Moths, Butterflies & Bees at La Batère

by Lesley McLaren

Early September, it was good to escape the heat of the Roussillon plain and head into the mountains again. Bruce and I were on a mission. He suspected there might be some interesting butterflies alongside the stream below the main track to the tower.

After parking (no other cars - we had the place to ourselves), we set off right, following a trail of cowpats down the footpath that leads eventually to Arles-sur-Tech, although we'd only be going a kilometre or so. Even at this height it was hot. There was hardly any wind, little shade, and it was blissfully peaceful. All we could hear were the stream and the gentle buzz of bees.

So many bees! And many different species too. There were some especially big ones, covered in pollen that made them look more grey than black. Not quite big enough (and too hairy) for Carpenters, I think, but so far I haven't managed to identify them. They were enjoying the beautiful thistles. As were the butterflies. Bruce's suspicion was spot on and it was hard to know where to look next. Many were attracted to flowering horse mint as well. By the end of the day we knew we'd seen at least 17 different butterfly species. (When Bruce subsequently checked his photos, that tally would get closer to 30).

Silver washed fritillary

For me, though, the hummingbird hawkmoths stole the show. As we stood and stared at a particularly popular patch of thistles, they came within inches of us, hovering and probing with their super-long proboscis. They are such extraordinary insects.

Here's a very short video of one with a couple of friends (plus background sound effects from my dog!).

Hairy bee, red admiral and hummingbird hawkmoth from Lesley McLaren on Vimeo.

And here's that last hummingbird hawkmoth again (with an industrious bee), at a quarter the speed:

slow motion Hummingbird hawkmoth from Lesley McLaren on Vimeo.

Later we returned to the piste and headed for the tower, pausing in the welcome shade of larch for a picnic lunch. In contrast to springtime, this spot was now very quiet. No birdsong, nothing flitting from branch to branch. But there was some splendid lichen, which shows how pure the air must be up here.

I didn't expect to see many birds - especially vultures or large raptors, because they would be riding too high on the thermals. Nevertheless, three griffons did circle the cols periodically and, as we admired the views next to the tower, a golden eagle flew directly overhead. The resident kestrel was around as usual (as were ravens and alpine chough), and I glimpsed another falcon, flying fast away from us as we returned to the car.

By now a few clouds had bubbled up and there was a light breeze, but neither offered much relief.

At the last bend something caught my eye, flying across the track and settling on the top of a stubby tree some distance away. Roughly the size of a lark. But not a lark. This was something different but, against the light, annoyingly I couldn't make out any markings, even through binoculars. How exciting, then, to identify it later from Bruce's photo: a female Red-backed shrike. Her speckled chest is distinctive, as is that heavy bill, with its small hook, just visible. I'm more used to seeing Woodchat shrikes in the P-O and this was a first for me! Something else to look out for next time I'm up there.

It was 27 degrees when we called it a day. The heat had sapped our strength but, as usual, La Batère had not disappointed.