resa3

3. Trip to Catalonia, Spain

Ateljé Gebbe

4th May - 18th May 1999.

Lammergeyr / Lammgam

Agenda

From Arlanda, Stockholm, Sweden we started our journey early in the morning.
We arrived at Barcelona Airport the same afternoon. And after some discussion about prize when renting a car, we packed in all our stuff ( except a forgotten tent which we had to return to pick up later) and turned south towards the Ebro Delta.
We got a very nice and well-informed help in the town Deltebre when visiting the Ecological Museum, by the two female guides there; found a Youth Hostal in a school nearby an drove out in the ricefields and saltmarsh area that surrounded us. The farmers were just busy preparing the last things within the ponds and the first green straws coloured the waters slightly greenish.

4-5/5: In the Ebro Delta. Nice weather. Hot and calm.

6/5: From Barcelona via Balaguer to Camarasa south of Tremp, where we rent a caravan at a camping site. We find a lovely little gorge along a brook where bathing in fresh and cool streaming water beneath cliffsides with a rich flora (especially interesting were the rich growth of Ramonda myconi) feels just marvellous. Towards the afternoon a thunderstorm is approaching from SW. Heavy rain in the night.

7/5: Morning rain. We go to Tremp and back during the day. Cloudy sky all day but rather warm. Strolling around in the near of Serra del Montsec.

8/5: We are checking out from the camping site and go NE to Santa Engracia, via Tremp. We are lucky to get the best accommodation one could ever encounter in a Pension named "Casa Guilla" situated on a high cliff in a beautiful pastoral valley.
Sky clears up during the day. Birding from the grand balcony and visit to the stream down below. Nice menu and good wine and brandy.

9/5: Excursions in the surroundings. Among everything a short stay in Tremp´s
Rubbish heap (not longer in use). Hasty visit to the Mont-Rebei gorge, which makes us almost miss a new nice menu with red wine and brandy.

10/5: A better scheduled visit to the gorge again in the morning. Exhausted after long walks in the heat we turn back to the caravan in de Camarasa.

11/5: A day off in the surroundings of Camarasa. A lot of bathing and slow birding.

12/5: We start early in the morning, heading north to higher altitudes. Via Pobla de la Segur, Sarocca, Bono to the south mouth of the Tunnel where we are lucky to find a Refugi, which is closed but still they are kind enough to open it up for two Swedish visitors. Thank you! We now are very high up in the National Parc of Maladeta.

13/5: Tours in the area, among other things we walk right up to the snow. Lovely surroundings. We feel the likeness of Sweden up here. Same wild flowers but mixed with new ones and also Swedish garden flora but here in wilderness.
In the afternoon we go through the tunnel north via Vielha, Salardú, shortly beyond Port de la Bonaigua, near an old interesting needleleaf forest, we find a place for the tent on a hill near a pineforest, where we stay for the night.

14/5: Via Adrall we drew up to Andorra where we spent the day sighing och shopping. Puh!

15/5: South again. Via La Seu d´Urgell, Ponts to Balaguer and Lleida and further south via Flix to Morà, where we find room for at night in a pension.

16/5: Early morning ride. We stick to small roads along the Ebro River all the way back to La Cave, Deltebre where we were unhappy to find our earlier Youth Hostal closed on Sundays. We found a caravan on a camping site. Though strong winds and covered sky, the midges chased us badly. Rain, windy and rather chilly. Excursions in the vicinity of Ebro Delta again. Enjoyed local seafood in Riumar.

17/5: Hunting a cheap hotel between Barcelona city and the airport.
Found nothing of interest for the strongly reduced amounts of our wallets, so we put the tent up in a camping site just under the starting fields for aeroplanes. The mosquitoes hurt us even worse. After wind and light rain, the sun comes back.
All day we made sightseeing in the grand city of Barcelona. Marvellous!

18/5: We went home to Sweden again with a morning flight.

And now follows a list of bird observations made during this journey.

In order: English; Scien. name; Swedish; Number; Place; Date/99

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis smådopping >10 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus dvärgrördrom ~2 Riumar 5/5
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis kohäger ~100 Area Deltebre 4-5,16/5
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides rallhäger ~5 Area Deltebre 4-5,16/5
Little Egret Egretta garzetta silkeshäger ~50 Area Deltebre 4-5,16/5
Great Egret Egretta alba ägretthäger 1 Riumar 16/5
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea gråhäger >10 + 1 Area Deltebre Camarasa 4-5,16/5, 11/5
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea purpurhäger ~25 Area Deltebre
White Stork Ciconia ciconia vit stork 1 pair nest Area Balaguer 4-5,16/5
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber större flamingo >50 Riumar 15/5
Gadwall Anas strepera snatterand >10 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos gräsand <100, 2,~10 Area Deltebre Tremp, Morà 4-5,16/5,9/5,15/5
Garganey Anas discors årta 2 Riumar 5/5
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina rödhuvad dykand <100 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca vitögd dykand 2 (pair) Riumar 5/5
Euro. Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus bivråk 4 + 2+ 2 Casa Guilla Sarocca 8/5,9/5, 12/5
Black Kite Milvus migrans b. glada 1, ~5, 2 S. Barcelona, Area of Tremp, Lleida 6-7, 11/5, 15/5
Lammergeir Gypaetus barbatus lammgam 1+ 1 Casa Guilla, Maladeta 10/5, 12/5
Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus smutsgam 2+ 1 Casa Guilla, P.de la Segur 8-9/5
Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus gåsgam ~15, <14, <8 S. del Montsec, Casa Guilla, Mont Rebei 6-8/5, 8-10/5, 9-10/5
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus ormörn 3 Casa Guilla 9-10/5
Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus brun kärrhök <3 Riumar, Deltebre 4-5,16/5
Montagu´s Harrier Circus pygargus ängshök 2 Deltebre 5/5
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus sparvhök 1 Camarasa 7/5
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo ormvråk <20 Mountain areas 6-15/5
Booted Eagle, light phase Hieraaetus pennatus dvärgörn 1 Sarocca 12/5
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus tornfalk <20 low & high 6-15/5
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo lärkfalk 1 Casa Guilla 6/5
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus pilgrimsfalk 1pair S. del Montsec 7/5
Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa rödhöna <10 low mountain area 6,15/5
Common Quail Coturnix coturnix vaktel <10 male low mountain area 6,15/5
Water Rail Rallus aquaticus vattenrall ~2 Riumar 5/5
Little Crake Porzana parva dvärgsumphöna 1 male ? S. Barcelona 18/5
Common Moorhen Gallinula clorophus rörhöna <500 Deltebre ricefields 4-5,16/5
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra sothöna <30 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus styltlöpare ~100 Deltebre ricefields 4-5,16/5
Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus tjockfot 2 pair Agramunt 6/5
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola rödv. vadarsvala 5+10 Riumar-area 4-5,16/5
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus svartbent strandp <25 Riumar-area 4-5,16/5
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius mindre strandpip. 1 Riumar 4/5
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa rödspov 1 Deltebre 4/5
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus småspov 2 Deltebre 4/5
Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus svartsnäppa 1 Deltebre, ricefield 5/5
Common Redshank Tringa totanus rödbena 2 Deltebre, ricefield 5/5
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia gluttsnäppa <25 Deltebre, Riumar 4-5/5
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola grönbena <10 Deltebre, Riumar 4-5/5
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos drillsnäppa 5 Riumar 5/5
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus skrattmås ~200 Deltebre, Riumar 4-5,16/5
Audouin´s Gull Larus audouinii rödnäbbad trut ~100 Deltebre, Riumar 4-5,16/5
Herring Gull Med. Larus argentatus michah gulfotad gråtrut ~50, 5 Deltebre, Riumar,
Tremp 4-5,16/5, 8-9/5
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica sandtärna <30 Deltebre, ricefields 4-5,16/5
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis kentsk tärna <10 Riumar, sea 4-5,16/5
Common Tern Sterna hirundo fisktärna <20 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Little Tern Sterna albifrons småtärna ~4 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus skäggtärna ~200 Deltebre, ricefields 4-5,16/5
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus vitvingad tärna 2 Deltebre 4/5
Stock Dove Col. oenas skogsduva 2, <2 Serra del Montxec, Mont-Rebei gorge 7/5, 10/5
Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus ringduva <300 almost all areas 4-18/5
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto turkduva <40 Town areas 5-18/5
African Collared Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea skrattduva 2 Riumar 16/5
European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur turturduva >10 middle high level 6-17/5
Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator gladarius skatgök 1+1 Balaguer 15/5
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus gök 2, <50 Riumar, mountain areas 5/5, 6-15/5
European Scops Owl Otus scops dvärguv 1+1 Camarasa 6-8/5
Common Swift Apus apus tornseglare abundant esp. town areas 4-18/5
Alpine Swift Apus melba alpseglare <30, 1 Mont-Rebei gorge, Riumar 10/5, 16/5
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis kungsfiskare 1 Camarasa 11/5

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster biätare <100 most middle high l. 5-18/5
Eurasian Hoopoe Upopa epops härfågel <25 low&middle high l 4-18/5
Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla göktyta 1+1 Riumar,CasaGuilla 5,8/5
Euro. Green Woodp. Picus viridus gröngöling ~100 from low to high 4-17/5
Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius spillkråka 1 Boscq E of Port.de la Bonaigua 13/5
Great Spott. Woodpeck. Dendrocopos major större hackspett ~30 alm. all levels 4-17/5
Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus tretåig hackspett 1 !! sign ringed pinetrunk, Boscq E. of Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Dupont´s Lark Chersophilus duponti dupontlärka 1 heard Balaguer 15/5
Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella cinerea korttålärka ~10 Tremp-area, Balaguer 7/5,15/5
Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens dvärglärka <20.1 nest Riumar-area 4-5,16/5
Crested Lark Galerida cristata tofslärka <200 all low areas 4-11,15-18/5
Thekla Lark Galerida theklae lagerlärka <10 Casa Guilla-area 8-10/5
Wood Lark Lullula arborea trädlärka ~20 middle high altitud 8-12/5
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis sånglärka ~5 Perbes 12/5
Sand Martin Riparia riparia backsvala 50+~10 Balaguer, Ebroriv. 15/5
Eurasian Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris klippsvala <200 all mountain areas 7-14/5
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ladusvala abundant alm all levels 4-18/5
Common House Martin Delichon urbica hussvala abundant, ~50 near houses, near cliffs 4-18/5
Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris fältpiplärka ~10,1 in low mountain areas. Riumar 6-15/5,16/5
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis trädpiplärka 1+1 Maladeta, Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta vattenpiplärka ~5 Maladeta 13/5
Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava gulärla ~20 Riumar-area 4-5,16/5
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea forsärla <10 high levels 9-15/5
White Wagtail Motacilla alba sädesärla ~5 high levels 9-15/5
White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus strömstare 1+2+1 Camarasa, Mont-rebei gorge, Ponts 7/5-15/5
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes gärdsmyg <10 most medium high levels 8-15/5
Dunnock Prunella modularis järnsparv 1 Boscq E. Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris alpjärnsparv ~5 high levels 9-13/5
European Robin Erithacus rubecula rödhake ~20 most high alt. 8-14/5
Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos sydnäktergal abundant all medium high levels 5-18/5
Black Redstart Phoenicurus pohoenic. svart rödstjärt all high levels and lower villages. CommonRedstart Phoenicurus ochruros rödstjärt 1, ~100.Riumar 4/5, 8-15/5
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra buskskvätta >8 on highest levels 12-13/5
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata svarthakad busk ~25 on medium high levels 6-17/5
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe stenskvätta ~10 on highest altitud 12-13/5
Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica medelhavsstensk. >4 ! on medium high levels 9/5,15/5
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis stentrast 1+1+1 W. Tremp, Serra del Montsec, Port de la bonaigua 7,9,13/5
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius blåtrast ~50 villages and medium high level 6-15/5.

Common Blackbird Turdus merula koltrast <100 low- medium - high levels 6/5-15/5
Song Thrush Turdus philomelos taltrast ~5 high levels 12-13/5
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus dubbeltrast ~20 medium - high lev. 8-15/5
Cetti´s Warbler Cettia cetti cettisångare 1 Barcelona camping 18/5
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis grässångare ~50 All low levels, near sea, Riumar 4,5,16-18/5. Savi´s Warbler Locustella luscinoides vassångare , 1,Riumar 5/5
European Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpac. rörsångare ~20 Riumar 4-5,16/5
Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arund. trastsångare 2 (pair) Riumar 5/5
Melodius Warbler Hippolais polyglotta polyglottsångare 1 Agramunt 6/5
Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans rödstrupig sång. ~50 medium high level 6-15/5.

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala sammetshätta ~10 medium high level 6-15/5
Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis mästersångare 1+1 Casa Guilla, Ponts 9/5,15/5
Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis törnsångare ~5 medium high level 6-15/5
Garden Warbler Sylvia borin trädgårdssångare >5 medium high level 6-15/5
Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla svarthätta ~50 medium high level 6-15/5
Bonelli´s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli bergsångare ~50 med. high level, abund. C. Guilla, 6-15/5
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus colybita gransångare ~5 medium high level 6-15/5
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus lövsångare 3+1+1 Riumar, Agramunt, Casa Guilla 6/5,9/5
Goldcrest Regulus regulus kungsfågel >5 Boscq E. Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus brandkronad k. 2 Casa Guilla 9/5
Spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata grå flugsnappare >5 Camarasa (just arriving) 10/5
Eur. Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca svartvit flugsnapp ~50 Riumar saltmarsh gone next morning 4/5
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus stjärtmes ~50 all medium high levels 6-15/5
Crested Tit Parus cristatus tofsmes 2+1 Casa Guilla, Boscq E. Port de la Bon. 9/5,13/5
Coal Tit Parus ater svartmes ~10 high pine forests 12-13/5
Blue Tit Parus caeruleus blåmes ~20 alm. all levels 4-18/5
Great Tit Parus major talgoxe ~50 alm. all levels 4-18/5
Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europea nötväcka 1 Barcelona camping 18/5
Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactula trädgårdsträdkr. 1 Camarasa 11/5
Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris trädkrypare
1 Boscq E. Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Eurasian Golden Oriole O. oriolus sommargylling ~5, 1 Casa Guilla,Tremp, Riumar 8/5, 16/5
Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio törnskata >6 Perbes, Tremp,Bono 12-13/5.

Woodshat Shrike Lanius senator rödh. törnskata ~10 lower altitudes 4-6,15-18/5
Eurasian Jay Garullus glandarius nötskrika ~10 both high and low 4-18/5
Common Magpie Pica pica skata ~50 most medium high 4-18/5
Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus alpkaja ~30 Maladeta, Port de la Bonaigua 13,15/5
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhoc. alpkråka ~40 medium to high levels 6/5-14/5
Carrion Crow Corvus corone corone svart kråka ~50 from high to low 4-17/5
Common Raven Corvus corax korp ~20 on high levels 6-14/5
Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor svartstare abundant low & medium alt. 4-18/5
House Sparrow Passer domesticus gråsparv abundant low & medium alt. 4-18/5
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus pilfink ~20 Camarasa, Casa Guilla 8-9/5
Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs bofink ~100 medium & high alt 6-16/5
European Serin Serinus serinus gulhämpling abundant high and low 4-18/5
European Greenfich Carduelis chloris grönfink ~20 medium high level 6-15/5
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis steglits ~100 medium and lower 4/5-18/5
Eurasian Siskin Carduelis spinus grönsiska 2 Bosc1 E Port de la Bonaigua 13/5
Linnet Carduelis cannabina hämpling ~20 medium & high 6/5-17/5
Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula domherre 2+2 (pairs) Maladeta, Port de la Bonaigua 12-13/5
Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella gulsparv 1 male Maladeta 12/5
Ortulan Bunting Emberiza hortulana ortalansparv >5 Perbes, Maladeta, Casa Guilla 9,12/5
Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus sävsparv ~10 Riumar, Deltebre 4-5,16/5
Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra kornsparv ~100 medium high farmland 6-15/5.