Today we set off towards Lumbier with our first birds being a Short-toed Treecreeper and a Black Redstart by the river as we left Anso. Our first stop was at the Arbayun Gorge viewpoint where we saw several Griffon Vultures and many House Martins. A new bird for the trip was an Alpine Swift. At our coffee stop in Lumbier a Red Kite flew over.
Moving on to an area near Aibar we watched a bird we weren’t sure about, sitting up on top of a bush for a quite while. After examining the many photos I had taken we decided it was Tawny Pipit, a new species for us.
After waiting a while the first of our target birds was seen on top of a fence post. It was an Ortolan Bunting and we could clearly see it’s greenish coloured head before it flew down into a small stream for a drink.
We crossed to the other side of the hill where the Tawny Pipit was still sitting in the same place. Eventually our second target bird, a Black-eared Wheatear flew by and landed on a nearby fence. It stayed there for quite a while giving us excellent views of it. Other birds seen in this area included Linnet, Stonechat and Thekla’s Lark. As an extra bonus a Cuckoo called briefly.
Our next location was Lumbier Gorge. On arrival we first had our picnic surrounded by House and Tree Sparrows and a Nightingale could be heard singing loudly.
Before entering the tunnel into the gorge we saw a couple of pairs of Rock Dove on rocky ledges above the river. At the far end of the tunnel a House Martin was visiting it’s nest just inside the tunnel. Many House and Crag Martins were flying around in the gorge as well as several Griffon Vultures, a couple of Red-billed Chough, Jackdaws and at least one Rock Sparrow.
As we exited the tunnel to return to the car park, we spotted a Red Kite above us being mobbed by a Raven which was ‘cronking’ loudly. Lots of Blackcaps were singing from the bushes and one was seen, along with a small flock of Goldfinches.
We left Lumbier and headed back towards Anso along the very useful new stretch of motorway which they had been building two years ago. It eventually ran out near Berdun and we saw Corn Bunting, Buzzard and Red Kite in that area.
We drove back up the Hecho Valley where three Kites were seen with at least one being a Black Kite. Another one was seen further along as well as a Red Kite, a Magpie and a Buzzard. Im still wondering where all the Black Kites have gone, but it had been another great day for us.
