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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis). |
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| False Meadow Saffron (Colchicum montanum). |
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| Pyrenean Eryngo (Eryngium bourgatii). |
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| Small-flowered Foxglove (Digitalis parviflora). |
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| Common Linnet (Pardillo Común / Linaria cannabina) ♂. |
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| Black Redstart (Colirrojo Tizón / Phoenicurus ochruros) ♀. |
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| 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.
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| Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus). |
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| Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans). |
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| Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans). |
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| Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans). |
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| Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans). |
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| Piedmont Ringlet (Erebia meolans). |
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| 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). |
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| Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone). |
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| Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus). |
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| 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+.
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| Western Brassy Ringlet (Erebia arvernensis). |
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| 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 () and
Red-underwing Skipper (Spialia sertorius),
Small White (
Pieris rapae),
Clouded Yellow,
Turquoise Blue (Polyommatus dorylas) and
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
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| Enjoying the Pico's, a brilliant place. |
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| The small pool which came with its own dead horse off to the right. |
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| Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis). |
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| Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis). |
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| Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaica form asturiensis). |
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| Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas) and Marbled Skippers (). |
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| Turquoise Blues (Polyommatus dorylas). |
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| Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera). |
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| Marbled Skipper (). |
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| 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.
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| Pyrenean Germander (Teucrium pyrenaicum). |
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| Spurge-Laurel (Daphne laureola). |
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| 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. |
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| 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.
