Peter Moore's Wildlife Blog: Picos de Europa day 6: a sub-alpine adventure

Thursday, 24 July 2025

Picos de Europa day 6: a sub-alpine adventure

Cloud on the high tops would become a feature of the latter part of our holiday in the Picos, so I was glad to have made it up to Pena Olividada via the cable car twice in clear weather in the earlier part of the trip. The cloud was a bit lower on the morning of 3rd July so I set about looking for a walk in sub-alpine habitats which might bring us close to some interesting species without taking us above the cloud base.

Rock Bunting, Brez

Consulting some recent e-bird lists suggested that a good range of birds could be seen around the village of Brez, which sits at an altitude of 771m, and I persuaded the family that if there were good birds, it would probably be a nice place for a walk. After a 30 minute drive, we parked on the verge below the village and followed a well marked circular path up through the village in an anti-clockwise direction. Soon after leaving the village we were in a nice oak woodland habitat and I started to hear Woodpeckers. Consulting the Merlin app suggested they were Middle Spotted which would be a new species for me, so I lingered while the family pressed on. It took the best part of an hour to get a view but eventually a calling Middle Spot revealed itself from behind a tree trunk and gave good views for a few minutes. I also heard but didn't see a Black Woodpecker here giving its distinctive call.

Dung beetle doing what it says on the tin

Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Brez

Look for this sign and follow the yellow and white markings anti-clockwise around the circular route

Map of the route on an interpretation board below the village of Brez

I pressed on climbing higher and shortly after was hearing Western Bonelli's Warblers give their trilling song. After a few record shots I thought I should try and catch up with Claire and Rowan which was easier said than done given the time I had taken to see the Middle Spot, and the increasingly steep terrain though which they had already passed! I reached them just after the apex of the circular walk, above the tree line but below a daunting path which headed up to the high cols and peaks above, where Griffon Vulture and the first Short-toed Eagle of the trip appeared. Fortunately the heat of the day was calmed by the cloud cover and we were pleased to be heading back down through the pretty scrub-covered limestone slopes.

Western Bonelli's Warbler, Brez

Short-toed Eagle at the high point of the walk from Brez

Lulworth Skipper - a long way from home!

I think this is a Large Pincertail

Grayling

At this point I heard a Rock Bunting singing and it and another bird gave good views above and below us. A little lower and a colony of Crag Martin provided some photo opportunities. We returned to the car and dropped down the winding mountain road a bit further to a layby with a bench for a picnic lunch from the camping fridge in the car, which had done its job pretty well. It turned out to be a good choice as we enjoyed good views of Booted Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Common Buzzard during a short 'treewatch' overlooking the forest below.

False Ilex Hairstreak

Crag Martin

The circular walk (PR-PNPE 27 Brez-Canal de Las Arrendondas) took about 3.5 hours taking it pretty easy, but could be completed in 2.5 hrs without too much difficulty and provided a great way to see species which are a treat for a birder from the UK, even if not particularly rare in a local context.