Birdwatching in the Spanish Pyrenees – Winter Tour - 5 Days

This day we will explore areas of the Pyrenees immediately north of Barcelona. Our main goal will be to locate the highly nomadic Snow Finch. The area can host flocks numbering in the hundreds, although this is highly variable depending on the weather and the amount of snow. During the morning we will have good chances for Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor, Lammergeier, Rock Bunting, Common Crossbill, Crested Tit and Black Woodpecker. Wallcreeper is also possible in the area, so we will scan for those.

After a stop for lunch we will look for Dipper, Rock Sparrow, Cirl Buntings and Yellowhammers in areas where you normally find big flocks. Bramblings and Hawfinches may also be present, but their numbers are variable.

This day we will spend some time looking for Wallcreepers in one of the many massive gorges in the Pyrenees where we usually have good views of this amazing bird. If the weather permits we will picnic overlooking one of the best places in Europe for raptors. The area hosts a large number of Lammergeiers along with a small population of Cinereous Vultures and hundreds of pairs of Eurasian Griffon Vultures. Cirl Bunting, Hawfinch, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler are other interesting goodies to enjoy!

In the afternoon we will spend some time in an area that also hosts Lammergeier, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, European Serin, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Sardinian Warbler and, sometimes, Citril Finch.

After an early wake-up in the mountains we will spend some time in the high coniferous forests looking for Black Woodpecker, Citril Finch, Common Crossbill, Eurasian Bullfinch, Short-toed Treecreeper and Firecrest. The area may host some overwintering Ring Ouzels. Just before midday we will make a short transfer (80 minutes or so) to the plains.

In the afternoon we will visit a wetland for good numbers of waterfowl. Here it is possible to see large winter flocks of White Storks along with a good variety of ducks. But probably the most interesting birds to be found in the reedbeds are good numbers of Bluethroat, Water Pipit, Western Swamphen, Penduline Tit and, if we're lucky, Moustached Warbler.

The area also hosts Common & Jack Snipe, Green Sandpiper and the endemic Iberian Green Woodpecker along with migratory flocks of Common Crane, and it is a winter roosting place for Marsh Harriers - normally we see more than 50 of them!

Today we will spend on the steppes - a dramatic change in landscape from the towering Pyrenees. These are semi-desert areas in the dry lowlands immediately south of the mountains. During the morning we will look for Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. These birds are normally found in flocks and you really have to know where they love to concentrate during the winter season. The area is also great for raptors - Golden Eagle, Eurasian Merlin, Hen Harrier and Red Kite are all common. Larks will also be a common sight and we would hope for good views of Crested, Thekla, Calandra and Lesser Short-toed Larks. In the autumn there a slim chance for the mythical Dupont's Lark, so we will do our best to locate one of this amazing birds!

After a picnic we will spend most of the afternoon looking for Eagle Owls, Blue Rock Thrush, Cirl Bunting, Hawfinch, Rock Sparrow and Black Wheatear.

On the last day of the trip we will spend the morning looking for Great Bustards, the heaviest bird to be able to fly! For this we will go to the neighbouring Spanish region of Aragón, where a small population occurs. Here we will also have large flocks of Red-billed Chough and good options for views of Stone Curlew, Golden Eagle and Lesser Short-toed Lark. Flocks of Sandgrouse also move around the area and Little Owls and Iberian Grey Shrikes are common.

At midday we will stop at a pair of wetlands that can produce Red-crested Pochard, White Stork, Bluethroat and flocks of Common Cranes. After midday we make the final transfer to Barcelona.

Join us for some wonderful birding and a great time!