Looking for new places to visit during excursions and trips, allowing to add to our offer new species, landscapes and habitats, Luca explored yesterday the Sierra de Bejar, only one hour of driving far from Monfrague National Park. It’s a small sierra, sometimes considered the westernmost part of Sierra de Gredos, that reaches 2.428 m with the Canchal de la Ceja. As most of spanish sierra it’s rich in endemisms and interesting species. The weather was very bad, with fog, a lot of rain, strong cold wind, if not even some snow, but the location was truly stunning! All the western side of the mount were covered by brooms of the species Cytisus oromediterraneus, giving a spectacular bright yellow colour. Among the brooms, other interesting plants like Heath spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), the endemic fritillary Fritillaria caballeroi and carpets of Petticoat daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium), but also, with a so wet climate, some interesting Fire Salamanders (Salamandra salamandra bejarae) with red marks on the sides of head.
Amazing where birds, with tens of singing Dunnocks (Prunella modularis), some Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta), 1 Raven (Corvus corax), 1 Blackbird (Turdus merula), 1 Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), 1 Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), 1 Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), but also and expecially 1 singing male of Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) and a wonderful male of unspotted Bluehtroat (Luscinia svecica azuricollis)!!
Probably we will visit again the place, hoping in a better weather, becaus it will be surelly very interesting for butterflies and reptiles.
- INNATE - 