Butterflies and Dragonflies in Extremadura in Early Summer

A private 8-day Butterfly Holiday in Extremadura led by Martin Kelsey any time from late May to early July. This Extremadura butterfly holiday is a leisurely paced trip available on request where you can expect to see at least 60 species.

Extremadura is one of Europe’s top birding destinations and the region also offers the visitor an incredible wealth of other wildlife experiences. Thanks to its low human population density and still largely traditional land use, there is plenty of space for nature. There is a surprising diversity of landscapes so, in a week’s holiday, different habitats can be explored each day. This adds to the richness of the experience.

"I have stayed with Martin and Claudia (great hosts) several times now over the years, at Casa Rural El Recuerdo. And have seen many birds, plants, butterflies, and dragonfly species during my time spent there. Martin is very knowledgeable and very acquainted with the area, and without him I would have certainly struggled with finding the sought after species I wanted to see." - Mark Ferris

Late May to early July is an ideal time for butterflies, which can also be combined with dragonflies and some excellent birding. There are over 120 species of butterflies. We should be able to see at least half of these during a week’s private tour. About 20% of the dragonfly fauna are species of African-origin and this is of particular interest.

Birds, especially late spring specialties and mountain-breeding species can also be expected. You can get the first signs of autumn passage from the start of June.

We visit all the important habitats on this butterfly holiday: open plains, dehesa, mountains, heathland, river valleys, and wetlands. The focus will be on watercourses, deciduous woodland, and mountain meadows.

Please tell us which species you are particularly interested in seeing and we will advise you on the best time to visit. As well as aiming to see as many species as possible, there will also be plenty of scope for photography. There will be time to enjoy staying in one place seeking excellent views of target species.

The itinerary is tailor-made to focus on your interests and priorities. We often use a second accommodation base in the north of Extremadura to take full advantage of the glorious habitats to be found in the mountains.

Butterfly Holiday in Extremadura highlights include:

Watching the huge Two-tailed Pasha as it haunts groves of strawberry trees
Walking through sweet chestnut and oak woodland, with a constant passage of butterflies along the path
Mountain meadows alive with butterflies, with dragonflies roaming marshy patches and Ortolan Buntings in song
Getting to grips with skippers and blues along mountain tracks
Walking on a two-thousand-year-old Roman Bridge surrounded by Pallid, Alpine and Common Swifts, with herons species flying overhead and Penduline Tits in the willows, whilst butterflies haunt the irrigated lawns of a nearby park

Please note: now fully booked for 2022 but taking bookings for 2023!

Would you like to experience a short tour/trip option to complete your Spanish birding experience? Why not have a look at the Extremadura Half Day Birdwatching Trip, Spain.

Birding Extremadura is registered by the Government of Extremadura OA-CC-00052 and is a proud member of the Birding in Extremadura Product Club.

Sharing our passion for nature in Extremadura since 2005

Alternative Tour Name: Extremadura’s Dragonfly and Butterfly Customised Tour

Day 1

Day 1 - Arrival

You will be met at the airport (Madrid, Lisbon or Seville). Depending on your arrival time, we will stop on the way to Casa Rural El Recuerdo to provide an initial taste on what the region has to offer.

This may be at the Arrocampo Reservoir, where emergent vegetation provides habitat for several interesting dragonflies, such as Long Skimmer and Northern Banded Groundling. It is also excellent for birds with Purple Swamphen, Penduline Tit, Savi's and Great Reed Warblers, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Little Bittern.

Around the garden and lanes around Casa Rural El Recuerdo birds will include Hoopoe, Bee-eaters, Golden Oriole, Iberian Magpie, Red-rumped Swallow, Serin, Sardinian and Melodious Warblers.

Day 2

Days 2 to 7 - Focus on nature

The sequence of places visited and the time spent in each will vary according to your particular interests, as well as factors like the weather. Our house is excellently situated to be within easy reach of all the different habitats and best sites. This tour provides plenty of time to both find and enjoy nature, as well as to get an insight into this fascinating part of Spain.

The open plains are one of the first habitats to show the change from spring to summer, with the vegetation blonded in the drying conditions. However, late-flowering plants attract large numbers of butterflies, including False Ilex Hairstreaks and Knapweed Fritillaries. The deep river valleys provide good opportunities for finding dragonflies like Violet Dropwing and Epaulet Skimmer. First thing in the morning we will look for Great Bustards, Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. It is great habitat for hunting raptors such as eagles (five species could be seen in one day here).

At least one whole day will be spent in the amazing Monfragüe Natural Park, home to a large breeding population of Black Vulture, several colonies of Griffon Vulture, as well as Egyptian Vulture, Golden, Bonelli's, Spanish Imperial, Booted and Short-toed Eagles. We will have the opportunity of seeing breeding Black Storks, Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Swift and White-rumped Swift. It is an excellent site for butterflies, including the amazing Two-tailed Pasha, Spanish Purple Hairstreak and Nettle-tree Butterfly.

We will pay a visit to the centre of Extremadura. Birds such as Rufous Bush Robin, Western Olivaceous Warbler and Black Wheatear are possibilities. Beside the River Guadiana in Extremadura’s capital, Mérida, dragonflies and damselflies are on offer, as well as butterflies such as African Grass Blue.

The two regions with the highest diversity of both dragonflies and butterflies are the spectacular Villuercas Mountains and the massive Gredos Mountains. We will spend at least a day in each of these areas. Here the deciduous woodlands and flower-filled clearings are extraordinary for butterflies, such as various species of fritillary, blues, coppers and skippers. The mountain streams are excellent for dragonflies such as pincertails and demoiselles.

These woodlands hold good populations of birds like Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Golden Oriole and Honey Buzzard. On the broom moorlands on the Gredos are breeding Ortolan Bunting, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and Bluethroat.

No visit to the heart of Extremadura would be complete without a visit to Trujillo, our local town. The town square one of the most beautiful places in Spain to enjoy a drink at one of the pavement cafes. It is also an excellent place to watch Lesser Kestrel, Pallid Swift, Common Swift and White Stork at one's leisure! We can walk up to the old castle and take in the breathtaking views of the plains and dehesa, whilst keeping an eye open for passing raptors.

Day 3

Day 8 - End of the tour

Return transfer to the airport, with a stop on route (time permitting) to savour for one last moment the joy of watching nature in Extremadura.

Wildlife species expect to see:

These customised tours are focused on butterflies with dragonflies and birds as strong supporting features.

The lists given below for butterflies, dragonflies and birds are advisory. Depending on the interests expressed, we will focus as requested in finding particular species. Because of flight periods of butterflies, in particular, there will difference in the species encountered in different parts of the season. As a general guideline, we might expect to see 35 species of dragonfly/damselfly and 70 species of butterfly.

Dragonflies/damselflies

Blue Hawker, Moorland Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Vagrant Emperor, Blue Emperor, Lesser Emperor, Western Spectre, Pronged Clubtail, Western Clubtail, Yellow Clubtail, Small Pincertail, Large Pincertail, Green Hooktail, Common Goldenring, Splendid Cruiser, Orange-spotted Emerald, Northern Banded Groundling, Broad Scarlet, Black Percher, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser, Southern Skimmer, Black-tailed Skimmer, Epaulet Skimmer, Keeled Skimmer, Long Skimmer, Red-veined Darter, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter,
Violet Dropwing

Butterflies

Swallowtail, Scarce Swallowtail, Spanish Festoon, Black-veined White, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Bath White, Western Dappled White, Green-striped White, Orange Tip, Moroccan Orange Tip, Clouded Yellow, Berger’s Clouded Yellow, Brimstone Cleopatra, Wood White, Purple Hairstreak, Spanish Purple Hairstreak, Ilex Hairstreak, False Ilex Hairstreak, Blue-spot Hairstreak, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Scarce Copper, Sooty Copper, Purple-shot Copper, Long-tailed Blue, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, African Grass Blue, Little Blue, Holly Blue, Green-underside Blue, Black-eyed Blue, Panoptes Blue, Silver-studded Blue, Brown Argus, Mountain Argus, Mazarine Blue, Amanda’s Blue, Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Nettle-tree Butterfly, Two-tailed Pasha, Southern White Admiral, Camberwell Beauty, Large Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Cardinal, Silver-washed, Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Niobe Fritillary, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Twin-spot Fritillary, Marbled Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Glanville Fritillary, Knapweed Fritillary, Spotted Fritillary, Lesser Spotted Fritillary, Heath Fritillary, Provençal Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Spanish Fritillary, Iberian Marbled White, Esper’s Marbled White, Western Marbled White, Spanish Marbled White, Rock Grayling, Grayling, Tree Grayling, Striped Grayling, Black Satyr, Great Banded Grayling, False Grayling, Piedmont Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Dusky Meadow Brown, Oriental Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Southern Gatekeeper, Spanish Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Dusky Heath, Pearly Heath, Chestnut Heath, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown, Large Wall Brown, Grizzled Skipper, Large Grizzled Skipper, Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper, Olive Skipper, Rosy Grizzled Skipper, Yellow-banded Skipper, Red-underwing Skipper, Sage Skipper, Mallow Skipper, Southern Marbled Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Silver-spotted Skipper, Large Skipper

Birds

Black-necked Grebe, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Black Kite, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Honey Buzzard, Black-winged , Black Kite, Red Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Water Rail, Purple Swamphen, Common Coot, Little Bustard, Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed, Sandgrouse, Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Scops Owl, Red-necked Nightjar, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift, White-rumped Swift, Kingfisher, Bee-eater, Roller, Hoopoe, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Calandra Lark, Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous Bush Robin, Bluethroat, Nightingale, Black Redstart, Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Savi’s Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Penduline Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Iberian Magpie, Spotless Starling, Spanish Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Common Waxbill, Red Avadavat, Hawfinch,Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Corn Bunting

Wildlife Reviews

5 stars

- based on 3 reviews

Extremadura
Mark Ferris15 Jun 2019
5
Overall

Tours
Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

I have stayed with Martin and Claudia (great hosts) several times now over the years, at Casa Rural El Recuerdo. And have seen many birds, plants, butterfly, and dragonfly species, during my time spent there. Martin is very knowledgeable, and very acquainted with the area, and without him i would have certainly struggled with finding the sought after species i wanted to see. I would also like to mention the great food, and of course the locally sourced wine!!....nothing is too much trouble for them, and they cater for all dietary requirements. I will certainly be back!
Excellent Extremadura
Mark & Sally05 Jun 2016
5
Overall

Tours
Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

The best trip ever.
Dragonflies & Butterflies
John Westwood01 Jun 2019
5
Overall

Tours
Wildlife
Guides
Conservation
Location
Value

As usual an excellent holiday enjoyed by all three of us.Wonderful sightings of new species for us of dragonflies & butterflies & the gold standard of leading from Martin. Some good birds as well.

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Why book with Birding Extremadura?

Martin Kelsey has been running customised birding and nature tours in Extremadura since 2005, with over 120 to date and is one of the region's most experienced professional guides. Extremadura is one of Europe’s top birding and nature-watching destinations. He has also partnered with acclaimed broadcasters and writers, Mark Cocker and David Lindo, offering group holidays with a difference.

Accommodation

You will stay at our house, which has six guest rooms with either double or twin beds. All rooms have en suite bathrooms. Lunches will be picnics. Our evening meals (three-course dinners with local wine) are based on locally-sourced products as far as possible. including our own olive oil and organic vegetables. We will check with you for any dietary restrictions etc. Most of the energy used at home comes from our solar panels.

Transport

Transport is by a vehicle suitable for the size of the group. Walks are short and easy. We will enjoy spending time at vantage points for passing birds of prey.

What to bring

The weather in spring will be variable, with warm sunny days, but still the chance of rainy periods. The evenings and early mornings in early spring can be chilly, by late spring afternoons can be hot. The weather in winter will be variable, with sunny days, but always the chance of rainy periods. The evenings and early mornings in can be cold. Suncream and a hat are advisable.

Other interests

Please let us know whether you would like to include into the itinerary visits to historic monuments such as Roman sites in Mérida and near Cáceres, the monastery of Guadalupe. We can also arrange sessions in specialist photography hides, run by local busineses, if you are interested.

Is the tour exclusive?

Absolutely, our customised tours are exclusive, so you will not be accompanied by others. There may be other guests staying in the lodge, but they will be doing their own thing during the day. Martin will check with you beforehand regarding your priorities, preferred pace and expectations. Contact Martin for the price of a customised tour for one person only, otherwise the quoted price will be per person, based on 2 to 4 people travelling together.

How do I pay, what are the terms and what happens in the event of cancellation?

Send an initial enquiry on-line on this page. Worldwide Traveller Protection via Blue Sky Wildlife Blue Sky Wildlife (based in the United Kingdom) can offer Worldwide Traveller Protection as a member of The Travel Vault and as part of this membership it has a range of insurances in place to cover the potential insolvency of any of the local wildlife specialists listed on the site, as well as the company itself should Blue Sky Wildlife cease trading. If you would prefer to book through Blue Sky Wildlife and make full payment directly to them to activate this protection at no additional cost, it would also mean the travel contract would be between yourselves and Blue Sky Wildlife. Please refer to their booking terms for more information.

Do you need a minimum fitness level for this holiday?

No, Extremadura is a highly accessible region and because the holiday is customised and exclusive, it can be tailor-made to suit your mobility. We have two ground-floor bedrooms for easier access, one of which is wheelchair-friendly.

What is the level of WiFi access?

At the house, we have good WiFi access throughout. There is good mobile phone connectivity in almost all places that we will visit.

Availability

As the tours are customised and exclusive, Birding Extremadura runs on a first-come, first-served basis. Spring birding holidays get booked up well in advance (at least a year ahead). There is more scope for later bookings for winter and early summer holidays. Martin can recommend other options if your preferred holiday time is already booked-up.