The Search Goes On...

Back to wallcreeper country.  There was so much ravine, so many rocky escarpments to search for this small gray and red bird.  The rough cliffs disappeared into the clouds on every side.  We spread out again on each end of the tunnel.  Suddenly an urgent, echoing holler came from the other side of the tunnel.  Wallcreeper!  Hurry!  Three of us ran full speed, scopes tilting and bins bouncing, careless of tunnel traffic.  We couldn't miss this elusive rarity.

He was surprisingly easy to see, feeding along a rocky face across the ravine.  Although related to the nuthatch, this is a bigger bird: 14 to 17 cm from slightly decurved bill to white banded tail.  He was creeping along the rock face, gleaning insects from crevices and alpine plants.  He looked rather drab until he spread his wings to move to an adjacent area: lovely "broad, round wings, gaudily marked with red, black and white above" as described in our damp copy of Birds of Europe.  At one point he flew to the rocks just above us, giving an excellent view of his black throat and breast.  We were all grinning like fools in a twenty-mile-an-hour wind and horizontal rain. Lammergeier and wallcreeper - and it was still early afternoon!

We started back down the valley and stopped near the small town of Siresa, a bit north of Hecho.  A grassy abandoned field surrounded by overgrown bramble looked promising.   (When you're a birder, the oddest kind of places can look grand.)  While we wandered around, stretching our legs and admiring the ancient walled town across the valley, we had good looks at red kites, black kites and griffon vultures above. Two red-backed shrikes, an adult male and a juvenile, were perched on the far fence, flying off occasionally to hawk insects.  We also saw a cirl bunting, a spotless starling (a rather plain, black bird) and a Eurasian wryneck in the hedges.  Ravens, a common kestrel and a  beautiful dark-phase booted eagle drifted on the thermals above us.  It was a day for raptors.

Once or twice we had heard the odd purring call of European bee eaters, a very lovely, very colorful little bird.  On our way back to Jaca, near Berdun, we stopped to check a sunny open field dotted with shrubby growth.  We were lucky. Six European bee eaters were perched on the bare limbs of a snag, looking like polished, multi-colored ornaments.  One by one they flew out to hawk insects and return to the snag.  The rich gold-yellow on their throats was easily seen and their cinnamon crowns glowed.  Black mask, golden chin and azure blue breast are so very lovely it's hard to find words. We were able to glimpse the long tail projections flashing in the low sunlight. Magical.

Finally, back to Jaca for a late dinner (dinner is not served until 9:30 at the earliest, so snacks on the way help prevent cranky birders).  Dining in northern Spain is a treat.  The excellent wines of the nearby Rioja area are plentiful and reasonable.  Salads feature local specialties such as white asparagus and sweet red pepper.  Beef and lamb are cooked to perfection on an asador (grate) over an open fire.

We went to bed very late but extremely happy with the day's remarkable birds.

Stay tuned for more Spanish birding adventures.