BarcelonaBirdingPoint: It has been a great start this autumn season. On Sunday November 13 th, we set up the season with two costumers from Norway. We went to Pyrenees and we all had a great day of nature and birds.
At 6:45am we leaved Barcelona and had some breakfast en route. About 8:00am we arrived to the first location, a fields with some trees beside a small river. There were many small birds like Chaffinchs, Goldfinchs and small Siskin flocks. In this area we also locate White Wagtail, Dunnock and Robin. We walk along a small stream and a 15 Long-tailed Tit and some Blue and Great Tits flew over our heads. At the end of the path some 3 or 4 Cirl Bunting were feeding on ground.
At 9:30am we went to next location, a gorgeous rocky area in the middle of the road. The cliffs are surronding the road and fall over tens of meters from it. In a quarter we found out 1 Wallcreeper, a first 5 Alpine Accentor flock and 2 Rock Bunting. All of us got some nice photos of Alpine Accentor. Photos of Wallcreeper were not so good, after all.
Around 11:00am we make another stop to visit a coniferous forest up in the mountains. It is a nice place to look for Citril Finch. Unfortunately we only got them in flight, we count until 5 of them leaving a grassland beside the forestry. We spent some time in the forest. There were flocks of Common Crosbill and large flocks (over 50) of Coal Tit with some Crested Tit, Goldcrest and Short-toed Treecreeper among them. We also found out two Red Squirrel in the forest. All around was full of Mistle Thrush and Blackbird.
Around 13:00am explored another location. A high mountain grasslands we I hoped to find Snowfinch. Unfortunately there were no snow yet, so there were no Snowfinch. We found some interested birds instead. Walking a track we had incredible views of Alpine Accentor (a second 5 accentor flock), 2 Alpine Chough and 2 Lammergeier flying over our heads with a group of 8 Griffon Vulture. Both Lammergeier were about 2-3 years old with light yellow breast and belly. We also had good views of a group of 7 Chamois. After this we decided to move down, bad weather was coming from South side of Pyrenees. We stop about 1.700 of altitude, in an open forest with grasslands. This area was full of birds. A large flock of Mistle Thrush (more than 150) and also some Song Thrush, not least than 5 Redwings and 4 Hawfinch. Other birds in this point; 1 Yellowhammer, 1 Sparrowhawk and a couple of Raven that wanted to become friends of us because they were coming closer and closer as we were eating some fruits. But the more nice was a Ring Ouzel male singing on the top of a pine. It is normal to find large flocks of Thrush in areas like this tones of them are moving South by this time and crossing the Pyrenees by lower areas.
After have lunch we prospected other areas in the forest. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Wren, Jay and Crow were common in this location.
In the way back to Barcelona we stopped in the Llobregat River to watch Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Firecrest and Common Buzzard.
About 17:30 we arrived to Barcelona. We were all really glad of the experience, were viewed until 49 species in one day visiting high mountain habitats and the valley beside.
