BirdingInSpain

From the end of February to mid-May BirdingInSpain will have been directly responsible for filling at least 100 hotel bed nights in the Montsec area. That might not sound like much, but it is 100 more than nothing, which is approximately what there would have been without our interest in promoting birding in the area.

100 is the figure that we can count, because we have had direct dealings with it. Then there are the “unseen ones”, birders or their families who have used the information on itineraries and places to stay on the BirdingInSpain.com website and have gone ahead and put together their own holiday. Hopefully their number will grow in coming years.

For such birders, and other users of the website, we have a simple request: when you book your accommodation following the “looking for the best accommodation?” links it will really do birding and conservation a great service if you let the proprietors know why you are coming (birding) and how you found them (through the BIS website) . If local people, establishments and tourism entities see that people are coming to birdwatch it will give a great boost to conservation efforts: birds can bring money to the local economy and so they and their habitats should be protected and respected.

Unlike other local birding “enterprises”, BirdingInSpain.com has not received a cent of public funding. So every birder that comes to Montsec through us is a net contributor to the local economy.

Not a bird photographer myself. Would like to be (who wouldn’t?) but just haven’t got the patience. Sitting quietly in the same spot and waiting for that precious moment is rather too much like fishing for me.

But I admire the people who do it, especially if they achieve excellent results.  Right now two very accomplished bird photographers, Joan Gil from Valencia and Jan-Michael Breider from Sweden (see their respective websites) are in the drylands of Lleida capturing some great images of displaying Little Bustards and other avian gems.

A few days ago they were with me couped up in little hides (them, not me) and busy photographing Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture if you prefer), Griffon Vulture and Black Vulture (3 different birds – nice surprise!) in the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida.

They are the first participants of a specialist’s photographic trip to these parts organised by BirdingInSpain.com, Jordi Bas (a renowned bird photographer) and CastellsdeLleida (a local travel agent) in order to photograph these difficult and emblematic species. And anything else that falls within the reach of their lenses (like Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Bonelli’s Warbler and others).

In view of this year’s success we’ll be looking to make this tour a regular fixture. I look forward to seeing the results shortly, and if the photographers let me I will try to show the birding public some of their results.

During my recent northeast Spain birding trip with a Swiss group we stayed at the Rincón del Cierzo, Lécera (only 20 minutes from the Dupont’s Larks). The location is ideal, the hotel was good, clean and the food just right. And the service was friendly – with real smiles.

Just before we left Olga, the proprietor, handed me a card which she had been given the week before by a couple of British birders. On it I read “The Biggest Twitch” and the names Alan Davies and Ruth Miller. When I got home I checked them out. See their story for yourselves at www.thebiggesttwitch.com  (I wonder if they have problems with that double “t”).

It would have been nice to bump into them, but alas it could not be. Apparently they lucked upon the hotel. There’s no reason for you to do the same, as the BirdingInSpain.com website has a direct link to the hotel’s website where you can see the details for yourself.

It’s there, use it!

A quick breather between tours. And so a quick note on some of the birds just seen on a birding tour organised by BirdingInSpain.com for Beat Ruegger, a well-known Swiss birder and tour leader for Liberty Bird.

The route: Barcelona – Ebro Delta – Lleida – Belchite – Plan in the Pyrenees of Aragón. All in northeast Spain.

The dates: from 12th to 20th April

The tour participants: a total of 14 birders, including myself and Beat Ruegger as the bird guides.

The numbers: 196 bird species detected, in spite of 2 days strong winds and 2 days of rain (we really need rain here in Catalonia so I won’t complain!).

What’s behind the numbers: we managed to see all of the special target birds the group was interested in seeing. And there were quite a few pleasant surprises along the way. And quality encounters all through.

Some of the birds:

No fewer than 6 Dupont’s larks were seen (yes, seen!) on the Belchite steppes, including 2 parent larks with 2 young Dupont Lark offspring. Additionally, two singing Dupont’s Larks allowed themselves to be watched at leisure by all in the birding group.

16 Lammergeiers (not a total, but all at once!) in the sky in the Ordesa National Park. And scenery to remember for a long time.

A last-minute Wallcreeper on the edge of the village of Plan, after we were turned back by the snow when trying to reach a known site for this incredible bird. In the same place as two Alpine Accentors the previous day!

About a dozen male Little Bustards fighting, chasing and displaying on the drylands of Lleida on a pre-breakfast outing.

A pair of Bonelli’s Eagles drifting over our heads in Montsec.

Then the surprises: a Baillon’s Crake watched at leisure in the Ebro Delta on the 12th April (what a way to start! Could we keep it up?).

A Red-necked Nightjar on the second day, again in the Ebro Delta. This time while we were eating our picnic lunches!

A Broad-billed Sandpiper in the Ebro Delta just before we made our way inland towards Lleida.

A Ring Ouzel in the Montsec range in the morning (only the third I’ve seen in the area after more than 15 years of regular birding around Lleida). Then a Red-necked Phalarope at an inland lake in the afternoon. Too much!

Two days later there was a late Crane by the River Ebro to the south of Zaragoza. And on the last day an early Ortolan Bunting on the edge of Plan.

One day all birding trips will be made this way!

April is here, almost, and bird tours and their guides are already roaming the countryside here in northeast Spain.

I’m going to be busy this month, but as a dutiful blogger I will have to keep up a minimum input before my silent viewers give up on me and turn elsewhere. So a quick note of the last few days out birding with a couple of English birders (father and son in fact).

The chosen accommodation was La Garbinada rural hotel (see the drylands of Lleida itinerary recommended accommodation on the BirdingInSpain.com website). It’s a real rural retreat, so don’t go looking for pubs or discos here: nightlife is strictly for the owls! (and perhaps nightjars around May). Good food, nice hotel and access to the drylands to the south of Lleida, some interesting inland water bodies and about 50 minutes from the eastern Monegros.

On the first day we did a quick tour of the Alfés drylands, chalking up the following sightings:

3+ Red-rumped Swallows

2 Black Wheatears

2 Black-eared Wheatears

6 Great Spotted Cuckoos

2 Dotterel

2 Golden Eagles

1 Hen Harrier

Stone Curlew, Calandra Lark, Short-toed Lark, Egyptian Vulture, Red Kite, Thekla Lark, Woodlark, Blue Rock Thrush, etc.

On the afternoon of the first day and the morning of the second we visited two different water bodies near Lleida:

Purple Gallinule

6 Bluethroats

1 Moustached Warbler

1 Savi’s Warbler

Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Garganey, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Cattle Egret, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Penduline Tit and a looong etcetera.

Day 2 was spent mostly visiting the Congost de Mont-rebei (see the Montsec itineraries) where the main targets were Wallcreeper and Lammergeier. End result: Wallcreeper 1, Lammergeier 0, which we were perfectly happy with. Apart from the splendid walk, great weather and scenery we also managed to see Rock Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Dipper, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, lots of Black Redstarts and co.

On the way back Lesser Kestrels, 7 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlews and a single Golden Plover.

Day 3 was spent in Aragón (Alcolea and Candasnos itinerary). The obligatory wetland stop produced Garganey, excellent views of about 10 Marsh Harriers, 6+ Black-necked Grebes, c.30 Red-crested Pochards and more Stone Curlews.

Spectacled Warbler, Yellow Wagtail and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (my bird of the day), Great Spotted Cuckoos, a juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle and another Golden Eagle and two more Stone Curlews before lunch.

Then Lesser Short-toed larks, another Great Spotted Cuckoo or two and back to Lleida in time to catch the train. Not before finishing off with close up views of 11 Little Bustards. And another Stone Curlew or two!

That’s not exactly true, because Jim (a fellow birder from Japan) and I didn’t make it into the Pyrenees, we only got as far as Montsec.

However, by following the Montroig itinerary as shown on the Birding In Spain website we actually got the Pyrenees to come to the plains. How? Well, that’s a metaphor of course, but when you see about 10 Alpine Accentors a few minutes after seeing a few Black Wheatears the birder in you asks, where am I? In the Pyrenees? On the plains?

The morning’s birding had been great on the plains around Alfés, with 4 Great Spotted Cuckoos, about 30 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, 18 Little Bustard, Calandra Larks asong, a Golden Eagle, a Hen Harrier, 2 Merlins and, with no disrespect intended for those not mentioned, etc.

And not to forget 2 Red-rumped Swallows (early or what?), an out-of-range Bullfinch and an obliging pair of Black Wheatears (on the plains).

The afternoon made us work harder but Penduline Tit, Rock Bunting and Stone Curlew provided those little heart palpitations that birders seem to crave so much.

We’re off to the Llobregat delta tomorrow. It’s a bit harder for the Pyrenees to follow us there, unless the Walcreeper’s still on those cliffs at Garraf!

Anyone birding the Spanish Pyrenees should know what part of the mountains he or she will be birding: Navarra, Aragon or Catalonia? This apparently simplistic approach will help the birder choose the most suitable accommodation for his birding trip to the Pyrenees.

In other words, driving is not birding. If you are interested in getting to grips with the birds of the Pyrenees then look for rural accommodation in a valley where you can see most or all of the birds you are interested in. Otherwise choose a home base which is well situated for access to several birding sites in the Pyrenees.

My first birding trip abroad was to the Spanish Pyrenees, way back in the spring of 1983 (25 years already! Aaggh!). I was an ecology student on a shoestring budget and my now aching bones then made no complaints about sleeping in the minibus, tucked inside my sleeping bag on the dewy grass, on the tiled floor of a campsite shower-room, etc.

Luckily my personal finances have improved and in some way compensate for the deterioration in my physical and mental resistance to those conditions that I would no longer be willing to put up with! I can now afford to stay in hotels with beds, clean linen and showers and all that. I can even choose which kind of accommodation most suits my needs!

I also ended up living in northeast Spain, just a little to the south of the Pyrenees. And leading and designing bird tours, establishing birding itineraries and choosing the most suitable birding accommodation for my birding groups.

That’s why I feel qualified to give birders advice about birding accommodation in the Spanish Pyrenees. Firstly, look at the BirdingInSpain.com sites and itineraries section and decide what part of the Pyrenees you want to visit (probably dictated by birds and travel plans).

Want to see the White-backed Woodpecker? You have to go to Iratí in Navarra, and so why stay 100 kilometres away? Slow down, take it easy, enjoy the scenery and the birds and follow the accommodation links on the same page as the place you want to be birding.

If you’re dead keen on seeing the Wallcreeper then you’d probably choose the Hecho Valley. If so why stay in Jaca when you can stay in the Hecho Valley itself? Get out of the car! Walk! Breathe some fresh air, and stay at a local hotel in the Pyrenees themselves and not on the plains!

Do you want accommodation in the best part of the Pyrenees for Lammergeier? Look at the accommodation near the village of Aínsa in the Ordesa and Aínsa – Gistaín sections.

Are you planning a visit to the Catalan Pyrenees? Then your accommodation is waiting for you to find it in the Aigüestortes west and east itineraries.

Birdinginspain.com recommended accommodation is there to help you make the right choice, because we know how important your birding holiday is.

SO you’re planning a birding trip or bird tour to the Ebro Delta and you’ve been searching the internet for some suitable accommodation?

You’re looking for en-suite rooms, in a clean, attractive, well-kept and efficiently run establishment, close to where the birds are?

Something with local character, as long as you don’t have to pay through the nose for it?

Somewhere with a relaxed atmosphere and in attractive settings?

What took you so long to find us? Birdinginspain.com has been showing fellow birders around northeast Spain (Catalonia and Aragon) since 1996 and has enough experience of hotels to know which establishments offering accommodation are the ones that birders would choose if they knew about them.

If you look at the Ebro Delta itineraries on the Birdinginspain.com website you’ll see our two choices for this great birding hotspot: the Delta Hotel and Lo Moli de Rosquilles.

The Delta Hotel is a family-run, single storey 3-star hotel on the northern side of the River Ebro. It’s ideal accommodation for birders with families (pool, lounge, nice grounds etc. – we stayed there with our kids in August 2006) and also for those who are keen to start birding within a short distance of the hotel. They also serve excellent fish and seafood-based local dishes (my wife’s favourite is the black rice).

Lo Moli de Rosquilles is not in the delta itself, but is ideally situated for birding both the Ebro Delta and els Ports massif (an unbeatable combination of birds and scenery). It’s rural accommodation at its best, its heart being a restored olive mill. If you’re birding, but also have a soft spot for local tradition and history, then this is the place for you.

Inland, a 45-minute drive more or less from the northern half of the Ebro Delta, is the Casa Ecológica in the remote and peaceful village of La Fatarella. It’s more of a hostal than a hotel, which makes it a more economical proposal for those who have to keep an eye on what they’re spending, although there are also 6 twin or double rooms available for more personal or intimate accommodation. The building is made of the local stone, and Black Wheatears can be found just down the road!

But don’t take my word for it, have a look for yourself.

Birders planning a trip to Spain, either to northeast Spain or elsewhere in this large and varied country, don’t only want to know where the most interesting birds are, ie. the best birding sites, but also where to stay when they are looking for the birds.

If planning a birding trip to northeast Spain then the whereabouts of those most wanted birds are well explained in “Where the birds are in northeast Spain”. Now you have knowledge of the birds, but what’s the next step? Well, choose which birding site or area is most suitable for you and then look for some suitable accommodation. But what kind of accommodation (by the way accommodation is spelt with two c’s and two m’s, and not “accomodation”)?

I often receive or see requests from foreign birders about suitable campsites, or else on trip reports read how the group stayed in a 3.star hotel in the middle of this city or town or another. My experience of birding in Spain, and tour leading too, tells me that these birders are looking in the wrong direction.

Most interesting birds are in rural areas. So why stay in a city? The traffic, the hassle of finding the hotel, the surroundings…you usually can’t just get up in the morning and start birding around the hotel grounds if you are staying in a city hotel. I’ll admit some of these establishments can be quite plush, adding however that most of them lack in local character. They don’t give you a feeling for the place you are visiting.

Campsites? OK for students on a tight budget, is that what you are?

So for me the best birding hotel in Spain is a small rural hotel, within easy reach of the sites you want to bird, with charm and character, and at a price that is usually very affordable. If you bird with Swarovskis or Leicas then why are you looking for campsites?

If you don’t know how to find these small rural hotels, the recommended accommodation for birders coming to northeast Spain, then obviously you haven’t seen or paid attention to the recommended accommodation on the Birdinginspain.com web page. Of course you are free to ignore this advice – after all it’s your holiday (and your pocket).

… (continued)
Rocky headlands or massifs like Cap de Creus, the Serra de Montgrí, Garraf and the Ports de Beseit are within the coast-hugger`s easy reach, and may complement the visitor`s list with the likes of Bonelli`s Eagle, Pallid Swift, Black Wheatear, Orphean Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush or the more localised Ortolan Bunting or Red-rumped Swallow.
If we head inland following the course of the Ebro we will get to the Ebro Valley steppes, remainders of which still survive within the confines of Catalonia in the vicinity of the city of Lleida. Open flat terrain in this dry area with a continental type climate is home to Catalonia`s last Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Little Bustard (at surprisingly high densities), 6 species of lark, Montagu`s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Roller, Red-necked Nightjar, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Stone Curlew, etc. This is also the last stronghold of the Lesser Grey Shrike in the whole of Spain.

At barely an hour`s drive to the north of Lleida we will reach Montsec, a fine and impressive example of a pre-Pyrenean range with Griffon Vultures, Lammergeiers, Rock Thrush, Tawny Pipit and Ortolan Bunting among others. Like its cousin Boumort, this is a largely depopulated area which the unwary tourist will usually pass by in a rush to reach the high Pyrenees – don`t be an unwary tourist!
Nevertheless, the Catalan high Pyrenees are a worthy attraction, holding all the species that can be seen in the Pyrenees of neighbouring Aragón, some scarcer, some more common. Although finding a Snowfinch here in the breeding season is a real challenge, other species such as Capercaillie, Tengmalm`s Owl, Ptarmigan and Citril Finch are more numerous here than further west. In the Val d`Aran, the only Spanish valley with an Atlantic watershed, breeding Middle-spotted, Lesser-spotted and Black Woodpeckers are worthy of note. Plan a visit to the beautiful Aigüestortes National Park, the Serra del Cadí or the Núria Valley to see other mountain specialities such as Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Lammergeier, Alpine Chough or Ring Ouzel. And don`t forget to relax now and then and smell the flowers!