Spain: Spring Birding Extravaganza Trip Report, Apr2022

Published by Birding Ecotours (info AT birdingecotours.com)

Participants: Birding Ecotours

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Photos with this report (click to enlarge)

Bearded Vulture
Bearded Vulture
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Spanish Imperial Eagle
European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
shorebirds
shorebirds
Western Swamphen
Western Swamphen
Woodchat Shrike
Woodchat Shrike

Overview

Our 16-day tour of Spain began on the 8th of April 2022, in the ancient city of Seville, and concluded on the 23rd of April 2022 in Barcelona. During the tour we visited many wonderful birding locations including Brazo del Este, Doñana National Park, Monfragüe National Park, Sierra de Gredos, Hoces del Rio Duraton Natural Park, Valles Occidentales, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, and Delta del Llobregat.
Our trip around this beautiful country gave us many exciting species, including Marbled Duck, Laughing Dove, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Red-knobbed Coot, Audouin’s Gull, 23 species of raptors including Bearded Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, and Bonelli’s Eagle, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, European Roller, Iberian Magpie, White-backed Woodpecker, Dupont’s Lark (heard only), Western Orphean Warbler, Wallcreeper, Black Wheatear, and Citril Finch. A total of 239 bird species were recorded during the tour (five of these were “heard only”). Species lists are at the end of this report.
I would like to thank Ian, Nancy, Sandra, and Urban for their company during the tour and of course Yeray, our Spanish guide, for his excellent knowledge, logistics and planning, from start to finish. A special mention to Fernando and Marc for their fantastic knowledge during our days birding with them in the north of Spain.




Detailed Report

Day 1, 8th April 2022. Arrival in Seville
The first day of our tour was treated as an arrivals day. Urban, Nancy, Sandra, and the Birding Ecotours guide, arrived on the 7th, that left only Ian and our Spanish guide Yeray to arrive on the 8th. In the evening we went to a local restaurant for our welcome meal and to go through our exciting itinerary.

Day 2, 9th April 2022. Birding Brazo del Este, Los Palacios, and around Sanlucar
Today we headed south from Seville into the borderlands of Seville and Cadiz provinces. Our first stop was close to Los Palacios y Villafranca. Our key target being Laughing Dove, an African species only found at this site in Spain, and we were delighted to connect with around five individuals. Other interesting species seen here included Glossy Ibis, European Bee-eater, Garden Warbler, and Common Nightingale, while many others were also seen and heard.
Following a quick pit stop we headed into Brazo del Este. This large area is a wonderful site for waterbirds and they were very much the flavor of our visit here. In total 57 species were seen in just a couple of hours, including Marbled Teal, Western Swamphen, Jack Snipe, Collared Pratincole, Little Gull, multiple tern species, Greater Short-toed Lark, Great Reed Warbler, and Savi’s Warbler.



After lunch we headed further south to a series of lagoons near Puerto de Santa Maria. A cooling sea breeze aided our birding and we enjoyed good views of Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Booted Eagle, and quite bizarrely a drake Chiloe Wigeon, surely an escaped bird from a collection!
Finally, we visited the district of Costa Ballena where we enjoyed great views of Mediterranean Gull, including a few stunning adult birds in summer plumage, and a late Common Gull, an interesting record for this time of year. An excellent end to an amazing first day with 98 species recorded by the group.

Day 3, 10th April 2022. Sanlucar de Barrameda to El Rocio
Today we begun with a visit to Europe’s only breeding colony of the beautiful Little Swift. We enjoyed amazing views of these stunning birds as well as educational views of both Common Swift and Pallid Swift. Next, we visited the beach at Playa de Montijo, which proved to be a festival of shorebirds (waders) with Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Grey Plover, and many others. Also present were a good number of Little Tern plus singles of Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, and our first Slender-billed Gull of the day. In nearby scrub we located our first Western Subalpine Warbler of the tour.
After breakfast we headed north to the fantastic Salinas de Bonanza. Interesting species found here included Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, numerous stunning Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, and vast flocks of shorebirds like Sanderling, Dunlin, and Common Ringed Plover. Afterwards, we moved on to the unassuming Lagunas de Camino Colorado. This proved fruitful with great views of White-headed Duck, Squacco Heron, and Western Olivaceous Warbler, plus a flyby male Little Bittern.


We decided to take our picnic lunch to the Stone Pine woodland of Pinar de La Algaida. Here we enjoyed amazing views of Booted Eagle in display flight, plus our first Short-toed Treecreeper of the trip. Leaving the pines behind we headed for the banks of the Guadalquivir River. This productive area gave us our first Willow Warbler, Whinchat, Red Kite, and Spectacled Warbler of the trip. These were joined by three stunning Montagu’s Harriers plus great views of the recently reclassified Mediterranean Short-toed Lark.
After a long day we headed to our hotel in the Coto Doñana National Park, with Iberian Magpie and Tawny Owl added to the day list, giving us a total of 110 species today, an amazing total.

Day 4, 11th April 2022. El Rocio and Doñana National Park
Today we explored the Doñana National Park, one of Europe’s principal birding sites. We started at Puerto del Ajoli near the town of El Rocio where species of note included Common Cuckoo, Iberian Magpie, Eurasian Penduline Tit, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, with a distant Eurasian Golden Oriole heard briefly.



We then moved on to the marisma (salt marsh) next to El Rocio. Despite the strong winds we enjoyed good views of Greylag Goose, a wild-occurring species here, plus large numbers of Whiskered Terns and Eurasian Coots, with 400 of the latter in a large raft at one end of the lake.
With the wind building, we sought cover in the woods and pools of La Rocina. Here we enjoyed Ferruginous Duck, Purple Heron, Iberian Chiffchaff, and Western Swamphen, plus many other birds.
After lunch we took a short and windy walk where we secured Eurasian Crested Tit as a new species for the tour. With the weather closing in we headed for more woodland with the hope of connecting with Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. However, before locating them we searched an open area where we had brief views of Dartford Warbler in the strong winds.
A riverine woodland nearby showed promise for holding Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and it wasn’t long before we enjoyed excellent views of this diminutive species. In the open areas close by we saw some migration in action with good views of Eurasian Wryneck, European Bee-eater, Western Black-eared Wheatear, and Woodchat Shrike, while a pair of Woodlark showed briefly in flight.
Our final stop of the day was the beautiful Dehesa Tornero. This area is well known as a stronghold for Iberian Lynx, but despite extensive searching we were unable to locate any of these extremely rare big cats. However, good birds were aplenty here with the highlight being a stunning hepatic morph Common Cuckoo. After a long and blustery day, we headed back to our hotel to celebrate yet another wonderful day of Spanish birding.


Woodchat Shrike proved confiding, and we enjoyed great views of this stunning bird.

Day 5, 12th April 2022. El Rocio to Monfrague
Today we would finish our birding in Andalusia at the scenic Dehesa de Abajo. The large wetland area held Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Western Swamphen, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Reed Warbler, and many other wetland species.
After retreating in a downpour, we began our journey north out of Andalusia. The varied weather meant timing our birding stops would be crucial. Our first stop was the stunning rocky surrounds of the town of Hornachos. Here we scored several new species including Thekla’s Lark, Eurasian Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, and a stunning male Black Wheatear.
With the weather closing in once more we continued on and stopped at another rocky outcrop to scan for birds of prey. Despite poor light we enjoyed distant but prolonged views of a Golden Eagle on the top of the rock face, plus a significant number of Griffon Vultures. The real highlight here was a stunning Cinereous Vulture which drifted overhead and gave amazing views.
After a rain-soaked day we arrived at our hotel in the town of Trujillo, a stunning location to finish a long day.



Day 6, 13th April 2022. Monfrague
Today we took the short journey into the beautiful Monfrague National Park. This is raptor paradise and we secured views of Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Booted Eagle, Black Kite, Red Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Common Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, and Peregrine Falcon while in the park.
Other birds of interest here included Blue Rock Thrush, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Rock Bunting, Black Stork, Thekla’s Lark, Dartford Warbler, European Robin, and the superb Western Orphean Warbler.
After a long day we returned to Trujillo where we enjoyed close views of a pair of Eurasian Scops Owl roosting in trees outside our hotel!

Day 7, 14th April 2022. Santa Marta Steppes
Today we enjoyed exploring the Santa Marta steppes region. The morning’s birding was absolutely incredible with amazing views of Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Golden Eagle, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Montagu’s Harrier, Hen Harrier, and Calandra Lark.



In the afternoon we headed to another area of the steppes where we enjoyed yet more Great Bustards, fine views of Spanish Imperial Eagle and Cinereous Vulture once again, plus prolonged looks at European Roller and Iberian Grey Shrike. Sadly, our search for Great Spotted Cuckoo proved unsuccessful, but this did not detract from what was an incredible day of birding. Our final delight was a pair of stunning Black-winged Kite by the roadside as we headed for our hotel in the Sierra Gredos.

Day 8, 15th April 2022. Sierra Gredos
Today was spent exploring the beautiful Sierra Gredos. Before heading out, we searched the area around our hotel and this gave us Red (Common) Crossbill, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, European Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Carrion Crow, and other forest species.
During our exploration of the stunning La Plataforma high mountain area we saw Cinereous Vulture, Eurasian Skylark, White-throated Dipper, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock (the mabbotti subspecies, a recently touted potential split as “Iberian Dunnock”), Water Pipit, and a brief Ortolan Bunting.
Finally, we explored the pine forests at lower altitudes where we enjoyed good views of Citril Finch and Common Firecrest, while the haunting sound of Iberian Green Woodpecker echoed around the forest.
After a long drive we arrived at our hotel in the steppe region north of Madrid.




Day 9, 16th April 2022. Hoces del Duraton
Today was mostly treated as a travel day as we made the long drive across the north of Spain to the city of Pamplona. Before our journey we visited the stunning Hoces del Rio Duraton to look for Dupont’s Lark. Sadly our search yielded no results but a lovely walk to the hermitage here gave us some new birds for the trip, such as Stock Dove, Red-billed Chough, and Rock Sparrow. We also enjoyed good views of Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, and Blue Rock Thrush.
Our final stop of the day was at Laguna de Pitillas, just south of Pamplona. Sadly, battering winds made birding here very difficult, however brief views of Bearded Reedling were had in the reedbeds near the visitor center. On the lake itself we were able to add Mute Swan to the trip list.
After a long day we arrived at our hotel just outside Pamplona ready to begin our time in the Pyrenees the following day.

Day 10, 17th April 2022. Irati to Echo
Today we would begin our exploration of the Pyrenees Mountains. The main target of our first stop near Irati was the rare White-backed Woodpecker. While one bird was briefly seen by our guides, it failed to show again for the group, despite three hours of searching. Other birds seen here included European Crested Tit, Marsh Tit, Common Firecrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, and a beautiful pair of Eurasian Bullfinch.
Our next stop was a reliable area for Middle Spotted Woodpecker, and this species did not disappoint by giving brief but enjoyable views. One of our guides also found a migrant Merlin nearby. Other notable birds seen during the day included Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Snake Eagle, and White-throated Dipper.




Day 11, 18th April 2022. Echo, Isaba and a brief foray into France
Today would see us explore the high Pyrenees close to the French border. Our first target would be the iconic Wallcreeper, a highly prized species. While our first stop did not give us our main target it did afford us distant views of Bearded Vulture and a brief flyover Black Woodpecker, seen by some of the group.
It was then time to really target Wallcreeper at our next site and, thanks to the keen eyes of Yeray, we had wonderful views of one high on a rock face for a prolonged period. Other birds seen here included Red-billed Chough and Griffon Vulture.
As we ascended the Pyrenees towards the French border the cloud began to build and this made birding increasingly difficult. However, a brief stop gave us great views of Ring Ouzel and European Pied Flycatcher, both new birds for our trip. Our main target of the French border was Alpine Accentor. Sadly, after a long search, we were unable to locate any in the area in dense fog.


Wallcreeper proved a challenge to locate before finally giving itself up.

On our way down from the mountains we enjoyed the wonderful sight of a male Montagu’s Harrier migrating north, an incredible sight and totally unexpected. Looking to warm up, we descended into the Valles Occidentales, a beautiful area for birding. Here we enjoyed great views of Marsh Tit, Garden Warbler, Eurasian Nuthatch, and Eurasian Treecreeper, a species that is very localized in the Pyrenees.
Our final stop was to look for Bearded Vulture, surrounded by beautiful mountains. Despite our best efforts we were unable to locate any of this species but did see Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red-billed Chough, and a flock of twelve Eurasian Siskins.

Day 12, 19th April 2022. Echo to Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Unfortunately today’s birding was severely hampered by rain, with almost the entire day lost to the weather. A brief break did allow us to squeeze in some birding where we had good views of Bearded Vulture and other raptors.
After such a wet day we were glad to arrive at our hotel in the Ordesa National Park.

Day 13, 20th April 2022. Ordesa to Lleida
Once again heavy grey skies loomed over us as we left our hotel. However, once we reached higher altitudes in the national park the impending rain turned quickly to heavy snow. This made walking far more pleasant as we explored the national park with local guide Fernando.
While bird numbers were low, we did learn about the geology and flora of the park and did manage to squeeze in brief views of Common Firecrest and White-throated Dipper. Upon our return to the car park the skies began to lift, revealing brilliant scenery. Overhead we enjoyed good views of a Golden Eagle and briefer views of Black Woodpecker skirting along the forest edge. In the car park itself a pair of Marsh Tit and a Common Chaffinch showed well.
Leaving the park, a large group of Red-billed Choughs caught our attention, sadly no Alpine Chough were found among them. However, we recorded plenty more species here with Alpine Swift, Booted Eagle, Griffon Vulture, and Bearded Vulture all giving great views.




A vulture feeding station at our next stop was attracting a lot of attention from nearby birds of prey. While approaching the site we had amazing views of an adult Bearded Vulture (see trip report cover image!) over the road and once in position, after yet more heavy rain, we had distant but prolonged views of Bearded Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Black Kite, Red Kite, Carrion Crow, and Northern Raven.
With more rain approaching we began our descent towards Lleida, stopping briefly to enjoy a beautiful summer plumage Water Pipit close to our vehicle.

Day 14, 21st April 2022. Lleida
Today our group was accompanied by Marc, a local expert on birding in the Lleida area. Marc’s knowledge of his local area proved valuable, and we were able to add nine new species to our trip list during the day, including Eurasian Stone-curlew, Melodious Warbler, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, and the brief song of the mystical Dupont’s Lark.



Other notable species seen around Lleida included Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Montagu’s Harrier, Bearded Reedling, Peregrine Falcon, and Whinchat.
In total we recorded a whopping 92 species, our third most productive day of the tour so far.

Day 15, 22nd April 2022. Lleida to Barcelona
Our final day would be spent trying to catch up with some species we had previously missed, and to visit some of the best birding sites around Lleida and Barcelona. The day began with a walk around the village of Alfes, a great location for birding. Despite further effort we were unable to locate Great Spotted Cuckoo, however we did enjoy amazing views of a pair of Long-eared Owl chicks on the nest, a wonderful experience.
Moving out of the village to a nearby plains area gave us great views of many other species, including Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Montagu’s Harrier, Calandra Lark, and a gorgeous male Whinchat.
Our final stop around Lleida was a productive lake area. We enjoyed many of the species seen previously with Northern Goshawk, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eurasian Penduline Tit, and Western Subalpine Warbler being the highlights. However, the best was yet to come and we enjoyed incredible close-range views of Wood Warbler, a migrant species and not one we expected to find on this tour.



Our final stop of the day, and the tour, was the Delta del Llobregat, a wetland area near Barcelona airport. Our first stop was the beach, and a productive sea watch gave us Pomarine Jaeger (Pomarine Skua), Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua), Balearic Shearwater, Northern Gannet, and Audouin’s Gull.
Further exploration of the site gave us Eurasian Teal and beautiful views of Garganey as new species for the tour, and we once again enjoyed wonderful close-range views of Wood Warbler, with a Western Bonelli’s Warbler thrown in for good measure.
After another productive day with exactly 100 species recorded, we headed to our hotel for the final meal and discussed the ‘Bird of the Trip’. On this occasion the decision was straightforward, with Wallcreeper being voted as the group’s outright bird of the trip. A good, but tough choice!

Day 16, 23rd April 2022. Tour conclusion
After breakfast together we went our separate ways as the tour came to its conclusion.

Species Lists

Bird List - Following IOC (12.1)

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.
The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened

Common Name Scientific Name
Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae)
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Mute Swan Cygnus olor
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Garganey Spatula querquedula
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
Gadwall Mareca strepera
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirost
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Common Pochard - VU Aythya ferina
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala

Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae)
Common Quail (H) Coturnix coturnix
Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa

Swifts (Apodidae)
Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
Common Swift Apus apus
Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
Little Swift Apus affinis

Bustards (Otididae)
Great Bustard - VU Otis tarda
Little Bustard - NT Tetrax tetrax

Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

Sandgrouse (Pteroclidae)
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis

Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Rock Dove Columba livia
Stock Dove Columba oenas
Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis

Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
Red-knobbed Coot Fulice cristata
Western Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio

Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus

Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae)
Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus

Stilts, Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Plovers (Charadriidae)
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus

Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Red Knot Calidris canutus
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Sanderling Calidris alba
Dunlin Calidris alpina
Little Stint Calidris minuta
Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Common Redshank Tringa totanus
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
Audouin's Gull - VU Ichthyaetus audouinii
Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
Common Gull Larus canus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
Little Tern Sternula albifrons
Common Tern Sterna hirundo
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
Black Tern Chlidonias niger

Skuas (Stercorariidae)
Pomarine Jaeger (Pomarine Skua) Stercorarius pomarinus
Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua) Stercorarius parasiticus

Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)
Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus

Storks (Ciconiidae)
Black Stork Ciconia nigra
White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Gannets, Boobies (Sulidae)
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus

Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Great Egret Ardea alba
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Ospreys (Pandionidae)
Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus
Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus
Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus
Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
Spanish Imperial Eagle - VU Aquila adalberti
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
Northern Goshawk Accipter gentillis
Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus
Red Kite Milvus milvus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Owls (Strigidae)
Little Owl Athene noctua
Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops
Long-eared Owl Asio otus
Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo
Tawny Owl Strix aluco

Hoopoes (Upupidae)
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

Rollers (Coraciidae)
European Roller Coracias garrulus

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocoptes medius
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopous major
White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos
Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius
Iberian Green Woodpecker Picus sharpei

Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae)
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Merlin Falco columbarius
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

African & New World Parrots (Psittacidae)
Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus

Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri

Shrikes (Laniidae)
Iberian Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator

Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra (Oriolidae)
Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus

Crows, Jays (Corvidae)
Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
Iberian Magpie Cyanopica cooki
Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula
Carrion Crow Corvus corone
Northern Raven Corvus corax

Tits, Chickadees (Paridae)
Coal Tit Periparus ater
European Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus
Marsh Tit Poecile palustris
Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
Great Tit Parus major

Penduline Tits (Remizidae)
Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus

Bearded Reedling (Panuridae)
Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus

Larks (Alaudidae)
Woodlark Lullula arborea
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
Thekla's Lark Galerida theklae
Crested Lark Galerida cristata
Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla
Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra
Dupont’s Lark (H) Chersophilus duponti
Mediterranean Short-toed Lark Alaudala rufescens

Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae)
Sand Martin Riparia riparia
Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Common House Martin Delichon urbicum
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica

Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies (Cettiidae)
Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti

Bushtits (Aegithalidae)
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

Leaf Warblers & Allies (Phylloscopidae)
Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Western Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus

Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae)
Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaeceus
Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Western Olivaceous Warbler Iduna opaca
Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta

Grassbirds & Allies (Locustellidae)
Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides

Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae)
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis

Sylviid Babblers (Sylviidae)
Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
Garden Warbler Sylvia borin
Western Orphean Warbler Curruca hortensis
Sardinian Warbler Curruca melanocephala
Western Subalpine Warbler Curruca hortensis
Common Whitethroat Curruca communis
Spectacled Warbler Curruca conspicillata
Dartford Warbler Curruca undata

Goldcrests, Kinglets (Regulidae)
Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla
Goldcrest (H) Regulus regulus

Wrens (Troglodytidae)
Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

Nuthatches (Sittidae)
Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea

Wallcreeper (Tichodromidae)
Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria

Treecreepers (Certhiidae)
Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla

Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae)
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor

Thrushes (Turdidae)
Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus

Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
European Robin Erithacus rubecula
Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos
European Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
Whinchat Saxicola rubetra
European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
Western Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica
Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura

Dippers (Cinclidae)
White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus

Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae)
Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Weavers, Widowbirds (Ploceidae)
Black-headed Weaver Ploceus melanocephalus

Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae)
Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild

Accentors (Prunellidae)
Dunnock Prunella modularis

Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae)
Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
White Wagtail Motacilla alba
Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
Tree Pipit (H) Anthus trivialis
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae)
Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
European Greenfinch Chloris chloris
Common Linnet Linaria cannabina
Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Citril Finch Carduelis citronella
European Serin Serinus serinus
Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus

Buntings (Emberizidae)
Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra
Yellowhammer (H) Emberiza citronella
Rock Bunting Emberiza cia
Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana
Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus

Total seen 234
Total heard only 5
Total recorded 239


Mammal List

Common Name Scientific Name
Dogs (Canidae)
Red Fox Vulpes vulpes

Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)
European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Deer (Cervidae)
(Spanish) Red Deer Cervus elaphus hispanicus

Bovids (Bovidae)
Iberian Ibex (Gredos) Capra pyrenaica victoriae

Total 4


Reptile List

Common Name Scientific Name
Pond Turtles (Emydidae)
Spanish Pond Turtle Mauremys leprosa

Wall/True Lizards (Lacertidae)
Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus


Total 2

Crustacean List

Common Name Scientific Name
Semiterrestrial Crabs (Ocypodidae)
European Fiddler Crab Afruca tangeri

Total 1