Aragon - Plains & Pyrenees

22nd - 29th May 2010

Early Summer is a wonderful time to visit the Plains & Pyrenees not only for the migrant & resident birds but mammals such as Chamois & Alpine Marmot, butterflies will be on the wing and alpine flowers such as orchids and gentians will be in bloom. It is a holiday of contrasts, visiting the little known areas of Teruel Province with it's rolling steppes of saxifrage and wild herbs sseing our first Griffon Vultures, Rock Sparrows, Black bellied Sandgrouse and possibly Dupont's Lark.. To the incredible lunar landscape of the Belchite Steppes - this is Dupont's Lark country holding the biggest density in Europe. The Pyrenees fo Aragon need no introduction as their fantastic reputation for both wildlife and stunning vistas makes this such a popular destination. Here we will be hoping to find many of the speciality species that occur here with several such as Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Citril Finch and Black Woodpecker all breeding near to our accommodation.

Day 1 :- After your local flight into Valencia and loaded the vehicle we will head north towards Zaragoza, and with the excellent road system this should not take too long. A lunch stop around Blancas should bring our first Griffon Vultures, Red & Black Kites, Rock Sparrows, Thekla & Calandra Larks. A detour to the Gallacanta Lake could produce a few Great Bustards, Marsh Harrier and Hobby. We will then continue to our hotel south of Belchite and after we have checked in and freshened up, we shall search for one of Spain's most rare and elusive species, the Dupont's Lark. We will drive around the tracks until dusk in the hope of hearing their distinctive call, and trying to  locate one, whilst also watching out for Pin tailed & Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew, Calandra, Lesser Short toed & Crested Larks           Night in Belchite

Day 2 :- A pre breakfast visit to El Planeron will giving us another chance of finding a Dupont's Lark should we have been unsuccessful the evening before. On the way back we shall stop at some lovely olive grove where we should find Western Orphean Warbler, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, and possibly Wryneck. Then after breakfast we will make a quick visit to the ruined remenants of the 'old Belchite' a legacy of the civil war, with a chance of a visiting Lesser Kestrel or Egyptian Vulture. Leaving here we head north to Huesca with it's ever-changing scenery of the pre-Pyrenees, en-route we should see our first White Storks from the vehicle. Our next stop is the Castillo de Loare, which should give us a good introduction to species such as Griffon & Egyptian Vultures, Red Kite, Woodlark, Garden, Sardinian, Sub-alpine & Melodious Warblers, Short toed Treecreeper, Rock & Cirl Buntings. We continue north to the Upper Hecho valley and our hotel, which will be our base for the next five nights, an ideal location

Days 3 - 6 :-  Over the next four days we shall visit nearby valleys, swirls of tumbling Alpine & Red-billed Chough can be seen in a blue sky and parties of Alpine Swifts and Crag Martin join the throng. We're always watching out for raptors and along with Lammergeier and Griffon Vultures, Golden, Booted & Short-toed Eagles may be found hunting for their prey. Herds of Chamois graze high up on the herb rich slopes, where Trumpet Gentian, Elder-flowered & Early Purple Orchids bloom with some early butterflies on the wing. The rocky outcrops and screes amidst these high meadows are home to colourful Rock Bunting and Black Redstart, whilst Alpine Marmots amble amongst the boulders, giving their shrill whistles and looking like shaggy carpets!
The high alpine passes such as Roncal or Portalet, drinving above the fabulous stunted krummholtz tree-line we look for Water Pipits and Ring Ouzel, but we shall be particularly seeking out montane birds like Alpine Accentor and Citril Finch amongst the scree slopes and delightful alpine meadows.
There are extensive forests of beech and pine that have good populations of Black Woodpecker, which announce there presence with their distinctive calls. Here Honey Buzzard and Goshawk breed, Common Crossbill and Western Bonelli's Warbler are found, whilst the tumbling mountain streams have Dipper and Grey Wagtail. Along the Rio Aragon we should find Bee-eater, Hoopoe and Golden Oriole and some of the farmland meadows and arid escarpments have Ortolan Bunting, Rock Sparrow, Tawny Pipit and Woodchat Shrike, whilst in lush areas Nightingale sing from damp scrub and Cetti's Warbler can be heard too. With Black-veined White and Scarce Swallowtail amongst the masses of butterflies on the wing it's a little overwhelming after the sparse alpine meadows! We'll add to that still further with some optional evening excursions that will give us a chance to see Eagle Owl, where European Nightjar hawk in the dusk sky, and there may be Scop's Owl too. Griffon Vultures sail around San Juan de la Peña cliffs - sometimes so close that we can see their eyes checking us out and hear the wind whistling through their enormous flight feathers. Here ancient monasteries peer out from the pines, here Great Spotted Woodpecker, Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit and Firecrest forage, with always the chance of a Black Woodpecker. We may visit Riglos, a tiny white village at the foot of towering red sandstone pillars of rock, where Blue Rock Thrush can be seen. Griffon & Egyptian Vultures nest amidst the rock climbers, while down below the scrubby bushes harbour Subalpine, Dartford & Sardinian Warblers, plus Nightingale song fills the air and Melodious Warbler are possible in the higher bushes.

Day 7 :- This morning we leave the hotel and drive back south to the steppes of Monegros whose breeding birds include Little Bustards, Stone Curlew, Short toed , Lesser Short toed & Calandra Larks. En-route we shall stop off at the Castillo de Montearagon where we should find Black & Black eared Wheatears, Rock Dove, Spectacled Warbler and Rock Sparrows. We will also visit the Laguna de Sarineña one of the breeding strongholds of Great Bittern in Spain, also here we should see Purple Herons, Cattle Egrets, White Storks, Marsh Harriers, Penduline Tits, Great Reed, Eurasian Reed & Cetti's Warblers. We then continue south to last night accommodation south of Belchite.

Day 8 : - Our final  morning will be spent heading south back to Valencia and if time time allows we shall visit Moro Marsh, which is very close to the airport. This excellent reserve is home to Crested Coots, Marbled Duck, Little Bittern, Night & Purple Herons and a great way to complete the holiday.

"What's been said"

I've been on more than a dozen birding trips since 1993 & this certainly was one of the most professional of them. As for the birds, luckily I've seen Black Woodpecker & Great Bustard before & I did get a view of the (Dupont's) Lark.  I think the Wallcreeper was probably the most important bird for all of us and that was fantastic. I certainly would not have a problem booking with you again, thanks and good luck for the future. N. Penberthy

Hi Jules, This is just to say thank you so much for a fantastic birding trip in the beautiful Pyrenees. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed your being in your company – I only hoped you enjoyed ours. Once again we had a fab time and thanks for teaching us so much, we have come back with bins-a-ready. If you want some feedback on the trip…I loved the Hotel Uson, the hotel and the area around there and would definitely travel back to that area. I personally think it was a bit chilly for picnics and would have preferred a quick stop for a bocadillo for lunch. But none of this really made any difference to our enjoyment of the holiday and we had a blast. M. & S. Prior

Just a note of thanks for a great time last week, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, I hope you did too: I personally have carried away a lot of great memories, topped of course by the Close Encounter of the Vulture Kind. We know we spend too much time eating and not enough birding, but we learnt a hell of a lot. G & A Turner

Dear Jules, I would like to thank you so much for the wonderful birding holiday to the Pyrenees which I enjoyed so very much. I felt that the holiday was wonderful value for money compared to most bird tour operators and having been on many of these trips in the past I can guarantee that your expertise in spotting and identifying birds is second to none. The friendly atmosphere that you create and the excellent hotels that we stay in, are further proof of an all round idyllic experience. We had wonderful views of some fantastic birds and I will never forget the moment that we all sat and gazed at the Dupont’s Lark from close quarters and whispered a sigh of relief at finding this most elusive bird. I will not hesitate to join you on further trips and to recommend you to my friends who I know will enjoy birding with such a small group and a friendly experienced leader. J. Beever

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