Catalonia and Aragon Birding Tour, North-East Spain - 8 Days

Arrival at Barcelona International Airport and transfer to the Ebro Delta (1.5 hours) for a two-night stay. We will spend two full days enjoying the variety of birds living in the Delta. Greater Flamingo, Audouin’s and Slenderbilled Gulls, Glossy Ibis, Western Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Whiskered Tern and Squacco Heron are all common sights at this extensive wetland. Along with them we will look for scarcer species such as Caspian, Gull-billed and Little Terns, Purple and Night Herons, Collared Pratincole, Penduline Tits, Iberian Reed Bunting, Moustached, Savi’s and Great Reed Warblers.

A huge number of migratory birds can be also spotted at this time of year. Curlew Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Dotterel and Marsh Sandpiper are regularly seen in the Delta.

After breakfast we will take a final look at some of the favourite spots in the Ebro Delta before transferring to Los Monegros steppe-land (1.5 hours), where we will arrive just before lunch. In the afternoon we will go in search of some of the birds living on the steppes, including Black-eared Wheatear, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Southern Grey Shrike, Short-toed Eagle, European Bee-eater, Lesser Kestrel, Calandra Lark and Montagu’s Harrier.

This will be a full day on the steppes. We will look for both Pin-tailed and Blackbellied Sandgrouse, Lesser and Greater Short-toed Larks, Stone Curlew, Little Bustard and the little-known Dupont’s Lark. After a midday stop we will visit some clay cliffs where Blue Rock Thrush, Thekla Lark, Dartford Warbler, Black Wheatear, Alpine Swift, Stock Dove, Common Rock Sparrow and Golden Eagle are to be found.

After dinner we will go on a nocturnal trip for Red-necked Nightjar, Barn, Scops and Longeared Owls.

We will spend the morning enjoying more of the steppe lands where good densities of scarce species such as Subalpine and Western Orphean Warblers, Rollers, Black-winged Kites, Little Bustards and Ortolan Buntings can be found. In the early afternoon we will arrive to our accommodation in the Pyrenees and our first views of some large raptors.

In the morning we will explore the almond and olive orchards around the Boumort NP Massif cliffs. Here we will look for a long list of birds including Hoopoe, Woodlark, Crested Lark, Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck, Golden Oriole and Rock Sparrow. Throughout the day we will see many Griffon Vultures and, among them, Lammergeiers, which soar along the cliffs and over the slopes, showing off their beautiful silhouettes. Cinerous and Egyptian Vultures are also a common sight here. Other raptors to be found include Booted and Golden Eagles, Red Kite and Honey Buzzard, which is a migrant. We arrive at our overnight hotel in the late afternoon.

Some short walks in the high mountain habitat of the Cadí-Moixeró NP will afford us some impressive species including Common Rock Thrush, Citril Finch, Water Pipit, Black Redstart, Dunnock, Northern Wheatear, Rock Bunting, Red-billed and Alpine Choughs, Common Crossbill and raptors such as Lammergeier.

At midday we will transfer to Aiguamolls de l’Empordà NP (1.5 hours). This wetland is a wonderful site to spot interesting migratory birds and a great area to capture good images of Squacco Heron, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and Black-winged Stilt.

This is a full day visiting Aiguamolls to look for scarce migratory birds. Spoonbill, Little Gull, Spotted Crake, Great Snipe, White-winged Tern and Red-throated Pipit are some of the species that can be seen. Along with them we will enjoy some resident and summer birds such as Moustached Warbler, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Hen Harrier, Mediterranean Shag, European Kingfisher and Pallid Swift.

The day ends with the final transfer to Barcelona International Airport.