Oliva Rama Holidays
Wolf-watching in N/W Spain
April 17th - 21st 2008 €550 (not inc. flights)
This short break encompasses visiting one of the remotest areas of Spain, the 'Sierra de Culebra'. Our primary objective will be to locate one of Europe's rarest mammals - Iberian Wolf, and this reserve holds a major percentage of Spain's total population of 2500 - 3000 individuals. Yet despite a sizable population wolves are very difficult to see being a naturally shy and distrusting species following decades of persecution from man. A great deal of our time will be spent stood quietly waiting & watching for this very elusive mammal mainly at dawn and dusk when they are at their most active and likely to reveal themselves. However while we are there we should be also be looking to find Wild Boar, Fox, Red & Roe Deer plus birds such as Rock Bunting, Dartford & Sardinian Warblers, Woodlarks, Firecrest, Crossbills, Crested & Coal Tits, with patrolling raptors such as Red Kites, Griffon Vultures, Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawks, plus a chance of a Golden Eagle or Goshawk. The rest of the time will be spent visiting the surrounding areas, especially Villafafila and it's adjacent low-intensive agricultural lands that has Spain's largest concentration of Great Bustard, along with Little Bustard, Black bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Larks, Lesser Kestrel, with possibly Dotterel and Common Crane on migration. In summary this tour will provide ample time in which to enjoy the rich birdlife, but it is our quest for the Iberian Wolf that will be our ultimate goal.
Our accommodation is in the heart of the sierra and perfectly positioned for easy access to the best wolf watching areas, and not only is it a fantastic place to stay but the owner has worked very closely with the local rangers and has up-to-the-minute information on the wolves and their where-abouts.
Day 1 :- After your arrival into Madrid Airport, you shall be met by your guide and we shall quickly load up our mini-van and drive straight through to our superb accommodation in the heartland of the Sierra de Culebra. After lunch and a relax we will head out into the surrounding reserve for walk amongst the extensive conifer forests looking for Crossbills, Firecrest, Crested, Coal & Long tailed Tits, and on the adjacent heath we should find Woodlarks, Crested Larks, Stonechats, Dartford & Sub-alpine Warblers, Cirl & Rock Buntings. Raptor's should feature strongly with good numbers of BlaCK & Red Kites, Common Buzzards, and Kestrels, with Short toed Eagle, Hen Harrier and Peregrine always a possibility. Towards the end of the day we shall make our first (of many) attempts to find the Iberian Wolf, which in reality takes a lot of patience and luck, however we will be in one of the best positions to encounter one, due to our hostes local and invaluable knowledge. During our time watching and waiting we should also see other mammals including Fox, Wild Boar, Red & Roe Deer, some of the Wolf's known prey. Our hotel is a newly renovated barn and steading that has maintained it's traditional exterior with an extremely comfortable interior. The en-suite rooms are very warm, bright and clean, with superb vistas over a large garden with local trees and bushes ideal for attracting migrant and breeding passerines. The restaurant offers fantastic three-course dinners each evening generally soup or salad, a meat or fish dish (vegetarians can be catered for) with local vegetables, followed by delightful sweet, all washed down with a local 'Vino Tinto'. This exquisite base for four nights will be one of the highlights of the holiday as the owner relays tales and shows photographs of wolves he has seen personally whole working with the local ranger service.
Days 2, 3 & 4 :- For the next three days from dawn and again at dusk, we will be searching for the Iberian Wolves that reside on the reserve as this is the time when they are most active during daylight hours. The Sierra de Culebra forms part of the Cordillera Cantábrica, which hold's most of Spain’s 2500 - 3000 wolves, a marked and welcome increase since an estimated lows of the 1970's. An interesting story of environmental success due to a population decrease by man leaving for the less rural settings of towns & cities. Although a good deal of our time will be spent looking for our major target we shall also be spending a lot of time birdwatching around the forest and beyond. Not too far away is an area of specifically developed, low-intensity agricultural land which holds Spain's highest density of Great Bustard with realistic chances of seeing literally 100's during a daily visit. At this time of year they should be still doing their magnificent 'foam-bath' display a spectacle that will remain in your memory for many years. Other species to be found on these undulating steppes could include Black bellied Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Rock & Tree Sparrows, Lesser Kestrel, White Storks and Common Cranes, plus big numbers of larks, finches and sparrows. Migrant birds might also be in evidence with a chance of an early returning Montagu's Harrier or a northward moving trip of Dotterel. Another fantastic area to be visited will be the lagoons of Villafafila an excellent waders (Golden, Little Ringed & Ringed Plovers, Black winged Stilts, Common, Green & Wood Sandpipers, Common Redshank, Greenshank, Ruff) and wildfowl (Greylag Geese, Bean Geese, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Garganey) inland staging post which can produce the odd Spanish scarcity amongst the commoner migrating waterbirds. With all this prey there is a healthy population of Marsh & Hen Harriers, with Merlin and Peregrine patrolling the wetlands on a regular basis. If time allows we may also make an excursion south to the Rio Duero, which forms the border between Spain & Portugal. This deep-sided river is another excellent place for birds with the possibility of Black Stork, Griffon & Egyptian Vultures, Golden & Bonelli's Eagles, Blue Rock Thrush, Southern Grey Shrike, Crag Martins, Grey Wagtail, Spotless Starlings and Raven. You will, of course be free to either join in or opt out of any of our early morning or late afternoon excursions, and due to visits being so early it allows any group member to rejoin the party for breakfast at a more civilised hour. However your chances of seeing a wolf will be lessened should you decide not to join the group at any point during our short break.
Day 5 : - Unfortunately due to the hour of the return flight we shall not have any chance for any wolf or birdwatching this morning but the return route to Madrid may produce a surprise along the way.
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