After the exertions of Besande on day 7, day 8 was a bit of a write-off for birding as we indulged in a lie-in and a late lunch in Potes. I tried and failed to improve on my photographs of Crag Martin which were breeding under the ramparts of the Torre del Infantado, a solid structure dominating the centre of the old town, but the highlights of the visit were the clouds of Swift which screamed past at eye level as we dined over-looking the river. Later we managed a half-hearted stroll around the meadows at the bottom of the Fuente De cable car but the low cloud meant there was little point heading higher. Crag Martin and a couple of Short-toed Eagle were the only birds of note and it was the only day of the trip when I was unable to add to either the butterfly or the bird trip list.
 |
| Wryneck, track to Hotel d'Aliva from Espinama |
 |
| Wryneck, track to Hotel d'Aliva from Espinama |
 |
| Wryneck, track to Hotel d'Aliva from Espinama |
 |
| Short-toed Eagles, Fuente De |
 |
| Short-toed Eagle, Fuente De |
 |
| Crag Martin nest, Potes |
 |
| Crag Martin, Potes |
 |
| Crag Martin, Potes |
Day 9 therefore required a bit more effort to be made and I was once again allowed 'off the leash' to check out an apparently reliable site for Apollo recommended by the Spanish birders who I met on my second visit to Fuente De a few days before. They advised that if you purchased drinks or a meal you could drive up to the mountain retreat of Hotel d'Aliva, normally accessed on foot from the upper cable car station at Fuente De, and walk down to the Apollo site, but checking on-line suggested a 4x4 would be necessary to access the Hotel. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour I parked in one of the public car parks just north of the main road in the village of Espinama and prepared for the arduous walk up.
 |
| Wheatear (juvenile), track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon |
 |
Wheatear, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
| I flushed two Quail in the wildflower meadows - this is as close as I got to photographing one! |
 |
Griffon Vulture, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
| Grey Wagtail, Rio Nevandi |
 |
| Coal Tit (juvenile), track to Hotel d'Aliva from Espinama |
 |
Red-billed Chough (juvenile), track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
| Red-billed Chough (juvenile), track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon |
 |
| Black Redstart, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon |
The first few km were steep but mercifully shaded - but I needed to get above the treeline to see Apollo. As I did so I passed through a collection of cattle-sheds and reached a cattle-grid where both the landscape and the wildlife started to get interesting: Grey Wagtail, Wheatear and Water Pipit hopped around the mountain streams, Rock Bunting sang from the boulders, Griffon Vultures appeared overhead and a flash of red flying below me turned out to be my first Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush of the trip.
 |
Pyrenean Iris, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
Wildflower meadows, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
Wildflower meadows, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
Wildflower meadows, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
 |
| Water Pipit, Rio Nevandi |
 |
| Water Pipit, Rio Nevandi |
 |
| Water Pipit, Rio Nevandi |
 |
Wall Lizard, track to Pena Oviedo from Portilla del Boquejon
|
The directions from my Spanish friends suggested that after passing a couple of French water fountains on the left I would need to take a sharp right and proceed a couple more km to get to the area which was said to hold the Apollo. It had been a hot but enjoyable walk, which became a bit easier when the gradient levelled off and I reached the wildflower-rich meadows.
 |
| Long-tailed Blue (female) |
 |
| Grizzled Skipper species - possibly Grizzled Skipper! |
 |
| Grayling |
 |
| Chalkhill Blue |
 |
| Brown Argus |
 |
| Brown Argus underside |
 |
| Although out of focus, I think this shot shows enough to identify Berger's Clouded Yellow |
 |
| Same individual - Berger's Clouded Yellow |
Over the next couple of hours I flushed a couple of Quail, and saw a good selection of species but still no Apollo. I did, however, see one of my targets for the trip: the Split-eyed Owlfly, an intriguing species which patrolled the meadows looking like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly, and which occasionally perched to reveal an exquisite wing pattern. It also exhibited an interesting behaviour, namely, when I changed my angle to get a photo of the wings from the side, it shuffled around the stem on which it was perched as if to minimise how much of it I could see. I did a full 360 degree circuit and it followed suit, clearly aware of my presence and seemingly trying to avoid detection! I also added Peacock, Red-underwing Skipper and Berger's Clouded Yellow to the butterfly trip list, as well as my only Swallowtail of the holiday.
 |
| I think this may be a Turquoise Blue |
 |
| The AI on my iPhone says False Heath Fritillary but it's not so good with worn specimens - so I think this is Knapweed Fritillary |
 |
| Another Grizzled Skipper type |
 |
| Fairly confident this is Knapweed Fritillary - a fresher specimen |
 |
| I think this is a worn female Adonis Blue, based on the bold spotting on the underside and upperwing margin pattern |
 |
| A bit more of the upperwing of what I think is a female Adonis Blue |
 |
| Peacock |
 |
| Marbled White |
The trek back down produced more extended views of Rock Thrush after I rejoined the main track but other birds were thinner on the ground as the popular walking route between Hotel d'Aliva and Espinama was much busier by this point. A movement on the ground in front of me caught my eye as a small bird hopped into a hawthorn and on checking it out it turned out to be a newly fledged Wryneck which eventually gave good views. An adult was also commuting back and forth with food but too fast to photograph. Another good bird for the trip list.
 |
| Small White - a lot of the 'Small White' I saw turned out to be Green-veined - the veins being reduced in southern Europe |
 |
| Small Tortoiseshell |
 |
| Small Skipper |
 |
| Silver-studded Blue |
 |
| Silver-studded Blue (male) |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Portilla del Boquejon |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Portilla del Boquejon |
 |
| Red Underwing Skipper |
Despite the disappointment of another Apollo dip it had been a rewarding hike, again through spectacular landscapes, and I headed back towards Potes to meet up with the family and take a cool shower.
 |
| Turquoise Blue |
 |
| Silver-washed Fritillary |
 |
| Swallowtail |
 |
| Swallowtail |
 |
| Split-eyed Owlfly |
 |
| Split-eyed Owlfly head on hiding behind a stem |
 |
| Split-eyed Owlfly |
 |
| Split-eyed Owlfly |
