Sunday 09 – Thursday 13 September – Pelagic trip to Spain and Asturias Organised by Jane Cumming

Day 1; Sunday 9 September
We met up with the group by the Downs Water Tower in Bristol and boarded the coach to Plymouth. We got to
the Ferry Terminal in the afternoon and our tour guide, Paul Burley was waiting for us. We then boarded the
Brittany Ferries, Pont-Aven for the overnight sailing to Santander.
Day 2; Monday 10 September
After breakfast, we went up on the deck to look for whales and dolphins in the Bay of Biscay. We saw lots of
Gannets flying past along with Sooty and Great Shearwaters. A few Short-beaked Common Dolphins were seen,
but sadly no Striped Dolphins. Our guide, Paul, said it had not been a very good for cetaceans this year, due to
the lack of plankton moving northwards, although we did see a few Fin Whales. We docked in Santander about
lunchtime and boarded the Spanish coach to take us to the hotel. We stopped for lunch at the port of San
Vincente de la Barquera. The birds of note here were Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Curlew, White Wagtail,
Great White and Little Egrets. We continued our journey to our lovely hotel in Playa de la Franca, overlooking a
beach in an unspoilt cove. In the evening, we went for a walk around the area. We saw a few Yellow-legged
Gulls, Kingfisher and Crested Tit, as well as a Mediterranean Speckled Wood butterfly. A juvenile Black Redstart
was hopping around in front of the hotel. Chris Perry also managed to see and photograph a Long-tailed Blue
butterfly, which most of us missed. In the evening, Paul introduced us to a local guide called Javier, who told us
what to expect for the next two days.
Day 3; Tuesday 11 September
After breakfast we headed towards Panes and then along the stunning Cares Gorge to Covadonga. We dropped
the tourists off at the impressive Basilica and Holy Caves, while we headed up to the feeding station. The rangers
waited for us to arrive before putting the food out for the vultures. The skies were full of Griffon Vultures coming
down to feed and there were three Lammergeiers in the area. Two birds were seen perched on the hills, but
sadly due to lack of wind they didn’t fly over to the feeding station. A few Wall Lizards were seen around the
viewpoint. A few butterflies included Mountain Small White, Clouded Yellow and Chalkhill Blue. We headed to
Covadonga Lakes, where we had lunch. Around the picnic site was a juvenile White Wagtail, Black Redstart and
Spotted Flycatchers. In the afternoon we walked up into the hills looking for raptors, we saw more Chalkhill Blues
and Clouded Yellows on the way, I managed to see a Humming-bird Hawkmoth feeding on some of the flowers.
The views were stunning and we saw lots more Griffon and Egyptian Vultures and Lammergeiers on the way up,
along with Short-toed Eagle. As we sat at a viewpoint, listening to the cowbells ringing in the valley, a Booted
Eagle flew towards us giving brilliant views. We saw and heard lots of Red-billed Chough. Afterwards we made
our way back down the hill to our coach to pick up the tourists, before heading back to the hotel for dinner. The
juvenile Black Redstart was still hopping along the lawn in front of the hotel. A few Yellow-legged Gulls were
foraging on the beach.
Day 4; Wednesday 12 September
On our final morning in Spain, we left the hotel and headed through the beautiful Hermida Gorge to Potes. We
continued to Fuente De, where we took the cable car up to the Picos de Europa mountain range. At the top
station, a Black Redstart was feeding near a tractor. We walked further up the mountain and heard some Chough
calling overhead. A Water Pipit was feeding along the path. A few more Chalkhill Blues and Wall Lizards were seen along the way, a Rock Grayling was resting by the path. We managed to see some Alpine Accentors
foraging on the ground and on the rocks, until they flew over the top when an Egyptian Vulture flew through the
valley briefly. We walked further along the rocky track to see if we could see any more alpine birds. We stopped
for lunch at a good Wallcreeper site and soon had fantastic views of them foraging around the rocks and the cliff
face. While we were having our lunch, a couple of Alpine Choughs flew in and landed on the rock in front of us, so
we shared our sandwiches with them. An Alpine Accentor also came down, giving excellent views. Afterwards,
we started to make our way back down the mountain. Another Egyptian Vulture soared over our heads. By the
top station, there were lots of Alpine Choughs perched and flying around, unafraid of all the people. We then took
the cable car back to our waiting coach at Fuente De, where we said our goodbyes to Javier and the other guides,
and headed back to Santander to catch the ferry.
Day 5; Thursday 13 September
We had an early start at 06:30 to get on deck for a seawatch. We saw an impressive number of Great and Sooty
Shearwaters passing by along with a few Manx Shearwaters. Plenty of Gannets were still flying about and we
also saw some Common Dolphins. After breakfast, we went back for some more seawatching, we saw a couple
of Sabine’s Gulls close to the ship and a ‘Bonxie’ (Great Skua) chasing a Sandwich Tern. As we neared the
Ushant Islands we saw a few Manx Shearwaters and Common Dolphins. A Mediterranean Gull flew by and more
Sooty, Manx, Great and the odd Balearic Shearwater, four more ‘Bonxies’ were seen along with another Sabine’s
Gull. Also, Common and Bottlenosed Dolphins, Tuna and a Blue Shark.
Huge thanks to Paul Burley and Javier for guiding, and to Jane for organising the trip. Chris Teague