Birdwatching & Wildlife Tours in Spain

Birding & Wildlife Trips in La Mancha (Spain), a hidden privilege

La Mancha: Wild Land of Don Quixote

¿Do you want to explore the renowned region of La Mancha and its overwhelming historical inheritance? ¿Do you want to discover one of the greatest natural places of Spain? If your answer is Yes, La Mancha could be a revelation for you. A huge and undiscovered land where you can find ancients traditions, culture, architecture, gastronomy, amazing natural landscapes, some of the best red wines of Spain and, of course, birds.

Natura Indomita offers birding trips in La Mancha and Sierra Morena (Andalusia): Cabaneros National Park, Tablas de Daimiel National Park, La Mancha Wetlands and Steppes, Sierra Morena and Valle de Alcudia, Sierra de Andujar (home of the endangered Iberian Lynx) and Despenaperros Natural Park are some of our top birding sites, highly recommended for those who are interested in the really wild and undiscovered iberian nature. We also offer birding & wildlife tours in some of the best and more renowned spots in Spain, like the Ebro Delta, Sierra de Gredos or Sepulveda.

BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS 2010 & 2011

Spring Long Weekend Trip in La Mancha

3 days & 2 nights Birding & Wildlife Tour, from 170 € (4 people)

Spring Season, April 5th to June 15th 2011

Autumn Long Weekend Trip in La Mancha (Bustards & Cranes)

3 days & 2 nights Birding & Wildlife Tour, from 170 € (4 people)

Autumn Season, October 20th to November 30th 2010 & 2011

La Mancha & the Realm of the Iberian Lynx.

8 days & 7 nights Birding & Wildlife Tour, from 450 € (4 people)

Spring Season, April 15th to May 15th 2011

Wild Land of Don Quixote

5 days & 4 nights Birding Tour, from 300 € (4 people)

All year round 2010 & 2011

Wild Land of the Iberian Lynx

6 days & 5 nights Birding & Wildlife Tour, from 350 € (4 people)

Spring Season, April 10th to May 25th 2011

Mammal Tour in La Mancha & Sierra Morena

5 days & 4 nights Wildlife Tour, from 300 € (4 people)

November 5th 2010 to March 31st 2011

Nature Explosion Tour in La Mancha & Sierra Morena: Volcanoes & Wild Flowers

6 days & 5 nights Nature Tour, from 400 € (4 people)

May 1st to May 31st 2011

Day Tours

From 50 € (4 people)

All year round 2010 & 2011

Click to see METHOD OF PAYMENT & BOOKING CONDITIONS

Click to see the CONTACT FORM

Click to discover the BIRDS & LANDSCAPES OF LA MANCHA & SIERRA MORENA

Spring 2010 Birdwatching Trip Checklists

Tour: Private Day Tour

Date: 21-04-2010

Places: Campo de Calatrava (Fresneda River Gorge, Mudela Fields, Jabalon Reservoir & Calatrava Steppes)

Members: R.B. & S.B. (Germany)

Key Species: Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Calandra Lark, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-Billed Chough, Hawfinch, Rock Bunting.

78 Species Recorded (13 Raptors and the Great Bustards Courtship)

Click to see the complete Checklist

R.B. & S.B. wrote: “Our trip with you on the 21^st of April has been highly interesting and very successful (…) Your conducted tour was excellent in every respect: birds, plants, explanations to the history of the earth (volcans) and geography, we were pleased very much of all of it. And we loved the culinary specialities of La Mancha, muy rico!”

Tour: Private Day Tour

Date: 19-05-2010

Places: Campo de Calatrava (Calatrava Steppes, Mudela Fields, Fresneda River Gorge, Jabalon Reservoir, Vicario Reservoir) and Tablas de Daimiel N.P.

Member: R.H. (England)

Key Species: Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, White Headed Duck, Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, Pallid Swift, Calandra Lark, Blue Rock Thrush, Spectacled Warbler, Red-Billed Chough, Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus witherby), Rock Bunting.

98 Species Recorded (3 Sylvia and 4 Emberiza)

Click to see the complete Checklist

R.H. wrote: “Vicente, a big thank you for an excellent day!(…) Your insight into the country and the local birds, as well as the food were all much appreciated.”

Tour: Bird Photo Day Tour

Date: 26-07-2010

Places: Campo de Calatrava (Jabalon Reservoir, Mudela Fields, Fresneda River Gorge and Navaseca Lagoon)

Member: E.O. (Ireland)

Key Species: Eared Grebe, White Headed Duck, Osprey, Montagu’s Harrier, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Purple Swamphen, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Little Owl, Golden Oriole and Rock Bunting.

71 Species Recorded

Click to see the complete checklist

E.O. wrote: “Many thanks for an excellent day’s birding - it is really surprising the diversity in bird life in your area which, at first sight, seems to only have house sparrows and pigeons!“

The Ciudad Real area: all in one province

Over 350 different species have been recorded only in the Ciudad Real province. In a classical five-day tour we can identify 150 species or more, including some iberian specialities such as Great Egret, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Black Stork, Greater Flamingo, Black Vulture, Imperial Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Black Shouldered Kite, Red-Crested Pochard, White-Headed Duck, Purple Swamphen, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, Roller, Black Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike, Golden Oriole, Azur-Winged Magpie or Spanish Sparrow to mention but a few.

Spanish Sparrow, Campo de Calatrava

The Cabaneros National Park and the Campo de Montiel are some of the best (if not the best) spanish birding spots for paleartic raptors. Here you can find Imperial and Golden Eagles, Black and Griffon Vultures, Short-Toed Eagle, Black and Red Kites, etc. Black Shouldered Kite is very common in Cabaneros. The park also supports healthy populations of Rollers, Bee-eaters and Woodchat Shrikes, and very good numbers of Eagle-Owls, Long-eared, Little, Scops and Tawny Owls. The Campo of Montiel, the kingdom of the Spanish Imperial Eagle, has the biggest density of iberian raptors of Spain. Montagu’s and Marsh Harriers, Booted and Short-Toed Eagles and Eurasian Sparrowhawk are fairly common, and also occurs some of the best populations of steppe birds of La Mancha, like Great and Little Bustards, Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, etc.

Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, Bird of La Mancha

In the Campo de Calatrava, fields around the historical and beautiful city of Almagro, you can find the best populations of Lesser Kestrel of La Mancha. Nearby Almagro, the ZEPA of Calatrava supports the biggest densities of Great and Little Bustards in all the south of Spain. Black Belied and Pin-Tailed Sandgrouses, Calandra Lark, Crested and Short-Toed Larks, Thick-Nee and Red-Billed Chough occurs also here, whereas Eagle-Owl and Little Owl are incredibly common. In the Calatrava lagoons you can also watch many different aquatic species like Black-Winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Great Egret, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Purple Gallinule, etc.

Purple Swamphen in La Mancha Wetlands

The lagoons of La Mancha, the third most important wetland in all Spain (only surpassed by the Coto of Donana and the Ebro Delta) and the first wet area inland the Iberian Peninsula, support perhaps the biggest densities of breeding White Headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard and Gull-Billed Tern of Spain, whilst the Tablas of Daimiel National Park is the best site for Long-Eared Owl, Collared Pratincole, Moustached and Savi’s Warblers or the coloured Bearded Reedling. In the wetlands around the Tablas of Daimiel you can in a one day trip find over 80 different species, including 20 or more waders in the appropiate season, White-Headed Ducks, Eared Grebes, etc.

Juv Long-Eared Owl in Daimiel

South from Almagro, the Valle de Alcudia in Sierra Morena, the longest european valley (110 km. long), supports amazing populations of Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Short-Toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Common Buzzard, Azur-Winged Magpie, White-Rumped Swift, Rock Bunting and Black Weathear, though the best specialities in this stunning oak savanna like dehesas are the Bonelli’s Eagle and the Black Stork.

Black Stork jewel of the Valle de Alcudia

Almagro, birding like nowhere in Europe

These are the bird species that can be seen regularly in less than half an hour from Almagro:

R- Founded all year round
S- Spring and Summer visitor, usually breeding
P- Watched on Migration (March-April-May, August-September-October)
W- Autumn and Winter visitor
CO – Common visitor with very low numbers
SR – Scarce or Rare

1- Little Grebe – R
2- Great Crested Grebe – R
3- Eared Grebe – R
4- Great Cormorant – W – S
5- Great Bittern – SR
6- Little Bittern – S
7- Black-Crowned Night Heron – S
8- Cattle Egret – R
9- Squacco Heron – S
10- Little Egret – R
11- Great Egret – R
12- Grey Heron – R
13- Purple Heron – S
14- Glossy Ibis - CO
15- White Stork – R
16- Black Stork – S
17- Eurasian Spoonbill – CO
18- Greater Flamingo – R
19- Greylag Goose – R
20- Common Shelduck – R
21- Mallard – R
22- Gadwall – R
23- Pintail – P – W
24- Shoveler – R
25- Wigeon – P- W
26- Teal – P – W
27- Marbled Teal – CO
28- Garganey P – S
29- Common Pochard – R
30- Ferroginous Pochard – CO
31- Red-Crested Pochard – R
32- White-Headed Duck - R
33- Ruddy Duck – SR
34- Osprey – P
35- Griffon Vulture – R
36- Golden Eagle – R
37- Spanish Imperial – R
38- Short-Toed Eagle – S
39- Bonelli’s Eagle – R
40- Black Kite – S
41- Black-Shouldered Kite - R
42- Marsh Harrier – R
43- Hen Harrier – W
44- Montagu’s Harrier – S
45- Eurasian Buzzard – W
46- European Honey-Buzzard - P
47- Goshawk – R
48- Kestrel – R
49- Lesser Kestrel – S
50- Hobby - SR
51- Red Legged Partridge – R
52- Common Quail – S
53- Water Rail – R
54- Spotted Crake – CO
55- Common Moorhen – R
56- Eurasian Coot – R
57- Purple Swamphen - R
58- Common Crane – W
59- Great Bustard – R
60- Little Bustard – R
61- Pied Avocet – R
62- Black-Winged Stilt – R
63- Stone Curlew – R
64- Colared Pratincole – S
65- Little Ringed Plover – S
66- Snowy Plover – S
67- Northern Lapwing – R
68- Sanderling – W
69- Dunlin – P – W
70- Curlew Sandpiper – P
71- Temminck’s Stint – CO
72- Little Stint – P – W
73- Common Sandpiper – R
74- Wood Sandpiper – P – S
75- Green Sandpiper – R
76- Common Redshank – R
77- Spotted Redshank – P – S
78- Common Greenshank – P
79- Black-Tailed Godwit – P – W
80- Common Snipe – R
81- Ruff – P – W
82- Black-Headed Gull – R
83- Caspian Gull – R
84- Lesser Black-Backed Gull – R
85- Black Tern – S
86- Whiskered Tern – S
87- Black-Belied Sandgrouse – R
88- Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse - R
89- Rock Pigeon – R
90- Wood Pigeon – R
91- Eurasian Collared-Dove – R
92- Eurasian Turtle-Dove – S
93- Great Spotted Cuckoo - S
94- Eagle-Owl – R
95- Long-Eared Owl – R
96- Little Owl – R
97- Scops Owl – S
98- Red-Necked Nightjar - S
99- Barn Owl – R
100- Common Swift – S
101- Palid Swift – S
102- Little Swift - S
103- Common Kingfisher – R
104- European Bee-Eater – S
105- European Roller – S
106- Hoopoe – R
107- Green Woodpecker – R
108- Great Spotted Woodpecker – R
109- Eurasian Wryneck – SR
110- Crested Lark – R
111- Thekla Lark – R
112- Wood Lark – R
113- Calandra Lark – R
114- Bank Swallow – S
115- Crag Martin – R
116- Barn Swallow – S
117- Red-Rumped Swallow – S
118- House Martin – S
119- Water Pipit – CO
120- Meadow Pipit – W
121- White Wagtail – R
122- Yellow Wagtail – S
123- Gray Wagtail – R
124- Winter Wren – R
125- Robin – W
126- Nightingale – S
127- Bluethroat – W
128- Common Redsart – P
129- Black Redstart – W
130- Black Wheatear – R
131- Winchat – P
132- Stonechat – R
133- Blue Rock-Thrush – R
134- Song Thrush – W
135- Mistle Thrush – R
136- Blackbird – R
137- Blackcap – R
138- Sardinian Warbler – R
139- Greater Whitethroat – CO
140- Subalpine Warbler – S
141- Moustached Warbler – R
142- Aquatic Warbler - SR
143- Reed Warbler – S
144- Great Reed Warbler – S
145- Zitting Cisticola – R
146- Savi’s Warbler – S
147- Cetti’s Warbler – R
148- Melodious Warbler – CO
149- Willow Warbler – R
150- Wood Warbler – P
151- Western Bonelli’s Warbler – P – S
152- Common Chiff-Chaff – R
153- Iberian Chiff-Chaff – S
154- Spotted Flycatcher – P
155- Pied Flycatcher – P
156- Great Tit – R
157- Blue Tit – R
158- Long-Tailed Tit – R
159- Bearded Reedling – R
160- Penduline Tit – CO
161- Woodchat Shrike – S
162- Southern Grey Shrike – R
163- Golden Oriole – S
164- Magpie – R
165- Azur-Winged Magpie - R
166- Red-Billed Chough – R
167- Jackdaw – R
168- European Starling – W
169- Spotless Starling – R
170- House Sparrow – R
171- Spanish Sparrow – R
172- Tree Sparrow – R
173- Rock Petronia – R
174- Chaffinch – W
175- Brambling – SR
176- Linnet – R
177- Goldfinch – R
178- Greenfinch – R
179- Siskin – W
180- Serin – R
181- Hawfinch – R
182- Reed Bunting – R
183- Cirl Bunting – R
184- Rock Bunting – R
185- Corn Bunting – R

The following bird species can be regularly found in less than one hour from Almagro:

1- Sacred Ibis - SR
2- Greater White-Fronted Goose – SR
3- Egyptian Goose - SR
4- Black Vulture – R
5- Egyptian Vulture – S
6- Booted Eagle – S
7- Red Kite – R
8- Sparrowhawk – R
9- Peregrine Falcon – R
10- Merlin – W
11- Common Ringed Plover – CO
12- Ruddy Turnstone – CO
13- Eurasian Curlew – R
14- Little Tern – S
15- Gull-Billed Tern – S
16- Tawny Owl – R
17- Short-Eared Owl – W
18- Alpine Swift – S
19- Greater Short-Toed Lark – S
20- Lesser Short-Toed Lark - CO
21- Tawny Pipit – S
22- Dunnock – W
23- Northern Wheatear – S
24- Black-Eared Wheatear – S
25- Dartford Warbler – R
26- Western Orphean Warbler - S
27- Goldcrest – R
28- Firecrest – R
29- Coal Tit – R
30- Crested Tit – R
31- Nuthatch – R
32- Short-Toed Treecreeper – R
33- Eurasian Jay – R
34- Carrion Crow – R
35- Common Raven – R
36- Bullfinch – W

Watching Black Storks in Sierra Morena

All tours are made in comfortable airconditioned all-terrained vehicle Mitsubishi Montero All Four (reduced groups, 6 persons maximun).

Our big Mitsubishi Montero

Our city home, Almagro, is located in the Ciudad Real province, 200 km. south of Madrid.

http://maps.google.es/maps?ll=38.890897,-3.706416&z=11&t=h&hl=es

Ciudad Real province, south of La Mancha

Our expert local guides are active members of SEO (Birdlife in Spain) and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), and they have realized many different birding tours all over the world, like Ethiopia, Florida (USA), Venezuela, India, Uganda ( see it in http://seocrviajes.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html , only in spanish), Tanzania, Botswana, Mali, Gambia, Senegal, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, etc.

Birding Flamingos in Huasco (Chile)

You can contact us and ask for our guided tours around Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucia. We can also draw up tailor-made itineraries for individuals or groups.

In La Mancha you can find stunning and unknown landscapes, traditional country towns and incredible dusks in the flat horizons of Castilla, some of the best red wines of Spain and our excellent local cuisine. The land of Don Quixote and his kindly people is looking forward to seeing you.

Natura Indomita.