Day 1: Arrival in Madrid. Madrid to Avila

The group will assemble at the Madrid Barajas Airport, then drive west into the ruggedly beautiful landscape of southern Castile and León. Our base for the duration of the tour will be an idyllic small town just south of the larger city of Avila, a UNESCO site that is renowned for its ancient churches and the towering walls that encircle the old town. The surrounding scenes of snow-covered mountains, Mediterranean woodland, and rolling agricultural fields perfectly fulfill a stereotypical European idyll. If our arrival time allows, we will spend some time in the afternoon visiting bird feeders where there are chances to photograph species like Iberian (Azure-winged) Magpie, Crested, Great, and Blue Tits, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, European Robin, and Chaffinch.

 

Days 2-3: Eagle hides

The first two days are focused on visiting two different hides: one for Golden Eagle and one for Spanish Imperial Eagle. In order to get close to these incredibly shy creatures, we have to leave very early, and enter the hides while it is still dark outside. Thankfully though, the late hour of Spanish winter sunrise means that our wakeup time won’t be too ridiculously early! Eagles are not the only possibilities at these hides, which also attract Eurasian Griffon, Black Vulture, Carrion Crow, Common Raven, and Red Kite. At this time of year the eagles have fresh plumage, and show up spectacularly in the soft, clean, winter light.

 

Day 4: Gredos Mountains

After two days of working out of hides, we’ll enjoy a more open-ended day of exploring the beautiful Gredos Mountains, which tower over 8000 feet and dominate the surrounding landscape. Our main montane target is the remarkable Iberian Ibex, which can be quite tame and approachable. The birds are also quite accommodating, and we have chances to get excellent photos of Dunnock, Rock Bunting, and perhaps Alpine Accentor. The snowy alpine Gredos are also excellent for landscape photography, with deep gorges full of evergreens, and peaks piled high with immaculate snow.

 

Day 5: Vulture hide and feeders

We will again focus on hides, but with a different set of targets. One full morning will be in a hide that is set up to attract vultures, namely the massive Eurasian Griffon and Black Vulture. This is a special time of year for the Black Vultures, with aggressive encounters and courtship behavior often making for wonderful behavioral photos. The vulture hide sometimes also attracts Spanish Imperial Eagle, for more chances to photograph this incredible creatures. We’ll eat lunch near some bird feeders which often have species like Blue Rock Thrush, and the massive-billed Hawfinch. They will also give additional chances at widespread but photogenic birds like Crested, Blue, and Great Tits, Iberian Magpie, Dunnock, Rock Bunting, and a variety of finch species.

 

Day 6: Steppe raptor hide

Yet another hide gives us chances to photograph yet another spectacular set of shy subjects which are normally very difficult to approach. Our main targets are Red Kite, plus chances at Common Buzzard, Western Marsh Harrier, and maybe even more Spanish Imperial Eagles. One of the great features of these hides is the chance to see and photograph intimate parts of the lives of these raptors. You never know what kind of encounter or interactions might occur, and our hours in this perfectly positioned hide are sure to fly by.

 

Day 7: Flexible day

We have a “flex day” built into this tour in case there is something that we missed earlier in the tour, or which participants want to photograph further. In particular, eagles can be difficult, so this day may be spent at either the Golden or Spanish Imperial Eagle hide. Alternatively, we might branch out and search for a new subject such as Eurasian Sparrowhawk or Little Owl.

 

Day 8: Oso Lagoon hide

The last day of our short tour may actually be the most productive in terms of the number of species photographed. We spend the whole day in a large, comfortable hide that is next to the Oso Lagoon. We hope for close encounters with wetland species including Greylag Goose, various ducks, Eurasian Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, and sometimes even raptors like Merlin, Common Buzzard, or Marsh Harrier.

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Day 9: Avila to Madrid. Departure

If time permits, we have a final morning for some photography around our hotel, or at nearby bird feeders, before driving back to Madrid to connect with our outbound international flights.