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Wednesday 15 April to Saturday 25 April 2009
Cost: £1970 plus about £200 for flights Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 7 with 1 leader; 14 with 2 leaders. |
'It was a brilliant tour of a beautiful country which has some of the best birding in Europe. Birds of prey were incredible. Thanks to both leaders.' J. Gould 2007.
'This was a well planned and well run tour. The leaders were excellent, being both very knowledgeable about birds and pleasant to be with. A most enjoyable trip.' R. Banks 2006.
A fantastic holiday! Both James & Santi led the tour superbly with a sense of humour and a great knowledge of the birds and birding sites.' D. Owen 2006.
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There is no other Mediterranean country that offers such a wealth of birdwatching as Spain. This tour is designed to take in the very best birdwatching this country can provide, and at a relaxed pace. We will travel almost the entire length of this fascinating land, beginning in the steppes north of Madrid where we'll seek out Dupont's Lark and pass through ancient villages which appear frozen in time. We'll visit Extremadura, home to the highest concentration of raptors in Europe, before exploring the fragile wilderness of the famous Coto Doñana to look for its equally famous birds. There will be vast open plains to wander across where Great Bustards still gather and mighty Spanish Imperial Eagles drift overhead. We finish on the shores of the Mediterranean, at the point where Europe almost touches Africa and where returning spring migrants will be flooding back to their breeding grounds. Although this is a comprehensive tour, there will be time for shady picnics, delicious local meals, all washed down with good Spanish wine, and plenty of opportunities to sample the unique Spanish way of life. Day 1: Our tour begins with a flight from London to Madrid from where we'll transfer the short distance to our hotel. If time allows we'll do some birding en route, and an early taste of Mediterranean birding may come in the form of a White Stork, Booted Eagle or a Eurasian Hoopoe flying over the road. Night in Sepulveda. Day 2: We'll start early today, in search of one of Europe’s most elusive birds, Dupont’s Lark. Typically they only sing at dawn and we will be in place to stand the best chance of seeing ‘el diablo’ as the sun rises. Its strange mournful song is not difficult to hear but will be competing with Short-toed, Eurasian Sky and Calandra Larks. After breakfast we'll return to this area which has proved a real favourite in recent years. Breeding birds include Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Red-legged Partridge, Southern Grey Shrike, Tawny Pipit, Spectacled and Sardinian Warblers and Rock Sparrow, and we'll have all day to search for them. The nearby town holds Red-billed Chough and roadside wires may produce our first European Bee-eaters or a Woodchat Shrike. The stunted junipers can hold both Dartford and Western Orphean Warblers and the rocky terrain is popular with Northern and Black-eared Wheatears. Night in Sepulveda.
Day 3: There will be another chance to search for Dupont’s Lark this morning and, if we are lucky we may bump into a Eurasian Stone-curlew or perhaps a Great Spotted Cuckoo or Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. After breakfast we will check an area of deciduous woodland that has, in the past, held breeding Eurasian Wryneck, Green Woodpecker of the race sharpei and Nightingale, not to mention Serins and Short-toed Treecreepers. We then begin our journey south with Extremadura being our target. On the journey we will try searching a good area for Citril Finch before carrying on to the west of Madrid where we will start to see some classic ‘dehesa’ habitat, and in some years we have the chance to search for Black-shouldered Kite. If time allows we can check an area of steppe habitat near our hotel for some true specialities namely Great and Little Bustards and maybe our first Montagu’s Harriers. Night near Trujillo. Days 4-5: We'll have two full days to explore the wonders of Extremadura, dividing our time between Monfrague National Park and the steppes. Monfrague has arguably one of the highest concentrations of breeding raptors in Europe and if the weather is favourable we'll see hundreds of Eurasian Griffon Vultures as well as Eurasian Black and Egyptian Vultures, Red and Black Kites, Booted, Short-toed, Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles and hopefully that global-rarity the Spanish Imperial Eagle. It's not only raptors that will grab our attention with other such highly sought-after species as Black Stork, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Subalpine Warbler and both Rock and Cirl Buntings all breeding in the park. Our day on the steppes could be no less exciting and we'll make several stops in search of Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, European Roller, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Little Owl, Thekla and Wood Larks and possibly Black Wheatear. The density of breeding Montagu’s Harriers in this area can be impressive and both Crested Larks and Zitting Cisticolas are found in many of these areas. Trujillo town holds breeding Lesser Kestrels and Pallid Swifts. Nights near Trujillo.
Day 6: We continue our journey south again today and aim to be in the famous Coto Doñana by the afternoon. Our hotel, settled on the shores of the marismas, is a real gem and from here we could see our first Greater Flamingos and Eurasian Spoonbills within a few hundred metres of our rooms! The wetlands at El Rocio are always exciting. If the water level is low we may see flocks of Curlew Sandpipers, feeding Whiskered Terns and Collared Pratincoles hawking for insects. If the levels are high then species such as Avocet and Black-winged Stilt may find it to their liking. The reedy edges often hold singing Great Reed Warblers and careful scanning of the shoreline often produces both Squacco and Purple Herons, sometimes Glossy Ibis and the occasional Little Bittern and the rare Red-knobbed Coot. Night in El Rocio. Days 7-8: The Coto Doñana has been described as one of Europe's last wilderness areas and during our two days we will sample a little of its rich and varied habitats. Following a maze of tracks we'll spend a whole day birding our way to the José Antonio Valverde centre. In front of the information centre is a super colony of Purple Herons and Glossy Ibis with smaller numbers of Squaccos, Black-crowned Night Herons and Cattle Egrets mixed in. This used to be a good area for Marbled Duck but in recent years they have been hard to find. The journey there can be so full of birds that its difficult to know how long it will take. The roadside ditches offer a chance of Little Bittern, while Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Turtle Dove, and Corn Bunting are all still surprisingly common. Open water areas can hold Great White Egret, as well as more Greater Flamingo in addition to Gull-billed Terns and various wildfowl and shorebirds, whilst drier areas support Lesser Short-toed Larks. Closer to our hotel is a series of nature trails and hides that offer excellent chances of Red-crested Pochard, Iberian Chiffchaff, Cetti’s Warbler, Firecrest and Tree Sparrow. If time allows we may head west towards Huelva offering more chances of Red-knobbed Coot, Osprey and shorebirds around the saltpans. On one night we'll stay out late to try for Red-necked Nightjar. Nights at El Rocio.Day 9: Leaving ‘The Coto’ behind is always difficult but today we'll be searching for more special birds of the country as we head to the coast and the very tip of Spain. First up is a visit to Bonanza salt pans which is one of the more reliable sites for Slender-billed Gull. In addition to migrant shorebirds like Little Stint and Greenshank, we will see resident species like Avocet and Kentish Plover, and we may bump into a surprise or two perhaps in the form of a Red-necked Phalarope or a group of Black-necked Grebes. After lunch we'll check an area where Little Swifts have become very regular in recent years. Known from only a handful of sites in Europe this species, common in Africa, seems to be on the increase and we'll be checking all the swifts and hirundines carefully. Night on the coast near Zahara. Day 10: The southern shores of Spain and the Straits of Gibraltar are famed for their raptor migration and today we'll be attempting to connect with any passage taking place. We may see the first European Honey Buzzard making its way north and these may be joined by a Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier or Black Kite. The local beaches can hold Audouin’s Gull and more migrant shorebirds and terns. Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters occur offshore and the coastal woodland and scrub holds Iberian Chiffchaff, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and any number of potential migrants from Eurasian Hoopoe, Bee-eater and Golden Oriole to Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Common Redstart and Serin. Night near Zahara. Day 11: There will be chance for some final birding along the coast before we make our way to Malaga airport for a flight back to London where the tour ends.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated July 2008. |
Photos taken by David Fisher and James Lidster.
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