In mid-September I took a break from wildlife watching in the UK to go on a walking and general interest holiday with my partner, Helen, to the Spanish (Catalan) Pyrenees, staying in an excellent hotel in the village of Ribes de Freser, surrounded by majestic hills and mountains, as well as flower-filled meadows. Wildlife was abundant, with many butterflies on the wing including at least three species of fritillary. Most were identifiable, but one common type of grizzled skipper (image below) proved to be tricky. I have plumped for Rosy Grizzled Skipper as the most likely candidate. Most of the other common species (Wall, Speckled Wood, Adonis and Common Blues, Comma, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Large and Small White etc.) can be seen in the UK or are widespread in Europe, but a few were different, including Spanish Brassy Ringlet, which was a new one for me.
Rosy Grizzled Skipper (?), Spanish Pyrenees
Dragonflies were less common, but I did see both Red-veined Darter and Emperor, the female of the latter laying eggs in a small water feature in the village of Queralbs.
Female Emperor Dragonfly, Spanish Pyrenees
We saw abundant birdlife, with White Wagtails and Black Redstarts being particularly common, even when we visited Nuria, at an altitude of 2000M. Also seen at Nuria were Water Pipits and an Alpine Accentor. Griffon Vultures were seen regularly, whilst Kestrels, Buzzards and a single Goshawk were other raptors seen. Crag Martins were the commonest local hirundines, although a large colony of House Martins was present at Nuria.
Black Redstart, Nuria
Water Pipit at Nuria
Griffon Vulture - a Common Sight
There was some heavy rain before and during the early part of our stay. This may have encouraged the appearance of many fruiting bodies of various fungi to appear later on, including a cute little orange one (below) that was seen on one of the walks.
Orange Fungus
Occasionally I see unusual or rarely encountered animal behaviour on my travels. On a 'there and back' walk to a waterfall, we found a suitable bench to sit on and have a drink on the way. Coming back, we were surprised to see a Common Lizard attempting to eat a large, green grasshopper that it had caught, on the bench. For a few minutes it struggled, removing wings and legs but still unable to get the grasshopper in its mouth, let alone eat it. Like a Sparrowhawk, it obviously regarded not letting its prey escape as being more important than leaving the scene as soon as we turned up. Eventually it got the grasshopper in its mouth (image) and disappeared under the bench. On the many occasions that I have seen lizards they have invariably frozen and/or then made a run for safety, so seeing one actually attempting to deal with prey was something new for me. This was the main animal memory that I will take away from a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.
Common Lizard, with Grasshopper Prey
