Birding in Extremadura and Gredos Mountains Tour, Spain - 6 Days

Meet and wellcome in Madrid Airport or in another place previously agreed. This first day we will explore the variety of endorreical wetlands South of Madrid, so called "La Mancha Húmeda". Here we will enjoy good numbers of White-headed Ducks along with Red-crested Pochard, Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Greater Flamingo and, if lucky, Marbled Teals.

The reedbeds here are great for a variety of birds and we can enjoy Zitting Cisticola, Cetti's Warbler, Eurasian & Great Reed Warblers along with Bearded Tits. A slim number of Moustached Warblers nest in the area, and we will be very lucky if manage to contact with any of them.

While enjoying the flocks of Spanish Sparrows moving around, we will also have time to note the good number of migratory birds. During the last issues of this tour, this pond have produced Pied Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Garganey, Water Pipit and Black-necked Grebe by the same week we do propose you to explore the area. Spotted Crake, Sedge Warbler and Pallid Harrier have also ocurred during our visits here, but they are far more scarce.

After the whole morning enjoying the area we will enjoy a light lunch in a nearby restaurant before the transfer to our accommodation (about 90 minutes). In the afternoon we will have some birding around our accommodation. We can easily have our first views on Black-winged Kite, Cinereous Vulture or even Spanish Imperial Eagle (last day 3 of them in the first walk!). Woodlark, Red-rumped Swallow, Common Cuckoo, European Serin, Sardinian Warbler, Spanish Magpie, Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike and Short-toed Snake Eagle all nest inside our resort.

This day we will explore the lovely Tietar Valley. Here, a landscape of ancient Holme Oaks will set up the frame for great views on Cinereous Vultures, Griffons, Black Storks, Iberian Flycatcher, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Golden Oriole, Spanish Magpie, Western Orphean Warbler, Kentish Plover and Ruddy Shelduck (a small population nests in sume dumps).

In the afternoon we will explore the Arrocampo wetlands until sunset. Here it is possible to enjoy great views on Savi's Warbler, Little Bittern, Black-winged Kite, Ferruginous Duck, Gull-billed Tern, Penduline Tit and, if lucky, Greater Bittern or Spotted Crake along with a good list of migratory birds.

This day we will explore the well known grasslands around Trujillo. There, we expect to enjoy great views on displaying Great Bustards while flocks of Pin-tailed & Black-bellied Sandgrouses are likely to move around. The area host good numbers of Montagu's Harriers and Great Spotted Cuckoos, and we expect to enjoy them both.

The raptor action is always going to be great and Cinereous & Griffons Vultures are going to be always crossing the skies. Along with them Short-toed Snake Eagles, Black Kites and Booted Eagles in a simphony of birds of prey!

In the afternoon we will explore scrublands around that can provide with Subalpine, Western Orphean & Melodious Warblers. A tiny corner of low vegetation host the last Black Wheatears in Western Spain as the bird keeps decreasing as the vegetation is grows in many areas of Iberia. Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush and Little Owl are other birds that eventually can appear in the area.

The Gredos Mountains are the tallest in Central Iberia. A impressive range of mountains climbing over 2.000 metres above the sea level. We will spend most of the day here, exploring different corners.

Even if we will be concentrated in passerines, it is always important to check the skies, as this is a great place to enjoy Golden Eagles. In the scrublands, above the tree line, we will look fot the "blue-spotted" Bluethroats, a nesting form of this shy ground Flycatcher. Dartford Warbler, Ortolan & Rock Buntings, Water Pipit and Citril Finch can also appear in these lush bushlands.

Whereas a rock outcrop appears, we will scan for Common Rock Thrush, a rather elusive wonder of the rocky mountains around the Mediterranean.

In our way up and down the mountains, we will enjoy some stops where we can have views on common forest birds such as Eurasian Robin or Eurasian Jay but also more "wanted" ones like Hawfinch and Firecrest.

This National Park became famous decades ago as one of the easiest place where to see the then very scarce Spanish Imperial Eagle and Black Storks. Nowadays these species have recover a lot and are present is several other areas, but this Natioinal Park keeps being a great place to spend one day.

The park has two famous vulture colonies (one of the few in Extremadura, where there are not many proper places for them to nest) where tens of pairs of Griffons are nesting along with some pairs of Black Stork and 1 or 2 pairs of Egyptian Vulture (this species keeps being extremely scarce in West Spain).

We will spend the morning visiting grasslands for Great Bustards, Little Bustards, Sandgrouses and other species. In the midday we will visit a really interesting wetland South of Gredos where we normally have plenty of activity: 53 Collared Pratincoles, Thekla Lark, Eurasian Black Tern, Kingfisher, Common Waxbill, Temminck's & Little Stints and European Otter in our 2019 visit!

In the afternoon, we will explore Monfragüe itself to enjoy the vultures, Rock Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Swift and, if extremelly lucky, Bonelli's Eagle (only two territories left in this area of Spain).

Last day of the tour. We normally drop off the tour participants in mid afternoon in Madrid. This gave us a long morning to enjoy birds, and there is so much to do!

Depending on how we did we can decide to enjoy more Bustards & Sandgrouse or better spend the morning in Gredos for better views on Spanish Ibexes and Common Rock Thrushes.

What we normally do is a early visit to Arrocampo, this wetland is just amazing and Savi's Warbler, Ferruginous Duck or Spotted Crake are well worth a second visit!

Final transfer to Madrid, where we do expect to arrive at mid afternoon.