We support traditional farming as guarantee of the natural values of the steppes
Los Monegros are located not far from Loporzano in the Ebro Valley . It is a vast plain dedicated to rainfed agriculture with patches of natural vegetation, salt lakes and forests of Aleppo pine and juniper. A mosaic of semi-desert terrain and cereal fields where the Great and Little Bustard , Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and eight different species of larks live . Other birds of interest for birdwatchers are the Lesser Kestrel, Stone Curlew, Montagu´s Harrier, Black-eared Wheatear, Spectacled Warbler and Red-necked Nightjar among others (see below for the full Select Birds Target).
Los Monegros is a real paradise for steppe birds, with some of the best populations of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Dupont´s Lark or Lesser Short-toed Lark in Europe . This is one of the least densely populated regions in the Iberian peninsula , where dry land agriculture (wheat and barley) was the traditional occupation. However, the recent arrival of irrigation has changed the area enormously.
The construction of reservoirs and irrigation pools has opened the way for the arrival of numerous species of waterbirds, to the detriment of the steppeland species. By protecting some areas of land, under the auspices of the European Union and Nature Network 2000, an attempt has been made to ensure the survival of these threatened species and of one of the most unique habitats in the whole of Europe .
Steppes are ecosystems that develop on plains or in gently undulating countryside lacking trees, with low, infrequent rainfall and a wide range of temperatures, favouring animal and plant species particularly adapted to these harsh conditions. Our tours are designed to visit some of the best preserved areas of the Ebro valley steppelands, especially those that birders will find most interesting.
Alberto Bueno works as a Forest Ranger in Los Monegros, and he will share his experience to help you get to know the region and its birdlife. Alberto has intimate knowledge of the best places and, most important, how, when, and the exact spot where the most desirable species can be seen.
SELECT BIRDS TARGET
Uncommon (U) Very Rare (R)
Black-necked Grebe, Bittern, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron (U), Little Egret, Great White Egret (U), Purple Heron, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck (R), Montagu´s Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Golden Eagle, Bonelli´s Eagle (U), Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Red-footed Falcon (R), Lesser Kestrel, Red-legged Partridge, Purple Gallinule (U), Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Stone-curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole (R), Kentish Plover, Dotterel (U), Yellow-legged Gull, Whiskered Tern, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Short-eared Owl (U), Eagle Owl, Little Owl, Red-necked Nightjar, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift (R), Bee-eater, Roller, Hoopoe, Wryneck, Crested Lark, Thekla Lark, Dupont´s Lark, Short-toed Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow (R), Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Savi´s Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Cetti´s Warbler, Moustached Warbler (U), Great Reed Warbler, Olivaceus Warbler (U), Melodius Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Bearded Tit (U), Penduline Tit, Lesser Grey Shrike (U), Golden Oriole, Chough, Rock Sparrow.
Birding in Monegros with the local expert Alberto Bueno
Throughout the year, Boletas Birdwatching Centre offers three different options for visiting the area, depending on your interests:
Monegros Short Break (1 day)
Our short break has been designed for single people or small groups, based at Boletas B.C., who want to spend just one day observing some of the most interesting species of steppeland birds.
Birding around Ontiñena (where Alberto lives) to observe both Sandgrouse, Great and Little Bustard, Stone Curlew and several species of larks , plus a wide range of waterbirds, including the Black-necked Grebe and Red-crested Pochard .
Depending on the time of year, the list may include other wonderful birds, such as the Lesser Kestrel, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Roller, Short-toed Lark, Black-eared Wheatear, Spectacled Warbler or Lesser Grey Shrike (very scarce). Night at Boletas B.C.
Black-eared Weathear and one of the numerous hidden corners in the Ebro river
Birding Monegros (2 days)
If you have enough time to enjoy a sunrise over the semi-desert plains, in a unique landscape, this is your choice. You will enjoy listening to the larks singing at the first light of day, the pungent scent of aromatic plants, the flight of the sandgrouse going to the nearby drinking ponds and a thrilling combination of birds and habitats.
You will visit the spectacular sandstone cliffs of Alcolea ( Egyptian Vulture, Eagle Owl, Alpine Swift , Black Wheatear ), riparian woodlands by the Cinca and Alcanadre rivers ( Wryneck, Penduline Tit, Golden Oriole ), lagoons with reed beds and salt-water plants ( Bittern , Purple Heron, Great Reed Warbler, Bearded Tit ) , salt meadows and steppe vegetation ( Dupont´s and Lesser Short-toed Larks , Stone Curlew, Spectacled Warbler ) pine and juniper forests ( Golden, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Orphean Warbler ) surrounded by great stretches of flat, arable dryland for growing cereal ( Great and Little Bustard, Calandra and Thekla Larks, Tawny Pipit ). Nights in the Ontiñena area and Boletas B.C.
Spectacled Warbler and Dupont´s Lark
Monegros Desert Tour (3 days).
This is a complete experience that will stay with you for ever as you travel for three days in the heart of the Monegros desert, breathing in the cool dawn redolent with the fragrance of crushed herbs, as the sun casts patterns of orange and ochre on the flat-topped mesas .
Itinerary
Day 1 .- Meet at Boletas B.C. and drive to the shout to see a spectacular series of sandy rock outcrops at Piracés with Eagle Owl, Egyptian Vulture, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Sparrow and plenty of scrubland Mediterranean warblers and Bee-eaters . Next, we go to Sariñena Lake , passing several rice fields, where there is a good chance of spotting waders and other waterbirds. At Sariñena, you will find Herons (including Bittern ), Ducks , several reed Warblers, Penduline and Bearded Tits .
Then there is a brief foray into the woodlands of the Sierra de Sigena to observe several species of birds of prey (mainly eagles ). Stopping by well-stocked colonies of White Storks and following the course of the River Alcanadre (riverine woodlands), you come to the valley of the River Cinca (the main tributary of the River Ebro) and surrounding birding spots, including the cliffs of Ripas de Alcolea and suitable places for Red-necked Nightjar . Night in the Ontiñena area
Day 2 .- A twenty-minute drive in the early morning takes you to the heart of the Ontiñena steppeland to search for Sandgrouse, Little Bustard, Stone Curlew, Little Owl, Chough, Hoopoe, Green Woodpecker , several species of Larks and, depending the time of the year, Montagu´s or Hen Harriers, Hobby, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Lesser Kestrel (breeding colonies), Roller, Great Spotted Cuckoo and Spectacled Warbler . The rest of the morning is used to visit several small lagoons with good populations of waterbirds ( Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested Pochard , among others) and one of the main heronries in Northern Spain, situated at the confluence between the rivers Cinca and Ebro .
In the afternoon, there is a drive through breathtaking scenery to Belchite, one of the best semi-arid zones in the Los Monegros desert, along the River Ebro through the town of Caspe . On the way, you will stop off at the huge Mequinenza Reservoir (on the Ebro) and visit the salty lakes of Chiprana, with a pause in the old town of Belchite, which was bombed in the Spanish Civil War and left as a grim ruin to remind future generations. Night in the Belchite area
Day 3 .- Pre-breakfast birding with the main aim of seeing the elusive and enigmatic Dupont´s Lark in the best area of the Ebro valley: the Planerón Ornithological Reserve, located in the centre of an extensive loamy depression, dotted with small hills and ridges of gypsums and esparto grass. The rest of the morning is spent in trying to complete the steppe checklist and the select birds target (last chance for the rare Bonelli´s Eagle ) or other missing birds, or anything else you may suggest. In the afternoon, you will start back to Loporzano through the Sierra de Alcubierre (excellent site for raptors ), first taking a look at the area around Bujaraloz, where a small colony of Great Bustards lives in the middle of a large, gently undulating plain, widely used for rainfed crops and now heavily threatened by an irrigation project. Night at Boletas B.C.
Two of the "stars" of the area ; Great Bustard and Black-bellied Sandgrouse
Dear Josele,
This was a most wonderful trip, as with Alberto´s expertise and fine field skills he located all of our target species and much more. Alberto was wonderful company and we were very fortunate to have him take us out for the steppes at Los Monegros. Perhaps the best compliment we can afford him is that our day was like going out birding with a friend. We hope that next time we visit Spain that he will be able to take us out again.
Very Best Wishes
Barrie, Anita and Elliott Staley plus Tony Davison and William Soar (Derbyshire Ornithological Society)
Monegros Short Break, March 2008
