Tours 2012
Friday 9th – Monday 12th November 2012
We return to Boletas Birdwatching Centre in the beautiful Spanish Pyrenees for some winter sun and great birding.
We can expect some exciting winter birding with species such as Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Great and Little Bustard, Alpine Accentor and Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse to whet the appetite.
Tour Leader: Steve Grimwade
Maximum Group Size: 8
Day 1
Fly from London Stansted to Zaragoza and head to the area around Los Mallos de Riglos, where towering walls of conglomerate rock dwarf the houses and church in the village of Riglos.
This area is home to wintering Wallcreeper, where small numbers of these attractive birds spend the winter looking in the cracks and crevices for insects. Alpine Accentor and Black Wheatear can be seen in the village, affording good views. Other species occurring in the area include Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Chough and we may see our first Lammergeiers soaring over the cliffs, a good start to the tour.
Overnight: Boletas Birdwatching Centre
Day 2
The morning will be spent around the village of Loporzano where Spotless and European Starlings can be seen side-by-side, allowing excellent plumage comparison. Crested and Thekla Larks frequent the rocky areas and Griffon Vultures, Red Kites and Chough can be seen overhead.
Late morning we will search for Lammergeier, a species that begins displaying in November and descends to lower levels looking for food. A visit to a vulture feeding station is planned, where we can expect excellent views of both Lammergeier and Griffon Vultures and Raven on the ground. The village has large numbers of wintering passerines, which could include Rock Sparrow, Rock Bunting, Corn Bunting and Serin plus many more. Chough can be found on the fields nearby and can easily reach in excess of 300 in one flock! At dusk we will visit a site for Eagle Owl.
Overnight: Boletas Birdwatching Centre
Day 3
The day will be spent in the Los Monegros, an area of semi-desert and plains to the east of Zaragoza. During late autumn/winter birds flock together in the stony fields and Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse can be seen in large flocks. Iberian Grey Shrikes hunt from bushes and Griffon Vultures and Golden Eagles glide overhead in search of food. A small population of Great Bustard occurs here and become easier to see during November and we should come across flocks of Little Bustard and Calandra and Lesser Short-toed Larks.
We will round off the day at a lagoon where Red-crested Pochards, Black-necked Grebe and other wildfowl winter, whilst the sight of up to 100 Marsh Harriers hunting over the reedbed is an enjoyable sight.
Overnight: Boletas Birdwatching Centre
Day 4
Depending on the time of flights, we will look for Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Thekla Lark, Serin and Golden Eagle at a castle ruin before heading back to Zaragoza for our flight home.
Tour includes:
Flights from London Stansted to Zaragoza.
Full Board accommodation for 3 nights
including wine with evening meals.
Ground transport in Spain.
Not included:
Travel insurance.
Other drinks and items of a personal nature.
Lunch on Day 1.
Price: £670
Single Supplement £80