As names move, the Parque Herbal Hoces del Alto Ebro y Rudrón isn’t the snappiest. It’s a impressive house of deep gorges in Northern Spain the place the Rivers Ebro and Rudrón have, over tens of millions of years, lower their approach deep into the limestone, forming a sequence of spectacular steep-sided canyons (hoces) and gorges, with slim, forested bottoms overshadowed by way of spectacular rocky cliffs. It’s within the some distance north of the province of Castile and León, simply south of Cantabria. The park used to be shaped in 2008, and covers over 45,000ha (111,150 acres). It’s a space little visited by way of vacationers, let by myself British birdwatchers, but is lower than a two-hour force south of Santander airport, which is only a 90-minute flight from London.
The Valle de Sandano within the Parque Herbal Hoces del Alto Ebro y Rudrón. The surroundings is impressive
Through the years I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have travelled extensively in Spain, however although I’d been shut, this used to be a space I had by no means travelled in earlier than till previous this month, after I made my first talk over with. The travel used to be a short lived one – simply seven days, which incorporates time spent at the coast and within the rugged and historic Cantabrian mountains. It wasn’t lengthy, nevertheless it used to be enough to present a possibility to discover just a little of this wild and in large part untouched house, and to look a collection of birds and a couple of butterflies.
Spain is predominately a dry nation, however no longer within the north, the place the mountains of the Picos de Europa and the Cantabrians obtain excessive rainfall, with successive fronts rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean. It’s one of these climate an Irishman would really feel at house with. The Parque is within the rain shadow of the mountains to the north, nevertheless it nonetheless receives quite a few rain and, within the wintry weather, occasional heavy snowfalls. It rained all the way through our talk over with, and when the solar did shine it used to be tempered by way of a cold wind; it didn’t forestall us seeing birds, although we didn’t accomplish that neatly with butterflies.
Some of the sights of visiting the realm used to be there likelihood to stick on the Posada Molino del Canto, a pleasing rural lodge run by way of Javier Morala (above), who occurs to be a passionate birder. He subtitles his posada Mattress, Breakfast and Birds, which is just a little deceptive as he chefs excellent dinners, too, however if you wish to know anything else concerning the birds of the realm and the place to search out them, he’s your guy. He’s going to take you out for an escorted day’s birding too, one thing which, with hindsight, we must have executed, as not anything beats native wisdom.
A Noticed Flycatcher in her nest above the entrance door of the Molino del Canto
Molino del Canto is in a normal deep gorge, with the Ebro flowing previous only a stone’s throw from the entrance door. It’s a kind of splendidly far off puts the place there’s no passing site visitors, and the one sounds to damage the silence are the songs of birds and the drift of the mighty river. Griffon and Egyptian Vultures bounce overhead, in conjunction with Quick-toed Eagles and Black Kites. Crag Martins, the chunkiest of Europe’s swallows, hawk over the river, whilst within the lawn you’ll discover a host of birds extra standard of northern Europe than Spain, similar to Bullfinch, Nuthatch and Nice Noticed Woodpecker, in conjunction with a couple of that we hardly ever see in England, similar to Firecrest, Golden Oriole and Serin. There used to be a couple of Noticed Flycatchers nesting (in a field made by way of Javier’s daughter) simply above the entrance door. Javier’s lawn listing is over 100 species, and contains such delights as Lammergeier and Wallcreeper, although those two species are wintry weather birds, so we weren’t going to look them.
A Firecrest photographed within the lawn of Molino del Canto
Regardless that each Wolves and Brown Bears can also be discovered round the corner, there used to be no likelihood people seeing them all the way through our quick talk over with, however one night time, after dinner, I walked all the way down to the Ebro and glimpsed a couple of Otters fishing within the river.
Egyptian Vultures have a wholesome inhabitants on this house of Northern Spain
Griffon Vultures are some of the feature of the birds of the Parque
Black Kite: a commonplace summer time customer to the realm
As a birdwatching base, Molino del Canto is best possible, as you might be within the middle of the Parque. The problem for us used to be how lots of the particular birds lets in finding in our two complete days right here. The Griffons and Egyptian Vultures had been simple, so too, had been Booted and Quick-toed Eagles, however frustratingly we failed on Golden Eagles, although Javier instructed people of native pairs. Golden Eagles have massive territories, so it’s a question of success connecting with one, and that success wasn’t with us. As for Bonelli’s Eagles, Javier instructed us that the inhabitants had collapsed this century from 10 pairs to only one, so this used to be one hen we didn’t be expecting to look. In England we at the moment are used to seeing Purple Kites, however right here the average kite used to be the Black, a a hit and plentiful species. There have been additionally Honey Buzzards, commonplace birds right here, however a hen that has a unique fascination for British birders, as they’re uncommon and elusive in Britain.
British birders all the time experience discovering Honey Buzzards
Merindad de Valdivielso, a normal moorland house with breeding Iberian Gray Shrikes and each Chicken and Montagu’s Harriers. Choughs love to feed right here. This horny house is simply outdoor the fringe of the Parque Herbal, to the east of the CL-629
A cock Montagu’s Harrier – all the time a stupendous hen to look at
Above the gorges are intensive spaces of high-altitude moorland, very other from the moorland now we have in England which I wrote about closing week. They do, in fact, have their very own particular birds. Each Chicken Harriers and Montagu’s Harriers breed, however the climate used to be towards us as we looked for those good-looking raptors, and it used to be best on our closing morning that we in spite of everything attached with a few very best cock Montagu’s Harriers. Neither offered just right alternatives for images, nevertheless it used to be a pride to look at those good-looking birds looking.
Iberian Gray Shrikes nest at the moors, in conjunction with Stonechats, Northern Wheatears and Skylarks, the closing 3 additionally standard of the English moors. In the event you’re fortunate you could in finding Little Bustards and Stone Curlews (we weren’t), however we loved paying attention to Tree Pipits, Woodlarks and Quail. There have been Choughs right here, too, and I used to be stunned to discover a flock of red-billed Choughs along with a couple of yellow-billed Alpine Choughs. Javier instructed us that Alpine Choughs are abnormal right here, so this used to be a just right document.
This Alpine Chough wasn’t a hen I anticipated to search out
There aren’t many villages within the Parque, however in the ones there are you’ll anticipate finding White Wagtails and Swallows, Black Redstarts and Spotless Starlings, in conjunction with the inevitable Collared Doves and Area Sparrows. One village, Dobro, used to be reputed to have breeding Rock Sparrows, however we failed to search out them. I by no means did see a Rock Sparrow all the way through this travel, however I did set up to listen to birds calling in probably the most canyons.
The board explains (in Spanish) concerning the Senda Ornitológica de Montecoza, and its maximum necessary breeding birds
Butterflies are a unique hobby of mine, I used to be hoping to discover a just right selection, however those bugs are solar enthusiasts, and with out solar they’re unattainable. There have been simply a few sunny durations which allowed just a little butterflying, and I discovered Small, Commonplace and Adonis Blues, Southern Grizzled and Small Skippers and a Southern Marbled Skipper. There used to be only one fritillary, a Queen of Spain, the very best to spot of the entire small fritillaries, and a unmarried Scarce Swallowtail. All the way through the week I famous a trifling 21 species of butterflies: given higher climate I’d have anticipated thrice that.
Queen of Spain Fritillary
The brightest of the blue butterflies: an Adonis Blue
Birdwatching isn’t with reference to checklist species and discovering rarities. A lot of the excitement of this travel got here from the pride of staring at hovering vultures in such very best and impressive setting, to not point out returning to the Molino del Canto each and every night time for a gourmand dinner and a tumbler (or 3) of the native wine. The Parque Herbal Hoces del Alto Ebro y Rudrón is some distance too rugged and difficult a spot to show greater than a fragment of its avian delights in simply two or 3 days: I can have to go back.