TRANSFER FROM HECHO VALLEY, PYRENEES TO COSGAYA HOTEL, PICOS DE EUROPA. Before breakfast 8 of the group got up very early and made the journey to Garbadito for a second attempt to see the WALLCREEPER, they set out at 6:40am. It was a misty morning with little wind, cloud drifted down the valley. It was clear up at the rock face where only one of the group managed to see a WALLCREEPER!
Other birds recorded during the early morning walk were: Black Woodpecker (heard), Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Wren and a Citril Finch appeared in the car as the vehicle pulled away.
We set out at 9:45am for the long journey to the Picos, our estimated arrival time was 6pm. We drove for 2 hours before we stopped for coffee etc. passing through Pamplona and Logroño we had logged several raptors including both Kites, Common Buzzards, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures and a cracking male Marsh Harrier.
After lunch the two buses unintentionally split up, we both took different directions to the hotel arriving within 5 minutes of one another around 6:30pm. My bus stopped 3 times for short birding episodes, the first was on an open plateau where we logged a flock of some 20 Stock Doves, Curl Buntings, Serins, Linnets and Egyptian Vultures.
Our second and third stops were along the shoreline of the Embalse Ebro where we logged a Hobby, Mallard, Gadwall, both Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes, Grey Heron, Little Egret, White Stork and not much else.
The second bus logged similar species at another reservoir but added Red-legged Partridge to the trip list.
We reached our hotel deep in the Picos around 6:30pm, Dipper and Grey wagtail were seen on the river Deva which runs just outside our hotel in Cosgaya. We ate a lovely dinner and toasted the England Football team, they actually won a tournament game!