INTRODUCTION
The Birdwatching week at Casa "BOLETAS" was our first tour and is one of our most demanded because of the superb birding and the experience to stay at Boletas Birdwatching Centre tasting its famous cuisine. The programme combines visits to the most representative spots of the Pre-Pyrenean "sierras" and High Pyrenean mountains ( Riglos, S.J. Peña, Guara, Candanchu, Portalet ) , wetlands in the south ( Lower Cinca, Sariñena), steppe areas ( Monegros, Osera) and optionally wetlands in the Ebro Delta. This tour gives you the opportunity to observe 80 per cent of the Spanish avifauna in three of the four most characteristic habitats of the Iberian Peninsula, missing only the coastal area. In May we offer a 10-day tour combining the week at Boletas plus the Ebro Delta.
The order of these excursions is only directional and can be modified depending on climatic conditions at the time. The most advantageous conditions for our visit to the steppe area would be on a day of very little sunshine, on the other hand it is preferable to visit the High Pyrenees during hot sunny days. In order to achieve our objective we make a daily revision of the meteorological forecasts.
Itinerary
1st Day.- Barcelona airport to Loporzano
Meet you at Barcelona airport birding on route with good chances for rapotrs and several steppe birds. Welcome dinner and overnight at "Boletas" in Loporzano.
2nd Day.- Loporzano, Sagarillo and Sierra de Guara
Walk from Loporzano to a nearest riverbed with good chances for a wide range of birds: from Lammergeier to Black Wheatear or Golden Oriole to Tawny Pipit. Walk along one of the most emblematic rock faces of Sierra de Guara Natural Park. Several stops on the way at interesting spots situated in the heart of the park. Large groves of holm oaks, mediterranean scrub and pine woods. The ravines of the rivers Flumen and Mascún are regarded as the most rugged and inaccessible of all in the pre-Pyrenean ranges. Spectacular rock formations with abundant birdlife.
Numerous raptors, mainly BONELLI'S, SHORT-TOED AND GOLDEN EAGLE, LAMMERGEIER, a large colony of GRIFFON VULTURE, EGYPTIAN VULTURE, RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE, SCOPS OWL, EAGLE OWL, ALPINE SWIFT, BEE-EATER, HOOPOE, WRYNECK, THEKLA LARK, BLACK WHEATEAR , BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR, BLUE ROCK THRUSH, ROCK THRUSH, TAWNY PIPIT, FIRECREST, DARTFORD, SARDINIAN, SUBALPINE, ORPHEAN, MELODIOUS, BONELLI´S ,OLIVACEUS , SPECTACLED and GARDEN WARBLERS, GOLDEN ORIOLE, SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE , ROCK SPARROW, SPOTLES STARLING , CHOUGH , CIRL BUNTING, ROCK BUNTING and CORN BUNING among other birds as Red-rumped Swallow breeding here in the last 4 years. Overnight at Boletas in Loporzano.
From first fortnight of October to first fortnight of April WALLCREEPER and ALPINE ACCENTOR are in good numbers in the area before move to the high Pyrenees.
3rd Day.- Los Monegros, Osera & Alcubierre
Drive through the extensive cereal plains of Monegros and Osera, which includes the visit to the salt lakes in the central area, the most arid land in the Ebro depression with good chances to see the elusive DUPONT´S LARK, desert vegetation. The Sierra de Alcubierre with broad sabine and pine woods, is one of the best places in Aragón to watch some populations of mediterranean raptors.
Steppe birds: BLACK-BELLIED SANDGROUSE, PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE, STONE CURLEW, LITTLE BUSTARD, GREAT BUSTARD (very scarce), MONTAGU'S HARRIER, LESSER KESTREL, CALANDRA LARK, SHORT-TOED LARK, LESSER SHORT-TOED LARK, THEKLA LARK, DUPONT´S LARK, SPECTACLED WARBLER. Mediterranean raptors: EGYPTIAN VULTURE, SHORT-TOED EAGLE, BOOTED EAGLE, GOSHAWK, SPARROW HAWK, and KITES. Also ROLLER, BEE-EATER AND GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO
Rock birds: CHOUGH, BLACK WHEATEAR, BLUE ROCK THRUSH, ROCK SPARROW, THRUSHES, EAGLE OWL.
Water birds: GREY HERON, PURPLE HERON, NIGHT HERON, CATTLE EGRET, LITTLE EGRET, BITTERN, LITTLE BITTERN, RED-CRESTED POCHARD, BLACK-HEADED GULL, MARSH HARRIER, GREAT CRESTED GREBE, GREBES, WADERS and an important population of WHITE STORK.
Marshy birds: PENDULINE TIT, BEARDED TIT, WARBLERS (ACROCEPHALUS, LOCUSTELLA)
Overnight at Boletas in Loporzano.
4th. Day.- Lower Cinca and Sariñena Lake
Excursion to the lower valley of the river Cinca the most important tributary of the Ebro river. Riverside vegetation, fruit trees and poplar woods. High river cliffs, small irrigation ponds with abundant water birds, contrasting with the steppe plains in the area of the lower Alcanadre. Sariñena Lake, with a pluvial origin and nowadays-permanently full, is a spot of the first order for watching water birds. Overnight at Boletas in Loporzano.
Water birds: GREY HERON, PURPLE HERON, NIGHT HERON, CATTLE EGRET, LITTLE EGRET, BITTERN, LITTLE BITTERN, RED-CRESTED POCHARD, BLACK-HEADED GULL, MARSH HARRIER, GREAT CRESTED GREBE, GREBES, WADERS and an important population of WHITE STORK.
Marshy birds: PENDULINE TIT, BEARDED TIT, WARBLERS (ACROCEPHALUS, LOCUSTELLA)
Steppe birds: both SANDGROUSES, STONE CURLEW and several LARKS.
Other interesting birds: ROLLER, LESSER GREY SHRIKE, and possibilities for BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE (Nesting in the area in 1998, 2001 and 2004).
5th and 6th Day.- Valleys of Hecho & Anso and Portalet Coll High mountain areas.
Narrow, winding valleys with large wooded masses, mainly pine and beech groves. In the open areas we find cultivated fields or grazing lands, alpine meadows above 2,000 mts.The valley of Hecho, formed by the river Sobordan basin, turns in to a deep gorge at the "Boca del Infierno", one of the most beautiful ravines in the Pyrenees. Most outstanding are rock loving birds WALLCREEPER and raptors that occupy the rock cliffs. Good opportunities to watch alpine and woodland birds like: BLACK WOODPECKER, RED-BACK SHRIKE,DIPPER, CRESTED TIT, FIRECREST, HORTOLAN BINTING ROCK BUNTING, RING OUZEL, SNOW FINCH ,CITRIL FINCH, ALPINE ACCENTOR, WATER PIPIT. In this area, we can also spot the only population of WHITE-BACKED WOODPECKER in the Central Pyrenees. A region still populated by the last of the Pyrenean bears, we will see MARMOTS and CHAMOIS. Overnight at Hotel "Acher" in Hecho
7th Day.- San Juan de la Peña & Riglos and Mallos de Riglos
Transition of mediterranean woodland to alpine woodland in San Juan de la Peña with good population of raptors and one of the best sites to watch BLACK WOODPECKER and CITRIL FINCH. Drive to the Mallos de Riglos. Mixed route which combines short walks and a visit to Loarre Castle (XI century). Holm oak woods, mediterranean scrub with abundance of bur, reforested pine woods and huge towering cliffs (MALLOS) in one of the most spectacular panoramas of all the pre-Pyrenean range. Abundance of raptors with some of the most important vulture populations in all the Iberian Peninsula. Great variety of woodland birds. BLACK WHEATEAR, ALPINE SWIFT, CRAG MARTIN, and THRUSHES. Farewell dinner and overnight at Boletas in Loporzano.
8th& 9th.- Day.- South and north bank of the EBRO DELTA Drive from Loporzano to the Ebro Delta, birding on route with chances for many migrants before arriving to the delta.
Littoral wetlands, the third most important in the western Mediterranean, after La Camargue in France and "las marismas del Guadalquivir" (Coto de Doñana). It is an alluvial plain of about 32,000 hectares, which goes out 20 Km. into the sea. A large part of this surface is cultivated, with predominance of rice fields (20,000 Hectares). The rice fields are of great importance as a feeding area for many waterbirds, and there are still large surfaces of natural environments (beaches, wide expanses of sand, bays, flood marshes, salty surfaces, small littoral lakes and riverside woods) with a rich, diverse birdlife; HERONS, EGRETS BITTERNS , WADERS on migration etc. It's not only important as a breeding area (about 28,000 pairs of waterbirds) but also has a wintering population of GULLS. Eleven species of GULLS and TERNS nest here regularly. For some species (SANDWICH TERN), the breeding colonies at the delta are the only ones in the Iberian Peninsula. For others they are of great importance (SLENDER-BILLED GULL, AUDOUIN'S GULL), this last one has here the most important colony in the world. In recent years, a large population of GREATER FLAMINGO has been nesting again in this area, and the Delta has become its third most important breeding site in the western Mediterranean. Very good chances for RED-NECKED NIGHTTJAR ,GLOSSY IBIS, SAVI´S and MOUSTACHED WARBLER. Overnight in Deltebre
10th Day.- Drive from Ebro Delta to Barcelona airport
Birding in the area looking for those difficult birds we could not find in the previous days, then drive to Barcelona airport to take your flight home. The journey from Ebro delta to Barcelona airport will take 2 hours.
