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 birding...

         Spain

 







Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus ©Arto Juvonen http://www.digiscoping.fi/

The impressive abundance of birds that can be found in Spain is due both to its geographical location (it is a natural route between the European Continent and Africa) and its varied landscapes and climates. Over 456 different species of birds are quoted - 285 breeding - some of them having here their last European strongholds. This is the case with Purple Gallinule (3,500 pairs); White-headed Duck (1,164 individuals) and Marbled Teal (250 pairs); and they are on the increase in most of the Iberian wetlands. Other species, like raptors, are also recovering: Lammergeier (+80 cc.); Griffon Vulture (16,590 cc.); Golden Eagle (+1,200 cc.).

Places to stay, local organisations, reserves, reading etc. etc. are all now available on Spanish regional pages - see below...

This page brought to you in association with:
Birding Sevilla


Galicia Asturias Castilla-Leon Pais Vasco (Basque Country) Cantabria Rioja Navarra Aragon Cataluna (Catalunya) Extremadura Andalucia Madrid Castilla-La Mancha Murcia Valencia Canary Islands Balearic Islands

  top sites

 

Top Sites

Most Spanish regions offer some wonderful birding locations whether it be the Albufera of Mallorca or Cota Donana in Andalucia. See the individual regional pages for the best places to go birding.

  contributor

 

Marcial Yuste Blasco
Moro Marsh Nature Reserve Ornithologist
myb@provicom.com

SpainBirding
spainbir@suport.org

  numbers

 
Number of bird species: 554

  useful reading

 

Guna de las Aves de Espana

Eduardo de Juana & Juan M. Varela ? Lynx Edicions. Pub. 2000. ?9.00
See Fatbirder Review

Travellers' Nature Guides: Spain

By Teresa Farino & Mike Lockwood - ?16.99 Oxford University Press
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 0198504357
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Where the birds are in northeast Spain

by Steve West illustrated by Ernest Leahy and others 2004
ISBN: 8460915999
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Where to Watch Birds in Spain: The 100 best sites

Jos? Antonio Montero et al (2005) Lynx Ediciones 341pp ?18:50
See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 8496553043
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  useful information

 

Proact


Coordinator: none (why not apply?)
see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: 10
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

  clubs

 

Fundacion Natura

http://www.fnatura.org/
La Fundació Natura és la primera ONG creada a Catalunya dedicada exclusivament a la conservació de la diversitat biològica mitjançant la protecció, millora i restauració dels ecosistemes naturals...

Grupo de anillamiento Pit-roig

http://www.uv.es/pitroig
Grupo ornitológico dedicado al anillamiento científico de aves, especialmente paseriformes. Creado oficialmente en 2004, sus actividades se inician bastante tiempo atrás. Actualmente está formado por más de una decena de anilladores expertos y específicos que enfocan esta actividad al desarrollo de diversos proyectos científicos de importancia nacional y local. [Dedicated to bird ringing activities in Eastern Spain. Birding, ringing and migration projects information…]

Proyecto AVIS

http://www.proyectoavis.com/
Sistema de registro y consulta de citas de aves en Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias...

Sociedad Espanola de Ornitologia

http://www.seo.org
Melqulades Biencinto 34, E-28053 Madrid. + 34 91 434091 asanchez@seo.org
English language version under construction

Spanish Rarities Committee

http://www.rarebirdspain.net/
Rare Birds in Spain - news etc...

  museums

 

Museo National de Cienias Naturales CSIC

http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/aves.html
Bird List, Atlas etc...

  reserves

 

National Parks

http://www.in-spain.info/special-features/national-parks.htm
Brief pieces on many of the parks...

National Parks

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/List%20of%20National%20Parks%20in%20Spain
A total of 1,226 square kms. of the 500,000 that make up Spain have been set aside as National Parks...

Wetlands

http://www.ramsar.org
Spain presently has 49 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 172,980 hectares...

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

2002 [September] - Ian Barthorpe & Tim Strudwick - Southern Spain

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Spain/tour6/Spain-sept02.htm
Flew into Málaga, collected hire car and departed towards El Rocío. Planned to stop on route at El Torcal (MA5). First stop in fields soon after leaving main Malaga-Antequerra road. Passerine flocks here contained Crested Larks, Linnets and Goldfinches, with several Red-rumped Swallows overhead...

2003 [March] – David & Amanda Mason – Pyrenees, Picos de Europa & Extremadura

http://www.realbirder.com/spainreport.htm
We enjoyed good weather and had an excellent time, seeing some super birds on the way, with a total of 153 species for the trip, 12 of which were lifers...

2004 [February] - Stuart Piner - Northern, Central and Southern Spain

http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/spain-sp-0304.html
Just prior to Christmas 2003, whilst at a university drinks outing, James Gilroy informed me he was planning a Spanish trip in early 2004, and asked me if I would like to be on the team. Having only ever lifted my bins outside Britain on one previous occasion I jumped at the chance to give my Western Palaearctic list a much needed kick start and hopefully gain some vital experience with potential British vagrants...

2005 [May] - Gruff Dodd

http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=700
I have had an ambition for some time to try to see all the regularly breeding and wintering birds in Europe, and over the years I have whittled down the number I have left to see to just 11. I therefore decided to make a short trip over to Central Spain over the bank holiday weekend in order to try to tick off two of these, namely Little Bustard and Western Orphean Warbler. I was also keen to see the Iberian race of Green Woodpecker, as well as trying to locate 2 vagrants, Bald Ibis and Long-legged Buzzard (of the North African race cirtensis) that had been seen recently in the Belén area...

2006 [April] - Lutz Lucker - Extremadura & NW Spain

http://louiscrex.skyblog.com/
First nights camping rough , then Hotel Rosales in Malpartida de Plasencia and Motorway Motel El Cruce, 10 kms north of Trujillo between la Aldea and Torrecillas...

2006 [May] – David & Amanda Mason – Extremadura and Donana

http://www.realbirder.com/Spain2006.htm
In birding terms a memorable 10 days with 179 species seen in total including 3 lifers (plus a further 4 species only heard)...

2007 [May] - Eustace Barnes - Central & Northern Spain

http://www.birding-southamerica.com/trspain07.htm
Spain has long been an extremely popular destination for European birders offering as it does a wide range of typical Mediterranean habitats, along with easy, safe, and excellent birding. Many sites are in beautifully scenic settings featuring Romanesque architecture and ancient, fortified hilltop villages...

2007 [September] - Robin Griffiths

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Spain/tour18/tour-sept-07.htm
The group arrived on time and we quickly loaded up the buses and set off on the two hour journey to El Rocio in the Coto Donana. We dropped our belongings into our rooms at the Hotel Toruno and ate dinner at 10pm amidst growling thunder and spectacular lightening with bouts of torrential rain...

2008 [January] - Alan Jack

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Spain/Tour19/Spain-feb-08.htm
Cheap flights ,car hire and accommodation make a long February weekend in Spain a very affordable, welcome escape from the dreary, cold of north east England. Five days is just enough time to fit in both the famous Coto Donana and the steppe and hill country of Extremadura, the two sites some five hours drive apart...

2009 [May] - Eustace Barnes - Central & Northern Spain

http://www.birding-southamerica.com/TrSpain09.htm
This trip to Spain was designed to see the birds of both the Spanish steppe and high Pyrenees. Although spring in central Spain is always best late April into early May this year was cooler than usual and there had been a very cold dry winter preceding our visit. This did provide us with good conditions for seeing migrants and late displaying birds as well as more wetland birds than usual...

  tour operators

 

Anytime Tours

http://www.anytimetours.co.uk/
Fatbirder's very own birding tours offered to a number of areas of Spain... see the relevant regional page for details...

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Spain.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

Boletas Birdwatching - Birding in North East Spain

http://www.boletas.org/
BOLETAS (Egyptian Vulture in the local language) was formed in 1994, a stroke of luck enables us to live our long-awaited dream; install ourselves in the peaceful rural village of Loporzano, in the midst of one of the best birding areas in the Iberian Peninsula dedicating ourselves exclusively to our interest in birds

Guides

http://www.wild-spain.com/
A list of nature/bird guides etc. Go to Directory and then birdwatching...

Iberian Wildlife Tours

http://www.iberianwildlife.com/
We are all British, freelance, natural history tour leaders who have been living in our respective regions of Spain for many years. Our experience of leading wildlife holidays in Spain and Portugal dates from 1989, both with established wildlife tour companies and a tailor-made basis for independent groups...

Oriole Birding

http://www.oriolebirding.com
A UK-based company specialising in bird watching tours of Norfolk and Wales, and a wide range of other UK destinations, a comprehensive programme of tours worldwide. Neil Donaghy and Ashley Saunders have over nineteen years experience between them, running their own companies Celtic Bird Tours and Oriole Adventures, before merging the two to create this new venture which offers complete bird tour packages. Value for money, genuinely small groups and great birds.

Ornisun

http://www.ornisun.com/
ORNISUN BIRDWATCHING HOLIDAYS aim to provide a friendly, reliable and rewarding birdwatching holiday for our clients. Our experience of over 40 years watching birds in southern Spain and Gibraltar is invaluable when it comes to knowing where to go and when. Our holidays are structured in such a way so that we hope to see most of our target birds at least during one of our five tour days...

Pico Verde Walking Holidays

http://www.picoverde.com
Pico Verde Walking Holidays offer guided, self-led and independent walking holidays in northern Spain. Although they don`t offer bird-watching holidays, they have a slideshow section on their website which has pictures of over 270 birds of the area along with their songs.

Spain Birds

http://www.spainbirds.com/
SPAINBIRDS is a small company which efforts are appointed to organize ornithology tours over all spanish geography. Its expert leader, Santiago Villa, has a deep knowledge about iberian birds. Natural Parks as Doñana, Cabañeros and Monfragüe are his favourite spots, in which he has spent unforgettable moments, and also there, there is one of the most vulnerable raptors of the world: Spanish Imperial Eagle. Species that he knows very well, in fact he controlled a pair for two breeding season in the Monte de El Pardo. In spite of that he was born in Madrid, he is very bound to Extremadura by strong affection since he was a child, due to his parents were born in Membrio, a little village placed between Sierra de San Pedro and Llanos de Brozas, with no doubt, two of the best conserved places in Europe.

Spanish Nature s.l.

http://www.birdphotography.eu
Peter Jones 57 years old, a well known biologist and birdguide living in the Serrania the Ronda…

Walks in Spain

http://www.walksinspain.com/index.html
...we will be walking through the flat coastal wetlands and natural reserve of L`Albufera. We will be walking along the seashore through mobile sand dunes and pine forest interspersed with dried salt ponds and lagoons eventually arriving at a viewpoint with magnificent vistas across L`Albufera Lake. Finally we arrive at the Raco de Ora nature reserve where we have the opportunity to see some of the 250 different bird species that visit here...

Wingspan Bird Tours

http://www.wingspanbirdtours.com/
WINGSPAN BIRD TOURS offer a range of exciting bird-watching holidays and Bird Tours throughout Spain, Morocco, Lesvos and Portugal. Our Bird-watching breaks range from day trips in Andalucia to 10 days in Morocco. We cater for beginners and accomplished birders alike, we offer good value, good company and great birding...

  places to stay

 

Boletus Birdwatching Centre - Pyrenees

http://www.boletas.org/
Birdwatching Centre in the Spanish Pyrenees, we inform birders where to go and we organize tours in the northeast of Spain...

  mailing lists

 

Birdwatch-Spain

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/birdwatch-spain
To post to list:birdwatch-spain@yahoogroups.com
List contact:birdwatch-spain-owner@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to list:birdwatch-spain-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Mailing List – Discussion Group - An English language list about bird watching in Spain. Fledgling birders to rabid twitchers - all welcome. If your bird is in Spain this is your list.

HispanAves el Foro sobre Ornitología y Desarrollo Sostenible

http://hispanaves.superforos.com/
Todo sobre la ornitología de España y Europa [Spanish Bird Forum]

Territorio Natural

http://territorionatural.mundoforo.com/
Ornitología,Medio Ambiente y Naturaleza en general – Spanish Bird Forum…

  other links

 

Ardeola

http://www.ardeola.org/
Ardeola is the scientific journal of the Spanish Society of Ornithology (Sociedad Española de Ornitología, SEO/BirdLife). Three main topics are specially encouraged: ornithological studies carried out in the areas of Mediterranean climate and in the Neotropics, and applied studies dealing with the conservation of birds and their habitats. The Editorial staff will promote rapid publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Birding in Spain

http://www.birdinginspain.com
Birds and Birding Tours in northeast Spain: Plan your Birding trip to Catalonia, Aragon and Navarra..

Birds in Spain

http://www.iberianature.com/material/birdsspain.htm
Around 337 birds breed in Spain out of the total of 520 for Europe. More than 500 species are present at some time during the year. Officially (according to SEO) there are some 557 species listed for Spain (and rising). However, many of these are occasionals, vagrants or exotics. 250 odd are regular nesters...

Birds of the Iberian Peninsula

http://www.sao-albacete.org/espinglA.htm
List of Spanish birds in English and Spanish.

BLOG - A través del Telescopio

http://atravesdeltelescopio.blogspot.com
En este blog también iremos hablando y comentando nuestras jornadas de anillamiento científico, sobre todo en la Estación de Las Minas, cerca de San Martín de la Vega y junto al río Jarama...

BLOG - Alfonso Rodrigo - Extreme Birding España

http://www.extreme-birding.blogspot.com
Vivencias de un pajarero que ejerce en toda España y parte del extranjero. Alfonso Rodrigo…

BLOG - Aves de Aquí y de Allá

http://avesaquialla.blogspot.com
Blog about birding and Ringing in Spain. By Álex Alamán…

BLOG - AVES EN ESPAÑA

http://birdingspain.blogspot.com/
Photoblog of birds in spain...

BLOG - Aves Ricardo Rodriguez

http://www.avesricardo.blogspot.com/
Blog de las aves vistas y fotografiados Ricardo Rodrigues...

BLOG - Birding the Costa

http://birding-the-costa.blogspot.com/
'Birding the Costa' is a blog spot for English speaking birders anywhere in Andalucía whose Spanish is not up to scratch. It is not just about rarities, although details will be posted of these...

BLOG - César Vidal Rodríguez - Aves do Val Minor

http://avesdominhor.blogspot.com/
Moi boas, a todos. Este blog pretendo usalo como caderno de campo e como noticiario (o mais actualizado posíbel), das aves vistas nestes tres concellos (Baiona, Gondomar e Nigrán)ou o que e o mesmo; O Val Miñor. Por suposto observación de aves interesantes noutros lugares de Galiza tamén estarán neste blog...

BLOG - El blog de ASEDI

http://asedigis.blogspot.com
A Spanish digiscoping BLOG

BLOG - Extreme Birding Espana

http://www.extreme-birding.blogspot.com/
Spannish birding BLOG…

BLOG - Pico y PLumas

http://picoyplumas.blogspot.com
Biólogo de bota, como suele decirse. Amante de la Naturaleza y la fotografía. Y con muchos pájaros en la cabeza. Hay que decir que este blog es solo provisional hasta terminar la página oficial…

Carduelis carduelis

http://carduelis-carduelis.blogspot.com
Pictures of birds taken around Spain

Cinerea

http://www.cinerea.org/
Os damos la bienvenida a Cinerea.org, una página web dedicada exclusivamente al mundo de las aves y la ornitología...

Convenio Ramsar

http://www.ramsar.org/
1996 - 1999 Ramsar Convention. This is the official Web site of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and is maintained by the treaty secretariat, or Bureau. Material from the Ramsar pages may be reproduced freely for educational, journalistic, and other non-commercial purposes. The Bureau is always pleased to receive notification and/or samples of such uses. For commercial uses of Ramsar material or logos, please contact the Ramsar Bureau.

Enciclopedia virtual de los vertebrados Espanoles - Museo National de Cienias Naturales CSIC

http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/aves.html
Lista de las aves de España, Atlas Virtual de las aves de España etc.

Group of banding bird in Spain

http://grupoanillamientozamalla.blogspot.com
Birds migration and banding birds in South Spain…

Iberia nature

http://www.iberianature.com
A guide to the environment, geography, climate, wildlife, natural history and landscape of Spain. Includes A-Z Spanish-English nature dictionary, dozens of articles on everything from the history of malaria in Spain to the status of wolves, checklists of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc...

Radiotracking Spain

http://www.radiotracking.es
Radiotracking birds in Spain….

Rare Birds in Spain

http://www.rarebirdspain.net/home.htm
It contains information on the activities of our Rarities Committee despite this it`s not its official web page. It also features monthly abstracts of the best bird sightings here...

The Peregrine in Barcelona

http://www.falconsbarcelona.net/Falco11/en_pagines/index.htm
Peregrine reintroduction in Barcelona...

Web Oryx

http://www.weboryx.com/
Spain`s leading nature store...

Wild Spain

http://www.wild-spain.com/
Away from the cities and the tourist resorts there is another, more serene, Spanish outdoor scene. A diverse and contrasting land of mountains and plains, forests and deserts, little known waterways and hidden coastlines. And the best wildlife in Europe. Use our fact files, tips and hints, and explore Wild Spain - you might be surprised.

  artists

 

Artist - Gebbe Björkman

http://www.gebbe.com/
Art & Nature

Artist - Manuel Sosa

http://manuelsosa.com/
Manuel Sosa is biologist, musician and Wildlife painter… This site has some excellent oil paintings of birds, especially raptors. ...his paintings of birds are simply superb – I have one on my sitting room wall! Fatbirder

Artist - Pep Cantó

http://www.galeon.com/pepcanto/enlaces.htm
Wildlife art gallery

Digiscoping - Daniscoping

http://www.daniscoping.com
The aim of this site that is focused on digiscoping is the spreading of Nature by means of pictures of birds in Spain. As far as possible, the web will be updated at least once a week by adding improved pictures and new species to the galleries. There are usually more than one photo of each species. Just click the thumbnails In each gallery to see the original pictures...

Digiscoping - Digiscoping España

http://usuarios.lycos.es/pardelas/
Usar una cámara digital con un telescopio para hacer fotografías de naturaleza...

Gallery - ASEDI – Digiscoping Gallery

http://www.naturalezadigital.org
Digiscoping Gallery of Spanish bird photography

Gallery - Fotos De Aves

http://personal.redestb.es/puffin/fotos.htm#2
En cada foto se indica el nombre del autor cuando se conoce, así como el tamaño en Kb de la fotografía que puede visualizarse a gran tamaño haciendo clic en el enlace.

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