Gwen and I wanted to spend some days hiking. Potential destinations were limited, given the weather across much of Europe. The northeast of Spain seemed to be good for some autumn sun, so off we went. I was happy to revisit the Montseny Massif properly this time, as I had only made two (very) short visits to the area before in different seasons (July 2007 and April 2019). I was happily surprised by the natural beauty of this area.
Daytime hiking was followed each day by prospecting known habitats of the critically endangered Montseny Brook Newt (Calotriton arnoldi) after dark, a species which is often labelled as the rarest amphibian species of Europe. Water availability is a serious issue for it. Autumn is not the best time of year – many of the brooks were even drier than in spring. In the end, I managed to find three adults in the brook I visited in 2007 and two subadults in a brook that I had not visited before.
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Spiny Toad Bufo spinosus
Montseny Brook Newt Calotriton arnoldi
Montseny Brook Newt Calotriton arnoldi
Montseny Brook Newt Calotriton arnoldi
Species list
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