Oliva Rama Holidays
The Pyrenees & N/E Spain
March 21st - 30th 2008 Cost - £990/€1350 (inc flights)
Early Spring is an excellent time to visit these areas as some of the specialist high montane species are still around their wintering quarters in the lower valleys. Migrants will also feature strongly as a lot of the early returning birds will have set up their territories and will be in full song. The area's to be explored will include the High & pre-Pyrenees, Belchite Plains, Monegros, and the excellent Ebro Delta, looking for:- Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Lammergeier, Little & Great Bustard, Audouin's & Slender billed Gulls, Caspian Tern, Pin-tailed & Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Black Woodpecker, Dupont's Lark, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Alpine Accentor, Wallcreeper, & Snow Finch.
March 21st :- After your local flight into Valencia you will be met by your guide at the airport and taken to our guesthouse in Oliva from where the next morning we will start the holiday. This ensures that any delays in flights etc. will not unduly impeach on the main part of the holiday and will also give us a chance to do some local birdwatching in the hope of finding one of two species unlikely to be seen during the rest of the week, such as Spotted Crake, Bluethroat, Water Pipit, Savi's & Moustached Warbler. An evening meal at an excellent local restaurant will give us a chance to discuss the week ahead and get to know one another before setting off.
March 22nd :- As soon as we have had breakfast and loaded the vehicle we will head north towards Zaragoza, and with the excellent road system this should not take too long. A lunch stop around Blancas should bring our first Griffon Vultures, Red & Black Kites, Rock Sparrows, Thekla & Calandra Larks. A detour to the Gallacanta Lake area should produce a few lingering Common Cranes and possibly Great Bustard, Marsh & Hen Harrier. We will then continue to our hotel south of Belchite and after we have checked in and freshened up, we shall search for one of Spain's most rare and elusive species, the Dupont's Lark. We will drive around the tracks until dusk in the hope of hearing their distinctive call, and trying to locate one, whilst also watching out for Pin tailed & Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew, Calandra, Lesser Short toed & Crested Larks.
March 23rd :- A pre breakfast visit to El Planeron will giving us another chance of finding a Dupont's Lark should we have been unsuccessful the evening before. Then after breakfast one final look at this unique landscape along with a quick visit to the ruined remenants of the 'old Belchite' a legacy of the civil war, and home to Black Wheatear & Blue Rock Thrush. Leaving here we head north to Huesca with it's ever-changing scenery of the pre-Pyrenees, en-route we should see our first White Storks from the vehicle. Our next stop is Vadiello a wintering site for one of our main target species Wallcreeper, we shall check the dam wall and rock faces in hope of finding this enigmatic bird. Other birds likely to be found here include Griffon & Egyptian Vultures, Red-billed Chough, Rock Bunting and possibly Lammergeier. Finally we continue north to the imposing snow-capped mountains of the High Pyrenees, and find the hotel in the Hecho Valley, which will be our base for the next four nights
March 24th, 25th, & 26th :- Over the course of the next three days we will explore as much of the High Pyrenees with possible visits to Gabardito, the Boca del Infierno, San Juan de la Pena, Portalet, Candanchu & Astun. Griffon Vultures, Common Buzzards, Red Kites, and Ravens will be around in good numbers with a good possibility of Egyptian Vulture, Black Kite, & Short toed Eagle. Since the weather can be very unpredictable our daily itineraries will be tailored to suit these conditions, but the main target species we hope to find during these three days are Lammergeier, Black Woodpecker, Citril Finch, Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor, and Snowfinch. The specialities will not be our only focus the strong chance of encountering Golden & Bonelli's Eagles, Goshawk, Water Pipit, Hawfinch, Grey Partridge, Eurasian & Short toed Treecreepers, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Rock & Cirl Buntings, Ring Ouzel, Fieldfare, Yellowhammer, Marsh & Crested Tits. Some of these species may require some moderate walking to get to the appropriate areas but we shall try and endeavour to keep this to a minimum and all walks will be taken at a relaxed pace.
March 27th :- This morning we leave the High Pyrenees stopping off at the fantastic rock formations of the Mallos de Riglos where Wallcreeper can be found during the winter, as well as Alpine Accentors, Blue Rock Thrush, and Black Wheatear. Next we head south east for the steppes of Monegros whose speciality birds include Little Bustards, Black-bellied & Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoos, Lesser Short toed & Calandra Larks. We continue south/east to the Ebro Delta where we shall stay in San Carles de Rapita for the next three nights.
March 28th :- After breakfast we head straight for the Ebro Delta and we will make the most of the day by starting in the north before moving over the river to the south and our final night in San Carles de Rapita. The Ebro Delta is the second largest wetland in Spain and arguably the most important in the Western Mediterranean, being home to many of Spain's rare breeders. This whole area holds enormous numbers of herons, ducks, waders, gulls and terns, and birds likely to encountered during our time here include Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Bittern, Spoonbill, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck, Marsh & Hen Harriers, Purple Gallinule, Temminck's Stint, Audouin's, Mediterranean & Slender-billed Gulls, Caspian & Whiskered Tern, Penduline & Bearded Tits.
March 29th :- Like yesterday we head straight for the Ebro Delta and we will make the most of the day by starting in the north before moving over the river to the south and our final night in San Carles de Rapita. The Ebro Delta is the second largest wetland in Spain and arguably the most important in the Western Mediterranean, being home to many of Spain's rare breeders. This whole area holds enormous numbers of herons, ducks, waders, gulls and terns, and birds likely to encountered during our time here include Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Bittern, Spoonbill, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck, Marsh & Hen Harriers, Purple Gallinule, Temminck's Stint, Audouin's, Mediterranean & Slender-billed Gulls, Caspian & Whiskered Tern, Penduline & Bearded Tits.
March 30th : - Our final morning we will head south along the coast to Valencia where if time time allows we shall visit Moro Marsh, which is very close to the airport. This excellent reserve is home to Crested Coots, Marbled Duck, Night & Purple Herons and a great way to complete the holiday. Return flights will be arranged for the afternoon of March 29th.
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