Fuente de Cable Car, Cantabria, Spain.

Going up high to the Amazing Hill above Fuente De.

Karen and Rob, Day Eight.

 

Before breakfast, I again checked the Garden and rio, starting the day list with Common Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Common Swift (Vencejo Común / Apus apus), Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Blue (Herrerillo Común / Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Carbonera Común / Parus major), Eurasian Wren (Chochin paleártico / Troglodytes troglodytes), Common Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Song Thrush (Zorzal Común / Turdus philomelos), European Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Common Redstart (Colirroja Real / Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Spotted Flycatcher (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata), White (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba) and Grey Wagtail (Lavandera Cascadena / Motacilla cinerea), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), House Sparrow (Gorrión Común / Passer domesticus), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), European Serin (Serin Verdecillo / Serinus serinus), European Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Chloris chloris) and European Goldfinch (Jilguero Europeo / Carduelis carduelis).

Fuente De Cable Car.

After breakfast we started by driving up to Fuente De, where after parking we walked up to the lower cable car station and then spent a while seeing what was about as we were a little early.

On the way up, with the Lower Station at the bottom.

Amongst the Pines surrounding the Cable Car station we saw and heard Western House Martin (Avión Común Occidental / Delichon urbicum), Eurasian Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Eurasian Blackcap (Curruca Capirotada / Curruca capirotada), Common Firecrest (Reyezuelo Listado / Regulus ignicapilla) heard only and Coal Tit  (Carbonero Garrapinos / Periparus ater) before we headed off up to the top.

Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).

False Meadow Saffron (Colchicum montanum).

Pyrenean Eryngo (Eryngium bourgatii).

Small-flowered Foxglove (Digitalis parviflora).

Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) ♂.

Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♀.

Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera).

Once up there we took in the view and then walked out onto the grass-covered areas, on the rocks we found a couple of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis) and in the grass Pyrenean Eryngo (Eryngium bourgatii), False Meadow Saffron (Colchicum montanum), Small-flowered Foxglove (Digitalis parviflora) and Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus), the first  Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans) x20+ and Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera) x15+ of the day.

Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans).

As we continued to walk around we added Pyrenean Germander (Teucrium pyrenaicum), Orviedo Bellflower (Campanula arvatica), Clouded (Colias croceus) and Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone) which was a lifer for me (well happy), Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum), Water Pipit (Bisbita Alpino / Anthus spinoletta), Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) and Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina).

Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone).

Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

After a while I left Karen and Rob (as they didn't want to walk too far out) for a while and made my way out to a small pool where I was hoping to add a few more species, as I walked I found Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia) x5, the first of several Western Brassy Ringlets (Erebia arvernensis) x4 and a good number of Migrant Hawkers (Aeshna mixta) x25+.

 Western Brassy Ringlet (Erebia arvernensis).

 Western Brassy Ringlet (Erebia arvernensis).

I found a pool, not the one I was looking for but it did the job as I soon found Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis) x2 as well as Marbled (Muschampia lavatherae) and Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius), Small White (Pieris rapae), Clouded Yellow, Turquoise Blue (Polyommatus dorylas) and Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Enjoying the Pico's, a brilliant place.

The small pool which came with its own dead horse off to the right.

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis).

Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas) and Marbled Skippers (Muschampia lavatherae).

Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas).

Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).

Marbled Skipper (Muschampia lavatherae).

Western Brassy Ringlet (Erebia arvernensis).

In this area I also had Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola), Northern Raven (Cuervo grande / Corvus corax), Eurasian Crag Martins (Avión Roquero / Ptyonoprogne rupestris) and White-winged Snowfinch (Gorrión Alpino / Montifringilla nivalis) but only a flyover.

Pyrenean Germander (Teucrium pyrenaicum).

Spurge-Laurel (Daphne laureola).

Small-flowered Foxglove (Digitalis parviflora).

I walked back to meet up with Karen and Rob who I found in the cafe so I joined them and had a coffee and a slab of cake, just outside I watched both Red-billed (Chova Piquirroja / Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus) and Griffon Vulture (Bultre Leonado / Gyps fulvus) before we headed back down to the lower station.

Looking down from the Upper Station.

Alpine Chough (Chova Piquigualda / Pyrrhocorax graculus).

As we walked back to the car we saw  Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) before we headed back towards Potes.

On the way we made a brief visit to the parking spot at Argüébanes, here we saw Iberian Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides feisthameli) x1, Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) x2, Common (Polyommatus icarus) x1, Lang's Short-tailed (Leptotes pirithous) x2 and Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) x3 and Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) x4.

We dropped back to the Hotel and chilled before going out later for something to eat and drink.