Day 1: Barcelona to the Hecho Valley

After meeting in Barcelona in the morning, we’ll immediately make our way toward the imposing Pyrenees mountain range, taking stops along the way for roadside Red-backed Shrikes, Eurasian Hoopoes, and perhaps too, some lingering Common Cranes, here at one of their favoured wintering areas. We’ll arrive at our base for the next three nights, the Hecho Valley, by late afternoon, in time to explore the area before dinner. The sound of singing Cirl Buntings, Firecrests, Crested and Long-tailed Tits, Red Crossbills, and Black Redstarts will follow us everywhere we go, and we’ll be sure to keep our eyes to the skies for Red Kite, Eurasian Griffon, Egyptian Vulture, Golden and Booted Eagles, and maybe our first Lammergeier of the trip. The night will be spent in the Hecho Valley.

 

Days 2-3: The Pyrenees

The Hecho Valley is one of the premier birding sites in northern Spain, and we have two full days to explore this magical area. Besides fantastic birding among stunning scenery, we will be on the lookout for several key target species. First up, will be the powder blue-and-crimson Wallcreeper, found in narrow ravines populated by White-throated Dippers, Gray Wagtails and Red-billed Choughs. We’ll search high in the mountains for Citril Finch and White-winged Snowfinch, and higher at the French border for Yellow-billed (Alpine) Chough, Alpine Accentor, and the ermine-colored Snow Bunting. We’ll search mountain forests for the striking Black Woodpecker, and the rare White-backed Woodpecker, and enjoy puffed-up Eurasian Bullfinches, Rock Buntings, and Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrushes as we go. Lammergeier could appear at any moment, and we hope to see several during our time in the area. At night, we’ll make drives up the valley in search of nocturnal wildlife. Eurasian Scops- and Tawny Owls are common in the area, while scarcer species like European Eagle-Owl and Boreal Owl are also possible. We may also see Pine and Beech Martens, Polecat, and European Wildcat at night, and Alpine Marmot and Chamois during the day, while the area’s wolves and European Brown Bear are unfortunately shy and rarely seen. These nights will also be in the same hotel within the Hecho Valley.

 

Day 4: Hecho Valley to Belchite

We have a day of travelling down to the steppes of Belchite today, but it will be broken by two great birding stops. We’ll need to leave early to reach the interesting San Juan de la Peña monastery, a short drive through the foothills, where we’ll search again for Black Woodpecker and Wallcreeper. Situated on top of a sheer cliff, the view here is magnificent, and as thermals from the plains below rise, we may be treated to arms-length passes by Eurasian Griffon, Egyptian Vulture, or even Lammergeier. This can also be a good spot for songbirds sunning themselves as the day warms, which may include Subalpine, Sardinian, or Garden Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaff, Blue Rock Thrush, and perhaps Black Wheatear. After leaving the monastery, we’ll make our way to the stunning town of Riglos. This small settlement is overshadowed by its world-famous rock formations, complete with towering cliffs that often play host to Wallcreeper in the winter months. We should have had good views of Wallcreeper by now, but this gives us one final chance if needed. Blue Rock Thrush is common at this site, and a large colony of Eurasian Griffon is mesmerising as they all take to the air and ride the thermals above the town. In the early afternoon, we’ll make the short hop down to the area known as the Belchite steppes, our base for two nights.

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Day 5: Belchite Steppes

We have a full day on the steppes to enjoy a very different selection of birds to those we would have found in the Pyrenees. Our main target for the morning will be the rare and highly localized Dupont’s Lark. Sometimes the birds perform spectacularly well, but we have two mornings set aside to find them, just in case. There are many other distractions in the area, including Crested, Thekla, Calandra, Greater Short-toed, and Lesser Short-toed Larks, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Northern Wheatears, Eurasian Thick-knee, Sardinian, Subalpine, Dartford and Isabelline Warblers, and perhaps the last of the winter flocks of Little Bustard.

 

Day 6: Belchite Steppes to the Ebro Delta

We have another morning set aside in case we need better views of Dupont’s Lark, but it’s likely we’ll have succeeded already. So after a final look around the area for any missing dry-land targets, we’ll drive a couple of hours east to one of the best wetlands in Spain, the Ebro Delta. We have an afternoon and a morning to enjoy this quaint and under-watched corner of Spain with its typically Mediterranean relaxed pace. New birds for the tour will be bountiful, with an assortment of waterfowl, including the handsome Red-crested Pochard and Red-knobbed Coot, herons including Squacco and Purple, and two particularly good-looking gulls: Audouin’s and Slender-billed. The exact species present depends somewhat on which migrants have made the crossing from Africa already, but highlights could include Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, Whiskered, Gull-billed, Little, and White-winged Terns, Collared Pratincole, Eurasian Hoopoe, Bluethroat, and Savi’s, Great Reed and Moustached Warblers. This evening we’ll have a look at the sea to add the Mediterranean-endemic Yelkouan, Balearic, and Scopoli’s Shearwaters to our tally. The night will be spent nearby the Ebro Delta.

 

Day 7 The Ebro Delta to Barcelona (Departure)

The Ebro Delta is only a couple of hours outside Barcelona, so we’ll have time for a last look around this morning, before making our way to Barcelona to connect with afternoon/evening flights out.