Trip Information

Date: TBA

Duration: 16 days

Leaders: Hugo Framis

Limit: 8 people

Cost: $3795 USD, $4995 CDN

From: Barcelona, Spain

Featured birds:
• Great Bustard
• White Stork
• Spanish Imperial Eagle
• European Bee-Eater
• European Roller
• Wall Creeper
• Lammergeier
• Black Stork
• Dupont's Lark
• Black-bellied Sandgrouse
• Greater Flamingo

Trip Summary:
• Easy walking and Hiking
• Mostly warm days and nights
• Possibly cool and wet at times
• Good quality country inns
• 5 to 8 participants

We explore a wide diversity of habitat, experience spectacular scenery and charming, historic towns from the Pyrenees to Cota Donana in the extreme southwest in this marvellous country. We search the splendid Pyrenees for Wallcreeper and Lammergeier and a host of mountain specialties, before heading to central Spain andthe beautiful oak and pine forests, alpine meadows and arid plains. These locations provide an excellentarrayof both European and Mediterranean birds including the best area in Europe for the regal Spanish Imperial Eagle, one of the world's rarest raptors. Extremadura should net us such specialties as Great and Little Bustards and European Rollers and at the world famous Coto Donaña National Park, we should see hundreds of Greater Flamingoes, Whiskered Terns, Black-winged Stilts and lots more.

See detailed itinerary below.

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European Bee-eater photo by Rob Williams

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival
Our tour starts in the beautiful city of Barcelona in the region of Catalonia in northeast Spain. Participants will be met upon arrival at the airport. Our tour will officially begin after dinner, when we will meet in the lobby of our hotel in Barcelona. For those participants arriving by mid afternoon, we will take a short birding excursion to the Delta of the Rio Llobregat. Here will be our first introduction to several widespread birds such as Cetti’s and Sardinian Warblers, Western Marsh-Harrier, several herons including Purple Heron, and perhaps Audouin’s Gull. Night in Barcelona.

Days 2 – 3 - Delta del Ebro
From Barcelona we head south to the coastal wetland areas of the delta del Ebro, where we spend the next two days. This floodplain of over 30,000 ha is a marvelous birding area: it contains marshes, coastal bays, salt pans and riverside woodlands, and the birdlife reflects such diversity. We should amass an impressive list including many waterbirds such as Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, several egrets and herons including Squacco, Slender-billed Gull, Purple Swamphen, as well as Zitting Cisticola, Orphean Warbler, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Collared Pratincole and Audouin’s Gull. There could be migrating Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpipers here as well. Nights near Ebro.

Days 4 – 7 - Pyrenees
We leave the coast and head northwest to the Pyrenees to explore a national park and other protected areas that support several very special birds. During our stay in this area, we drive through Serra del Montsec one of the Prepyrenean mountain ranges, visit the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, and bird around the Loarre Castle (XI century). We should find not only Egyptian and Eurasian Griffon Vultures but also the fabulous Lammergeier, as well as other raptors such as Bonelli’s, Booted and Short-toed Eagles. At higher altitudes, there are Yellow-billed and Red-billed Choughs, Alpine Accentors and White-winged Snowfinches, whereas on lower rocky slopes Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Rock Petronia and Black Wheatear occur. Woodlands hold Black Woodpeckers, and we will scan rockfaces for the marvelous Wallcreeper. Nights in the Pyrenees area.

Day 8 - Zaragoza
We reluctantly leave the Pyrenees, and head south to the Zaragoza area, to visit the Lomazas Steppe to look for the extremely elusive species, the Dupont’s Lark. Further south we reach Gallocanta, the largest natural lake in Spain. Here we could see Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Calandra, Thekla, Great and Little Bustards, and Eurasian Thick-knee. We should also see other typically Mediterranean birds such as White Stork, European Bee-Eater, Hoopoe, and Spectacled Warblers. Night at Gallocanta.

Day 9 – The Sierra de Gredos
Today is a fairly long drive as we head west into Extremadura, passing the famous walled city of Ávila in the morning. We will pause for lunch amongst the fabulous wild daffodils in the Sierra de Gredos where we will hope to see Iberian Ibex, White-spotted Bluethroat and Alpine Accentor if we are very lucky. We reach our hotel in Trujillo in the early evening. Night in Trujillo.

Days 10 & 11 - Monfragüe National Park
Today we explore the magnificent Monfragüe National Park where we may be fortunate enough to see the Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallows and Black Storks. The spectacular cliff of Penafalcón provides a stunning backdrop to the large numbers of vultures (3 species), eagles (5 species) and other raptors that abound in the Park. To the south of the park the cork oak dehesas are frequented by Great-spotted Cuckoos, Azure-winged Magpies, Rollers, Black-shouldered Kites, Spanish Sparrows, Woodchat Shrikes and Great Bustards. At dusk, we will try to catch a glimpse of the rare Eagle Owl and then look for Red-necked Nightjars. We will be based in the conquistador town of Trujillo, where Lesser Kestrels, Pallid Swifts and White Storks add to the beauty of the ancient plaza, churches and castle. Nights in Trujillo.

Day 12 - Travel through Extremadura
After breakfast, we head south, pausing to bird en route in some areas of open grassland. Our destination is the small town of El Rocio, where we base ourselves for the next three days. Night in El Rocio.

Days 13 to 15 - Coto Doñana National Park
Today we begin our exploration of the Mecca of European birding - the Coto Doñana National Park. On one day we take an official tour of the Park in a purpose-built all terrain vehicle, the only way to get into the heart of the park. On other days we will explore the fringes of the park on our own, looking at myriad waders and waterfowl with great photo opportunities. We make time to visit the informative Interpretation Center to learn more of Europe’s premier wetland. The birds we will see are too numerous to list here but suffice to say the birding here is as good as it gets!

Time permitting, we may drive south into Andalucia to pause at the famous Laguna Medina to look for Red-knobbed Coots, and maybe explore the pine forests and cliffs at Cabo Trafalgar where we hope to see species such as Wryneck and Woodlark and look for a peculiar blind subterranean legless reptile - the Amphisbanean. Nights in El Rocio.

Day 16 - Departure
We take an early morning flight back to Barcelona or Madrid where our tour concludes.