Spain - the grand tour

There is no other Mediterranean country that offers such a wealth of birdwatching as Spain. This new 14-day tour is designed to take in the very best birdwatching this country can provide, at a relaxed pace.

We will travel the entire length of this sun-drenched country, beginning on the shores of the Mediterranean at the point where Europe almost touches Africa and where returning spring migrants will be flooding back to their breeding grounds. We will visit the fragile wilderness of the famous Coto Doñana to look for its equally famous residents such as Greater Flamingo and White-headed Duck. There will be vast open plains to wander across where Great Bustards still gather and mighty Spanish Imperial Eagles drift overhead. We will seek out the elusive Dupont's Lark in its steppe-like home and pass through ancient villages apparently frozen in time. Finally we will climb to the to the lofty heights of the Pyrenees, haunt of Lammergeier and Wallcreeper.

There will be shady picnics, delicious local meals all washed down with good Spanish wine and plenty of opportunities to sample the unique Spanish way of life.

Saturday 12 April to Friday 25 April

with James Lidster as leader.

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Day 1: The tour commences with an early morning flight from London to Malaga from where we will drive to Ronda. After checking in to our hotel we will begin our tour in earnest with some birdwatching around the spectacular Ronda Gorge where Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Chough and Rock Sparrow all breed. Night in Ronda.

Day 2: Before breakfast there will be another chance to look at the gorge which can be full of singing Nightingales and Cetti's Warblers, while the surrounding roof tops make ideal song posts for Spotless Starlings and Serins. After breakfast we will check out some other gorges and cork oak woodlands in the area where new species could include Black Wheatear, Melodious and Subalpine Warblers, and Cirl Bunting. After lunch we will take the mountain road south towards Algeciras and Tarifa. Along the way we will start to encounter our first large raptors with Griffon Vultures and Booted Eagles over the wooded hillsides and Montagu's Harriers in the more open areas. If time allows there will be a chance for some birdwatching close to our hotel. Night near Tarifa.

Day 3: Before breakfast there will be a short excursion to a nearby viewpoint that has Crested Larks and Sardinian Warblers present nearby. From here we will see why this area is so good for migrating raptors and storks, as the Moroccan coastline is just 10km away across the Straits of Gibraltar, closer at this point than at Gibraltar itself. We will return to the hotel for breakfast and then explore the northern end of Tarifa Beach. A small creek reaches the sea here, and the adjacent dune slacks may produce Cattle Egret, Short-toed Lark, and Fan-tailed Warbler. The beach itself is good for Audouin's and Yellow-legged Gulls while waders on the pools should include Kentish and Grey Plovers, and Little Stint. After lunch at the hotel we will head to a raptor migration viewpoint. Raptor passage can be strongly affected by the wind strength and direction, but even on quiet days hundreds of Black Kites can be seen along with smaller numbers of Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, and Marsh Harrier. It's not just birds of prey which can be seen here either, as parties of White and Black Storks may soar over, and it is not unusual for Gannets to join a kettle of raptors, or to see a Black Kite being harassed by a Great Skua! We will also have time to explore a nearby creek where Red-rumped Swallows collect mud for their nests, Woodchat Shrikes are common and every bush seems to hold a Corn Bunting or Nightingale. Night near Tarifa.

Day 4: After breakfast we will start our journey towards the famous Coto Doñana stopping en route to picnic at one of the many lagoons around Cadiz and Jerez. These lagoons are very susceptible to drought but many of the larger ones are home to Black-necked Grebe, White-headed Duck, and Crested Coot while the surrounding farmland and scrub holds Turtle Dove, Hoopoe, and Melodious Warbler. Travelling on to Doñana we should reach our hotel, which sits alongside an area of flooded marismas, in the late afternoon. Night at El Rocio.

Days 5-6: The Coto Doñana has been described as one of Europe's last great wilderness areas and we will spend two days exploring its mosaic of habitats. There are two information centres close to our hotel, each with walks through pine forests and reedbed scrub, and hides overlooking enclosed lagoons. Here we should see some of the region's specialities such as Red-crested Pochard, Marbled Duck and Purple Swamphen as well as a variety of herons, waders and warblers. One day we will have a picnic lunch and share our site with arguably the world's tamest Azure-winged Magpies.

A third visitor centre is situated in the north of the Park, and we will spend a day following a maze of farm tracks that pass through bird-rich areas where it is possible to see over a hundred species in a day. Fields with grazing livestock may have flocks of Collared Pratincoles and European Bee-eaters hawking overhead while others will contain Lesser Short-toed, Short-toed and Crested Larks, Spanish Sparrow and the iberiae race of Yellow Wagtail. As we approach the large areas of wet marismas, where Purple Herons are common, we will no doubt encounter flocks of Whiskered Terns, and hear the ubiquitous grating song of Great Reed Warblers, and the strange squawks of Gull-billed Terns calling overhead. We will take a well-earned coffee and ice cream break at the information centre while watching Greater Flamingos, Spoonbills, and Glossy Ibis, and keeping our eyes open for hunting kites and harriers. Nights at El Rocio.

Day 7: Before breakfast there will be another chance to explore the lagoon at El Rocio where Savi's Warblers 'reel' from the reedbeds and the fluty calls of Golden Orioles may be heard as they fly over. After breakfast we will leave the wetlands of Doñana behind and head towards the rolling plains and wooded ridges of Extremadura. En route we will stop to picnic in an area of woodland home to such species as Crested Tit and the recently split Iberian Chiffchaff. Shortly before arriving at our hotel in Torrejon el Rubio we will make a stop at a good site for Black-shouldered Kite. Night at Torrejon el Rubio.

Days 8-9: We will spend two days exploring the Monfragüe National Park and the Belen Steppes. In the Park we will hope to see many species of raptor including Black Vulture and Spanish Imperial and Bonelli's Eagles. We will spend some time in the numerous rocky 'arroyos' and small cultivated fields looking for Thekla Lark, Subalpine, Orphean and Bonelli's Warblers, Hawfinch, and Rock Bunting. Short excursions will be made to the Belen Steppes where we should see both Great and Little Bustards, Roller and Southern Grey Shrike, and possibly Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Areas of scattered cork oaks are good spots for Great Spotted Cuckoo, while the fields of wild flowers echo to the calls of Quail and singing larks, including the impressive Calandra. On one day we will have lunch in the picturesque town of Trujillo, where White Storks nest on each rooftop, Lesser Kestrels circle over their nest sites and small numbers of Pallid Swifts can be found among the many Common Swifts. On one evening we will try for Eagle Owl, which is often visible before dark, unlike the Red-necked Nightjars which always wait for dusk before showing themselves, and which we may encounter on the return drive to the hotel. Nights at Torrejon el Rubio.

Day 10: After breakfast we will drive east keeping an eye out on the way for raptors and bustards. With several birdwatching stops en route we hope to arrive in Zaragoza by mid afternoon. Night at Zaragoza.

Day 11: The wide open steppe-like plains here are home to one of Europe's mythical birds - Dupont's Lark. Found only in Spain and North Africa, this bird performs its remarkable aerial display only at dawn, and we have to be there then in order to see it. However, as the sun rises over this classic Spanish landscape, there will be other species to search for including Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. After a picnic lunch we will drive north to the pre-Pyrenean town of Jaca, and there will be chance to check a nearby quarry which sometimes holds a late wintering Wallcreeper. The local park outside our hotel has breeding Firecrests and very vocal Scops Owls. Night at Jaca.

Days 12-13: We will spend two full days exploring the high tops of the Pyrenees that are home to such wonderful birds as Lammergeier, Golden Eagle, Alpine Chough, Water Pipit, Alpine Accentor, and Rock Thrush. In nearby woodland, we should find Black Woodpecker, Citril Finch, and both European species of treecreeper, and we will have our picnic just over the French border, at a site known for its isolated population of White-backed Woodpeckers. Nights at Jaca.

Day 14: There will be another chance for a pre-breakfast trip to look for Wallcreeper, and after breakfast we will drive south to Madrid in time to catch our return flight to London where the tour ends.

Cost £1790

Single Room Supplement £120

Maximum group size: 14 participants and 2 leaders.

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