Wing Span Bird Tours

Leader: Bob Buckler, max. 8 participants

June 27th - July 4th 2009. £790 (sing. Sup. £70)

142 Species of birds were recorded during our lastest Pyrenean birdwatching holiday, along with 58 species of Butterfly and countless flowering plants.

Join Bob on this bird-watching tour of the Spanish Pyrenees and explore what is arguably the most scenic area in the whole of Western Europe. The snow capped peaks and verdant valleys are simply stunning with breathtaking and awe inspiring scenery. The birds, flowers and especially the butterflies are truly magnificent both in their colour and their abundance. You will stay in the heart of this diverse region with fantastic scenery on the doorstep of the hotel.

The whole area offers a great variety of quality bird species and your list may include some of the most sort after mountainous species such as Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor, Rock Thrush, Ortolan Bunting, Black Woodpecker, Crested Tit and Citril Finch. On the plains, Dupont’s Lark will be the main target with an accompanying cast of Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Calandra, Greater and Lesser Short-toed Larks, Stone Curlew, Black–eared Wheatear and many more.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1

An Easyjet flight to Madrid from Gatwick (or regional airport) arriving mid-morning starts off the Pyrenees birdwatching tour. We will pick up our comfortable mini-bus at the airport for the drive eastward to the Hecho valley in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees. The drive will take up most of the first day because we will make frequent stops for refreshments and birding. We may see White Stork, Griffon Vulture, Cattle Egret, Lesser Kestrel, Red and Black Kites from the motorway and Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Crested Lark, Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns from one of the stops.

An early evening arrival at the Hotel will give us an opportunity to walk the garden driveway and local lanes to pick up a few species before dinner. We are likely to encounter Red-backed Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Cirl and Rock Buntings, Crag Martin with the possibility of a Peregrine, Booted Eagle or Egyptian Vulture overhead.

Days 2-5

We will make a number of excursions to the nearby Gabardito refugio where for the past few years a pair of Wallcreepers have bred in a crevice not far away. Of course, there is no guarantee of seeing one because there is an awful lot of rock face to search, but we will do our best. In recent tours we have managed to get good views. Also in the vicinity we may find Citril Finch, Black Woodpecker, Red-billed and Alpine Chough.

The rest of the first four days will be spent exploring the valleys of Hecho, Anso, Canfranc, Roncal and Aisa in search of vultures, including Lammergeier, eagles, kites and other birds of prey. Passerines should include Citril Finch, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Thrush, Ring Ouzel, Ortolan Bunting, Rock Bunting, Alpine Accentor, Water Pipit and the more common species will include Yellowhammer, Northern Wheatear, Serin and the brightest Linnets you will ever see! Along the mountain streams we may find Grey Wagtail, Dipper and Common Sandpiper. We will cross over the French border at the Col de Somport near Candanchu where we can search for White-backed Woodpecker in the pine-forested slopes and everywhere there will be flowers and many butterflies to keep us occupied.

Some time will be spent searching the lower valley for scrub warblers such as Sardinian, Dartford, Western Orphean, Blackcap, Garden and Spectacled Warbler. Along the banks of the river Aragon there are Golden Oriole, Nightingale, Cetti’s and Melodious Warblers to look for. One evening we will drive to a known Eagle Owl site and if we are very lucky we may catch a glimpse of this magnificent beast and also see/hear Common Nightjar and Scops Owl. Some time will be spent in Jaca, looking for Rock and Tree Sparrows, Pallid Swifts and Serins found near the citadel. We will visit a small Bee-eater colony in a nearby valley and an evening excursion into the local park should result in good views of Scops Owl.

Day 6

Today we will drive south and visit some delightful places set in magical surroundings. First stop will be the two monasteries of San Juan del la Peña. The lower monastery is of more scenic interest than of avian interest, it is set into the rock face and is quite a spectacle. The upper monastery lies next to a pine forest where, Woodpeckers, Tree-creepers, Crested Tit and Firecrest are often seen, whilst Black Redstart and Blue Rock Thrush haunt the monastery walls. A short walk through the woods takes you to a mirador (view point) where there is breath-taking scenery. The high Pyrenees, some 80 kilometres to the north can be viewed together with the plains and the forested foothills. A truly spectacular sight, vultures sail the thermals below you! We then take the road that follows the route of the Rio Peña, stopping frequently we should add Great Reed Warbler, Dipper, Iberian (Yellow) Wagtail, Common Cuckoo, Common Sandpiper, Woodlark and some Sylvia warblers to our daily tally. At the Embalse De la Peña we take the road through the canyon to Mallos de Riglos.

At Riglos the spectacular rock formations are truly amazing, the village sits at the base of the sheer rock face which rises vertically for several hundred feet. The cliffs hold vultures, peregrines and chough, whilst the scrub at the base of the cliffs is good for Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian and Spectacled Warblers. Another site of outstanding natural beauty is Aguero, which is another village lodged in the based of a huge mountain of “pudding stone”. Similar species to Riglos can found but there is far less disturbance from climbers and general tourists.

Our last stop will be a visit to the castle at Loarre, this exquisitely positioned citadel has a panoramic vista that is hard to beat anywhere in Europe, it worth travelling there just to take in the scenery. However birds are found there so they must be looked at, Rock Sparrows are common, Woodlarks are found near the car park and Crested Tits breed in the small pine woods at the entrance to the castle. Many raptors are noted as they rise above the ridge behind the castle. We then head back to the valleys of the Pyrenees with one final stop near Puente la Reina. There we can search more scrub and open arable countryside to try and pick out a few species that we may have missed during the week.

Day 7

This is the long day, incorporating a visit to areas of Steppe near Zaragoza. We will visit Las Estepas de Belchite, El Planerón Reserva Natural and the Mongrillos area north of Osera.

After a very early wake up call we will drive down to the Zaragoza steppe, the journey will take 2 ½ hours and we must arrive at first light if we are to stand a chance of seeing or even hearing Dupont’s Lark. For this excursion we take a packed breakfast as well as a packed lunch with a double whammy of tea and coffee.

On the steppe we should see Calandra, Lesser and Greater Short-toed Larks, Stone Curlew, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sangrouse, Southern Grey Shrike, Hoopoe and the area is surprisingly good for Golden Eagle. The areas of scrub hold Dartford and Spectacled Warblers whilst stony outcrops harbour Black-eared and Black Wheatear. We will spend most of the day in the area but when the heat haze becomes excessive we will head back via Riglos and the Embalse de Peña.

Day 8

The week will have passed quickly and before you know it we will have to say goodbye to our hosts at the hotel and head off towards Madrid. We will spend most of the day travelling with various stops along the way.

At the Rio Soton we will look for Penduline Tits and at the Embalse de Sotonero we can look for Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns, Cattle and Little Egrets, Grebes and Gulls.

Arriving at Madrid airport late afternoon for an early evening flight we can relax in the departure lounge recalling some great memories from our fantastic tour of the Spanish Pyrenees during the last week.

The cost of this tour is £790 (excluding flights – that will cost between £45 - £90 return from Gatwick to Madrid). All meals are provided including packed lunches and flasks of Tea and Coffee. A single supplement of £70 applies.

FOR RESERVATIONS AND BOOKING FORMS PLEASE E-MAIL: info@wingspanbirdtours.com