Tailormade Holidays in Spain

Spain’s Extremadura region is well known for its wealth of birdlife. Its rolling, sun-drenched steppes and rugged sierras are some of the richest and least disturbed grassland habitats in Europe, providing optimal conditions for the world’s largest population of Great and Little Bustards, Black Vulture and other birds threatened throughout their entire global ranges. Visitors during late April and early May hope to witness one of Europe’s most enthralling bird spectacles; the breeding display of the Great Bustard, the world’s heaviest flying bird. During this the males convert themselves, by a series of bizarre distortions, into huge white balls of feathers that revolve slowly in an almost military step (the ‘foam bath display’). While Great Bustards look stately and dignified, Little Bustards perform an awkward, head-throwing action accompanied by a comical buzzing sound.

Monfragüe National Park and the surrounding forests offer an entirely different habitat type and associated avifaunal assemblage within the beautuful Cork Oak woodlands. Here, one might hope for such species as Great Spotted Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Short-toed Treecreeper, both Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrike, Azure-winged Magpie and the localised and much sought-after Black-shouldered Kite, as well as many other birds of prey including Egyptian, Black and Griffon Vultures and breeding Golden, Spanish Imperial, Bonelli’s, Booted and Short-toed Eagles. Amongst other exciting specialities are Black Stork and Eagle Owl, whilst the smaller and more abundant occupants of the hills include Alpine Swift, Thekla Lark, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Subalpine Warbler and Chough.

The big skies and open landscapes of Extremadura, together with the exciting variety of special birds, never ceases to impress even the most well-travelled naturalist! The ancient town of Trujillo offers an excellent base from which to explore the region and, with its beautiful old medieval centre, spectacular mansions built by the Pizarro brothers (leaders of the Spanish expedition to the Inca Empire in South America) and Lesser Kestrels and White Storks which breed on the rooftops, is worth investigation in its own right.

Nearly one third of Spain’s remaining Iberian Lynx population reside in the Coto Doñana National Park (the others mostly being found in Sierra Morena). Here in southern Spain, a wilderness mosaic of flat grassland, lagoons, heathland, marshland and Stone Pine forests, interspersed with a few scattered oaks and remnant patches of Mediterranean oak forest provide the perfect breeding and hunting grounds for these graceful creatures, which are most easily sighted at dawn and dusk. The landscape also hosts a plethora of other wildlife, including Red and Fallow Deer, Hares and Rabbits, potentially all on the menu of the Lynx. The park is also regarded as one of Europe’s best birdwatching sites, with opportunities for different species year-round and a simply breath-taking number of birds to be found. Enticing numbers of birds of prey pass through the park including Black-winged Kite, Short-toed and Booted Eagles and Goshawk, together with numerous other migrants, amongst them storks, herons, waders, ducks, gulls and terns. Many species of wildfowl and waders also overwinter here, as well as the striking  Bluethroat. Some of the region’s particular avian highlights include Purple Gallinule, Greater Flamingo, Marbled Teal, Crested Coot, the rare Spanish Imperial Eagle (several pairs of which breed here!), Tawny Pipit, Lesser Short-toed Lark and Red-necked Nightjar.

The little-known Sierra de Guara is remote and peaceful; a land where spectacular gorges, canyons, cliffs and pinnacles provide a haven for resident Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Red Kite, Peregrine, and Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles, joined in the summer by Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed and Booted Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Hobby. Protected by the high Pyrenees to the north, the region is relatively untouched. Experience authentic Spain, with traditional limestone villages, olive groves, almond orchards and woodlands punctuating breath-taking landscapes. The region is also famous for its wines, which can be enjoyed at the end of a long day of birding the sierra’s slopes.

The town of Alquézar is an excellent location from which to base an exploration of the southern slopes. The town, centred on an eighth-century Moorish citadel, is magical in itself, and those who venture into its narrow back streets might be rewarded by Hoopoe and Spotless Starling. The impressive cliffs that surround the town are also a haven for wintering Wallcreepers. From here, excursions may focus on the flora and fauna of the surrounding arid maquis-like vegetation, gorges and slopes; habitats favoured by such birds as Blue Rock Thrush, warblers, shrikes, Rock Bunting, Alpine Swift, Crag Martins, Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles, Thekla Larks and Tawny Pipits, as well as numerous birds of prey.

Approximately a two hour drive from Alquézar, the remote village of Nocito at the base of the beautiful Tozal de Guara Mountain provides easy access to the damper northern slopes, where the oak, beech and maple forests and scrub support a diverse and enticingly different range of wildlife. Wild Boar, Polecat and Pine Marten can be seen in the area at night. The village, with only a dozen inhabitants, allows visitors to enjoy a peace, solitude and magnificent night sky that are not easily found elsewhere in Europe.

The autonomous region of Navarra in northern Spain is a well-kept secret and a naturalist’s paradise! Navarra offers a vast diversity of habitats and climatic conditions, attributable to its location at the transition between green Spain and the semi-arid interior. In a single region one can explore arid semi-deserts, limestone gorges and majestic rock formations, steppes, unspoiled wetlands, lushly-forested Pyrenean hillsides, scented maquis, olive groves and the vast plains of the Ebro river valley, providing a year-round haven for an impressive array of wildlife.

Highlights of the region are abundant and include Wallcreeper, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, many species of lark (including the shy Dupont’s), wheateaters, Lammergeier, shrikes (both Red-backed and Woodchat), Snowfinch and woodpeckers. Summer visitors one might see include Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Bee-eater and Nightingale, and Common Cranes and Honey Buzzards can be viewed in the spring during their northern migration. The 42,000 hectare Bardenas-Reales Natural Park is home to one of Iberian Peninsula’s largest populations of Griffon Vulture. Intriguingly, the region also plays host to an unusually obliging and relatively frequently observed population of Wildcats, with numbers flourishing, supported by this rodent-rich landscape largely free from human disturbance.

Those interested in culture will be equally enthralled; Navarra is one of the historic Basque districts, and Basque features are best viewed in the north of the region. Bordering the world renowned Rioja region, Navarra is also famed for its fine wines, and tasting can be enjoyed at a variety of local vineyards, accompanied by the area’s manifold gastronomic delights!

The arid, rugged hills and mountains of the Sierra Morena boast some of the best preserved examples of Mediterranean forest in the Iberian Peninsula. This is Iberian Lynx country. This elusive and superbly elegant species is usually best sighted by quietly scanning the landscape from scenic viewpoints. The Sierra Morena, with its sparse human population together with recent conservation efforts, has allowed Iberian Lynx to thrive, and it is thought that perhaps over 70% of the world’s remaining population resides here, raising their young in ancient, hollowed oaks. This is a land of spacious oak forest interspersed with rivers, glades and meadows, and alongside the Lynx a number of Spain’s other mammals thrive, including Wolves, Otters, Wild Boar, Mouflon and Red Deer. Birds, too, are plentiful and varied, with highlights including Spanish Imperial Eagle, Hawfinch, Griffin and Black Vulture, Azure-winged Magpie and Eagle Owl.

To the south of Zaragoza, on a high continental plain at an altitude of nearly 1,000 metres lies the giant Laguna de Gallocanta, the largest natural lagoon in the Iberian Peninsula. This avian hotspot is perhaps most well-known for its large concentrations of wintering Common Cranes, supporting the greatest concentration of the species in western Europe. Numbers generally range from20,000 – 50,000 on passage, although increasing populations are now beginning to overwinter here as well. A visit in February generally offers the highest numbers, coinciding with the more concentrated spring migration. Indeed, the movement of Cranes over the lake at dawn and dusk is simply spectacular. Water levels permitting, Gallocanta also often hosts good numbers of wintering ducks and other waterbirds, as well as birds of prey such as Hen and Marsh Harriers, Red Kites, Peregrines and Merlins. Great Bustards breed in this area and, although the majority leave in winter, a few individuals sometimes remain. The high páramo, or steppe, surrounding the lake is also attractive to birds. Here, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and such lark species as Calandra, Lesser Short-toed, Crested and Thekla Larks as well as many wintering Skylark may all be found during this season.

Andalucía lies at one of the world’s great crossroads, where Europe meets Africa and the Mediterranean joins the Atlantic. Here, across the Strait of Gibraltar, a constant ebb and flow of species has occurred over the Ice Ages to bless Andalucía with a great diversity of flora, fauna and human culture. Today, over 2,300 vascular plant species representing 140 families are found here, of which one third are endemic to the region. Egyptian Mongoose, Genet and several butterfly species, all with essentially African distributions, also occur. The annual raptor and stork migration through the region in the spring is certainly a highlight of any visit to the region, and boat trips into the Straits can yield a number of playful cetaceans including Common, Bottlenose and Striped Dolphins and Long-finned Pilot Whales (even Fin and Sperm Whales and Orcas are possible!). The climate of Andalucía during the late Ice Age, being milder than in areas to the north, permitted the development of early human populations in the region. Indeed, today many traces of their presence remain, notably in some impressive cave paintings.

Andalucía is further blessed by a fascinating diversity of geology, landscape and climate, from the gentle sun-drenched sandstone hills above the narrow coastal plain to maquis-covered slopes and dramatic, jagged limestone peaks of the Serrania de Ronda. Deep river valleys and spectacular gorges dissect the area, as well as the largest Cork Oak woodlands in Europe, interspersed by characteristic Andalucían villages, the dazzling whitewashed walls of all their houses and the Arab design of their narrow winding streets reflecting the long Muslim domination of the area. Best of all for the botanist, the landscape is surprisingly green in this well-watered part of southern Spain and little influenced by modern farming practices. The Natural Park of Sierra de Grazelema (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) supports an impressive variety of orchids and several saxifrages, as well as the largest stand of the rare Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo).

There is so much to admire in Andalucía, the keen naturalist could spend a lifetime here!

A wild and imposing range of granite mountains carved by glacial erosion, the Sierra de Gredos can be found to the north-east of Extremadura in central Spain. This rugged landscape, rising to a height of 2,592 metres at Almanzor Peak, is a stronghold of the magnificent and endemic Western Spanish Ibex; a species perfectly adapted to a life spent leaping and darting on steep, rocky slopes. Other interesting residents include the intriguing Fire Salamander and the European Snow Vole, and the region also supports an abundant avifauna. In the pine forests of the lower valleys such delights as Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Firecrest, Pied Flycatcher, Crested Tit, and perhaps even Citril Finch and Crossbill can be found. At higher altitudes, one will break through the tree line in search of breeding Crag Martins, Dippers, Bluethroats, Rock and Ortolan Buntings, whilst higher still highlights include Water Pipits, Alpine Accentors, Black Redstarts, Rock Thrushes and the elusive Bluethroat.

The area is also of great interest to botanists, with a species composition reflective of the altitude. In springtime, the mountains are awash with magnificent golden hues as the region’s iconic brooms come into flower, and local villages celebrate the Flowering Broom Festival with guided tours and tastings of local dishes. The riverbanks, hay meadows and grazing pastures also support a colourful flora, which includes many orchid species which, in turn, attract clouds of vibrant butterflies.

The region is best explored on foot via the network of winding mountain trails, where the peace and solitude of this breathtaking landscape can be fully appreciated.

The Basque Country is a diverse, semiautonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Bay of Biscay. The region is divided into three distinct areas by the two Basque Mountain ranges; the Atlantic Basin, with its rugged coastline and high cliffs criss-crossed with a plethora of hiking trails, the high plateau of the Álava Plains, and the lush Ebro Valley, upon the slopes of which some of Spain’s renowned Rioja is produced. A visit to this scenic region provides much variety, from a superb array of birds, butterflies and botany to internationally renowned gastronomy, proud history and unique culture. 

Dividing the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of mainland Europe, the dramatic Pyrenees mountain range, with its southern slopes in Spain and northern slopes in France, has long been regarded as a naturalist’s paradise. At its highest elevation, the range reaches 3,400 metres above sea level, and the region can be explored on foot via its network of trails. The dominant habitats of the sunny, arid Spanish slopes are beech and conifer forests, scrub, maquis, cliffs, canyons and stunning limestone formations, home to some spectacular wildlife including Marmots, Chamois, Wild Boar, Golden and Booted Eagles, Lammergeiers, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Wallcreeper, Water Pipit, Snowfinch, Alpine Accentor and Citril Finch to name but a few, alongside over 50 species of butterfly. Botanists, too, will delight in the meadows festooned with carpets of wildflowers in spring, including gentians, Pyrenean Buttercups, numerous saxifrages and other rock-dwelling species. 

The Montaña Palentina — the Palentian Mountains — is a wild, unpopulated region in northern Spain characterised by high ridges, rounded summits, sweeping valleys and magnificent panoramic vistas extending southwards to the great plains of Castile and Leon. The Palentian Mountains are dominated by the majestic Sierra de Peña Labra, essentially a high mountain ridge boasting a handful of 2,000-metre summits, amongst them Valdecebollas (2,136 metres) and Pico Tres Mares (2,175 metres) — ‘Peak of the Three Seas’. Small, rural villages dot the landscape, many of which are now largely deserted, left for reclamation by a plethora of local flora and fauna. Here, naturalists will hope for sightings of a superb array of butterfly species, as well as mammals including Chamois, Red and Roe Deer, Beech and Pine Marten, Wolf, Wildcat and the ever-elusive Genet. The area’s vast oak and Beech forests are known in particular for their thriving population of European Brown Bear. Although a fair amount of luck and dedication is required, sightings are possible, particularly at dawn and dusk. The area is particularly good for raptors and woodpeckers.

Classified as a National Park in 1995, the small yet breathtakingly beautiful Picos de Europa is characterised by two distinct regions; the lush, green slopes of the northern Picos and the more arid southern Picos, each supporting dramatically different species assemblages. Mid-late June is a particularly enjoyable time to visit, coinciding with high numbers of butterflies - over 150 species frequent the region! - as well as the emergence of beautiful carpets of wildflowers including Gentians, saxifrages, orchids and narcissi, and the fledging of the year’s breeding birds. Picos de Europa is the perfect destination for the all-round naturalist, especially those with a keen desire for mountain walking, as well as those with an interest in experiencing some of the local gastronomic delights.

The Cantabrian Mountain chain or, in Spanish, Cordillera Cantábrica, extend along the northern coast of Spain in parallel to the Cantabrian Sea some several hundred kilometres, passing through several autonomous communities. Geologically similar to, but geographically separated from, the Spanish Pyrenees, the region is characterised by beech and maritime pine forests, towering limestone and granite ridges, majestic mountains and deep, vibrant green valleys, dotted with sleepy villages, forming the boundary between arid southern Spain and the high plains of the Central Meseta and lush coastal region to the north. The Cantabrian Mountains is perhaps most well-known amongst keen naturalists for its population of European Brown Bear, which is interestingly separated into two genetically different subpopulations via geographical barriers.