Citril Finch, male, Puente Del Duque
Apologies. This should have been included with the last post. I blame senility.
I headed straight up to the Plataforma de Gredos after breakfast. I only made 2 stops. One was for a male Black-eared Wheatear just past Puente Del Duque and the other was to pay the 2 Euro's for the entry fee to the Plataforma, I had forgotten that they charge at weekends and also that it would be busy. Cuckoos, Skylark and Wood Lark were all seen on the road up. A pull over just before the top had awesome Rock Buntings, Spanish Wagtail and Ortolan Buntings all feeding together and not afraid of the car.
Ortolan Bunting
Rock Buntings male (bottom) and female
Yellow Wagtail ssp iberiae
In the car park at the top the same birds were present plus Common Whitethroat, Blue Rock Thrush, Dunnock and Wren. Crag Martins were busy and a sub-adult Golden Eagle passed overhead. Red-billed Chough was also seen. Movement on the high slopes drew me to my first Iberian Ibex. I'm sure they have Velcro on their feet.
A walk into the mountains didn't produce much except Raven and Water Pipit, A single Cyren's Rock Lizard showed briefly but Schreiber's Lizards were plentiful.
Iberian Ibex
Schreiber's Lizards, males.
The weather was starting to close in so it was back to the car but not before I saw the male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush declaring it's territory and a fly past Dipper.
Then it snowed and hail stoned. Luckily it didn't last long but there were a few new rivers!
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. :-O
I headed back down to Puente Del Duque and had a walk through the picnic site and along the river.
There were hoards of Common Crossbills plus Pied Flycatcher, Crested Tit, Nuthatch and Short-toed Treecreeper. Then something really special at the end of the track.
Burnet Companion
Coal Tit (note the small crest of this sub species)
Common Crossbill
Crested Tit
Nuthatch, male, looking for a good time!
Pied Flycatcher, male, ssp iberiae
Short-toed Treecreeper
The star bird had to be the male Citril Finch which appeared from nowhere and perched next to me.
Male Citril Finch
It was getting late and wet so I headed back to the hotel. I had another little stroll in the grounds and had 5 Melodious Warbler, Robin, Serin, Pied Flycatcher, Western Bonelli's Warbler and Firecrest. I also found a Broom-tip moth.
Black Redstart, male
Broom-tip
Firecrest
Melodious Warbler
I sat on the wall at the end of the day, thinking how amazing it had been, when a bird landed in the tree not 10 feet from me. Lightning does strike twice.
Citril Finch, female, Hotel Parador
Apologies again for missing this off the last post.
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