SPANISH GRAND TOUR

two weeks of leisurely birdwatching enjoying some of Europe's rarest birds

Montagu's Harrier, Extremedura by Phil Palmer

Spain is probably the best country for birding in Europe. There is such a rich variety of habitats and wildlife and some of the rarest breeding birds in Europe. Dramatic landscapes, a pleasant sunny climate, excellent roads and good hotels are all only a short flight away from Britain.

We shall watch one of the world's rarest raptors, the Spanish Imperial Eagle, at its eyrie. In one of their last strongholds, Great Bustards will be seen displaying. Crested Coots and White-headed Ducks, two of Europe's rarest breeding birds, should be seen well at a little known site.

In Monfrague, Black Stork can be watched at a cliff-side nest. Stunning male Bluethroats should provide the highlight in the Gredos, while further north Lammergeiers and Wallcreepers will be our quarry in the Pyrenees.

We will stay at four hotels over the two weeks and will have the benefit of a full range of habitats, where we can find most of Spain's special birds. We will spend four nights at El Rocio on the edge of the Coto Donana followed by four nights at Trujillo in Extremadura, with the adjacent plains and nearby Monfrague Mountains. Two nights will then be spent not far away high in the Sierra de Gredos before heading north through the plains, to Jaca, our centre in the Pyrenees for the remaining four nights.

ITINERARY

THE COTO DONANA

Europe's second largest delta, where the River Guadalquivir enters the Atlantic, is home to some of the rarest birds in Europe. Justifiably one of the world's most famous reserves, much of the access is strictly controlled. However, with a little local knowledge it is possible to see all of Donana's special birds in areas of free access. The habitat here is a mixture of stone pine forest, open heathland, vast marismas and reed fringed lakes.

Birds of prey include the globally threatened Spanish Imperial Eagle and hundreds of Black Kites, along with smaller numbers of Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Griffon Vultures, Red Kites and Marsh Harriers. Rarer still is the Crested Coot, of which there are only a handful surviving in Europe. The whole population is present on reed-fringed lakes in this area; we will visit one such site where they can be watched at close range, along with White-headed Duck!

Marshes at El Rocio provide a feeding ground for thousands of birds at the time of our visit. Passage waders are abundant and Collared Pratincoles breed here in good numbers. Terns feeding over the marshes include Whiskered and Black, with the occasional Gull-billed, Caspian and White-winged Black. Pools and reedbeds at La Rocina and Acebuche give us the opportunity to watch at close range the scarce Purple Gallinule.

Other birds likely to be seen include Little Bittern, Red-crested Pochard, Savi's, Great Reed, Cetti's, and Melodious Warblers, Crested Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Cirl Bunting, Spotless Starling and Short-toed Treecreeper. Azure-winged Magpies are easy to see in nearby stone pines. With luck we might find an early Western Olivaceous Warbler. Another Iberian speciality found here is the Red-necked Nightjar.

A whole day will be required to explore the vast marismas. Hoopoe and Bee-eater, two of Europe's most colourful birds, are both very common here. Other specialities include Marbled Duck, Calandra, Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks and Spectacled Warbler, with a good chance of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. Birds found throughout the whole of this area include Squacco and Night Herons, Little and Cattle Egrets, Kentish Plover, Yellow-legged Gull, Turtle Dove, Little Owl, Pallid Swift, Woodlark, Southern Grey Shrike, Dartford Warbler and Nightingale.

El Rocio. our hotel (left) and the Cathederal just about 600m away (right). Phil Palmer.

EXTREMADURA

On day five we will drive north to Trujillo, a beautiful town in the heart of Extremadura, for a four night stay. Lesser Kestrels breed commonly in the town itself, and nearby the stunning Roller is regularly seen hunting from telegraph wires. Much rarer is the Black-shouldered Kite which can be seen hunting over cereal crops, hovering like a Kestrel.

The main prize in this area is the Great Bustard and the region is one of its last strongholds. Amongst the world's heaviest flying birds, the male Great Bustard is always a magnificent sight. Its smaller relative, the Little Bustard is rather more widespread and is found singly or in pairs throughout this area. Other species frequenting this dry steppe habitat include both Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. Stone Curlews are widespread and the Montagu's Harrier is nowhere more common. Spanish Sparrow is locally numerous in this area.

The habitat is also ideal for larks, Calandra and Short-toed being the most common but Crested and Thekla Lark also breed. Black-eared Wheatear is typical of the area and Great Spotted Cuckoos can be surprisingly common in some years.

Not far from our base at Trujillo are the beautiful mountains of Monfrague. This is a stronghold of Black Vulture and Spanish Imperial Eagle which we will watch at their tree top eyries. In recent years we have also seen Eagle Owls, Black Storks and Egyptian Vultures on their cliff-side nests. Bonelli's Eagles also breed in the area and we have had good multiple views on recent trips.

The old town of Trujillo, our base in Extremedura. Phil Palmer.

SIERRA DE GREDOS On day nine we will continue on to the Sierra de Gredos, a magnificent mountainous area. Here, as in Monfrague, it is possible to see all five Spanish eagle species in one day. We will search out White-spotted Bluethroats in the stunted junipers and Ortolan in the broom at lower elevations. We will stay at a hotel high in the mountains where Citril Finches can be found in the garden. Two nights will give us a good chance of other specialities of the area such as Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Crossbill, Western Bonelli's Warbler and the Iberian form of Pied Flycatcher. This is also one of the best places in Spain for seeing Spanish Ibex.

The fields and olive groves are full of flowers. Phil Palmer.

PYRENEES

On day 11 we will drive through the plains and on to our final hotel, in Jaca. This is an excellent base as it nestles between the southern foothills and the high Pyrenees, and is our base for four nights. To the south is the broad, fertile Aragon Valley with Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Quails and kites.

To the north are the snowy peaks of the high central ridge. The Aragon Valley makes a great corridor to get to different Pyrenean valleys and provides some excellent birding in its own right. Jaca also has a good population of Scops Owls. We have a couple of good sites for Wallcreeper, and Lammergeier should be seen daily. Snowfinch has also been seen on some of our previous Pyrenees trips.

We will visit the Hecho and Roncal valleys which gradually climb and transform into impressive mountain passes. With Alpine Accentors, Alpine Swifts, Alpine Choughs and alpine flowers we have to remind ourselves we are in the Pyrenees.

Chamois are found only on the highest peaks. Phil Palmer.

The mammals are distinctly alpine too with Chamois and Marmots likely to be seen. We will take a drive up a high altitude forestry track that has proved to be very productive in past years rendering up spectacular views of several of the Pyrenean specialities.

One day we plan to visit the area around the monastery of San Juan de la Pena and Punto de Oroel where a particular ridge has afforded us with some spectacular head height 'fly-bys' of Griffon Vultures and Lammergeiers.   Early in the morning this is a good area for Black Woodpeckers as well as Woodlark, Goshawk, Crossbill, Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest, Citril Finch, Serin, Rock and Cirl Bunting. On day 15 we will drive to Bilbao and connect with our flight home.   Around every corner in Spain is a photograph. Phil Palmer.

PACE Breakfast will be taken at about 7.30am most mornings. We are fortunate that, at this time of year, it doesn't get light until after 7am. Enjoying the early morning doesn't, therefore, involve missing too much sleep! Basic fitness is all that is required. Full days will be spent in the field and short/medium length walks on the flat will be undertaken. There will be little or no uphill walking.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD Full-board accommodation is provided, with four nights at the Hotel Toruno in El Rocio, Coto Donana, four nights at the Hotel Victoria in Trujillo, Extremadura, two nights at the Parador in the Sierra de Gredos and the last four nights at the Hotel Ramiro in Jaca in the Pyrenees. All rooms have en suite bathrooms. Packed lunches will be taken every day.

PRICE INCLUDES ….. All birdwatching excursions with expert leader, full-board accommodation, soft drinks at meal times, return flights, local transport by mini-bus, and flight and airport taxes.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED Cost of travel insurance, payable at the time of booking. Items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, laundry, etc.

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS We will fly out from London Heathrow to Seville and will return from Bilbao, using the scheduled services of British Airways. The outbound flight departs late afternoon and the return flight arrives back early evening. Connecting shuttle flights are available on this tour for £60 return (due at time of booking), from Manchester and other regional airports.

HOME