The Birdbox - birding in Spain: trip reports and photos

5 June 2007 - Photo Gallery (Spain Birding, 1-4 June 2007)

"You are certainly in one of the best areas in Spain for birding and that Ebro Delta is one of the best birding spots in Europe as well!  All the best and I wish you continued success."
Derek Charles

These photos were taken by Derek Charles and Phillip West (Ortolan Bunting and 'spanish' Yellow Wagtail) whilst on a four day spain birding holiday with their companion, Ian Graham, in June 2007.

We visited the Ebro Delta, the Steppes (Lleida and Los Monegros), the Pyrenees, Llobregat Delta and the Garraf Massif.  A full check list of 167 species is below but here are some of the highlights strung together with a few thoughts about the birds they saw...


"We encountered a flock of these stunning waders in the dunes at the Ebro. They would shuffle along, take off calling, fly round us and land in nearly the same spot, you could watch them all day."



"With its huge legs and feet you wonder how they stay afloat on the tiniest bit of vegatition. A prehistoric Moorhen!"

"An underated Heron and definitely worth more than the usual "Its a Cattle Egret, tick, we don't need to look at anymore this trip."



"At the beach at the Ebro Delta family parties of this plover play hide and seek with the holiday makers!"

"Very confiding on the sand bars of the Ebro, that bill makes it much more than a white headed Black- headed Gull!"



"Just a few years ago we were calling these birds yellow-legged Herring Gulls.  How wrong we were.

"Its a delight to watch small flocks of this heron in flight with their rakish action."



"One of the most majestic of the many birds of prey you encounter in Catalonia." [This bird is so red it could almost be a hybrid with a Red Kite...Ed]

"In fantastic morning light we stalked a bird using the car until we were literally feet away!"



"One of the Spanish specialities which was easily found on the Lleida steps."



"This beast of the Pyreenees put on a show for us. It would pick up a bone, struggle as high as he could with it and drop it on the rocks below. We watched him do it at least 10 times!"

"We found a male at the top of a mountain in the Pyrenees. In European terms the setting could not have been better and undoubtedly was in the running for bird of the trip."



"One of the biggest surprises of the trip. Field guides do not do this high mountain finch justice, an absolute delight and confiding too."

"Common in the Pyreenees and so different from home when you can spend hours searching for a flock. In the Pyrenees they are just there!"



"One of Phillip looking for the bar...

and he still managed to snap this early morning surprise in the Garraf the next day."



"Its all been said before about this Mediterranean speciality but to be in Catalonia on a summers day watching and listening to these acrobats takes a lot of beating. Stunning birds."

"This fine wagtail led to the discovery that Phillip could digi-scope!"



Click here if you want to view Derek Charles' Website.


Check List:


Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe Cormorant Shag Little Bittern
Night Heron Squacco Heron Cattle Egret Little Egret Great Egret
Grey Heron Purple Heron Glossy Ibis Spoonbill Greater Flamingo
White Stork Shelduck Gadwall Mallard Pintail
Garganey Red-crested Pochard Black Kite Lammergeier Griffon Vulture
Short-toed Eagle Marsh Harrier Montagu's Harrier Buzzard Golden Eagle
Booted Eagle Lesser Kestrel Kestrel Hobby Red-footed falcon
Peregrine Red-legged Partridge Quail Moorhen Purple Swamphen
Coot Little Bustard Collared Pratincole Oystercatcher Black-winged Stilt
Avocet Stone-curlew Kentish Plover Grey Plover Sanderling
Redshank Dunlin Mediterranean Gull Black-headed Gull Slender-billed Gull
Audouin's Gull Yellow-legged Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Gul-billed Tern Caspian Tern
Sandwich Tern Common Tern Little Tern Whiskered Tern Black Tern
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Feral Pigeon Stock Dove Wood Pigeon Collared Dove
Turtle Dove Monk Parakeet Great Spotted Cuckoo Cuckoo Little Owl
Nightjar Red-necked Nightjar Common Swift Pallid Swift Alpine Swift
Bee-eater Roller Hoopoe Black Woodpecker Great Spotted Woodpecker
Calandra Lark Short-toed Lark Lesser Short-toed Lark Crested Lark Thekla Lark
Woodlark Skylark Sand Martin Crag Martin Swallow
House Martin Tawny Pipit Water Pipit Yellow Wagtail Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail Wren Dunnock Robin Nightingale
Black Redstart Northern Wheatear Black-eared Wheatear Black Wheatear Stonechat
Rock Thrush Blue Rock Thrush Blackbird Song Thrush Mistle Thrush
Cetti's Warbler Fan-tailed Warbler Savi's Warbler Reed Warbler Great Reed Warbler
Melodious Warbler Dartford Warbler Sub-alpine Warbler Sardinian Warbler Whitethroat
Blackcap Bonelli's Warbler Chiffchaff Goldcrest Firecrest
Spotted Flycatcher Long-tailed Tit Penduline Tit Crested Tit Coal Tit
Blue Tit Great Tit Nuthatch Short-toed Treecreeper Golden Oriole
Southern Grey Shrike Woodchat Shrike Red-backed Shrike Jay Magpie
Red-billed Chough Alpine Chough Jackdaw Carrion Crow Raven
Starling Spotless Starling House Sparrow Tree Sparrow Chaffinch
Serin Citril Finch Greenfinch Goldfinch Linnet
Crossbill Yellowhammer Cirl Bunting Rock Bunting Ortolan Bunting
Reed Bunting Corn Bunting      
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About Me

I now spend my life birding in Spain, taking every opportunity to head out on my own even when not working as a professional bird guide. Most of the birding trip reports and photos will be from my local patch, The Garraf Massif and Llobregat Delta around Barcelona, but I also visit The Ebro Delta, The Steppes of Lleida, Los Monegros, The Pyrenees, Cap de Creus and Aiguamolls de L'Emporda. Please e-mail me if you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this blog and I'd be happy to help with information if you're planning a bit of Spain birding your self. If you're looking for birding holidays, short breaks and day tours in Catalonia, for families and serious birders, details can be found at www.catalanbirdtours.com.

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