Coto Doņana
COTO DONANA - 7-day tour dates
April 14th - 21st 2010 - Full
May 25th - June 1st 2010
Leader: Bob Buckler with a total of eight participants.
Doņana birding tours - Discover the 'Hidden' Donana and all its secrets with us
What can I write that has not been already written about this wonderful area? It is the showpiece of Spanish conservation, the most important wetland in Spain and one of Western Europes prime destinations for bird-watchers. Doņana is a vast wilderness of coastal marshes consisting of a National Park (56k ha) and a Natural Park (55k ha) and is bisected by the mighty Rio Guadalquivir with some 90% of the marshes on the right bank. It is a ZEPA, a Ramsar site, Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site this fantastic region also incorporates a sand-dune system of epic proportion, forests and scrubland.
The price includes return transport from Sevilla Airport, accommodation in single/twin/double rooms in good quality hotels/hostals around the centre of Doņana. Breakfast and evening meals are taken in local restaurants and lunches are taken in local ventas or as picnics in various locations. You will visit all the main sites of the area including the visitor centres at Acebuche, La Rocina and Jose Antonio Valverde. A visit to the lagoon and the marshes of El Rocio is just minutes away from our base and coastal sites at Matalascana will provide some sea watching opportunities. The northern marshes, if accessible, add another dimension to the tour and a visit to a large nesting colony of Storks and Egrets is planned. Visits across the Rio Guadalquivir to Brazo de Este and the surrounding area is also planned to search for White-headed Duck, Marbled Duck and some exotic species such as Black-faced Weaver, Yellow crowned Bishop and Common Waxbill to add to our list. New for 2010 are visits to an area North East of Sevilla where we may encounter Black Vulture, Bonelli's and Golden Eagles, Great Spotted Cuckoo and much more. Also new for 2010 is a day trip to the east of Sevilla (may tour only) to search arable farmland for Little Bustard, Roller, Rufous Bush Robin, colonies of Lesser kestrels and there are plenty of lagunas to visit. Please read the following description.
The Parque Nacional de Doņana and its buffer zone the Parque Natural de Doņana hold several bird species that either can be found nowhere else in Europe or are very difficult to find elsewhere. Therefore this holiday is attractive to those wishing to catch up with the specialities of Doņana or to beginners wishing to see the large numbers of species on show, over 380 species have been recorded here, of which, 136 breed and up to 250 species are seen regularly. Due to the complex system of track and farm trails that lead through the marshes and the surrounding countryside and the lack of decent up-to-date maps and information leaflets, discovering Donana's hidden secrets is not easy and many visitors waste hours of valuable birding time (often getting completely lost in the process) trying to negotiate their way around this complex array of tracks. Why not let Wingspan Bird Tours with our vast experience and expert knowledge guide you quickly and safely to these hidden areas and show you where to watch birds in Donana and find you the quality sites and birds that you may otherwise miss?
Sought after species include; Purple Swamphen, Marbled duck, Red-knobbed Coot, White-headed Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Black Stork, Glossy Ibis, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Penduline Tit, Greater and Lesser Short-toed larks.
Other specialities of the area include; Azure-winged Magpie, Black (Monk) Vulture, Lesser Kestrel, Little Bustard, Audouins Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Great-spotted Cuckoo, Red-necked Nightjar, Rufous Bush-robin, Savis, Olivaceous, Orphean and Spectacled Warblers. The list could go on and on, sea-watching from the beach at Matalascana can be interesting with Grebes, Divers, Gannets, Auks and Shearwaters to look for.
The Parque Nacional de Doņana has restricted entry but there are several visitors centres around the perimeter from where all the birds of the region can be seen well. On this tour all the centres will be visited along with many sites in the northern marshes and the 'hidden' Donana.
The timing of this tour guarantees a good list of breeding species and many passing migrants whilst some late winter visitors may still be present. There should be plenty of water around to cater for the thousands of visiting flamingoes, cranes, ducks, geese, herons, egrets, grebes, spoonbills and waders.
If the above description hasnt tempted you then just look at the price of this tour, there are no hidden costs. Ģ850 fully inclusive ground price. a single supplement of Ģ110 applies
Cheap flights with budget airlines were on offer throughout 2009 just e-mail us and we will advise on which flights to take. For example, Ryanair were charging Ģ9.99 each way, Stanstead to Seville!!! With taxes the total price was Ģ55.00 return!!!
