Spring Birding in Spain - April 2025
Dates: April 22 - May 9, 2025
Leaders: Santiago Villa & David Ascanio
E-bird
Total Species: 200 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
Each of the four major regions of Spain showed off a host of charismatic species, among them a wealth of birds found nowhere else in the European Union but in this marvelous country.
From our hotel in Seville, we headed straight to legendary Doñana National Park, with a stop along the way at El Rocío, a unique sort of “Wild West” village that is the site of a massive pilgrimage attracting nearly a million people every year. Luckily, our tour did not overlap with those festivities, and so we were able to enjoy leisurely views of Greater Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbills, Eurasian Griffons, and Black Kites. A special sighting was a Booted Eagle that passed right in front of a waning crescent moon in the blue sky. Smaller passerines were not numerous, but an active Common Reed Warbler showed nicely.
After a wonderful lunch, we headed to La Rocina Visitor Center, where waterbirds were the stars of the show. Scattered Red-crested and Common Pochards, Eurasian Moorhens, and Graylag Geese were joined by a Great Cormorant, a Gray Heron, and about four White Storks. Here we also had our first encounters with Common Nightingale, Short-toed Treecreeper, Iberian Chiffchaff, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, European Goldfinch, and European Serin.
A full day in Doñana followed, including a visit to José Antonio Valverde Visitor Center. Along the way, we found Iberian Magpies and Common Buzzards. We observed more spoonbills, Glossy Ibises, and Western Olivaceous Warblers in the rice paddies. Birding the Muro de la Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir gave us Little Tern, Montagu’s Harrier, and Greater Short-toed Lark. Other species observed in the area included Red-knobbed Coot (nesting!), Western Swamphen, Purple Heron, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Pied Avocet, Great Crested Grebe, Squacco Heron, and Lesser Kestrel. A group of about 75 Collared Pratincoles rounded off a wonderfully bird-rich day.
Still in Andalucía, we visited Campiña de Trebujena, Chipiona, Playa de Montijo, Salina de Bonanza, and Palacio del Acebrón. Among the species added to our list were Common and Pallid Swifts, Little Swift (at a breeding colony), Kentish Plover, some 450 Common Ringed Plovers, European Stonechat, and Iberian Chiffchaff.
Heading north to Monfragüe National Park, we stopped at the Roman bridge in Mérida, where a single Alpine Swift was observed among dozens of Common Swifts. Extremadura was our next region, and we headed to Cáceres in search of two of the most wanted species of the tour, the Great and Little bustards. We had superb views of both, as well as Crested and Calandra larks, Eurasian Hoopoe, and European Bee-eater. The plains of Cáceres also provided great views of Little Owl, European Roller, Thekla’s and Crested larks, and another Booted Eagle.
We continued north to Monfragüe, a region well known for birds of prey. Some of the great finds here were Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Griffon, Cinereous Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle (at a nest), Montagu’s Harrier, Egyptian Vulture, and Spanish Imperial Eagle. We also added the beautiful Blue Rock-Thrush and, after much searching, finally located the nest of a Eurasian Eagle-Owl.
At Jaraicejo in the Meseta de Deleitosa, we got wonderful views of Wood Lark, while we enjoyed a wealth of shorebirds and waterbirds in the Saucedilla wetland, where Santi even found a Little Bittern fishing from the edge of the reeds!
This superb tour continued with a stop in Gredos, where we tallied Red Crossbill, Citril Finch, and Common Firecrest. The main reason for coming here, though, was to look for one of the most beautiful birds in Spain, the Bluethroat. In addition to that spectacular species, we also added Red-legged Partridge, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Eurasian Skylark. A visit to San Juan de Gredos Road rewarded us with views of Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush.
We had crossed much of Spain, from south to north, by the time we arrived at Navarredonda de Gredos. There we observed Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Common Cuckoo, Short-toed Snake-Eagle, and Ortolan Bunting. Before reaching the mountains of northern Spain, we made a stop in Cervera de Pisuerga to find White-throated Dipper and Eurasian Treecreeper, and another at Cillorigo de Liébana, where we added Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Nuthatch, European Stonechat, and Tree Pipit.
We had reached the Picos de Europa by then, and we were greatly excited to take the cable car to the upper station. The fast ride up had us walking the trail before the usual huge number of visitors arrived, giving us some private time with Red-billed and Yellow-billed Choughs, Alpine Accentor, Black Redstart, and Northern Wheatear. Some afternoon birding at Cillorigo de Liébana yielded a superb view of a Eurasian Wryneck, plus more linnets, goldfinches, stonechats, and swallows. Before heading to the Pyrenees, we took a detour to Marisma de Santoña in Cantabria, adding Common Shelduck, Common Scoter, a vagrant Common Eider, several Whimbrels, and Common Redshank.
We spent two full days exploring the Pyrenees, time that paid off well with views of the fantastic Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier), European Honey-buzzard, Mistle Thrush, Yellowhammer, Black Woodpecker (wonderful views!), Golden Eagle, Red and Black Kites, and the always unpredictable Wallcreeper (seen briefly by some).
The tour concluded with a visit to the Estepas de Belchite, where the renowned Dupont’s Lark—the always-tricky “El Diablo” of Spanish birding—was observed several times, a fittingly celebratory end to a wonderful tour.
We look forward to seeing you again!
Day-by-Day Summary
April 22 - Arrival in Seville. Welcome and preparation for the tour.
April 23 - Travel to Doñana with a stop in El Rocío. Afternoon birding at La Rocina Visitor Center, exploring wetlands and woodlands.
April 24 - Full day exploring Doñana, including José Antonio Valverde Visitor Center, rice paddies, and Guadalquivir marshes.
April 25 - Birding Campiña de Trebujena, Chipiona, Playa de Montijo, Salina de Bonanza, and Palacio del Acebrón.
April 26 - Travel north with a stop at Mérida Roman Bridge, then continue to Cáceres for steppe birding.
April 27 - Full day in steppe habitats searching for Great and Little Bustards, larks, and other open-country species.
April 28 - Full day birding Monfragüe, focusing on raptors, vultures, and cliff-nesting species.
April 29 - Morning birding Monfragüe/Jaraicejo area, afternoon at Saucedilla wetlands and surrounding habitats.
April 30 - Transfer to the Gredos region with birding en route.
May 1 - Full day in Gredos searching for Bluethroat and mountain specialties such as Citril Finch and Firecrest.
May 2 - Travel north with birding stops, including mountain and forest species en route.
May 3 - Birding in Liébana Valley with woodland and river species, including woodpeckers and passerines.
May 4 - Cable car ascent into Picos de Europa. Full day high-mountain birding.
May 5 - Morning birding in the mountains, afternoon visit to Marisma de Santoña wetlands.
May 6 - Travel to the Pyrenees and begin exploration of mountain habitats.
May 7 - Full day Pyrenees birding, focusing on high-altitude raptors, alpine species, and forest birds.
May 8 - Travel to Belchite steppes. Afternoon birding for Dupont’s Lark and other steppe specialists.
May 9 - Final morning and departures.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon)
Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica)
Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota)
European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
European Hare (Lepus europaeus)
European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS:
Ladder Snake (Zamenis scalaris)
Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
Spanish Pond Frog (Pelophylax perezi)