After having birded Mount Iraty the previous day, I was excited to see what we come up with at a different location but of the same habitat. That day, my dad brought us to a mountain called Hartza Mendi. In Basque, "mendi" means mountain and "hartza" means bear, so this location translates to "Bear Mountain". Unfortunately, we dipped on any Pyrenean Brown Bears, but that was made up for with the great birding.
As we ascended the road, a raptor caught my eye and I immediately told me dad to pull over. I rightfully did so because this bird that I was about to pass as a Common Buzzard turned out to be my lifer Short-toed Eagle. It had the distinctive brown chest and barred underbelly and underwings. This was exciting, because the end of our trip was nearing and I hadn't seen this species yet. I was under the impression that this species was relatively easy to see, so I was going to be greatly disappointed if I missed it. It didn't stick around, so I wasn't able to snap a shot of it before it soared off. Another fun bird we came across was a perched Red-backed Shrike, a species I hadn't seen since we were in the Petite Camargue in the Alsace.
 |
| Red-backed Shrike (notice the namesake red back, the black mask, and the gray head) |
As we observed this superb shrike, a Mistle Thrush flew onto a nearby telephone wire, offering amazing views. We finally made it to the top, and we began walking down the main trail. One of the first birds I noticed on the trail was surprisingly a Tree Pipit, a species I hadn't seen since I was on Mount Pilatus in Switzerland. This bird was quite obliging and offered great views and opportunities to study its field marks: the thick breast stripes and thin stripes on flanks.
 |
| Tree Pipit (notice the thick breast stripes, and thin flank stripes) |
As we walked, the activity was disappointing and I wanted to head back, but my dad insisted because he knew of a spot further down the trail where you have a fantastic vantage point over soaring vultures. Knowing that I would regret passing up an opportunity like that, I decided to trek on. Thank goodness I did because about 20 feet in front was my lifer European Stonechat, another bird I was worried that I would miss. This bird earns its name "Stone"chat from its distinctive call that sounds like two small pebbles hitting each other.
 |
| European Stonechat (notice the black head and back, the white patch on the shoulders, and the rufous-orange breast) |
As we continued walking, we noticed some more species such as Black Redstarts & more Mistle Thrushes. Soon after, we approached the promontory that my dad was talking about, where we could see all the vultures. I hadn't ever seen Eurasian Griffons at such proximity before, so I was really taken aback. It was quite a sight indeed.
 |
| Eurasian Griffon (notice the elongated neck, the massive bill, and the brown back and wings) |
 |
| Eurasian Griffon (notice the white underwings, and the "finger"-like primaries) |
As we admired these soaring Old World vultures, a Peregrine Falcon quickly zipped by, and landed on a nearby rock. This species had been a nemesis of mine for the longest time, and I hadn't seen one before August of 2012 when I went to Camp Chiricahua. Once I saw that first individual, I began noticing them more often. It was as if I had broken the curse! So I was glad to know that the curse was broken on a global-scale and not just within the ABA region.
 |
| Peregrine Falcon (notice the slaty-gray mantle, the white underparts, and the yellow cere) |
But my excitement only increased when another falcon decided to chase and nag the falcon perched on the rock. They began racing along the cliffside and dive-bombing each other. I could feel my own adrenaline pumping when I was watching these two raptors in this high-speed pursuit.
Unfortunately, these two speed-demons continued their chase on the other side of the cliff walls, out of sight. We thought it would be wise to leave on this note, so we resumed our trek up the fern-bordered trail. We were just about done with the hike, and we were almost at the car, when something yellow flies from the trail into the ferns. I intensively pished, and finally my efforts proved fruitful as I put my binoculars up to a Yellowhammer, a species I hadn't seen since I visited the Black Forest in Germany.
 |
| Yellowhammer (notice the overall yellow and the rufous on the back) |
This concluded our morning on Hartza Mendi, and with two lifers, I would say that it was a good morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment