Summer nights

Magic: any misterious or extraordinary quality or power. - Collins English Dictionary

Summer nights can be really magic in terms of everything. Just taking the car or going for a walk, you'll probably be surprised by something (an owl, a fox, a nightjar...), so imagine what can happen if you try to ring something. Additionally, you may be pleased by a really nice star-filled sky...

European Nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus) are quite easy to catch, either with a usual passerine net or a hand-net.

They moult completely, both adults and first-years, starting something before the autumn migration and retaking the moult already in Africa. Contrary to the meaning of 'complete moult', they usually retain some feathers, that often are secondaries, alula and/or GCs.

Second-year (EURING 5) male, with 4 inner secondaries, alula
and some outer GCs retained. They are very worn and the
pattern is 'broken', with more small spots and more difuse.

Adult (EURING 6) male. It had a retained inner secondary not
as worn as second-years.

Second-year female, with two alula feathers retained
and one middle GC.

This female Little Owl (Athene noctua) was a big surprise for us. Last year I also ringed one female, see here. This time the bird is a second-year (EURING 5), look how worn are the flight feathers and also how pointed they're. Spots are also smaller and less rounded.

Also, one of her chicks was trapped.

As I said before, is easy to find some other species going around at night. For example, this European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and this Bufo calamita:

Another 'night landscape' to finish...

High up, again

Last year, with some of my closest friends, we started a tradition: climb a mountain in one day before the usual holiday farewell.

This has been the second year, and because of all of us are really busy, just Joan and me have climbed high up. We were a bit excited preparing the route, so we decided to push the boundaries: 'we'll climb 7 peaks', all of them between 2700 and 2800 metres.

The route, in yellow. Click to enlarge the map!

The place chosen is on the Eastern Catalan Pyrenees, close to Setcases, a small and bucolic mountain village. We parked the car around 9 o'clock in the morning, were we saw the first flock of Citril Finches (Carduelis citrinella). The first part of the journey was a really hard ascent. Some singing Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta) and familiar Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) groups made the incline easier... Nonetheless, all the area was really crowded... probably because it was Sunday, many people on holiday, and the place is fantastic to go by car until 2000 metres.

Photo by Joan

With less than one hour we reached the first peak, one that I don't know the precise name. I'll ever call it: "The Ptarmigan peak", because we found many fresh excrements and some feathers. There're lots of ''''alpinists'''' around, so the chances to see one were really low. We tried, looking in some hidden places between rocks, but we didn't had success. Still, the views were fantastic.

We recover some energy looking the first Pyrenean Chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), and we climbed the second peak: Pic de la Dona [2704m]

Then, we continued walking to the next mountain peak: Puig d'Ombriaga [2639m].

Bastiments [2881m] was the fourth and the highest peak to climb. The mountain in completely surrounded by amounts of rocks, a presumably good place for Ptarmigans. But there was still too many people to expect anything. At least, an Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) flew besides us, and some already migrating Common Swifts (Apus apus) were flying by.

Our way between the mountains was following the border with France. We have had a really sunny and nice day, but suddenly many clouds and fog appreared in the Catalan side.

We climbed the Pic de Fresers [2834 m] next, and then, the 'Hell Peak' (Pic de l'Infern) [2869 m].

Pic de Fresers

Pic de l'Infern

There was a big group of Pyrenean Chamois close to that lakes, we counted, at least, 66 individuals. Later, we would see 10 more while walking, and a group of 71 on the other side of a valley. I'm not used to see more than 130 Chamois in one day!

Photo by Joan

The last peak was the 'Cow Peak' (Pic de la Vaca) [2820 m], and then we started to come back.

On the way down, we crossed many meadows filled by Skylarks (Alauda arvensis), Alpine Marmots (Marmota marmota) and some Black Redstards (Phoenicurus ochruros) and other usual mountain stuff. Lots of really nice flowers too... I could be taking photos of them for months!

Which would be the 2015's target(s)?

High up

In the last month I've been 3 times in the north-western part of Catalonia, La Vall d'Aran. It's a small region located in the atlantic part (the northern one) of the Pyrenees, so it's a bit different than the rest of the Catalan Pyrenees.

There I've been looking for breeding birds for the incoming European Breeding Bird Atlas 2014-2017.
During the first visit in early June there was still a lot of snow around, and many species were just singing and mating.

Water Pipit's (Anthus spinoletta) nest

The amount of snow is always an relevant point for 'high' mountain breeders. In this part of the Pyrenees, this quantity of snow in June / July is the usual. Some years (like what happened last year), there are some 'late' snowfalls that delay the breeding season. With species like Water Pipits, you can see large flocks of birds in lower areas, waiting for the melting in late May.

Last weekend I did the last visit, already full of fledgings of all species. As I said, the breeding season has followed the usual timing. Only Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) had breed apparently faster than other species: I saw fledgings already in June; apart from Citril Finches (Carduelis citrinella) and Crosbills (Loxia curvirostra), that usually do an 'opportunist' breeding in lower areas in May, and then go up for the second hatching.

Already in July, there's still some snow...

I really love this places in summer, with all the mountain species singing. I found really special the Tree Pipit's (Anthis trivialis) song flight. The forest limit is also a good place for Goldcrest (Regulus regulus), Siskin (Carduelis spinus), Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus), Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)...

Tree Pipit's habitat

A little bit high, trees (almost) dissapear and the landscape is dominated by low mountain bushes. This is the place for Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta), Skylarks (Alauda arvensis), Red-billed Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and if there are some rocks around, Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) and Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis).

I always found Alpine Marmots (Marmota marmota) really friendly. Can you see it?

  
Pyrenean Chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) are nice as well...

Other nice species were:

Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) 

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)

I'll end the post with three more landscape photos... this place is really amazing! I could be posting photos for hours.. :P

eth Santet

Montromies

And the star-filled sky in the Pyrenees... is always unforgettable!