A Short-toed Treecreeper, Certhia brachydactyla, clinging to the bark of a pine tree, in Pinar de la Breña, Andalucía, Spain.
Short-toed Treecreepers are found throughout west and southern Europe, but are vagrants to the UK, usually in the south-east of England. They are very similar to the European Treecreeper which is common throughout most of the UK. The main differences are a longer beak, warmer flanks, a shorter hind claw and some subtle differences in marking. Apparently, the songs are quite different, which must be a great help in areas where the two species coexist, but the ones I saw in La Breña weren’t singing. Luckily, the European Treecreeper is absent from most of Iberia south of the Pyrenees.
Pinar de la Breña forms part of the Parque natural de La Breña y Marismas del Barbate. This is a protected area with a rich diversity of habitats. The dense canopies of the pine trees protect a range of Mediterranean wildflowers in springtime, and many birds are resident in the area. Other species can be seen passing overhead on migration to and from Africa.
