Southern Spain
Andalucía, Coto Doñana and Extremadura
Saturday 18 - Tuesday 28 April 2009 (11 days)
From the migrant-rich coast of Southern Andalucia, to the superb wetlands of the Coto de Doñana, and finishing in the rolling plains and 'dehesa' woodland of Extremadura, this is a spring tour that offers simply the best birdwatching in Spain, at probably the very best time of year!
We begin the tour in Andalucía, in the dry and mountainous coastal area forming one of the great migration channels of Europe, where huge numbers of birds will be arriving from across the Strait of Gibraltar.
After a three-night stay here we travel north to the fabled Coto de Doñana, one of Europe's largest and most important wetland areas. Here the Guadalquivir River empties into a low-lying area of channels and shallow lakes, many of which are given protection within the Parque Nacional de Doñana and adjacent Parque Natural. Although access into the National Park is limited, there is excellent birdwatching available in this surrounding habitat which varies from streamside and open pinewoods, dry scrub and open fields to the various wetlands.
We then travel north to the wild and beautiful country of Extremadura, about 250km south-west of Madrid, which holds some of Europe's most endangered bird species in their last strongholds. The rolling plains of the 'Spanish Steppes' are home to Europe's largest remaining population of its largest bird, Great Bustard, together with good numbers of Little Bustard and both Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. This is probably the best area in Europe for raptors too, with a unique assemblage of species including Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black-shouldered Kite.
After a three-night stay here we travel north to the fabled Coto de Doñana, one of Europe's largest and most important wetland areas. Here the Guadalquivir River empties into a low-lying area of channels and shallow lakes, many of which are given protection within the Parque Nacional de Doñana and adjacent Parque Natural. Although access into the National Park is limited, there is excellent birdwatching available in this surrounding habitat which varies from streamside and open pinewoods, dry scrub and open fields to the various wetlands.
We then travel north to the wild and beautiful country of Extremadura, about 250km south-west of Madrid, which holds some of Europe's most endangered bird species in their last strongholds. The rolling plains of the 'Spanish Steppes' are home to Europe's largest remaining population of its largest bird, Great Bustard, together with good numbers of Little Bustard and both Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. This is probably the best area in Europe for raptors too, with a unique assemblage of species including Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black-shouldered Kite.
Price: £ 1,825
Single supp.: £ 255
Deposit: £ 300 per person
The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, scheduled flights London - Seville and Madrid - London*, airport taxes, minibus transport, admissions and the services of the leaders.
The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.
*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Seville/Madrid) please deduct £ 175 per person from the tour cost.
Principal Leader: John Muddeman
Itinerary
Days 1 - 3
We take a scheduled flight from London to Seville. From here we drive down to Zahara de los Atunes, our base for the next three nights.
We spend two days exploring the wide variety of habitats on the western side of the Strait area, dividing our time between the coastal dunes and beaches, small estuaries and adjacent mountain ridges.
The whole area acts as a magnet to migrant birds and we spend time looking for a number of specialities, from Audouin's Gull, Bonelli's Eagle and Thekla Lark near Tarifa, to White-headed Duck, waders and, with luck, Penduline Tit at one of the many lagoons in the area.
This is peak spring migration time, and birds should be pouring north across the Strait. Raptors, Bee-eaters, Rollers, Hoopoes, Quails, Short-toed Larks ... the list is endless, and should provide for a truly exciting start to the tour.
Our base is an excellent hotel in the small fishing village of Zahara de los Atunes.
Three nights Zahara de los Atunes
Days 4 - 6
We head north to our hotel in El Rocío on the north-west tip of Coto de Doñana for a three-night stay.
We start with a look at the wet areas at El Rocío and park centres. If the water levels are right, the marshes here can be crammed with birds, with Greater Flamingo, Spoonbill, herons and egrets, numerous waders and Whiskered Tern. Local specialities include Purple Gallinule, while Savi's Warblers reel from the reedbeds.
We also walk through the pinewoods and cork-oak groves as a further introduction, especially to the resident birds of the area. Flocks of dramatic Iberian Azure-winged Magpies flit through the lower branches, small passerines including Crested Tit and Firecrest work through the upper levels, while the air is redolent with the songs of Serin and Nightingale. As air temperatures increase so raptors become more noticeable - these can include Red Kite and Short-toed and Booted Eagles.
One day we spend taking a trip out towards the heart of the marshes, which are still excellent hunting habitat for numerous raptors, including one of the rarest raptors in the world, Spanish Imperial Eagle. The rather bare fields are also home to the resident Lesser Short-toed Lark, and elusive Stone Curlew and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.
We stay at the 'wild-west' town of El Rocío, the characterful white buildings and white sand streets of which make a highly distinctive and memorable setting.
Three nights El Rocío
Days 7 - 10
We take most of the day to drive to Trujillo in Extremadura. Our base, the excellent Finca Santa Marta, couldn't be better placed to make the most of the area. Iberian Azure-winged Magpies flit around the Finca's orchards, where Cirl Buntings and Wood Larks sing, and on nearby hillsides Champagne Orchids can be found among an abundance of spring flowers.
One of our first priorities will be a visit to Monfragüe National Park, an area that is arguably the best year-round raptor-watching site in Europe. Situated 45 km north of Trujillo, the park is one of the Spanish strongholds for Black Vulture, which breeds together with both Griffon and summering Egyptian Vultures. Eagles are also well represented with the star birds being around 10 pairs of Spanish Imperial Eagle which, with a total population of 200 pairs, is one of the world's most endangered raptors. Golden and Bonelli's Eagles are resident and are joined in spring by Booted and Short-toed Eagles. Several of these species breed on and around the dramatic pinnacle of Peñafalc—n which also holds Chough, Crag Martin, Alpine Swift, Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting, together with breeding Eagle Owls nearby. In spring, it is also one of the easiest places in Europe to watch shy Black Storks at a breeding site.
Nearby valleys hold good stands of the open oak woodland, or 'dehesa', which is such a distinctive feature of Extremadura. Here we can find good numbers of Iberian Azure-winged Magpie in its European stronghold and keep our eyes open for the scarce Black-shouldered Kite. In spring, incoming migrants include Bee-eater, Roller, Black-eared Wheatear and Great Spotted Cuckoo.
The plains to the south of the area form part of the 'Spanish Steppes', with a fascinating assemblage of birds. It is here that we hope to see Great Bustard performing its incredible breeding display in which the male turns itself into a huge white pom-pom of feathers. We have watched these normally shy males display as close as two hundred yards away from us on spring visits in the past - a breathtaking sight. Little Bustard are usually abundant, and we also hope to see both Pin-tailed and the commoner Black-bellied Sandgrouse, together with local resident passerines including abundant Calandra Lark. Spanish Sparrows are rather scarce in Spain but are common here with flocks of several hundred often seen. Small wetland sites in the area hold Purple Heron, Little Bittern and other waterbirds, including Purple Gallinule, which can be surprisingly easy to see, while the bulrushes hold breeding Savi's Warbler, Red Avadavat and Common Waxbill, the latter two intriguing introductions to Iberia that are slowly spreading.
Trujillo, well-known for its beautiful town square with breeding Pallid Swifts and White Storks, has one of the highest concentrations of Lesser Kestrels in Europe - we have counted over a hundred in the air together on our visits.
Throughout the area, with its picturesque villages and huge savanna-like landscapes, White Stork nests can be found almost everywhere you look. This is a unique and incredibly distinctive part of Europe, with lovely scenery, small empty lanes, and absolutely brimming with birds: don't just take our word for it - join us here!
Four nights Finca Santa Marta
Day 11
We return to Madrid for an afternoon flight back to London.
Accommodation
In Andalucía we stay in a 3-star hotel in El Rocío and a 4-star hotel in Zahara with all rooms en suite.
In Extremadura we stay at the Finca Santa Marta, a small country hotel delightfully converted from a former olive farm in the Extremadura countryside. All rooms are en suite.
Transport is by minibus.
Walking: Short walks of 1 - 2 miles on easy trails and footpaths. Optional climb up steps to viewpoint in Monfragüe.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients
Days 1 - 3
We take a scheduled flight from London to Seville. From here we drive down to Zahara de los Atunes, our base for the next three nights.
We spend two days exploring the wide variety of habitats on the western side of the Strait area, dividing our time between the coastal dunes and beaches, small estuaries and adjacent mountain ridges.
The whole area acts as a magnet to migrant birds and we spend time looking for a number of specialities, from Audouin's Gull, Bonelli's Eagle and Thekla Lark near Tarifa, to White-headed Duck, waders and, with luck, Penduline Tit at one of the many lagoons in the area.
This is peak spring migration time, and birds should be pouring north across the Strait. Raptors, Bee-eaters, Rollers, Hoopoes, Quails, Short-toed Larks ... the list is endless, and should provide for a truly exciting start to the tour.
Our base is an excellent hotel in the small fishing village of Zahara de los Atunes.
Three nights Zahara de los Atunes
Days 4 - 6
We head north to our hotel in El Rocío on the north-west tip of Coto de Doñana for a three-night stay.
We start with a look at the wet areas at El Rocío and park centres. If the water levels are right, the marshes here can be crammed with birds, with Greater Flamingo, Spoonbill, herons and egrets, numerous waders and Whiskered Tern. Local specialities include Purple Gallinule, while Savi's Warblers reel from the reedbeds.
We also walk through the pinewoods and cork-oak groves as a further introduction, especially to the resident birds of the area. Flocks of dramatic Iberian Azure-winged Magpies flit through the lower branches, small passerines including Crested Tit and Firecrest work through the upper levels, while the air is redolent with the songs of Serin and Nightingale. As air temperatures increase so raptors become more noticeable - these can include Red Kite and Short-toed and Booted Eagles.
One day we spend taking a trip out towards the heart of the marshes, which are still excellent hunting habitat for numerous raptors, including one of the rarest raptors in the world, Spanish Imperial Eagle. The rather bare fields are also home to the resident Lesser Short-toed Lark, and elusive Stone Curlew and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.
We stay at the 'wild-west' town of El Rocío, the characterful white buildings and white sand streets of which make a highly distinctive and memorable setting.
Three nights El Rocío
Days 7 - 10
We take most of the day to drive to Trujillo in Extremadura. Our base, the excellent Finca Santa Marta, couldn't be better placed to make the most of the area. Iberian Azure-winged Magpies flit around the Finca's orchards, where Cirl Buntings and Wood Larks sing, and on nearby hillsides Champagne Orchids can be found among an abundance of spring flowers.
One of our first priorities will be a visit to Monfragüe National Park, an area that is arguably the best year-round raptor-watching site in Europe. Situated 45 km north of Trujillo, the park is one of the Spanish strongholds for Black Vulture, which breeds together with both Griffon and summering Egyptian Vultures. Eagles are also well represented with the star birds being around 10 pairs of Spanish Imperial Eagle which, with a total population of 200 pairs, is one of the world's most endangered raptors. Golden and Bonelli's Eagles are resident and are joined in spring by Booted and Short-toed Eagles. Several of these species breed on and around the dramatic pinnacle of Peñafalc—n which also holds Chough, Crag Martin, Alpine Swift, Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting, together with breeding Eagle Owls nearby. In spring, it is also one of the easiest places in Europe to watch shy Black Storks at a breeding site.
Nearby valleys hold good stands of the open oak woodland, or 'dehesa', which is such a distinctive feature of Extremadura. Here we can find good numbers of Iberian Azure-winged Magpie in its European stronghold and keep our eyes open for the scarce Black-shouldered Kite. In spring, incoming migrants include Bee-eater, Roller, Black-eared Wheatear and Great Spotted Cuckoo.
The plains to the south of the area form part of the 'Spanish Steppes', with a fascinating assemblage of birds. It is here that we hope to see Great Bustard performing its incredible breeding display in which the male turns itself into a huge white pom-pom of feathers. We have watched these normally shy males display as close as two hundred yards away from us on spring visits in the past - a breathtaking sight. Little Bustard are usually abundant, and we also hope to see both Pin-tailed and the commoner Black-bellied Sandgrouse, together with local resident passerines including abundant Calandra Lark. Spanish Sparrows are rather scarce in Spain but are common here with flocks of several hundred often seen. Small wetland sites in the area hold Purple Heron, Little Bittern and other waterbirds, including Purple Gallinule, which can be surprisingly easy to see, while the bulrushes hold breeding Savi's Warbler, Red Avadavat and Common Waxbill, the latter two intriguing introductions to Iberia that are slowly spreading.
Trujillo, well-known for its beautiful town square with breeding Pallid Swifts and White Storks, has one of the highest concentrations of Lesser Kestrels in Europe - we have counted over a hundred in the air together on our visits.
Throughout the area, with its picturesque villages and huge savanna-like landscapes, White Stork nests can be found almost everywhere you look. This is a unique and incredibly distinctive part of Europe, with lovely scenery, small empty lanes, and absolutely brimming with birds: don't just take our word for it - join us here!
Four nights Finca Santa Marta
Day 11
We return to Madrid for an afternoon flight back to London.
Accommodation
In Andalucía we stay in a 3-star hotel in El Rocío and a 4-star hotel in Zahara with all rooms en suite.
In Extremadura we stay at the Finca Santa Marta, a small country hotel delightfully converted from a former olive farm in the Extremadura countryside. All rooms are en suite.
Transport is by minibus.
Walking: Short walks of 1 - 2 miles on easy trails and footpaths. Optional climb up steps to viewpoint in Monfragüe.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients