A bit different this time having just come back from a week in the French Pyrenees. It was my first visit there and what a superb place! Stunning landscapes, great range of plants, butterflies and birds, lovely food and a really nice ‘vibe’ to the way of life…
Cirque de Gavarnie (1400ft high waterfall!)
Birds included daily sightings of Lammergeier, Golden Eagle
and both Choughs. We saw three species of vulture, Short-toed Eagle and Honey
Buzzard from our bedroom window.
Snow finch
Water pipit
Rock Thrush
I also tallied up over 40 species of butterfly (despite the late spring)
Swallowtail
Southern White Admiral
False Heath Fritillary
Large Wall
And a handful of day flying months including this striking alpine
species Psodos quadrifaria…
As well as other insects including the superb Sulphur Owlfly…
Marmots of course…
And a few reptiles…
Western Green Lizard
Apart from the mountain peaks perhaps the most striking features of the landscape were traditionally
managed meadows and road verges brimming with wild flowers
Horned Pansy
Vanilla Orchid
As well as Pyrenean and high mountain specialities...
Pyrenean Saxifrage
Ramonda
Alpine Gentians
Alpine Snowbells
Alpine Buttercups
All in all an amazing week.
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