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Guara Mountains, Hecho Valley, Steppes of Belchite and Monegros, Els Ports, Montsià Mountains and the Ebro Delta (9 days)
Tour leader: Cristian Jensen
Tour members: Thomas Juhlin, Mat & Gertie, Ken & Sue Tapp and Sheila Jennings
184 bird species recorded
Trip report written by Ken Tapp
On our arrival from Gatwick at Barcelona Airport, a motley crew of seven quickly assembled considering the various part of Europe that everyone had flown from. Thomas from Sweden had arrived first, and he had already been out birdwatching with Cristian, our Spanish guide, while waiting for the rest of us to arrive. Next came Mat and Gertie from Holland, and finally Sheila flew in from Heathrow. That made four nationalities, and Iben – Cristian’s Danish partner – later joined us, making it five! Luckily everyone spoke excellent English which was very humbling.
En route to the Guara Mountains, a Roller was spotted on the roadside wires, so Cristian pulled over and everyone enjoyed prolonged views of this beautiful bird until it eventually moved away. Later on a Hobby was seen hunting low over the fields. We arrived at the atmospheric Casa Oliban in a tiny village and enjoyed a typical local dinner there. A Scops Owl called nearby, but stopped as soon as the curtain was pulled back to try to see it.
An early morning recce produced the obligatory Black Redstart, superb views of a male Golden Oriole, plus Bee-eater, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrikes. The first stop after leaving Casa Oliban turned out to be absolutely amazing. This was at a relatively small area of rock and scrub below the Castillo de Montearagon, but it produced Northern, Black-eared and Black Wheatear, Rock Thrush and Rock Sparrow, as well as both Dartford and Subalpine Warblers. A Tawny Pipit was located nearby. Later we stopped by a stream for warblers, quickly finding Orphean and Western Bonelli’s plus another male Golden Oriole, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Woodchat Shrike, Wryneck (heard); a whole day could have been easily spent here.
We pressed on towards the Hecho Valley in the Pyrenees and our hotel Castillo d’Acher in the village of Siresa. This was to be our base for two nights. En route, 100+ Griffon Vultures, six Egyptian Vultures, one Honey Buzzard, 10 Red Kites, 30 Black Kites, two Short-toed Eagles and a Common Buzzard were seen. Our last stop also produced two Black Woodpeckers.
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| Black-eared Wheatear |
The third day was spent in the Hecho Valley amid wonderful scenery and many flowers, including several orchid species. Three species were targeted in particular – Lammergeier, Wallcreeper and Citril Finch – all of which were duly located.
After an early dinner we set off for a known site for Eagle Owl. Within five minutes of arriving, a crow gave away the likely position of the owl. And sure enough, it promptly appeared, dwarfing the low tree it sat in for several minutes. It then launched itself into the air and flew straight towards us, passing low overhead and giving Mat a chance to take some fantastic photos; at least one of these could be a good logo for a horror film! This proved to be THE special moment of the trip for several of the group members.
Because of cloud we decided to try for another Wallcreeper at a new site rather than going high into the Pyrenees for Alpine Accentor and Ring Ouzel. We failed, but were compensated by the sight of a large flock of Red-billed Chough. Marmot and Chamois put in an appearance; Cristian had on two previous occasions seen Wild Cat here, but it didn’t oblige this time.
In the afternoon we set off for Quinto in the steppes of Belchite, getting good views of a young Golden Eagle along the way. Once in the steppe area we quickly found Montagu’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Crested Lark, Stone Curlew, several Northern Wheatear on passage, and a rare (for the area) Red-footed Falcon.
A pre-dawn start was made to try to find Dupont’s Lark. Luckily everyone had prolonged views of at least two of these elusive birds singing away on top of small tufts of vegetation. By then we had seen eight species of European larks! Two Great Spotted Cuckoos appeared and both Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse were located. After breakfast, a Booted Eagle gave prolonged views and a nest site of at least 200 Sand Martins was discovered along with prospecting Bee-eaters and several Stone Curlews. A Rock Sparrow had opportunistically occupied one of the Sand Martin holes.
In the afternoon a tumbling stream was followed to find Dipper (four) and Grey Wagtail. On the way to the Ebro Delta we stopped near Cristian and Iben’s home village of Freginals to see two resting Bonelli’s Eagles. A Black Stork had just been spotted by Iben from their garden nearby, but we failed to locate it. Iben joined us that evening for an excellent dinner at the Delta Hotel and then accompanied us for the following three days, adding a very experienced pair of eyes to our group.
After a good breakfast we were soon out in the northern part of the delta. Night Herons had roosted in the hotel grounds, and a singing Great Reed Warbler sounded just like Mat’s camera shutter. The views of previously glimpsed birds such as Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Audouin’s Gull, Squacco and Purple Herons were truly staggering. The Ebro Delta consists mainly of rice paddies criss-crossed by roads and tracks giving the opportunity to match the speed of flying birds for photos etc. Little Bittern, Purple Gallinule, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Tern and Hoopoe were all present in good numbers and seen well.
Another very special event awaited us this morning in the nearby mountains of Els Ports. After a 90 minute drive, we met up with Jose Ramon, a local rabbit farmer, at a bar and then followed him along a track in the minibus, eventually walking quietly to a comprehensive hide system. Once we were inside, Jose Ramon appeared with a wheelbarrow full of dead rabbits, and he was quickly accompanied by what eventually became at least 150 Griffon Vultures. After years of running the feeding station, Jose Ramon can approach the vultures in a way that nobody else can do, and recently the vultures have started pecking him as if though he was one of them.
A lone Black Kite and an Egyptian Vulture joined in the feast, avoiding the squabbling Griffons. A Fox appeared and quickly grabbed a mouthful of rabbit; two cats hung about which the vultures eyed up but did not attack. Finally several White Wagtails came to feed on the flies attracted by the dead rabbits.
On leaving the area, we stopped to photograph a wonderful field of bright red poppies, and soon we had a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles circling low above us giving chance to compare the size of the male and the female. Woodlark, male Golden Oriole and Woodchat Shrike completed the scene.
The final day entailed a ferry crossing of the Ebro River to the southern part of the delta. Highlights were the very close views of many Collared Pratincole, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Red-crested Pochard and Greater Flamingo. Iben found one of the two Red-knobbed Coots known to be in the entire delta, and it posed for photos not ten yards away from the group.
The day ended with a search for Scops Owl and a male Penduline Tit busy constructing his elaborate nest compensated for failing to see the owl.
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| Red-knobbed Coot |
A very early start for the airport produced Barn Owl, the 184th bird species of an outstanding trip.
Personal firsts were: Lammergeier, Caspian Tern (seen with Common, Little, Sandwich, Gull-billed and Whiskered Tern for size comparison), Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Eagle Owl (adult), Black Woodpecker, Dupont’s Lark, Rock Thrush, Tawny Pipit, Wallcreeper, Citril Finch, and I must also include Slender-billed Gull and Gull-billed Tern for the numbers and close-up views!
| | Avocet and ducklings from the Ebro Delta |
- 1. Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus
- 2. Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis
- 3. Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo
- 4. European Shag - Phalacrocorax aristotelis
- 5. Northern Gannet - Morus bassanus
- 6. Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea
- 7. Purple Heron - Ardea purpurea
- 8. Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
- 9. Great White Egret - Egretta alba
- 10. Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
- 11. Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides
- 12. Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
- 13. Little Bittern - Ixobrychus minutus
- 14. Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus
- 15. Eurasian Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia
- 16. White Stork - Ciconia ciconia
- 17. Greater Flamingo - Phoenicopterus ruber
- 18. Common Shelduck - Tadorna tadorna
- 19. Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
- 20. Gadwall - Anas strepera
- 21. Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata
- 22. Red-crested Pochard - Netta rufina
- 23. Common Pochard - Aythya ferina
- 24. Egyptian Vulture - Neophron percnopterus
- 25. Lammergeier - Gypaetus barbatus
- 26. Eurasian Griffon Vulture - Gyps fulvus
- 27. Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
- 28. European Honey Buzzard - Pernis apivorus
- 29. Red Kite - Milvus milvus
- 30. Black Kite - Milvus migrans
- 31. Bonelli's Eagle - Hieraaetus fasciatus
- 32. Booted Eagle - Hieraaetus pennatus
- 33. Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos
- 34. Short-toed Eagle - Circaetus gallicus
- 35. Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo
- 36. Western Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus
- 37. Montagu's Harrier - Circus pygargus
- 38. Eurasian Hobby - Falco subbuteo
- 39. Red-footed Falcon - Falco vespertinus
- 40. Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus
- 41. Lesser Kestrel - Falco naumanni
- 42. Common Quail - Coturnix coturnix
- 43. Red-legged Partridge - Alectoris rufa
- 44. Common Coot - Fulica atra
- 45. Red-knobbed Coot - Fulica cristata
- 46. Purple Swamphen - Porphyrio porphyrio
- 47. Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus
- 48. Pied Avocet - Recurvirostra avosetta
- 49. Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus
- 50. Grey Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
- 51. Little Ringed Plover - Charadrius dubius
- 52. Kentish Plover - Charadrius alexandrinus
- 53. Sanderling - Calidris alba
- 54. Common Redshank - Tringa totanus
- 55. Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia
- 56. Common Sandpiper - Actitis hypoleucos
- 57. Eurasian Curlew - Numenius arquata
- 58. Bar-tailed Godwit - Limosa lapponica
- 59. Stone Curlew - Burhinus oedicnemus
- 60. Collared Pratincole - Glareola pratincola
- 61. Black-headed Gull - Larus ridibundus
- 62. Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis
- 63. Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus
- 64. Audouin's Gull - Larus audouinii
- 65. Slender-billed Gull - Larus genei
- 66. Gull-billed Tern - Sterna nilotica
- 67. Sandwich Tern - Sterna sandvicensis
- 68. Common Tern - Sterna hirundo
- 69. Little Tern - Sterna albifrons
- 70. Caspian Tern - Sterna caspia
- 71. Black Tern - Chlidonias niger
- 72. Whiskered Tern - Chlidonias hybridus
- 73. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - Pterocles alchata
- 74. Black-bellied Sandgrouse - Pterocles orientalis
- 75. Feral Pigeon - Columba livia feral
- 76. Common Wood Pigeon - Columba palumbus
- 77. Eurasian Collared Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
- 78. European Turtle Dove - Streptopelia turtur
- 79. Monk Parakeet - Myiopsitta monachus
- 80. Great Spotted Cuckoo - Clamator glandarius
- 81. Eurasian Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus
- 82. Barn Owl - Tyto alba
- 83. Eurasian Eagle Owl - Bubo bubo
- 84. Common Scops Owl - Otus scops
- 85. Little Owl - Athene noctua
- 86. Eurasian Nightjar - Caprimulgus europaeus
- 87. Common Swift - Apus apus
- 88. Alpine Swift - Apus melba
- 89. European Bee-eater - Merops apiaster
- 90. European Roller - Coracias garrulus
- 91. Hoopoe - Upupa epops
- 92. Eurasian Wryneck - Jynx torquilla
- 93. Black Woodpecker - Dryocopus martius
- 94. Great Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major
- 95. Green Woodpecker - Picus viridis sharpei
- 96. Calandra Lark - Melanocorypha calandra
- 97. Skylark - Alauda arvensis
- 98. Dupont’s Lark - Chersophilus duponti
- 99. Woodlark - Lullula arborea
- 100. Crested Lark - Galerida cristata
- 101. Thekla Lark - Galerida theklae
- 102. Greater Short-toed Lark - Calandrella brachydactyla
- 103. Lesser Short-toed Lark - Calandrella rufescens
- 104. Eurasian Crag Martin - Hirundo rupestris
- 105. Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
- 106. Northern House Martin - Delichon urbica
- 107. Sand Martin - Riparia riparia
- 108. Tawny Pipit - Anthus campestris
- 109. White Wagtail - Motacilla alba alba
- 110. Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava
- 111. Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea
- 112. Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio
- 113. Woodchat Shrike - Lanius senator
- 114. Southern Grey Shrike - Lanius meridionalis
- 115. Dunnock - Prunella modularis
- 116. Savi's Warbler - Locustella luscinioides
- 117. Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus
- 118. Eurasian Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus scirpaceus
- 119. Zitting Cisticola - Cisticola juncidis
- 120. Cetti's Warbler - Cettia cetti
- 121. Melodious Warbler - Hippolais polyglotta
- 122. Orphean Warbler - Sylvia hortensis
- 123. Garden Warbler - Sylvia borin
- 124. Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla
- 125. Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia melanocephala
- 126. Subalpine Warbler - Sylvia cantillans
- 127. Spectacled Warbler - Sylvia conspicillata
- 128. Common Whitethroat - Sylvia communis
- 129. Dartford Warbler - Sylvia undata
- 130. Western Bonelli's Warbler - Phylloscopus bonelli
- 131. Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus
- 132. Common Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita
- 133. Firecrest - Regulus ignicapillus
- 134. Goldcrest - Regulus regulus
- 135. Spotted Flycatcher - Muscicapa striata
- 136. Whinchat - Saxicola rubetra
- 137. Common Stonechat - Saxicola rubicola
- 138. Rock Thrush - Monticola saxatilis
- 139. Blue Rock Thrush - Monticola solitarius
- 140. Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe
- 141. Black-eared Wheatear - Oenanthe hispanica
- 142. Black Wheatear - Oenanthe leucura
- 143. Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros
- 144. European Robin - Erithacus rubecula
- 145. Common Nightingale - Luscinia megarhynchos
- 146. Mistle Thrush - Turdus viscivorus
- 147. Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos
- 148. Blackbird - Turdus merula
- 149. Long-tailed Tit - Aegithalos caudatus
- 150. Eurasian Penduline Tit - Remiz pendulinus
- 151. Crested Tit - Parus cristatus
- 152. European Blue Tit - Parus caeruleus
- 153. Coal Tit - Parus ater
- 154. Great Tit - Parus major
- 155. Wallcreeper - Tichodroma muraria
- 156. Eurasian Treecreeper - Certhia familiaris
- 157. Short-toed Treecreeper - Certhia brachydactyla
- 158. Dipper - Cinclus cinclus
- 159. Winter Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes
- 160. Eurasian Jay - Garrulus glandarius
- 161. Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica
- 162. Northern Raven - Corvus corax
- 163. Carrion Crow - Corvus corone
- 164. Eurasian Jackdaw - Corvus monedula
- 165. Red-billed Chough - Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
- 166. Alpine Chough - Pyrrhocorax graculus
- 167. House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
- 168. Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus
- 169. Spotless Starling - Sturnus unicolor
- 170. Golden Oriole - Oriolus oriolus
- 171. Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs
- 172. Eurasian Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula
- 173. European Serin - Serinus serinus
- 174. Citril Finch - Serinus citrinella
- 175. European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis
- 176. European Greenfinch - Carduelis chloris
- 177. Eurasian Linnet - Carduelis cannabina
- 178. Common Crossbill - Loxia curvirostra
- 179. Rock Sparrow - Petronia petronia
- 180. Reed Bunting - Emberiza schoeniclus
- 181. Corn Bunting - Miliaria calandra
- 182. Cirl Bunting - Emberiza cirlus
- 183. Yellowhammer - Emberiza citrinella
- 184. Rock Bunting - Emberiza cia
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