Orchids of Ordesa

We didn't see as many orchids as I expected, but still a nice selection.


Black Vanilla Orchid Nigritella nigra in Valle de Otal. I never tire of seeing this little beauty!


Butterfly Orchid Plathanthera bifolia and Elder-flowered Orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina.


Burnt Tip Orchid Orchis ustulata. Also, White Helleborine was quite common, and we saw lots of marsh and spotted orchids.

Other flowers of Ordesa

The Pyrenees are famous for their flora, many of which are endemic. Here is a small selection of what we saw.


Pyrenean Saxifrage Saxifraga longifolia and Yellow Saxifrage Saxifraga aretioides.


Vitalonia Vitalonia primuliflora and Entire-leaved Primrose Primula integrifolia. I found these two species of alpine primrose growing at 2200m on Punta Acuta.


Two species of Pyrenean lily, Dipcadi Dipcadi serotinum (photographed at Sierra de la Pena NOT Ordesa), and Pyrenean Hyacinth Hyacinthus amethystinus.


Another species of lily, Tofield's Asphodel Tofieldia calyculata, a very close relation of the Scottish Aspohodel T. pusilla which I found growing in Teesdale last year. Echinospartum Echinospartum horridum, is a close relation of Gorse Ulex europaeus.


Pyrenean Rockrose Helianthemum nummularium pyrenaicum. This beautiful plant is a sub species of the yellow Common Rockrose which grows in the UK.


Globeflower Trollius europaeus growing in profusion in the Valle de Otal, and Erect Clementis Clemantis recta. Valle de Otal was an excellent site, and well worth a visit with lush, wet alpine meadows, and lots of species which I didn't find in the Ordesa Valley


Two Pyrenean specialities, the insectivorous Long-leaved Butterwort Pinguicula longifolia and Ramonda Ramonda myconi.


Pyrenean Columbine Aquilegia pyrenaica and Pyrenean Rock-Jasmine Androsace pyrenaica.


Asphodel Asphodelus albus in the Valle de Otal and Rock Snapdragon Antirrhinum sempervirens on Punta Acuta.

A few other creatures from Ordesa

We saw Chamois in several places at high altitude, including this one at the head of the Ordessa valley.


There were loads of Little Blue butterflies, so many that they were swarming almost like midges in places, and it seemed not matter how hard we tried we would inevitably stand on one. Other butterflies seen but not photgraphed included lots of Clouded Yellows, several Swallowtails and most spectacularly, a single Camberwell Beauty.


We saw quite a few lizards, most of which appeared to be Pyrenean Rock Lizards. The individual on the left was photographed at 2000m on Punta Acuta. I think that the other lizard is a Common Wall Lizard.

We also saw lots of Marmots, a few Red Squirels and a single Wild Boar.

Birds of the Ordesa

Most of the time I was looking at the ground or the scenary, and in truth I did find the birding quite difficult. I wouldn't say that it was an easy place to bird. However, after an intial struggle, we did eventually see Lammergeier, the number one species on my and most other birders wish list. Four were in the Valle de Bujaruelo adjacent to Ordesa, but most spectacularly, two adults flew right over our heads as we approached the summit of Punta Acuta. They were probably only about the height of a two storey house above us. I suppose I could have taken a photo, but I was more interested in savouring the moment than messing about with the camera.

Other birding highlights included Black Woodpecker, a few Egyptian Vultures, lots of Griffon Vultures, several Black Kites, Ortolan Bunting, Golden Eagle, Citril Finches, Red-backed Shrike, Bonelli's Warblers, Bonelli's Eagle, Firecrests, Crag Martins, Alpine Swifts, Crossbills, Serins, Cirl Buntings, Alpine Choughs and Black Redstarts. Although we got to over 2200m, I don't think that we got high enough for Snow Finch and didn't get lucky with Alpine Accentor. As for Wallcreeper, well I had a look at several likely looking places, but Ordesa is a huge canyon with immense cliffs, and given that I spent a lot more time looking at the ground than at the cliffs it was always going to be a longshot.

A few flowers from St Helens

The following photos were taken at a private site in St Helens.

Heath Speedwell. This is the only site I know of in St Helens for this species.

Marsh orchids are notoriously difficult to identify, and it's not helped by their habit of hybridising. I think that this is Early Marsh Orchid. Look at the shape of the flower and compare it to the deeper purple Northern Marsh Orchid below.

However, now look at the leaves and you will see that they are spotted, which apparently makes it sub species cruenta, which is a very rare sub species in the UK. So perhaps it's actually Common Spotted Orchid, though the flowe shape doesn't look right, and the spots look too small and numerous to me.

Northern Marsh Orchid

Old Coach Road

Curlew 1
Tree Sparrow 10+

Upper Teesdale

Todays Breeding Bird Survey in the North Pennines produced Black Grouse and Short-eared Owl amongst other things, and following the survey I headed home via Upper Teesdale. It was a glorious day, but the Spring Gentians are now completely over. I climbed Cronkley Fell, Widdybank Fell and had a look along the banks of the Tees and could only find two Gentians, both shriveled remnants of their former glory. Birds on Cronkley Fell included two Ring Ouzels.

Cow Green reservoir - "Hindsight is a lazy vision, but successive generations will condemn in amazement the desecration of this natural area which is arguably the most imprtant botanical site in England." So wrote Sylvia Arnold in her book "Wild Flowers of the Yorkshire Dales". It's hard to disagree.....

The summit of Cronkley Fell.

The River Tees with Widdybank Fell.

The insectivorous Common Butterwort with Bird's-eye Primrose behind. Interesting to think that this plant uses insects for pollination and also eats them!

Spring Sandwort on Cronkley Fell

Hoary Rockrose on Cronkley Fell. This is a rare relation of the Common Rockrose, and is found mainly in North Wales, where I've seen it best on the Great Orme at Llandudno. It's a very rare plant in England, and on Cronkley Fell it is at its most northerly site in the UK.

I've seen more than my fair share of breeding Golden Plover recently, and here is another near the summit of Cronkley Fell.

I've seen a few of these as well - Red Grouse, this one also on Cronkley Fell.

Eccleston Mere

I've been keeping my eye on a Great Spotted Woodpecker nest over the last few weeks, and today I was lucky enough to see an adult feeding a chick.

I could hear the young bird from the other side of the mere, it was making such a racket. It must drive its parents insane! Not in the least bit shy, it stuck its head out of its nest hole, and called away as I watched. You can see that it has the red crown of the young Great Spotted Woodpecker.

While I was watching, an adult flew in and fed the chick. You can see on this photo that the adult does not have the red crown. In fact it's probably the female, because it does not appear to have the red nape of the male. Interestingly, there is a second hole about 30cm higher up and on the side of the tree which I saw the birds using earlier in the month.

Canada Geese breed at the mere in quite large numbers, and on average raise about 30 goslings. This group is probably six families merged together.  You can see how much the chicks vary in size. There is another family with about five goslings which have not yet joined up with the main group, but they will eventually. I suspect that dominant pairs take over the ownership of the young, and the other adults just leave them to it.

A lady and a duke at Gait Barrows

A very long and busy day today. At 6:30am, following a drive of over two hours, I was in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales ready to begin a Breeding Bird Survey. Lots of good birds seen, including breeding Ring Ouzels, Golden Plover and Curlew. With the survey completed by 10am, I set off for home, but it was such a nice day that I couldn't resist a quick visit to Gait Barrows, near Silverdale.

Duke of Burgandy, a speciallity of Gait Barrows. Other butterflies on the wing today included Green Hairstreak, Brimstone and Pearl Bordered Fritillary.

The status of Lady's Slipper Orchid has changed somewhat in recent years. Collected almost to the point of extinction in Victorian times, by the time I first started taking an interest in orchids in the late 1970s, I knew of only two plants in the whole of the UK, one in Yorkshire, and the other in Lancashire, and the exact locations of each was a closely guarded secret. The Yorkshire plant was thought to be the only naturally growing Lady's Slipper in the UK, with the Lancashire plant (above) thought to have been Austrian in origin and planted by a Victorian botanist.

However, in recent years seed has been taken from the Yorkshire plant and it has been propogated at Kew Gardens, and re-introduced to various sites, including Gait Barrows (above). You can read the full fascinating story on the Kew Gardens website.

No longer a secret, today was Lady's Slipper Orchid open day at Gait Barrows, when the public were invited to view the orchids, with signs directing you to the exact locallity. Hopefully this spectacular plant will be allowed to recover.

Herb-Paris

Highfield Moss

Highfield Moss at Lowton is a SSSI, largely on account of its peatland vegetation, which is the best remaining example of raised mire in Greater Manchester and Merseyside. It is a stronghold in North-West England for Marsh Gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe which flowers in August / September.

The sedge Carex nigra in full flower the two top orange spikes are the male spikes, whilst the white / lime green lower spikes are female. Interestingly, you can see that the lower male spike is partly lime green at the bottom, indicating that it is both male and female.

A local scarcity, this is Petty Whin Genista anglica, which is a dwarf relative of gorse.

Highfield Moss