What a vacation!

We have been to Spain and France for a break. Took the car on the ferry to Bilbao and wandered roughly north-east from there. The last time we where in Bilbao the sky was almost thick with vultures but we didn't see a single one, probably the difference in the season.

We spent quite a lot of time traveling and eating and not an awful lot of time birdwatching but one of the highlights was to come nose to beak with a thrush sitting tight on its nest in our son's orchard as we inspected the fruit. When I came back with a camera I couldn't remember which tree it was in and the light was failing so I didn't get a picture!

At the back of our hotel in Luchon we spotted a bird we had not seen before and we had to refer to the European bird guide to identify it. After a couple of false starts we decided that it was a Black Redstart. Once identified, there were lots of them and some appeared to take pleasure in teasing the local cat population.

We think we heard a Capercaillie in the woods at Gavarnie (check the photo) but we couldn't see it and the area it was calling from was inaccessible. As you can see the terrain is a bit precipitous.

One species we where disappointed by was the Gannet. Last September the ferry was escorted by these elegant birds for most of the trip but we didn't see a single one this time. Presumably they are still around the breeding grounds.