Steve West asked: Size for size the northeast corner of Spain is the most bird-rich region in Spain and therefore in western Europe. A birder visiting northeast Spain on an 8-day birding trip in spring could encounter more than 200 species of bird, and with relative ease. But for many birders their noble pastime is not just about numbers and lists, as quality also counts. The ideal way of combining both quantity and quality is to focus on the top 10 bird species of this marvellous birding region and how best to locate them.
Obviously the final choice of the top 10 birds of northeast Spain is highly subjective, although one reasonable method of selection would be to identify the birds that foreign birders most want to see. In such a case the star bird list would be as follows (although not necessarily in this order): Dupont’s Lark, Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Red-necked Nightjar, Black Woodpecker, Black Wheatear, Audouin’s Gull, Bee-eater, Bonelli’s Eagle, and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Linnet, however attractive and novel, is not one of the top 10 birds.
Having identified the species the next question would be “Can I see all of those birds on one trip?”. Yes, you can. Although some species are more difficult to combine than others, these species can all be found in this part of Spain in late April and May, for example. Timing your visit well is of the essence if you want to make a clean sweep.
To have a fair chance of seeing the incredibly discreet Dupont’s Lark, for example, you really should visit when male Dupont’s Larks are busy with their territorial singing. Not only does that mean visiting the region from late February to mid-May, but also getting up and to the sites for the crack of dawn. On the other hand Red-necked Nightjars and Bee-eaters are summer visitors to northeast Spain, usually appearing around mid- or late April. Wallcreepers are present all year round, but can be found in much more accessible haunts in the winter months.
The logistics of travelling to and around northeast Spain are not at all complicated. Barcelona has a major international airport, while there are other airports at Girona, Reus and Zaragoza with low cost connections to the UK and elsewhere in Europe. If you fly into Madrid the fast train, the AVE, connects with Zaragoza, Lleida, Tarragona and Barcelona. A comprehensive network of trunk roads and motorways, many new, will help to calm some of your apprehension about driving in a foreign land. And with the exception of the major cities and one or two coastal locations, you will find them surprisingly free of congestion by the standards of many other countries.
Therefore how you actually approach the task of finding the top 10 birds in northeast Spain is up to you. The best do-it-yourself option would be to download bird trip reports from the Internet, acquire a suitable “Where…?” guide, decide on your birding route, book the rural hotels in advance and then trace the planned route in your hire car. Although it may cost you more, an alternative approach would be to look for a local guide to help you with part or all of the itinerary. This is especially recommended if you are short of time or if you want to reduce the element of luck in finding the birds you are after.
By means of illustration, a birding route that would take you to sites where you could see all the top 10 birds specified above could be as follows (although bear in mind that there are many possible variations):
2 nights in the Ebro Delta – Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull and a host of wetland species 2 nights near the Belchite steppes – Dupont’s Lark, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and other steppeland species 2 nights in the high Pyrenees (e.g. Hecho valley, Benasque) – Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Black Woodpecker, Citril Finch and others 2 nights in Montsec – Black Wheatear, Bonelli’s Eagle, Red-necked Nightjar and a possibility of finding some other species you may have missed.
If you are willing to make a few changes to this list, or if you have your eye on other promising birds, you could try a trip earlier in the year, or even in the winter, when species like Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor and Snowfinch are easier to find. One of the good things about birding in northeast Spain is that the information exists and the final choice is yours.
Zackery
