I got the chance, last week, to fulfill a life long ambition of mine and visit Spain. Having read good reports online I booked with Stephen Christopher of catalanbirdtours.com . As Stephen also provides accomodation all I needed to worry about were my Bins, Camera and suncream! My trip took in the Pyrenees (twice), the Ebro Delta, the Garraf Massis, the Steppes of Lleida and of Los Monegros as well as the Llobregat Reserves and let me tell you it didn't disappoint!
Stephen is extremely knowledgeable about both the birds and their habitats in this region which meant, mostly thanks to his keen eye and ear, we were able to pick up 173 species for the trip 79 of which were 'lifers' for me!! Scope views were only necessary for some distant birds (Bonellis Eagle) or birds we didn't want to disturb (Eagle Owl) but most were viewable even without Bins!
Ever since I was a child, watching nature programmes on t.v., the Lammergeier has always been my favourite bird. I find it fascinating and its presence in the Pyrenees played a huge part in my choosing to make this trip. As I mentioned, Stephen really knows his stuff and practically had this magnificent birds arrival timed! We were treated to spectacular fly-bys followed by a fly-over as the bird made its way across the mountain ridges. A second bird was then spotted in a different area, with even better views, and while watching this we had the pleasure of it being joined by a juvenile for a spot of synchronised soaring. Fabulous to watch!
Needless to say i was snap-happy and here follows a selection of the stunning flora and fauna the area has to offer. This outstanding birding tour saw us connect with 5 Woodpecker species, 2 Owl species, 3 Vulture species, 15 Raptor species, 8 Heron species and a host of other super birds for the region including Iberian Grey Shrike, Bee-eaters, Rollers (another bird on my wishlist for a long time) and many,many more.
I can not thank Stephen enough, his perseverance in getting good views of birds on the wishlist and his expertise were invaluable and made the trip so rewarding. I'm definitely saving for another tour and would recommend you do to.
The pics below are mostly of Lammergeier, unless otherwise stated but please check my other recent posts for more from the trip. Hope you enjoy the them,
Marc :-)
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Lammergeier (juv) |
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| Lammergeier (adult & juv) |
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| Lammergeier & Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
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| Griffon Vulture |
