Focus On Nature Tours
in
Spain

For Birds and Other Nature
in a A Marvelous Country 
for Castles, Cuisine, and Culture

and where the birding can be great!


In June-July 2016

(tours: FON/SP-1, 2, & 3, '16) 

2016 will be our 17th year for birding tours in Spain!
(We've done 25 tours there thus far.)

Tours SP-1 & 2 precede
our tour SP-3 in the Canary Islands.

You may wish to choose any of the following, or a combination:

FON/SP-1:  Extremadura, Gredos Mountains  Jun 17-24  $2,395

FON/SP-2: Ebro Delta, Pyrenees, Spanish Steppes  Jun 24-Jul 1  $2,275

FON/SP-3:  The Canary Islands, off the western coast of Africa  Jul 1-6  $1,995

Combinations:

FON/SP-1 & 2:  Extremadura, Gredos, & Northeast Spain  Jun 17-Jul 1  $3,295 

FON/SP-2 & 3:  Northeast Spain & the Canary Islands  Jun 24-Jul 6  $3,190 

FON/SP-1,2,3:  The Complete Tour  Jun 17-Jul 6   $4,295

Links:

Spain & Canary Islands Bird-List   

A Bird-List & Photo Gallery 
of European Birds, in 2 parts:
Part #1: Grouse to Puffin
Part #2: Sandgrouse to Buntings 

European Mammals  (with some photos)
including those in Spain

European Butterflies & Moths (with some photos)
including those in Spain 

Highlights from Previous FONT Spain Tours

Tour Registration Form

Itineraries for FON/SP-1&2:

Tour: FON/SP-1 In the Regions of Extremadura & the Gredos Mountains           

(Above tour dates include day of departure from North America on an overnight flight to Spain.)

Fri, Jun 17  Departure from North America on an overnight flight to Spain. 

Sat, Jun 18   Arrival in Madrid. Our first Spanish birding in the forested area of Casa de Campo, west of the city. That large park is a good place for an assortment of birds: various woodpeckers, tits, warblers, the Nightingale, and Hoopoe. Travel will then follow west toward the region of Extremadura, with an overnight in Oropesa, an old town atop a hill. The overnight actually in a castle, where there are Lesser Kestrels, White Storks, and other birds during the day. Barn Owl at night.

Sun, Jun 19   A full day of birding in the region of Extremadura - an area particularly good for raptors, including eagles, kites, and Old World Vultures. And: storks, bee-eaters, hoopoes, rollers, and more. At dusk and after dark: various owls, including the Eagle Owl. Another specialty of the region: the Bustards, both Great and Little. During our past tours, we had stupendous looks at both species displaying. Visited will be the outstanding Monfrague Natural Park. Overnight this, and the next night, at a small village near Monfrague.

As many as 34 Great Bustards have been seen 
during FONT Spain Tours in June.

Mon, Jun 20  More excellent birding in the Extremadura region. Additional specialties of the area include: the Black Stork, the rare Eurasian Black Vulture, and the Spanish Imperial Eagle. We'll be watching raptors from a tower atop a ridge where a castle was built back in the 11th Century by the Berbers. "Monfrague" is a name from the Romans, from that time, referring to an inhospitable terrain. Today, the place is one of the best in Europe for wildlife.

Tue, Jun 21  A final day of birding in the Extremadura region. Late-day travel north to the beautifully forested Gredos Mountains (the Sierra de Gredos). Overnight in the village of Navarredonda.

Spanish Ibex in the Gredos Mountains.

Wed & Thu, Jun 22 & 23:  Two days of birding in the Sierra de Gredos, both above and below the timberline. Birds to be sought will include the Alpine Accentor, Bluethroat, White-bellied Dipper, and Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush. During our recent tours, in this region: Ortolan Buntings in the bushes, and Citril Finches in the coniferous forest. The Sierra de Gredos can be great for raptors soaring in the sky. The Spanish Ibex occurs on the mountainside rocks. Overnight of Day 5 again in the village of Navarredonda. A 2-hour drive, late in the day, on Day 6, to Madrid. That overnight there, near the airport.

Fri, Jun 24:  For some at the end of tour FON/SP-1, departure from Spain. Others continue on tour FON/SP-2.

Tour FON/SP-2: In Northeastern Spain (Catalonia & Aragon) including the Ebro Delta

Flamingos at the Ebro Delta

Fri, Jun 24 (For those now starting their tour in Spain, arrival this day in Madrid, following the overnight flight from North America, departing Sat, Jun 23.) 
A flight from Madrid to Barcelona. Birding, during the afternoon, and into the evening, in the area of the Garraf Massif, a rocky, hilly area, near the Mediterranean coast. Birds that occur there include: Bonelli's Eagle, Thekla Lark, Black Wheatear, both Rock Thrushes, and the Rock Sparrow (also known as the Rock Petronia). (Yes, the area is rocky!) The Nightjar also occurs, and we'll try for it at dusk. Overnight along the Mediterranean south of Barcelona.

Sat, Jun 25  A full-day of birding in the fascinating Ebro River Delta, an area that's very rich with birdlife. Among the notable birds there: herons of various species (including Squacco and Purple); terns of various species (including Whiskered, Gull-billed, Little, and Sandwich - also, with some luck: the Lesser Crested). Gulls include Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls. There's an assortment of waders (or shorebirds) including avocets and stilts; flamingos; and more - ranging from the Red-crested Pochard to some Old World warblers. Overnight again, south of Barcelona.

Sun, Jun 26  Travel north, this day, toward the Pyrenees. With the travel, not many birds this day, but for those who wish, an evening-try for Eagle Owl and Nightjar in an area where we've found both in the past. Also in the evening, we may see Hobbys hawking for insects. After dark, we'll try for Scops Owl across the street from our hotel (as it has been for us during our tours in the past). Overnight this, and the next 2 nights, at a nice town at the base of the mountains.

Mon, Jun 27  A fine day of birding in the magnificent Pyrenees Mountains, looking for specialties such as Wallcreeper and Lammergeier, or Bearded Vulture. With much of our birding in the Echo and Anso Valleys, where during our tours, we've had great views of the Lammergeier. We'll be aiming, again, to do the same. And we might be as lucky as we were with the Wallcreeper during a previous tour, found, at a nest, feeding young. During the day, birding by the remote monastery of San Juan de la Pena (St. John of the Crag) above a valley rich in birds. In this area, during our previous tours, we've had the good fortune of seeing the Black Woodpecker.

A valley in the Pyrenees, 
where we often see the Lammergeier.

Tue, Jun 28  During most of the day, birding in the Ordesa National Park, a truly beautiful, spectacular area of mountainous scenery, high cliffs, and forests. And, a place for such bird specialties of the high Pyrenees as the Wallcreeper, Capercaillie, Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel, Snow and Citril Finches. The attractive animals known as Chamois ("Gamuza" in Spanish) occur on the rocks of the mountains.

Wed, Jun 29  Some some final Pyrenees birding, followed by travel in the afternoon, south to the Zaragoza area. Overnight near Zaragoza.

The DuPont's Lark & Little Owl
are among the birds of the dry "Spanish Steppes".

Thu, Jun 30  Early morning birding in the "Spanish Steppes", a dry region with such bird specialties as: Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone-Curlew, Spectacled Warbler, and larks - as many as 6 species of larks in one area. Among them, the Dupont's Lark is a possibility (although it's more easily found earlier in the year.) During our previous tours, we've had great looks. Also in this region, one lucky time in the past, we saw a pair of Eurasian Dotterels. After a visit to Belchite, a town destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, and usually a good birding spot, travel to Barcelona. Overnight, there, not far from the airport.

Fri, Jul 1  For some, at the end of this tour FON/SP-2, departure from Spain.  For others, continuation on 
tour FON/SP-3, in the Canary Islands, off the western coast of Africa, with a flight from Barcelona to Tenerife.

Tour prices, on first page, in U.S. dollars, per person, and based upon double occupancy.

Single supplements (when applicable) as follows for tours:

FON/SP-1  $365
FON/SP-2  $355
FON/SP-1 & 2  $445

Prices include: All overnight accommodations and land transportation within Spain. Most meals (breakfasts and lunches).

Prices do not include: Dinners. Drinks and other items of a personal nature. Flights to/from and within Spain.

  The leader of the tours will be Armas Hill, who has birded in Spain numerous times.

A deposit of $500 would apply if doing either tour FON/SP-1 or 2, or both. 

Spain has more birds and other wildlife
than any other Western European country

Particularly more Raptors:
5 species of Eagles; 4 species of Old World Vultures; 3 species of Kites;
2 species of Harriers; and 5 species of Falcons (including 2 Kestrels), plus: Accipiters and Buteos

Also more Owls than elsewhere in Europe (notably more Eagle Owls)

And other notable Large Birds:
2 species of Bustards; 2 species of Storks, Capercaille, and Black Woodpecker

And a number of distinctive and colorful birds as well:
Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Roller, Golden Oriole, the Woodchat and other Shrikes,
the rare Wallcreeper, 2 species of Nightjars; 2 species of Sandgrouse; a least 2 species of Swifts;
2 species of Cuckoos; 2 species of Choughs; 2 species of Magpies;
the Stone Curlew; the graceful Pratincole;
the white-spotted form of the Bluethroat; other Thrushes of note,
and numerous Larks and Wheatears of various species.