Gredos

Birds of Paradors (7 days)

A special trip to discover not just Spain's birds and wildlife but also its historic and cultural heritage.

Dates: 6 - 12 April 2008

The first National Parador, the Parador of the Gredos Mountains, was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII in 1928, since when a network of Paradors has been developed through the restoration and preservation of castles, palaces, and convents - monuments representative of Spain's historic and cultural heritage. One feels privileged and transported in time when staying in a Parador.

For this tour, we have selected four Paradors that fit perfectly into an exciting birding itinerary. Our route will be as follows:

Day 1 : We meet at Madrid airport, usually at 14:00 hours and drive to the Gredos mountains. This is a three hour journey with a short stop en route to stretch our legs. We shall settle in at the Parador of the Sierra de Gredos, situated in the beautiful pine forest of the northern slopes of the Gredos Mountains and, after a well-deserved rest, take an evening walk in the woods where we hope to see a variety of occasionally elusive forest species including Crested Tit, Common Crossbill, Gold and Firecrest and Citril Finch. Many of these species can be seen from the Parador itself.

Night One at the Parador de Gredos.

Day 2 : The Gredos Mountains Range, often described as Spain's back-bone, divides the great central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. They form the frontier between the harsher continental conditions to the north and the milder Mediterranean climate to the south, giving rise to a rewarding diversity of wildlife in a relatively limited area. We hope to spend the entire day exploring the various habitats and wildlife on the gently rolling slopes of the northern side of the mountains characterised by small oak woods, Scots pine forests, mountain streams and valleys, mountain pastures, heaths and scrubland where Bluethroats, Ortolan and Rock Buntings, Dartford Warblers, Dippers, Rock Thrushes, Skylarks, Tawny Pipit and many birds of prey breed.

Night Two at the Parador de Gredos.

Day 3 : We leave the Parador and after stopping at various interesting birding spots, drive across one of the main passes which cuts through the mountain range, making our way towards the southern plateau, travelling through terraced plantations of olive, cherry, and fig trees through cluster pine and sweet chestnut trees, finally reaching our next destination, the Parador de Jarandilla de la Vera. Throughout the day, we can expect to see beautiful birds such as Bee-eaters, Azure-winged Magpies, Sub-alpine Warblers, Black and Red Kite, Booted Eagles and many more. We aim to reach the Parador in the early afternoon for a chance to rest and go for an evening walk in this beautiful area.

Night Three at Parador de Jarandilla de la Vera.

Day 4 : We leave Jarandilla de la Vera where we spend only one night and head directly towards the Arrocampo Reservoir which has an interesting community of wetland birds such as Purple Gallinule, Little Bittern, Night and Purple Heron, and various species of egrets and Savi's Warbler among many others. We then travel through the beautiful surrounding dehesas in search of their typical birds such as the Hoopoe, various species of Larks, Great-spotted Cuckoos, Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrikes and the elusive Black-shouldered Kite. The dehesas are wide open plains and rolling hills studded with cork and western holm oaks and a myriad of wild flowers. They are the result of centuries of interaction between man, cattle, and the Mediterranean forest. Supporting rich wildlife they are of great ecological importance. Our final destination of the day is the Parador de Plasencia, located in the town of the same name. This small town, a declared historic and artistic complex, is certainly worth a visit. It has important colonies of White Storks and Common Swift, and the Lesser Kestrel is found on the roofs of some old buildings.

Night Four at Parador de Plasencia.

Day 5 : The day will be spent in the National Park of Monfragüe. This reserve is a magnificent remnant of the scarce genuine Mediterranean forest and scrubland where evergreen oaks, strawberry, turpentine, and wild olive trees thrive. This thick vegetation provides an ideal breeding habitat for the Spanish Imperial Eagle, one of the most endangered raptors in the world, and for the Black Vulture which is abundant in the area. On and around impressive rocky outcrops scattered through the park, Griffon and Egyptian vultures, Bonelli's and Golden Eagles, Eagle Owl and many other raptors can be found as well as Choughs, Alpine Swifts, Blue Rock Thrush, and the shy and rare Black Stork. Monfragüe is one of the best sites in Europe from which to observe raptors. Sardinian, Sub-alpine and Dartford Warblers are often seen in bushes of rock roses and daphne.

Night Five at the Parador de Plasencia.

Day 6 : We head south towards the town of Trujillo and spend the morning in the surrounding plains, the Spanish Steppes. These sustain an amazing variety of birds and have important populations of Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Spanish Sparrows, Calandra and other Larks, as well as a variety of birds of prey and waterbirds which gather at small wetland areas. Although some of the birds mentioned are difficult to see, we shall undoubtedly have a productive day. In the afternoon, we return slowly back north through beautiful habitats of Griffon, Black and Egyptian Vultures, Short-toed Eagles, Black-shouldered Kite and many more. We finally reach the Parador of Oropesa, a handsome medieval castle with spectacular views over the surrounding plains with the Gredos Mountains in the background.

Night Six at the Parador de Oropesa.

Day 7 : On our last morning there will be an optional outing through the nearby plains and reservoirs for a final chance of seeing the local birds before heading off to Madrid.

Some may prefer to spend a leisurely morning in this beautiful Parador, watching from the hotel the acrobatics of the hundreds of Common Swifts as well as many Swallows, Martins, and Jackdaws. The local Ermita (church) also has an interesting colony of Lesser Kestrels.

We drive back to Madrid airport aiming to be there at 15:00 hours.

For a more detailed description of the Paradors you can visit: www.parador.es

Cost per person : 1450 Euros (single supplement: 300Euros)

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