An Ornithological Panorama
by Howard Papworth
Even before actually reaching the Pyrenees, one is aware of something awesome looming ahead. It’s not just in the hazy bulk of mountain that makes its presence felt through the shimmering heat, but in the overhead cruising of black kites and other more interesting miscellaneous raptors. One knows that the Pyrenees are one of the finest raptor hunting grounds in Europe and the sense of expectancy grows as the kilometres recede behind.
In practice first impressions did not quite live up to expectancy. The French Pyrenees are less austere (and less steeply high) than their Spanish counterparts and somehow the bird life is harder to find. The first day dawned misty and got worse through the morning; it was only when one climbed above the clouds on the way up to the Refuge de l’Arribet that the weather improved dramatically. The path from Tech to l’Arribet demands three hours walking, allowing a little time to pause to admire the steep sided scrub-clad valleys and the shaded streams, tumbling into Arcadian rock pools, decorated with ferns and moss. The tableau is completed by the strident calling of Alpine choughs, flocks of which are flapping and bustling their way amongst the boulders and thin scrub on the sides of the valleys. Their ‘chirritt’ call (not quite the ‘chuff of its British brother) erupts maniacally on all sides of the valley, never allowing the walker to forget their presence, which serves the purpose of making their observation so much easier, and of distracting attention from the Citril Finches which are fluttering and feeding much closer and, yet whose grey/green combination makes them considerably harder to see.
The small trees harboured crested tits, goldcrests and firecrests, while the streams in these ‘upland valleys’ were a haven for grey and pied wagtails, dipper and the continental water pipit. At L’Arribet the show was really stolen from the sunset by a pair of black Redstarts who were obligingly tame.
Up early en route for Balaitous, few birds could have competed with the startling sunrise as the small band of climbers moved slowly upwards. Up, to the left, round to shoulder, along just a little bit further and we were almost at the bottom of the Neous glacier. But there had to be pauses on the way up for the beautiful gentians that carpeted small sections of the hillside. A splash of blue on a green and charcoal pallet, lit up by an even brighter sun. The route up was quiet until the glacier when we were suddenly aware of small dark shapes moving along the snow ahead of us. The larger shapes were readily identified as Alpine Choughs. The smaller ones took longer but were no less difficult for they allowed the band of mountaineers to come so close as to render binoculars unnecessary. Alpine accentors they were, lovers of cold areas of warm countries. The highly distinctive rufous flanks could be made out from a distance, and the birds feeding style confirmed identification. Two of them took it in turns to flutter ahead of us, leading us up towards the Neous chimney.
Balaitous conquered, the path down for some was fast and uncompromising. Following a good sleep, the next day found us refreshed and ready for new excitement. The valley leading west from our campsite demanded exploration and was well worth the trouble. Many butterflies fluttered up from beneath our feet as we moved up the valley. At first the only birds were great tits, blackcaps and serins, but as the trees gave way to the higher ground, larger shapes began to appear. Two dark shapes high up were black kites. Over on a distant rockface, two small dark shapes revealed themselves as Choughs, of the red-billed, red-legged variety. Then, on the other side of the valley signs of what we had really hoped to see – Griffon vultures. First one, then a second were wheeling high above us. A third appeared from the south and two more from the north until five were grouped together. Two landed, silhouetted against the cloudy sky like morbid sentinels, whilst the others circled and explored high above them. The pale body and forewings highly visible, with overall ‘feel’ less bulky than the Black Vulture. The heavy shape on land is transformed to a creature of some elegance when in the air, with it effortless soaring and gliding as it explores deep clefts in the mountainside, turning away with its outstretched fingers almost brushing the coarse foliage. A reminder here too that some of the bird books are not quite correct in comparing the Griffon to the ‘teatray in the sky’. The Griffon has an appreciable bulge to the trailing edge of its wings, with a marked line of demarcation between primaries and secondaries. The true ‘teatray’ in the sky’ is the Black Vulture whose leading and trailing edges are uniform black and all but parallel.
After some time spent watching the superb performance it was back to the campsite for evening refreshment. The following day took us into the neighbouring valley with a superb walk from Lac d’Estaing up the valley to Lac du Plaa de Prat. The birdwatching on this walk was rather less spectacular, despite excellent views of black Redstarts, Wheatears, Swifts and a Green Woodpecker.
The drive from Lac du Tech over the various passes of Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde revealed some of the more spectacular scenery yet with tiny villages nestling in the shade of towering hills; steep mountainsides with slow movement of livestock the only reminder that we were not passing through a painting. We stayed at the very impressive Parador in Viella just inside Spain, with its heavy Spanish oak furniture, and glorious views in every direction (except over the town). The following day we drove up the Valle de Aran, noted for its outstanding beauty, pausing at some of the typically Spanish villages on the way. Arties was one such, Salardu another with church on a hillock at the centre of the village, surrounded by whitewashed houses with their red tiled roofs. With the sun mounting in the sky, we rather unwisely drove upwards to the burgeoning ski-resort of Baqueira Beret, where the wealthy middle classes of Madrid and of the larger northern towns disport themselves. A barren place with no trees, the facilities glaringly new and unused, awaiting the first fall of snow.
From Viella, we headed south to Barbastro leaving behind the spartan hills of Cataluna in favour of the more lush valleys and steep mountains of northern Aragon. On the way to Barbastro we had time to stop for some of the most interesting birdwatching of the trip so far. Red kites to add to the Black, the Egyptian Vulture that had so far eluded us, Hen Harrier and crested lark all allowed themselves to be discovered. Equally interesting were the black-eared wheatear, cirl buntings and above all the bee-eaters who were everywhere at one moment and gone the next, leaving behind the memory of a gliding splash of colour and the fluty tang of their calls.
Driving deeper into Aragon we drove north west via Huesca up to Jaca pausing for some interesting birds, and also to admire some very impressive scenery. Most impressive perhaps were Los Mallos, great fingers of rock over 1000 feet high jutting upwards out of the plain. At their base, the tiny village of Riglos, hemmed in by the great sandstone giants on the one side, and by the river Aragon on the other. Finding time to explore some of the thickets that we passed on our way to Jaca, a nightingale gave its presence away, slicing the still hot air with the icy cutting edge of its song. The fluty ‘weela-weoh’ of the golden oriole gave away its approximate whereabouts but nowhere could it be found. Its yellow plumage (lime green in the female) disguises it perfectly amongst the pale yellow green leaves of the poplars that it frequents and where it normally builds it beautiful suspended nest.
A Bonelli’s warbler was found as were more firecrests and spotless starlings. The latter are, I suspect, commoner than people believe, but it takes close observation to separate them from their better known cousins.
After an early morning walk to see serins, cirl and corn buntings and to hear quails only, we set off for Ordesa. Having found a secluded camp site on the River Ara in the heart of Ordesa near Torla we pitched camp and decided to stay here for two nights. Some of the finest birdwatching of this trip was to be had at and around the campsite and in the Ordesa itself. Reclining on the grass at the campsite I was able to pick out short-toed eagle, goshawk and Griffon Vulture all soaring high above, in the bushes nearby a nightingale called and sang. At night a Scops Owl serenaded the bird-lovers and irritated the rest.
Into the Ordesa Park itself for a long walk into the very shadow of the MCmte Perdido, with high on the ridge on one side the fortresses which acted as hideouts for bandits who used to frequent the hills of the Ordesa. Now the haunt of vultures, it is no less impressive. A golden eagle soared over the edge of the ridge some 1500 feet above us before returning into the wasteland plateau high above. At a lower level an alpine swift sheared by, the flicking of its wings almost audible above the trickling of the stream that accompanied the footpath.
The woods bordering the footpath were full of small birds – marsh tits, along with crested, great and blue that revealed themselves, and where the trees were thinner, shrikes hunted. Splendidly piratical the woodchat shrike was remarkably tame, perching only a few feet above the heads of the passers by. Red backed shrikes are always less confiding, preferring to let themselves be regarded from a distance. Ravens cavorted somewhat listlessly on high, the occasional “pruk” descending to the valley bottom, where our attention was held by a more familiar friend – the yellowhammer.
A fascinating trip, greatly enhanced by the scope for the ornithologist, where although the sheer numbers of species seen could easily have been far greater, the interest provided by those birds watched will be a lasting source of pleasure.
| Black Kite | Blackbird |
| Griffon Vulture | Blackcap |
| Buzzard | Willow Warbler |
| Kestral | Goldcrest |
| Swift | Firecrest |
| Green Woodpecker | Crested Tit |
| Crested Lark | Blue Tit |
| House Martin | Great Tit |
| Tawny Pipit | Chough |
| Water Pipit | Alpine Chough |
| Grey Wagtail | House Sparrow |
| Pied Wagtail | Chaffinch |
| Dipper | Serin |
| Wren | Citril Finch |
| Robin | Gold Finch |
| Black Redstart | Alpine Accentor |
| Wheatear | Dunnock |
| Bullfinch | Yellow Hammer |
| Gt. Crested Grebe (Jaca) | Wheatear |
| Black Kite | Black Eared Wheatear |
| Red Kite | Blackbird |
| Egyptian Vulture | White Throat |
| Griffon Vulture | Blackcap |
| Short Toed Eagle(Ordesa) | Bonelli’s Warbler |
| Hen Harrier | Firecrest |
| Goshawk | Marsh Tit |
| Buzzard | Crested Tit |
| Golden Eagle | Blue Tit |
| Kestral | Great Tit |
| Quail (H) | Golden Oriole |
| Black Headed Gull (Graus) | Red Backed Shrike |
| Common Tern | Woodchat Shrike |
| Cuckoo | Jay |
| Scops Owl (H) | Magpie |
| Swift | Alpine Chough |
| Alpine Swift | Jackdaw |
| Bee Eater | Carrion Crow |
| Green Woodpecker | Raven |
| Crested Lark | Starling |
| Skylark | Spotless Starling |
| Crag Martin | House Sparrow |
| Swallow | Chaffinch |
| House Martin | Serin |
| Tawny Pipit | Goldfinch |
| Water Pipit | Linnet |
| Grey Wagtail | Yellowhammer |
| Nightingale | Cirl Bunting |
| Black Redstart | Corn Bunting |