Andrew and Maureen Day Birding Itinerary - Blue Sky Wildlife

Best of Spain Birding Tour Dates: The best dates for this tour are between April and mid-June Arrival and departure points: The tour commences in the morning at Madrid and concludes in the afternoon/evening at Barcelona. Quick-glance Itinerary This is an extended version of the Best of Spain tour of 12 days, 11 nights. We’ll be starting from Madrid, the Spanish capital, and visiting Extremadura, the arid Ebro valley plains, the high Pyrenees and the Ebro Delta wetlands to get a complete yet concise look at the rich bird life and scenery of this western European country. The tour concludes at Barcelona, the cosmopolitan capital of Catalonia, home of Gaudí and the Ramblas. Spring in Spain itinerary 1: From Madrid to Monfragüe. 2: The Monfragüe National Park. 3: The Cáceres plains. 4: From Monfragüe to the Ebro valley. 5: The Ebro valley. 6: From the Ebro valley to the Pyrenees. 7: The Pyrenees mountains and valleys. 8: The Pyrenees mountains and valleys. 9: From the Pyrenees to the Ebro Delta. 10: The Ebro Delta. 11. Morning pelagic cruise off the Mediterranean coast. Afternoon in the Ebro Delta. 12: From the Ebro Delta to Barcelona. End of Spring in Spain.

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Day 1: We will start the tour with a morning rendezvous at your Madrid hotel or Madrid airport and commence the transfer to Extremadura. Birding en-route could take us to the vicinity of the Sierra de Gredos mountains, where we can search for some of the regional specialities before completing the day’s journey by arriving at our hotel on the edge of the Monfragüe National Park. The approximate travel time of this route between Madrid and our hotel is 5 hours. Evening near Monfragüe. Day 2: We will spend all day birding the rocky crags and wooded slopes of the National Park of Monfragüe, rich in raptors, and the surrounding cork and holm oak dehesa. There is also the possibility of visiting a bird-rich reservoir, one of Extremadura’s most interesting wetlands. Evening near Monfragüe. Day 3: Today we’ll be birding the extensive, flowery plains of Cáceres in search of a variety of steppeland and plains birds. This will be complemented with a visit to Trujillo to admire the historic town centre, as well as its colonies of Lesser Kestrel, White Stork and Pallid Swift! Evening near Monfragüe. Day 4: We take leave of Extremadura today and transfer to our next base near Belchite, in the Ebro Valley, with a travel time of about 6 hours. We will incorporate a few strategic rest and birding stops en-route, nevertheless most of the day will be given to driving, so sit comfortably! Evening near Belchite. Day 5: This is the ideal occasion to make a pre-breakfast birding outing to the steppes, in the hope of seeing the rare and elusive Dupont’s Lark, among others. Then after a wellearned breakfast we’ll be birding all day around a mosaic of steppes, gorges, river valleys and farmland to see a surprising range and variety of interesting and possibly quite rare birds. Evening near Belchite. Day 6: We have the option of another pre-breakfast outing to a nearby gorge and then we head northwards to transfer to our next base in the Pyrenees, birding en-route. We traverse a diverse array of landscapes and habitats today, from dry, open plains, past vertical rock faces, forested slopes, river valleys and into the high Pyrenees. Evening in the Roncal Valley. Day 7: A whole day spent birding the high mountain areas in Spain and into France, we’ll be looking for some of the key mountain birds of forest, rock faces and slopes. Evening in the Roncal Valley.


Day 8: Another day’s birding in the lush green landscapes of the Pyrenees of Navarra will allow us to seek out some of the elusive forest birds, perhaps including Black and White-backed Woodpeckers. Evening in the Roncal Valley. Day 9: Today we leave the Pyrenees and head to the Ebro Delta, with a total driving time of about 5 hours. Birding en-route, we have a last opportunity to see more birds of the Pyrenees in the morning, then plains, farmland and river valleys in the afternoon before reaching the Ebro Delta. Evening in the Ebro Delta. Day 10: This is the day we dedicate almost exclusively to the many wetland birds that can be found among the lagoons, ricefields, bays, reedbeds and marshes of the Ebro Delta. Evening in the Ebro Delta. Day 11: For the morning we take a chartered vessel and sail out into the Mediterranean sea in the hope of encountering a good number of seabirds such as skuas, shearwaters and more. Then in the afternoon we can catch up on some birds in the Ebro Delta or one of the coastal massifs in the vicinity. Evening in the Ebro Delta. Day 12: We’ll probably do some final morning birding in the Ebro Delta before our transfer to Barcelona, with a total transfer time of about 2 hours. If convenient we will also look in on the Llobregat Delta reserve on the edge of Barcelona city. We plan for an afternoon arrival at the city hotel, where the Best of Spain tour concludes. Some of the likely birds The Extremadura region – This area is raptor heaven, with the endemic Spanish Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Booted Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle and Short-toed Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Black Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Black-winged Kite, Red Kite, Black Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Hobby, Montagu’s Harrier, Western Marsh Harrier, Lesser Kestrel and Common Buzzard. Then there are steppe species such as Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Little Bustard, Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Calandra Lark, Short-toed Lark, Great Spotted Cuckoo, European Roller, Little Owl and more. Other regional and Mediterranean specialities in Extremadura include birds such as Pallid Swift, Iberian Magpie, Spanish Sparrow, Black Stork, White Stork, European Bee-eater, Hawfinch, Rock Bunting, Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, and more. The inclusion of the Sierra de Gredos route on the first day allows us to be hopeful about seeing Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Whitethroat and Bluethroat. The Ebro valley – Here we look for bustards, sandgrouse and larks, including the rare Dupont’s Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Skylark and Thekla Lark. We will also hope for others such as Redlegged Partridge, Blue Rock Thrush, Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear,


Dartford Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Iberian Grey Shrike, and Red-billed Chough. Riverside and woodland birds along the Ebro Valley often include Iberian Green Woodpecker, Penduline Tit, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Short-toed Treecreeper, Melodious Warbler, Golden Oriole, and Cirl Bunting. The Pyrenees – The spectacular mountain scenery is populated with some special birds such as Lammergeier, Wallcreeper, Black Woodpecker, Wryneck, Scop’s Owl, Eurasian Nightjar, Alpine Accentor, Water Pipit, Tree Pipit, Ring Ouzel, White-throated Dipper, Rock Thrush, Marsh Tit, Crested Tit, Bullfinch, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Red-backed Shrike, Red Crossbill, Alpine Chough, Citril Finch, Ortolan Bunting, and more. The Ebro Delta – Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Mediterranean Gull and others, Red Crested Pochard, Common Shelduck and other ducks, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover and other waders, Greater Flamingo, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis, Water Rail, Red-necked Nightjar, Yellow Wagtail, Great Reed Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Whiskered Tern, seabirds and terns.

Pelagic cruise – Balearic Shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, (Pomarine Skua), Storm Petrel, Shag, Northern Gannet. Hotels At Birding In Spain we carefully consider the options available to us to optimize our choice of hotels. We think about proximity to the interesting birding areas, to minimize travel times, but also comfort and hygiene, food, service, character and location. We actively avoid city hotels and chains whenever possible, because many of us like to get up and bird before breakfast, and we appreciate the service that comes with a smile, especially when our hosts know we are there, understand what we are doing, and are grateful that we chose their establishment. For this tour accommodation will be in shared (double or twin) en-suite rooms unless a single room is requested upon payment of a Single Room Supplement. Transport All transfers for the duration of the tour will be by 9-seater minivan driven by the local leader. Seawatching cruise We will charter a large tourism-adapted vessel with captain and first mate to take us into the Mediterranean sea for approximately 4 hours. The vessel has capacity for more than 40 passengers, so we will endeavour to recruit more participants from keen birdwatchers in the region. If the weather forecast indicates that the conditions will be too adverse for sailing on the appointed day we will endeavour to change the date of the sailing or, in the last instance, cancel the cruise. In the latter case no payment will be taken. http://www.birdinginspain.com/

Weather Averages for May in Spain are about 60mm rainfall and temperatures around 16ºC. However, around these figures there can be a great deal of variation, as May can be hot and dry or wet and unstable. There is also a significant difference between the Ebro Valley and Extremadura on the one hand, and the Pyrenees on the other. In the past temperatures have reached up to 35ºC, but can also be down to 12ºC. May can have hot sunny days, or overcast ones with persistent rain, especially in the Pyrenees. There’s even a small possibility of snow at the highest mountain passes! Extensions and guided tours City extensions and half-day tours in Barcelona and Madrid are available with Englishspeaking guides and the option of your own private transport. Barcelona half-day guided tour (i) 4-hour guided tour visiting Montjuïc, the Gothic Quarter, Passeig de Gràcia and entrance to Gaudí’s masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. English-speaking guide for 4 hours, private chauffer-driven minibus for the duration of the tour. (ii) All of the above except for the private transport. With a group of 7 plus guide you can consider the option of using two taxis. Madrid half-day guided tour 4 hour guided tour of the city’s highlights with an English-speaking guide and your own private transport. Does not include any entrance tickets, although these are not necessary on the standard tour. Useful links See some of the possible birding itineraries at the Birding In Spain website. Useful reading (i) Where the birds are in northeast Spain This guide is modelled along the lines of the popular “Where to go birdwatching in…” guides but with the emphasis on the more interesting birds, not the sites. It focuses exclusively on the birds of northeast Spain (Catalonia and Aragon). (ii) Flying over the Pyrenees, standing on the plains This is a book for the travelling birder to relax and enjoy in the evening. It’s packed with information about some of the most emblematic birds of northeast Spain, delivered through interesting and often witty personal tales and anecdotes, and some of the author’s shared insights into a web of people, places and birds, similar to that which many birders weave during their own lifetimes.


See more about these two books here: http://www.birdinginspain.com/birding-in-ne-spain-books.html

(iii) Collins Bird Guide, 2nd Edition. Mullarney, Svensson et al. The definitive bird guide for the birds of Europe. Comprehensive, well-presented, superbly illustrated, this is the field guide you are looking for. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Bird-Guide-Lars-Svensson/dp/0007268149

Currency In Spain all payments are in euros. Any other currency is unlikely to be accepted at retail outlets. Credit card payments (Visa, Mastercard) are widely accepted for payments of more than 10 euros, except in small grocery stores or bars. American Express is usually not accepted. Water and drinks Drinking water will be available in the minivan for day excursions but not for everyday personal consumption in hotel rooms. Tap water in Spain is perfectly good and safe to drink. Meals Breakfast is usually a buffet or continental style breakfast with availability of tea, coffee, orange and other fruit juice, milk and cereals, croissants and/or pastries, cheese and ham, toast, jam, and yoghourt. Bacon and eggs may be available in some hotels. Lunch will usually be a picnic provided by the hotel containing sandwich, fruit, drink and biscuits. It may be possible to alternate this formula with simple sandwich lunches or tapas in bars or cafés if our itinerary permits. Evening meals are the largest meals (in Spain never before 8pm or 8.30pm!) and consist of starter, main course and dessert, usually with bread, water and some quantity of local wine included. Coffee is usually offered but is not included in the price. Price: 2,375 euros

What’s included? Services of professional local leader for the duration of the tour All local transfers in private vehicle All fuel costs, tolls, parking, entrance fees 11 nights’ accommodation in shared en-suite rooms in good rural hotels http://www.birdinginspain.com/

All meals as described Drinking water in tour vehicle Pelagic cruise in the Mediterranean (weather permitting) Single Room Supplement: 295 euros Contact Phone Numbers Steve West: +34 606855571 Birding In Spain office (Florinda): +34 973210757
