Birding in Northern Spain
Barcelona Birding Point is a local wildlife specialist created with the aim of providing high quality guided wildlife and birding in Northern Spain tours from our base in Barcelona. An amazing birding spot as it has the towering Pyrenees only an hour’s drive away, the semi-deserts immediately to your West and if you add the big, and not so big wetlands, along with the Mediterranean coast you can easily understand why.
Barcelona Birding Point offers a wide range of birding Spain tours, from half day trips up to four-day long tours including a number of set departure or scheduled tours throughout the year. If you would prefer something a little more bespoke or tailor-made (one to twenty days), these unique experiences can also be easily arranged. Our tours will lead you throughout some of the best birding locations in Spain where you can enjoy stunning views of the most sought-after species along with amazing scenery in areas of great natural beauty.
Carles Oliver and Sergi Sales have over 20 years’ experience working as professional birdwatchers and guides throughout Catalonia. We grew up as birdwatchers in this region of Spain and still enjoy the incredible biodiversity of the area we live in. Our philosophy is to have fun, enjoy the landscape, culture, history and wildlife in a relaxed but vivid way. Local art and cuisine has been elevated to art in both Spain and Catalonia and should be a must for any visitor!
Barcelona Birding Point provides their customers with some of the best birding experiences possible while at the same time playing an active role in wildlife preservation. Refer to their “conservation” tab.
Barcelona Birding Point can also offer professional photo hides to secure exclusive images of the most iconic birdlife living in the Pyreness.
Lammergeier
Lammergeiers are the pearl of the Pyrenees. There is no better place in the world to enjoy them. These massive, orange-like, high mountain vultures are one of the most specialised birds as they only feed on bone marrow. Up to 10 individuals can be seen in a single day! (Gypaetos barbatus)
Wallcreeper
Often called the butterfly-bird, this stunning bird lives in massive cliffs up in the Pyrenees, where it looks for spiders and insects. It often flies around, showing its wonderful white-spotted, red wings. The best time to enjoy them is in the winter, when they can come surprisingly low. (Tichodroma muraria)
Spanish Imperial Eagle
The Spanish Imperial Eagle is the only endemic raptor in Europe. Moreover, it is endemic to Spain and Portugal, where it is to be found in a variety of habitats but having its best densities in evergreen oak forests. The population keeps increasing in a good rate after the crackdown of the 80s. (Aquila adalberti)
Dupont’s Lark
Dupont’s Lark, most often known as the “Ghost Bird” is probably the most enigmatical bird in Europe
and one of the most difficult to get! Their slim populations are mainly at Ebro Valley, where it is a resident. You will listen many tales about them: “It never flies”, “It never calls” All wrong!! (Chersophilus duponti)
Little Bustard
The image of a Little Bustard standing up in early morning light, black-and-white neck, singing on its lek, surrounded by a variety of flowers in a wheat field is one of the most iconic images any birdwatcher may have in Spain. Populations in fast decrease, best densities now in Catalonia. (Tetrax tetrax)
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse
Sandgrouses are always special birds. Mid way from pigeon and grouses, are extremely well adapted to survive in extreme arid conditions. Pin-tailed Sangrouses are absolutely stunning birds. We keep a special relation with these birds as being working for years in monitoring their populations in Catalonia. Personally, my favourite bird! (Pterocles alchata)
Audouin’s Gull
Audouin’s Gull was extremely endangered for years. This beautiful gull combines blood-like bill
with almost perfect gull proportions. Extremely coastal bird, best place to enjoy them is Ebro Delta, where 60% of the world population nest. Along with them Flamingoes, Ibises, Pratincoles, Herons…heaven on Earth! (Larus audouinii)
Citril Finch
Citril Finch is another European endemic and probably the scarcer small finch in Europe. It is a high mountain bird living in a very specific habitat, a tiny part of the huge Pyrenean slopes. Numbers always slim and that’s why it has become so iconic. Still, there are several good places for the in the mountains. (Serinus citrinella)
Red-necked Nightjar
Red-necked Nightjars are endemic of Iberia and NW Africa. Only for this is always a prime target to get! Best way to enjoy them is by having one of our nocturnal safaris in Lleida Steppes. Our special vehicle will let you have great views on the birds along with Scops, Long-eared, Little or Eagle Owls! (Caprimulgus ruficollis)
Spanish Ibex
The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat is a species of ibex with four subspecies. Of these, two can still be found on the Iberian Peninsula, but the remaining two are now extinct.(Capra pyrenaica)
Barcelona Birding Point provides our customers with some of the best birding experiences possible while at the same time play an active role in wildlife preservation. We are acutely aware that many areas of great interest from the point of view of wildlife preservation receive little or no official protection. Areas of cereal-steppes is a clear example, where there is often little local communities to promote rural development. This minimises the impact on these sensitive areas while at the same time help to raise awareness of the importance of species and habitat conservation.
Fantastic morning birding Barcelona
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
Had a marvelous half day birding the Llobregat delta with Carles in April 2017 - just outside BCN, perfect for the birder vacationing with non-birding family as I was. Carles is a superb and highly efficient guide.
Fantastic day of birding
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
Carles showed up outside my door on time and proceeded to show me a great many birds. Our day list topped 100! Communication was excellent both beforehand and in follow-through. Highly recommended.
Extraordinary Day!
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
Highly recommended! Carles Oliver is an expert birder, professional, personable, and exceptionally patient. He picked us up very early at our hotel in Barcelona and we explored the steppes and marshes starting with a Gryphon Vulture sunning himself in a field and culminating in sightings of Little Bustard, a life bird. A great day!
Excellent guiding
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
We had a wonderful morning birding around Barcelona with Carles. He knew the sites perfectly and found us many new birds on our first trip to Spain. He even waited for us outside our hotel for a long time when we overslept having arrived late the night before! Highly recommended.
Best near Barsalonsa
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
Charles Oliver knew just where to go to find birds for people with limited time.
Barcelona day tour
Llobregat Delta One Day Trip
We completely enjoyed our day. Sergi is extremely knowledgeable, willing to cater to our desires and needs and very friendly. The birds cooperated and the food was great.
Excellent experience
Spain in Spring Tour
My husband and I (both seniors and enthusiastic beginners at birdwatching) enjoyed several bird tours with Carles Oliver over several years. We started with a half day tour near Barcelona and, on subsequent visits to Barcelona we went on a one day and then on two three day tours (Pyrenees and Ebro Delta). Carles is a knowledgeable and accommodating guide who made sure we had a great time every time.
Barcelona surroundings
Spain in Spring Tour
One perfect day of birding with Carles Oliver. We visited four different places during the day, and saw and heard many species of warblers and several iberian woodpeckers to mention a few of the species. Carles knew where to find the birds and was a great guide. I really recommend Barcelona Birding Point to all birders.
A marvelous experience!
Winter Birding Break in Catalonia Tour
I had a marvelous one-day birding trip with Carles in the Pyrenees. He was an absolutely wonderful guide who had an encyclopedic knowledge about birds and an uncanny ability to spot them. He picked me up at my accommodation in Barcelona and drove us to several destinations throughout the Pyrenees. Some of the highlights included watching a Lammergeier soaring among several Griffon Vultures, and a juvenile Golden Eagle that flow low over the trees and then soared up and out of sight. We had great views of a Blue Rock-Thrush, Alpine Accentor, Rock Bunting, numerous Red Crossbills, and we were fortunate to see two White-winged Snowfinches that flew around us as we ate sandwiches at the top of a mountain pass. On our way down the mountain, we stopped in a small town and had wonderful views of a White-throated Dipper foraging in a stream that flowed through the town. Needless to say, it was a magical experience!
Carles the wizard
Winter Birding Break in Catalonia Tour
Carles is an enchanter wizard, who's able to take you through unknown areas where he enables you to share whith him incredible emotions of pictures of wilderness and sensibility. My passion for shooting photographs of flying birds is strengthened every time I go with Carles. He's at the same time, highly competent, modest, very intuitive on the ground, always inquiring, helpful and kind.
Excellent guided tours
Catalonia & Aragon Grand Tour
I attended already two tours guided by Carles Oliver - Big Catalonia/Spain loop and Morocco. Carles is one of the best birdwatchers that I met in my life, excellent observiation skills and encyclopedic knowledge of all birds in the region. Thanks to him my bird list was full of lifers after each of the trip. Moreover, Carles is very nice with people and keep smiling and in good mood the whole trip. Highly recommended!
Excellent birding with Barcelona Birding Point in Spain, Morocco and Czech republic
Catalonia & Aragon Grand Tour
Between 2013 and 2018 we have made several birding trips with Carles from Barcelona Birding Point ranging from 1 day trips in Catalonia to 10 days birding in Morocco. Each trip has been a wonderful experience with excellent birding, fantastic landscapes, great food & accomodation and also excellent wildlife photography opportunities. Carles is an excellent guide, passionate about birding and conservation and he has a great approach to birdwatching, he is enthousiastic, energetic but never stressful and well organized. Highlights included: A wonderful 10 day trip in Central/Southern Morocco observing all the target birds, the trips to the Pyrenees including a visit a Vulture Feeding Station with fantastic close-up views of Bearded Vultures, European Black Vultures and Griffon Vultures. Birding the steppes with excellent close-up views of Dupont's Lark and a nocturnal birding trip observing 5 species of Owls and 2 Nightjar species! And our most recent mid-winter trip to Central Spain observing 8 Spanish Imperial Eagles, 50+ White-headed Ducks, Flocks of Great Bustards, 1000+ Cranes, Black-winged Kites and much more. We can highly recommend Barcelona Birding Point to all birders who want to experience a great birding experience!
Best Barcelona Birding!
Catalonia & Aragon Grand Tour
Fantastic experience! I've hired birding guides all over the world and Sergi and Carles are two of the most skilled, most enthusiastic, and most personable individuals I've had the pleasure to bird with. I spent one full day with Sergi and another full day with Carles. I found them both easy to talk to and easy to spend a day with. They grew up in Barcelona, so they not only know where the birds are, they know great little places to eat and interesting stories about the area. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Autumn migration tour with Barcelona Birding Point
Pyrenees & Ebro Delta Bird Migration Tour
My wife and I did a tour with another couple (who had never met before) to explore the autumn raptor migration and more We stayed in the Pyrenees for 3 days birding and saw not only vast numbers of vultures, honey buzzards, eagles but had close encounters with Lamamergeiers, citril finches and black woodpeckers. Onto the plains and we had lifers in the crippler Dupont's Lark and many Dotterels before culminating in the magnificent Ebro Delta.(Higlight a murmuration of millions of Glossy Ibis going to roost) Good company, great birding, new friends and a few lifers. Strongly recommend!
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