Blogging from the Pyrenees » fauna

Ibon de la Sierra

Phil — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 19:55:04 +0000

The cirque of Rincon de Balsera

Explored the remote Ibon de la Sierra and was rewarded with great views and wildlife including a lammergeier, chamois, kestrels and my first marmots of the season.

It’s an area of the Valle de Tena that I’d wanted to hike in for ages but never seemed to get round to it. It’s a long walk in but really worth it as you get to some really wild valleys lying under the imposing peak of Punta Escarra.

Stemless Gentians - one of my favourite early flowers

The weather’s been beatiful the last couple of weeks and the spring flowers are really starting to come out. Saw my first orchids of the season – elder flowered orchids. These come in both yellow and purple but both are the same species and can be seen in their thousands in June. In sunnier spots gentians were out too – mainly spring gentians but a couple of patches of lovely stemless gentians.Where the snow had recently melted a few alpine snowbells were coming out too – these are fantastically delicate and spring out of the ground as soon as the snow cover has gone.

Alpine snowbell

The marmots have come out of hibernation and I heard lots of warning whistles and saw plenty of them grazing on the fresh grass.

My first marmot of the season

Also saw a group of Chamois – one of which posed silhouetted on a small peak nearby.

Chamois posing on a ridge

When I got to Ibon de Sierra I was quite surprised to find it covered in ice which was a bit surreal as I was hiking in sorts and t-shirts. I was even more surprised to see several fully grown frogs swimming under the ice – they must survive all winter under there.

Ibon de la Sierra

The wildlife highlight of the day was a lammergeier flying close overhead. I could really see it’s colours and get an idea of it’s huge wingspan (which can be over 2.5 metres). Its always a delight to see these vultures.

Great day out and a good new area discovered that I’m sure I’ll be visiting again this summer.

The Iberian Lynx

Phil — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:40:04 +0000

European Lynx at La Cuniacha animal park in the Valle de Tena

The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) once roamed over most of Spain but has recently had the unfortunate label of the world’s most endangered feline. Numbers began falling at the start of the 20th century but in the last few decades numbers have fallen dramatically from an estimated 1100 in 1988 to just 120 in 2005.

Instantly recognisable with tufty ears, long sideburns and beautiful spotted coat the Iberian Lynx is about two feet tall and three feet long. Adults weigh around 25 pounds.

Iberian Lynx used to be seen regularly in the Pyrenees – often in the more Mediterranean climate of the Sierra de Guara. It is thought that they shared the range with European Lynx which are found in the Alps and further north. Sadly the last sightings in the Aragonese Pyrenees were in 1930 in Linás de Marcuello near the cliffs of Riglos and 1940 near Berdún – both animals were killed by hunters.

The main cause for decline in the Pyrenees was thought to be hunting but elsewhere the recent drop in numbers has been put down to a reduction in rabbits which is the mainstay of the lynx’s diet along with with the large number of road, rail and dam projects which have taken place since Spain joined the European Union. These have disrupted Lynx, destroying their habitat and separating populations into smaller and smaller unsustainable groups.

One place you can see lynx is at Parque Faunistico in the Valle de Tena. There are several European Lynx in a large enclosure and in 2010 three young cubs were born. They’re quite hard to spot but it’s a magical sight if you are lucky enough to see those fluffy ears pointing up out of the grass. I’ve previously posted this video of the lynx cubs.

Today only two populations of Iberian Lynx remain both in the south of Spain. A group of around 20-25 lives in Doñana National Park but this number is thought not to be genetically diverse enough to survive. Another larger population of around 70 lynx are in the Sierra de Andújar are thought to have a more sustainable future.

In 2003 the Lynx Life program has been set up and is having some success so much so there is even talk of moving the lynx status from ‘critically endangered’ to just ‘endangered’ which still isn’t great but is a move in the right direction. Lynx Life has several strategies including boosting rabbit populations where Lynx are present. Young pairs of Lynx have been trapped and introduced to new areas of wild land that had been specially prepared to be provide the perfect habitat for both rabbits and lynx. A breeding program has been set up with the idea to take young animals bred in captivity and release them into the Doñana population to increase genetic diversity. These measures have increased the population to an estimated 300 individuals so fingers crossed the Iberian Lynx can come back from the brink.

The Guardian recently published an article about the Lynx Life program.

First snowshoeing trip of the season

Phil — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:08:58 +0000

Fabien snowshoeing near Astun

It’s been snowing heavily in the Pyrenees for over a week now but the weather cleared on Friday and Saturday and it was time to dig the snowshoes out of the back of the cupboard for the first snowshoe outing of the season.The ski resort of Astun was our destination on Friday afternoon and we walked up to Col de Moines on the French border. Great views over the resort to Pico Aspe with the sun setting behind.

The ski resort of Astun with Pico Aspe behind

On Saturday we visited Ibon de Estanés – an area I’d not visited before. It was an unexpectedly wild and beautiful area. Our route took us through woods to a wide plateau called Aguas Tuertas perfect for snowshoeing. Fabulous snow covered mountians rose above us.

Aguas Tuertas and the peak of Secús

As we passed over a low hill we disturbed a large herd of Sarrios (Pyrenean Chamois). There must have been 25 or even 30 grazing on a grassy patch. We were fairly close but they soon sped off at a pace that made us feel like snails!

Sarrios or Pyrenean Chamois

There was a fair amount of snow but wew were a bit lower than the day before and took our snowshoes on and off several times during the day. We took a circular route back past Ibones de Estanés nestled just on the Spanish side of the border. The route down was quite exciting and had there been much more snow would have been impassable. It started with a nice traverse on a narrow path across a cliff face.

Descending from Ibon de Estanés

For the final section there was a set of ‘escalera’ marked on the map – this translates to stairs but we weren’t quite sure what to expect. When we got there we found exactly that – a nice set of steps!

The 'escalera' at Ibones de Estanés

Great day – beautiful weather and whetted my appetite for more snow snowshoeing. The snow’s continuing this week and the mountains around Biescas all have white peaks. Formigal and Panticosa ski resorts are expecting to open on the 27th November and that looks possible with the good base of snow they’ve already got and the forecast for the next week. Can’t wait!

Lynx cubs at La Cuniacha

Phil — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:56:52 +0000

La Cuniacha animal park near Piedrafita welcomed 3 new Lynx cubs this spring. Apparently they were born very early and the park wardens are concerned that they won’t make it through any cold spells.

Keeping my fingers crossed for them as they look incredibly cute in the video and would be great to see them as young cubs this summer.

The park helps preserve animals that were once native to the Pyrenees. They’ve european bison, ibex, wolves and are part of the Przewalski horse breeding program.