I wasn’t
surprised that it was negative news about the Candanchu chairlift being open
and so there went our chance of seeing any snowfinches. However, Astun was open
for business and we trundled over there after breakfast, stopping to watch a
few Black Kites quartering the
fields at the bottom of the Hecho Valley. We drove through Jaca and then up
towards the French border at the Col du Somport and then the ski station of
Astun. We called in to one of the restaurants for coffee and bacon baguettes
(oh yes) before boarding the chairlift two at a time.
As
always, it was a lovely serene and peaceful experience to do this and once at
the top at around 2100m we walked past the lake and up into the hills. It’s
just too green and ‘soft’ for snowfinches and to be honest it was rather quiet
with only a flyover Lammergeier, some
Water Pipits and a few Northern Wheatears.
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| Great scenery at the top of the chairlift |
So we spent some
time enjoying the fantastic scenery and then returned to the chairlift, calling
in to the café for some cold drinks. A lucky move as it turned out as I heard a
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush singing and
then we picked it up perched on some boulders quite some distance away. Scope
views were decent and I breathed a huge sigh of relief as this was a
much-wanted lifer for the group.
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| Astun chairlift |
Once down
at the bottom we drove out and stopped for our very late (3pm) picnic lunch,
only to be joined by a singing Rock
Bunting – a huge bonus as they just don’t seem to be very numerous now.
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| Rock Bunting |
We then drove to a pine forest where Western Bonelli’s Warbler was easily
found by Roberta, and there was also Subalpine
Warbler, Eurasian Nuthatch, Three-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest and Great Spotted woodpecker, plus a few Heath Fritillaries.
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| Nice view once again |
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| Heath Fritillary |
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