After the early start for Fuente De on day 2, day 3 (30 June) was a more leisurely affair which saw us enjoying the holiday accommodation and checking out the pool to avoid the heat of the day. I passed the time photographing Serin from the bedroom window as these manic birds took a break from bombing around the apartment complex to perch in the shade.
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Crag Martin |
 |
| Black Kite |
 |
| Black Kite |
We eventually made it out late afternoon, following our noses up a few promising looking mountain roads close to home, one of which took us to the Mirador de Liebana in the village of Cahecho (NB set satnav for Cahecho as the satnav location for the Mirador takes you to the wrong place). Black Redstarts flitted from the rooftops of this attractive settlement and House Sparrows visited a French fountain for much needed re-hydration.
 |
| Swift |
 |
| House Sparrow |
 |
| Booted Eagle |
 |
| Booted Eagle |
 |
| Booted Eagle |
 |
| Booted Eagle |
 |
| Black Redstart |
 |
| Juvenile Black Redstart |
The small fenced viewpoint towards the south end of the village offered spectacular views of the Picos and the forested slopes below. I wasn't expecting much bird wise but fortunately a local farmer was haymaking which pulled in some raptors to add to the trip list: Buzzard, several Black Kites, an Egyptian Vulture and a Booted Eagle which all took advantage of easy pickings in the freshly cut meadows.
 |
| Mallow Skipper (female) |
 |
| Mallow Skipper (male) |
 |
| Clouded Yellow |
 |
| Clouded Yellow |
 |
| Cleopatra |
 |
| Cleopatra and Clouded Yellow |
 |
| Cleopatra |
 |
| Cleopatra |
As we admired the raptors the first Crag Martin, Swift, House Martin and Swallow of the trip appeared overhead. Whilst we saw Crag Martin in many locations, the viewpoint and the village afforded the best photo opportunities of this species, with birds circling around our heads and perching on buildings in the village. Butterflies also put on a good show with Clouded Yellow, Cleopatra and Mallow Skipper the highlights. For a 'non-birding day' it had been a pretty good day!
 |
| Serin |
 |
| Serin |
 |
| Serin |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
 |
| Egyptian Vulture |
No comments:
Post a Comment