Gredos
Birdwatching in Spain | Birding in Spain | Birdwatching tours in Spain
THE GREDOS MOUNTAINS AND MONFRAGÜE – 6 days
A trip to discover the rich and varied habitats and birds of these sierras and northern Extremadura
Dates: 31 May-5 June 2010
Cost per person: 1.100 Euros (single supp. 120€)
Day 1: After meeting at Madrid airport at a pre-arranged time (usually around midday) we spend the day making our way to the Gredos Mountains, stopping at various points with chances of seeing raptors such as Booted Eagle, Spanish Imperial Eagle and Montagu’s Harrier as well as Lesser Kestrel, Chough and Rock Sparrow. Depending on time, we may stop at the small medieval town of Ávila to enjoy the site of hundreds of Common Swifts coming in and out of their nest holes in the XIIth century city walls. Our final destination will be a small country hotel in one of the villages tucked away in the heart of the Northern slopes of the Gredos, our base for the next 3 nights. The Gredos Mountains, a magnificent range of granitic ridges with several peaks well above 2000 metres, divide the great central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula into the Northern and Southern Mesetas. The two faces of the mountain range are very different which, together with the dramatic changes in altitude within a short range, make for a wide diversity of habitats and wildlife in a relatively limited area.
Days 2-3-4: We spend these three days exploring the various habitats, birds and wildlife of the area of the gently rolling slopes of the northern side of the mountains where the climate is globally continental, and characterised by small Pyrenean oak woods, Scots pine forests, mountain streams, mountain pastures, heaths and scrubland where Bluethroats, Ortolan and Rock Buntings, Rock Thrushes, Skylarks and many birds of prey breed. We start our first day here with a gentle walk near the Tormes river and its valley where we can expect to see Golden Oriole, Red-rumped Swallow, Cirl Bunting, Melodious Warbler, Southern Grey and Red-backed Shrikes, Dipper and Grey Wagtail. In the afternoon we visit a nearby pine forest where we shall look for Pied Flycatcher, Crested Tit, Firecrest, Crossbill, the shy and secretive Citril Finch, and other forest dwelling species.
On our second day, we take a circular route in the car to visit a number of habitats from high mountain pasture to lowland plains and holm oak woodlands, stopping at a series of "hotspots" for a flavour of these varied landscapes and their characteristic species. We may hope to see Golden Eagle, Short-toed Eagle Honey Buzzard, Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Tawny Pipit, Crested and Thekla Larks, Subalpine Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Griffon and Black Vulture, and many more.
The third day is spent exploring the higher grounds of the mountains where we will be enchanted by the harsh landscape of huge granitic slabs, boulders and screes covered in fluorescent green lichen, witnesses of the past glacial era. This and the surrounding area home to a interesting variety of amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and flora. Healthy populations of Bluethroat, Ortolan Bunting and Dartford Warbler breed here in the low-growing broom scrub, and Yellow Wagtail, Water Pipit, Northern Wheatear, Skylark may be seen in the subalpine meadows. We can expect to see Vultures and other raptors fly overhead.
The Spanish Ibex lives in these mountains in large numbers and we shall stand a good chance of admiring these beautiful animals. The terrain on these upper grounds is a little bit rugged and can be steep and therefore walking on this third day will be more strenuous than on other days. However, the pace will be slow and there will be plenty of time to stop and rest as we go. In the afternoon we shall drive down the Southern slopes of the mountain range, through terraced plantations of olive, cherry and fig trees, cluster pines and sweet chestnut trees, finally reaching the wide open country of the plains of Extremadura studded with cork and western holm oaks, the so-called Dehesas. The climate here is Mediterranean and temperatures will be high. However, a nice cool drink in the hotel’s patio in the evening will help us cope with the heat.
Day 5: After an early start we spend the morning on the shores of the nearby 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 among many others. Great Reed Warbler, Savi’s Warbler and Fan-tailed Warbler also breed here. Having rested at our hotel during the hottest hours of the day, we set off again in the late afternoon to explore the National Park of Monfragüe where we may hope to add sightings of Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Eagle Owl, Black Stork, Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush among others.
Day 6: We return to Madrid with possibilities of various stops along the way depending on time and birds that remain to be seen. We aim to be at Madrid airport by 14.00 hours.
