Butterfly park and Dali museum

My last holiday post! If you've been following our travels then you'll know we had some problems with our car and so for our last few days in Spain we had to look at a map and do a bit of a rejig of routes and hotels. As the forecast was for cooler weather and in fact, cold and pouring with rain up in the mountains, it probably wasn't a bad thing after all! So we opted to stay on two extra days at our hotel in Roses as there were far more things to do there. Here's a pic of the hotel. It's an ugly double concrete block (this shows just one side of it) but it was comfortable and had a nice big garden with pool, that I didn't use! (The hotel is called the Mediterraneo Park by the way).

It was nice to chill in the gardens though.

So off we went to the Butterfly Park in Empuriabrava which by chance I had seen a big advertising panel for as we were driving around. It wasn't huge and on one side there were tropical birds and the other, the butterflies. I couldn't get very good photos of the birds as it was rather dark in there due to all the vegetation, but it seemed brighter in the butterfly side and that was far more interesting. I don't know all the different species as although there were info boards not all those butterflies were there at that time. In the photo below the big one on the right is an Owl butterfly (Caligo memnon) and the one at the back on the left is a Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) which has incredible blue wings when it opens them up, which is not often when it is resting.

The butterfly with its wings open below is Idea leuconoe and it's the same butterfly in the close up photo below this one.

Here's the Blue Morpho on a rare occasion it opened its wings whilst not moving; usually you only see the flash of blue when they are flying around.

There were a few birds in the butterfly house too, and this one took a shine to me. In fact I couldn't get rid of it! It started on my head and then I managed to get it onto my shoulder, whereupon it proceeded to nuzzle me and snuggle up to me for ages, with the occasional nip on my neck or cheek which was a bit painful!

There were big open cupboards with all sorts of chrysalises with butterflies eclosing all the time, which was fascinating to watch.

Our last day we thought we'd have a bit of culture by visiting the Dali Museum in Figueres. I'm not into surrealist art (know very little about it) but my OH said he'd enjoyed that sort of thing back when he was at Uni. It was something a bit different to do. From the outside it looked rather amusing and I liked that this weird modern building was sited very close to the 14th century church of Sant Pere, which appears in many of the photos below.

Inside though it was totally jam packed with people. This is the third most visited museum in Spain. As well as hating the 'art' I hated all the crowds. I also hated that it must have been here where I caught my cold that started just after I got home!

I can't even be bothered to attempt to lighten up the figure below of 'big breasted woman standing on an old American car with a boat with drippy things above her' which is what I will call this piece of crap art. What really got me was the amount of young people there too, all of whom were taking photos galore with their phones. I just hated the whole place, couldn't understand a thing and wanted to get the hell out! Thankfully my OH felt pretty much the same as me. :-)

Our last but one day was spent travelling all the way from Roses via the motorway that goes through the tail end of the Pyrenees (hardly any altitude so no problems with the car!) and then all the way to the Atlantic coast at Bordeaux, then up to La Rochelle. It was a long, long way and we were pretty bored and tired by the time we arrived in La Rochelle. Somehow travelling a long way in one day at the beginning of your holiday is fine; on the way home it is not!

As La Rochelle is only about 4 hours from home we had our last morning free to drive over the toll bridge to Ile de Re. It's actually larger than I had thought but was an interesting island and I'd love to have had more time to explore it (and neighbouring Ile d'Oleron to the south which is larger). That can be for another holiday!

Just a view at the tip of Ile de Re

I absolutely had to stop to check out the yellow flowers that I kept seeing on the rough ground beside the roads everywhere. I had a feeling it was Sedum acre and I was right!

The blue flowers are Muscari comosom, a bulb.
Much larger than the common spring flowering Muscari bulbs
that we know in our gardens.
I loved the decorative grass seeds heads too.

Of course, it was only fitting that I finished my holiday blog with a bug!
Not sure what it is, it has a fat little body that you can't see here very well,
so not really caterpillar like, but was obviously feeding on the Sedum acre.

Cap de Creus, Catalonia, Spain

Cap de Creus is a magical place. If you love wildflowers, birds, butterflies, amazing scenery and off the beaten track wild Mediterranean places, then you'll love it here!

The Cape (excellent info and lots of photos here) is a mountainous headland in the north of Catalonia, that juts out to become the easternmost part of Spain. To the south is the bay of Roses, where we were staying, and not far to the north is the border with France. It's small enough to explore in just a day. There is one village on the eastern side, Cadaqués and the even smaller Port Lligat, both popular with tourists who are into Dali, who either visited or lived in these places. Some say Cadaqués is picture postcard pretty, I disagree! Putting whitewash on an average looking apartment building doesn't make a place pretty. There's also another village, El Port de la Selva, on the northern coast but this is reachable by a comparatively flat coastal road.

Although the highest point on the Cape is only 670m, given our previous problems with the car overheating trying to go up mini mountains, it was with some trepidation that we set off for the lighthouse on the eastern point. Thankfully we made it as the road goes uphill then down dale rather a lot, and every bit of down gave the car a chance to cool down!

On the way we stopped at a little plateau with plenty of room to park. Surprisingly there was a small natural pond here and a boggy area. All around the flora was very typical low growing Mediterranean scrub, with wild flowers aplenty. I think the photo below sums it up. It's not a great picture as all the birds we saw here were small birds and very distant, but the hillsides were just a picture of yellow from the Broom. I'm not sure if this is Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) as it looks just like the wild Broom (Genista something) that grows in my garden near the pond, but I'd have to assume so given the habitat here.

Male Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) perched amongst Rosemary and Spanish Broom

The other major flowering plant here was Rock Rose (Cistus) and there was Rosemary everywhere and many clumps of Butterfly or French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas). There were butterflies too - Clouded Yellows (Colias croceus) and Western Marbled Whites (Melanargia occitanica), but would they ever stop for a second, no, more's the pity, so no photos!

Windswept hillsides were a wildflower paradise

Here are a few of the birds that we saw. Thanks to the superzoom qualities of my Powershot SX50 we were able to ID some of these birds! The bird below on the left I was unable to tell what it was looking through my binocs, but as soon as I saw the red around the eye through the camera lens, I recognised it as we'd seen them in Greece. It also helps to check out which species you are likely to see in the places that you visit, and also use a process of elimination. For example, the Tawny Pipit below was easy enough to ID just because there are only two Pipits that we might expect to see in this part of Spain in May, and this was the correct habitat for this one!

Left: Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Right: I was trying to focus on the Stonechat on the twig,
when the Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris) hopped into view! Bit of heat haze here.
The Tawny Pipit was a lifer!

Top: Rock Roses and I left this photo large
as I only just noticed the tiny hairy caterpillar top left!
The other flower/seedhead (not sure) is amazing and I have no idea what it is.

We came back to this lovely spot later on and had our picnic lunch here, but by then it had become incredibly windy, so was less pleasant. However there was a lone Black Winged Stilt standing in some boggy ground so another photo op!

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Of course there were bugs too!

The Red Beetle is a Leaf Beetle called Clytra 4-punctata
The Shield Bugs top right are Carpocoris fuscispinus
and the butterfly is a male Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

We arrived at the lighthouse in one piece. Here there is a cafe/bar which was closed (it may only be open at weekends out of season), and further up the hill a restaurant, from where you can also sit on a terrace with a fabulous view and order just a coffee if you like. There are plenty of walking tracks around here, but the ground is very loose rocky scree so really good shoes or preferably hiking boots is a must!

View from the restaurant looking south.

Looking from the terrace towards the lighthouse.
I have no idea what these plants are, but they were gorgeous!

Lots of squealing in delight from me to discover Swallowtail butterflies
(Papilio machaon) all around this area!

My sneaky OH took this of me busy studying Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima)

Because I was watching these Chafer Beetles (Oxythyrea funesta) busy eating and mating in it!
Previously I'd been seeing them only on Thistles.

He got bored and wandered off to admire the stunning scenery.

Then took a more posed picture of me!

Top is another view from the restaurant terrace,
and some more pics of my OH

I was really surprised to see dragonflies out here by the lighthouse where there's no fresh water as far as I know, but I've found out that this species is a migrant so will often be found away from water, and has been seen flying over the sea (source Wikipedia).

Red veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii)
Most probably the female,
but very young males can also be this colour before they turn red.

Top left: Even some Cacti around here!
Top Right: Tiny flowering plant with a small black ant for size comparison.
Bottom two images: some kind of Helichrysum? (but not curry plant).

Last but never least - a little jumping spider. I spotted him whilst we were sitting on the restaurant terrace admiring the wonderful views. However, spotting a saltie on the steps was more interesting for me! I know, I'm completely nuts.... :-)

Aelurillus v-insignitus (male).
This spider's natural habitat is dry sunny heathland and rocky areas,
particularly near the coast.

On our return from the lighthouse, where you must retrace the road to beyond Cadaqués, unfortunately we got stuck behind some slow vehicles so sure enough, the engine started to overheat! We had to forget trying to take the steep road to Sant Pere de Rodes monastery, which was disappointing but at least we'd visited this part of the Cape three years ago. Instead we limped downhill to El Port de la Selva on the north shore and came back to Roses along the coastal road and back via the main road which goes at a low altitude between mountains. There then followed a complete rejig of the last part of our holiday, as the two nights booked at a Casa Rurale (rural guest house) up in the Pyrenees was not going to happen, as we couldn't get there!


(to be continued, only one more holiday post to go)

The Aiguamolls de l'Empordà

The Aiguamolls de l'Empordà is another important wetland habitat for birds, the second largest in Catalonia after the Ebro Delta. This site gives tons of information about the area, plus details about the visitor centre and opening hours. Aiguamolls is the Catalan word meaning marsh or wetland.

As we had four whole days in the Roses area and the reserve is nearby, we didn't have to do it all in one day. We had visited three years previously so knew the main places to visit. There is the main area of reserve around the visitor centre of El Cortalet, which has the vast majority of paths and hides, another area known as Europa, also with hides, but which we call the 'Sewage Works lagoons' because it's located right next to one, and another area we call 'the 3 bridges'. There is a fourth area not far from the 3 bridges, a lagoon with a hide known as Vilaut which we finally managed to locate on this trip, but that day it was drizzly and grey and there was little to be seen there. Birding in Spain gives maps and information about the different areas here.

This was the first place that we'd seen a Purple Gallinule although we didn't see one this visit; no matter as we'd seen so many of them at the Ebro Delta! On our first day we visited the Sewage Works lagoons. They are separate from the sewage works themselves, but the lagoons seemed to be covered in rather a lot of scum - this didn't bother the birds but doesn't make for quite such nice photos!

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Top left: male Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
Bottom right: A Coot (Fulica atra) with its little babies

The walk around these lagoons borders agricultural fields with hedgerows and trees, so plenty of other bird and insect life to be seen, especially on the few times here when the sun did shine!

Clockwise from top left:
Latticed Heath Moth (Chiasmia clathrata) resting on Borage stems
Jumping Spider (Salticus propinquus) (actually on metal crash barrier by bridge!)
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) butterfly on cereal stalk
Chafter Beetles (Oxythyrea funesta) on Thistle
Thistles - very pretty and good for pollinating insects

After here we visited the area known as the 3 bridges. Unfortunately there is no real place to park, but as the road is very quiet you can pull half off the road so long as you don't wander too far from it, just in case a truck comes along and you need to move the car! Mostly the very few other cars we saw around here were other bird watchers. From here you have open views over fields which are a bit marshy in between several small canals (hence the bridges) and it seems to be a place where White Storks are attracted to. On our visit here in April 2010 we were lucky enough to see several Great Spotted Cuckoos.

White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) galore were coming in to land in the fields below.

Where they outnumbered the cows, somewhat.
Many Little Egrets were in the fields with the cattle too.

Another day we visited the main centre at El Cortalet where it's worth a whole day to visit, as just the walk all the way to the beach and back is about 4kms each way and there are many hides along the way. The area on the top right just off the map here is the area known as Europa (or the Sewage Works lagoons), which is a fair way from the visitor centre but also accessible by road, with parking nearby.

Don't forget the insect repellant, as whilst we didn't have any problems when we'd visited on a much hotter day in April previously, this time in May we were being eaten alive by mozzies so ended up absolutely covered in repellant, even our faces! The footpath going from the visitor centre down to hide no. 5 we called Mosquito Alley!

Also note at certain times of the year, including during our visit, the route on the left hand side here around the Estanys del Mata is closed during breeding season, but the shorter path which passes hide no. 8 is open.

Everywhere we went around here we could hear Nightingales singing. They are normally very elusive birds that you can hear singing loudly from the trees and undergrowth but remain well hidden, so it was very unusual for them to appear like this on the footpath leading down Mosquito Alley! All photos except for the one in the grass where it was slinking off were taken by my OH who did a much better job than I did photographing them.

Nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos)

Along Mosquito Alley, as well as the hides, there are short paths leading to the entrances of fields where you can scan for birds there. We were hugely lucky to spot a Roller flying across the field which we had obviously disturbed; luckily for us it perched high up in a tree. Even distant it was still something we could observe and just about get a photo of!

Not the best shot but this was the most exciting lifer that we saw.
It's a Roller! (Coracias garrulus)

In the reserve many man made nesting places have been made for the White Storks but even so, there are so many of them that they have also made nests up in trees. They are obviously very successful here with their breeding.

White Storks with a couple of young in the nest

There were plenty in the water meadow featured below too.

It was lovely to see Camargue horses grazing here. As their own habitat in the south
of France is also wetland they are perfectly at home here.
In the background you can just make out a Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus).
There were even some nesting in this field!

More Camargue horses. The foals are always born black!

Pretty bee of the genus Anthidium on a Thistle flower

How many beetles can you fit on one Thistle head?
I count six. Two little Beetles and four Oxythyrea funesta but one couple are probably doing the biz!

Cetti's Warbler - but possibly a juvenile as it sat there in the
shadows and didn't mind us and another couple poking cameras at it.
ID is certain as it then opened its beak and sang.

There's a vast grassy car park and picnic area, but as luck would have it, just after we'd finished eating, it started to drizzle.

Annoyingly this was the only time I saw a Hoopoe when we were not driving along.
This was in the visitor centre car park/picnic area and the Hoopoe would not stop moving
so this is my best shot. Still pleased with it though!

View over one of the lagoons from one of the hides. I think rain kept the birds away!

The reason I include this photo of a Little Grebe is because 90% of the
time these irritating little birds are diving under water!
You just don't realise until you try to photograph them. :-)

Just along the footpath between hides 1 and 14 is a man made sand bank which has been colonised by Bee-eaters, and is full of their nesting holes. There were quite a number of them, but due to the rain they were not out hunting bees. Just as well really as this shot was taken in drizzle with one hand whilst the other held my umbrella. I realised when it started raining that a purple and black umbrella was not ideal for bird watching, but in fact the Bee-eaters didn't seem too bothered. But I had to try to keep camera and binoculars dry. Rain and birdwatching/photography really do not go together, unless you are in a nice dry hide!

A Bee-eater (Merops apiaster).

There was one more exciting moment in the drizzle though. Another lifer, a Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), flew across the footpath and perched in a tree not far from us for about a minute. No time for photos but we had a good view of it.


Bird seen in the Aiguamolls (an asterisk denotes a lifer)
To clarify for those who are unclear, a lifer is a bird that we have seen for the first time ever.

Gadwalls
Squacco Heron
Marsh Harrier *
Nightingales
White Storks
Roller *
Cattle Egrets
Little Egrets
Black-winged Stilts
Flamingos
Cetti's Warbler (adult and juvenile)
Hoopoe
Little Grebe
Coots
Mallards
Little Bittern *
Bee-eaters
 
Only two more holiday posts to go, which is a good thing as I have tons of garden posts waiting in the wings!