iphioides).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe).

Spanish Heath (Coenonympha iphioides).

Grayling (Hipparchia semele).

We returned to the car and headed for the nice little town of Berdún which was now only a few KMs away so we were there quickly and met by the owners of the place we were stay pretty quickly, later we went down to Bar Restaurante La Trobada where we had a nice meal and a few beers.

Our first view of Berdún.