birding...

2002 [April] - Cambridge RSPB Honeyguide Tour

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2002 [June] - Ian Kinley & Dave Thexton - Pyrenees

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The weather in the first week was ideal; dry and sunny with cool mornings and warm afternoons but never too hot to bird. It changed dramatically on 4th June with spectacular thunderstorms and heavy rain that continued for much of the next day. The inclement weather influenced our decision to leave the Pyrenees a day earlier than intended in search of better birding conditions. Sunny but cool and windy weather prevailed on 6th and 7th and it was raining heavily again on our day of departure. Not what was expected for June in Spain!

2003 [May] - Honeyguide

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2004 [March] - Fraser Simpson

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This trip report is an account of a few days birding in late winter in the Aragón region of the Spanish Pyrenees. The prime intention was to observe one the rarest and most spectacular raptors in Europe, the Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), and four species of high altitude ranging passerines. The Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris), Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus), Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis), and Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) are classic examples of birds adapted to alpine habitats and which exhibit attitudinal migration to various degrees in response to annual climate patterns...

2004 [May] - Honeyguide

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2005 [June] - Mark How

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From the airport we drove towards the area south east of Zaragoza along the A2 / E90 picking up Southern Grey shrike, black kites and white storks and a few bee eaters along the road. We came off at Osera and headed to a part of the plains north of Osera, turn towards Monegrillo. We quickly encountered black eared wheatears, woodchat shrike and a few bee eaters along the road. We then turned onto the track at the substation, and headed into the plains area. We stopped in a suitable area on top a small hill past the farm buildings. We walked around finding several Short toed larks and some Lesser short toed larks in a small ploughed area. Stone curlew and quail were also seen on the field and a few Thelka larks were conspicuous in the scrub. Dartford and subalpine warblers were in the scrub, northern wheatear along the road and several choughs flying around. We drove a little further almost halfway to the disused barn on the left. We left the car for some small larks, which were short toed, the other side of the road held a dupont’s lark which was easily seen although ran down the small scrub bushes, there was possibly another bird with it. A brief search could not relocate them. We carried up to the disused farm, house sparrows and spotless starlings were here along with a couple of spiny footed lizards. We headed back to Zaragoza and then north towards Jaca where we were staying...

2006 [July] - Kenny Musgrove & Wayne Geater

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...The first part of the journey was relatively quiet with sightings of Buzzard, a pair of Ravens and a single Black Kite. The first birds of note were the White Storks nesting on the church near Vitoria Gasteisz as reported in the trip by Nick Bray et al from 2004...

2006 [May] - Maureen & Chris Gibson

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2008 [May] - Honeyguide

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2009 [June] - David Cottridge

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...We had more views of Red-backed Shrike but this time supported by a pair of Woodchat Shrikes, as well as Cirl Bunting, Melodious Warbler, several Pairs of Stonechats, a Honey Buzzard drifting overhead and in the distance an Ortolan Bunting could be heard singing. Alongside the road were good numbers of Pyramidal orchids growing and a Great Green Bush Cricket decided to show itself...

2009 [June] - Tony Moverley

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...Following the map kindly provided by Josele, we headed off through the village, across the main road and up the track which leads to the cemetery. Butterflies were everywhere and we soon got to grips with some of the commoner birds in the area; Spotless Starling, Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike, Rock Sparrow, Greenfinch, Crested Lark, Linnet and Great-spotted Woodpecker. A confiding Tawny Pipit feeding a recently fledged bird contrasted with the fleeting glimpses we had of two Black Wheatears on the cemetery walls...

2010 [June] - Steve Bird

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...views of several Calandra Larks as well as Hoopoes, Bee-eaters, Red Kite, Black Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Crested Lark, and Red-legged Partridge. Near one canal, we encountered a Golden Eagle ...

2011 [May] – Honeyguide - Spanish Pyrenees

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…and a short-toed eagle which drifted over us was followed even more leisurely by an adult lammergeier, barely flicking its wing-tips as it traversed the valley...