Woodpeckers in the Pyrenees (1 Viewer)

[John McNally]

Hi, has anyone any good info on best places to see white-backed and black woodpeckers? I'm off to the Pyrenees in August.

Thanks.

 

[rosbifs]

Hi, has anyone any good info on best places to see white-backed and black woodpeckers? I'm off to the Pyrenees in August.

Thanks.

depends which end and where. as a general rule white backed is more abundant the further west you go. that said after years of searching i gave up and was taken to a nest site. they are very difficult - i could have walked past the nest site 20 times and not seen the nest hole or the bird!!! they are secretive and very quiet. in august i would rate your chances as 1 in a 1000. sorry to pessamistic.

black is easier. most woods even down to the foothills can hold these. plus they're noisy - learn the call and head for beach and coniferous woods.

let me know where you're heading or does it depend on the above ie not fixed yet?

 

[rosbifs]

ps gosneys pair are no longer there although there are pairs in the same woods.....

 

[Richard Klim]

Rich Bonser's 1999 trip report almost makes White-backed Woodpecker sound easy in the Forêt d'Issaux (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)...

4th July

Site: Foret D’Issaux in France is the premier site in the Pyrenees to see it’s unique race of White-Backed Woodpecker. The area can be reached by following ‘Foret D’Issaux’ signs from the town of Oloron on the N330 south of Pau. The site is about 15km west of this main road. When parked, walk to the car park entrance/road junction and the birds favour this area and up to 0.4 km beyond.

Species – early-mid a’noon – drizzle, cool
White-Backed Woodpecker (2+)
...

This is the site described in Gosney 1994 (Finding Birds in Southern France) and Crozier 2000 (A Birdwatching Guide to France South of the Loire including Corsica).

[Dutch Birding has split Lilford's Woodpecker Dendrocopos [leucotos] lilfordi (with effect from 1 Jan 2012), citing Grangé & Vuilleumier 2009.]

PS. But Dave Gosney searched for hours on two days without success...

 

[rosbifs]

There are in the region of 300 pairs of wbw in the fench pyrenees.

The only one i have seen was in the foret d'issaux but not as described by gosney. This particular pair are no longer there.

They can be found in any beach forest with a good element of dead trees, mainly north facing and steep ground. Most forests that is south of arudy. The further east you go the thinner they get. The further west the better chances and nearer the border.

They make most noise in march when male making their nest - they change holes every year - and when the young leave the nest - end may for two days. Other than that they are fairly secretive.

That said in the right woods they outnumber other woodies!!!

 

[wolfbirder]

Cant help with WBW, but Black Woodpecker are around the car park and woods at Monastery San Juan de la Pena, which is near Jaca. Windy hillside access road can be closed in winter with heavy snowfall. There is an old monastery 'near' the top, and a new monastery at the plateau. Its the top one you want. The access road takes you past the new monastery and winds its way to a straight line car park with trees all around. I had BW in the woods here. There are tracks to walk all around the monastery. I had 3 BW's altogether, locating them by sound.

This monastery is approx 10 miles from Jaca (from memory) and is signposted. Also said to be good for Citril Finch.

 

[Richard Klim]

Cant help with WBW, but Black Woodpecker are around the car park and woods at Monastery San Juan de la Pena, which is near Jaca.

Just to endorse Nick's suggestion, my wife and I had Black Woodpecker at Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña in March 2000. (Also Crested Tit, Black Redstart, Citril Finch, Crossbill, Cirl Bunting.)

 

[Edward]

Just to endorse Nick's suggestion, my wife and I had Black Woodpecker at Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña in March 2000. (Also Crested Tit, Black Redstart, Citril Finch, Crossbill, Cirl Bunting.)

And just to endorse Richard's endorsement of Nick, I had Black Woodpecker at this site in May 2005, and Lammergeier. I also dipped on WBW at Forêt d'Issaux.

 

[Stephen C]

White-backed Woodpecker

This might help:

http://birding-in-spain-barcelona.blogspot.com.es/2011/09/august-in-navarra-white-backed.html

I also went in August 2011 and found them in exactly the same place and recorded some decent video footage.

Apologies for the lack of photos in the piece but they went AWOL and I have yet to fix the problem.

Good luck