10 days to plan in Spain (1 Viewer)

I have booked a flight to Malaga on November 29th and flying back on Dec 8th. I have hired a car for the duration but have planned nothing else. I will be arriving at Malaga at 10:55am and hopefully should be away from the airport by mid-day.

It would have been ideal to have called into Guadalhorce straight away but I have too far to travel on the first day to consider that. I might call into the region around Grazalema (Montejaque) on the way for a couple of hours but I will move on after that.

I am hoping to do a few days in and around Extramadura as I have never been there before. I was then going down to Donana for a few days before ending up spending the the last night (poss the last two nights) near Malaga as I want to spend at least one full day at Guadalhorce.

I think the best place for me to base myself in Extramadura would be Trujillo, unless you guys know differently.

Can you guys tell me the most productive places to visit at that time of the year please. I would need directions if possible as well please.

Photography has to come into the equation as well if possible as I love to photograph most of what I see if I can. I particularly want to try and photograph the Great and Little Bustards as well as any Sandgrouse that I might come across. Raptors are also high on my agenda, especially Black-shouldered Kite. I would also love to witness the fly overs of Common Crane as well, if that is possible.

How many nights do you think I should book in Trujillo to get the best out of the area?

When I have finished in that area I will travel down to Donana and possibly stay in Hinojas (Rebecca Butler will probably organise my accommodation both in Trujillo and Hinojas). Are there any good places en-route from Trujillo to Donana that is worth stopping off at?

When it comes to Donana. I know the area quite well as I have visited several times. My last time was last December when I met up with John Butler for a day.

Any info on the best places at that time of the year as I usually am visiting there in May. Last year all my best sightings were with John and I'm not sure if I can remember the route he took. I know we had B S Kite in the Corre Verde but apart from remembering that we got to it not far from Villamarinque I might struggle to find the actual roads to it.

One area I have never visited but would like to is the Brazo del Este. I have the book by Ernest Garcia and Andrew Patterson which gives the map of the area but would it be worth a visit at that time of the year.

Finally my old European map is well out of date. Can anyone recommend a good map that will include good detail of the Extramadura area that I can purchase in the UK.

Thanks for any help and advice you can give me.

John

Hi John,

If you PM me I can give you some contact details for my area and also one for Extramadura. I am off again to Morocco next thursday so will need to be able to give you these contacts before I go! I am sure I can help on the Donana side of things, plus your route back from Extramadura to the Donana. I might be able to meet you on the day around Grazalema area and show you a few things in the limited time you have.

Hope this is helpful.

I confess that I've not yet got to Brazo del Este, but if you can get it in time then the recent Lynx book on birdwatching sites in the Coto Donana has excellent details of this (and other sites) on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. I've never yet found a Spanish maps that accurately reflects the reality 'on the ground' but given the widespread areas you're visiting I'd opt for a decent road atlas (I prefer the latest offering by the AA - but don't think it's 100% reliable!). Should you want details of sites in Cadiz province I'd be happy to send you my notes if you contact me privately,

John

Hi John

Thanks for the info.

Ref the Atlas. I may pop into Coventry City centre later today. I will see if I can find that Atlas you mentioned.

Regarding the Cadiz area. I doubt if I am going to have time to do that area this time around. I feel at least a day would be needed to do it justice and I don't think I will have a day to put aside.

It is an area I keep missing out though so I will have to fit it in one of the years. I also miss out on the Huelva area, somewhere I am hoping to use one of my days on this time around. Any info for that area would be appreciated. If you or anyone else has info on that area I would appreciate it. If you have I will PM you.

Regards
John

John Cantelo said:

I confess that I've not yet got to Brazo del Este, but if you can get it in time then the recent Lynx book on birdwatching sites in the Coto Donana has excellent details of this (and other sites) on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. I've never yet found a Spanish maps that accurately reflects the reality 'on the ground' but given the widespread areas you're visiting I'd opt for a decent road atlas (I prefer the latest offering by the AA - but don't think it's 100% reliable!). Should you want details of sites in Cadiz province I'd be happy to send you my notes if you contact me privately,

John

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I forgot to mention. If anyone is at a loose end on these dates and has 10 days to spare would you consider joining me. You would be more than welcome. I am used to going my own way but I would prefer to have someone to share the costs and experiences.

I have been to quite a few places in these areas (apart from Extramadura) so know my way around fairly well.

I am flying from Coventry Airport and there still seems to be some seats available. The return flight costs including all taxes etc (if booked now) is is £66.24. I have an economy car booked for the duration at a cost of £76.49 all in.

Anyone interested?

John

Hi John,

I have answered your PM so hopefully a few ideas will be sorted. Great itinerary, so anyone wanting to visit these areas at a very reasonable price should take John up on his offer!!

Thanks Pete.

I have e-mailed a few ideas to you and also e-mailed your mate.

For anyone interested. The itinerary so far is.

Nov 29th. I will put in a few hours at Guadalhorce before moving North West. Will have to find accommodation near Montejaque.

Nov 30th (day) around the Montejaque area (near Ronda)

Nov 30th, Dec1st & 2nd (possibly the 3rd as well) staying in Trujillo and visiting as many sites as possible in Extramadura (Belen Plains being one of them)

Dec 3rd will either be in Trujillo or Hinojas (Donana) but definitely I will be booking Dec 4th, 5th & 6th in Hinojas and visiting as much of Donana as possible.

Dec7th (day) visiting Brazo del Este and hopefully Tarifa. If any time left may call into Sotogrande.

Dec 7th (night) Find somewhere near Malaga to stay (possibly Torremelinos).

Dec 8th. Pop back into Guadalhorce for a couple of hours before returning the car back to the airport for 09:30 (flight leaves at 11:40am and arrives back at Coventry at 13:55).

Are you sure I can't tempt anyone with that itinerary?

John

Black Wheatear said:

Hi John,

I have answered your PM so hopefully a few ideas will be sorted. Great itinerary, so anyone wanting to visit these areas at a very reasonable price should take John up on his offer!!

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John Hi

There are a couple of decent site guides around for the area. I don't own them my self and they can be a bit out of date re roads etc but they're good to get you in the right area and actually can be invaluable. I'm sure a google search or even BF members will come up with the titles.

An internet search for trip reports, eg on birdtours.co.uk (there are some others on my links page) should come up with some more up to date info then will be useful.

Have a good trip

Hi John,

As rgds maps, I have the Spain & Portugal road atlas from GeoCentre. I've found this to be pretty good - scale 1:300000 and with a comprehensive and extensive place-name index. I do have some other maps, but in practice they never get used!

While you are in the Extremadura area, try to fit in a day to Calera y Chosaz and the Gredos mountains - both excellent areas when we were there in Spring.

Have a great trip.... Ray

Ruby said:

Hi John,

As rgds maps, I have the Spain & Portugal road atlas from GeoCentre. I've found this to be pretty good - scale 1:300000 and with a comprehensive and extensive place-name index. I do have some other maps, but in practice they never get used!

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Great minds think alike. I purchased that book yesterday. I compared it against 4 others (all a lot more expensive - including the AA one) and it looked far better.

Ruby said:

While you are in the Extremadura area, try to fit in a day to Calera y Chosaz and the Gredos mountains - both excellent areas when we were there in Spring.

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What did you see in that area and what do you think the potential would be for winter as that area doesn't seem to be mentioned in my Where to watch books.

Ruby said:

Have a great trip.... Ray

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Cheers Ray. I just hope the weather holds out. If it does I will enjoy myself come what may.

John

Hi John,

Calera y Chosaz is about halfway between Madrid and Trujillo, just S of the main NV motorway....

When we were there, we found some excellent habitat which was teeming with Nightingales, Orioles, Melodious Warblers etc, and some wetland where we had Great White Egret, Purple Heron and Red Avadavat.

There are some excellent tracks through the steppe areas just to the W of town, where we had Great and Little Bustards (easier than in the areas around Trujillo, we found) and our only Rollers and Black-shouldered Kites of the trip.

In the Gredos mountains we had Rock and Ortolan Buntings, Dartford and Subalpine Warbler and we would hope (next time!) to pick up Bluethroat, Rock Thrush and Citril Finch - we had this latter further E in the Guaderrama....

Of course, all of the above pertains to a visit in May - not quite sure what would be around in Nov.

All sites are documented in the Muddeman book - Where to watch birds in Extremadura.... good luck trying to get hold of one of these if you havn't already got it - it's out of print and I've just finally secured a copy having been trying for 9 months!


All the best.... Ray

Hi Ray

I had forgotten about Citril Finch. I have never seen one and it certainly would be a top target bird for me.

I had spotted Calera y Chosaz on the map and I am prepared to go virtually anywhere over the time I am in the Extramadura area. I am just wondering if anyone has any info on that area for Winter, as obviously it will be vastly different to when you were there.

I have two Where to watch birds books. Southern & Western Spain by Ernest Garcia & Andrew Patterson and Birds in Spain & Portugal by Laurence Rose. I think I will have to make do with these two this time around.

Whereabouts did you have good views of the Bustards. That may be a good back up for me if I am struggling for these species.

John

Ruby said:

Hi John,

Calera y Chosaz is about halfway between Madrid and Trujillo, just S of the main NV motorway....

When we were there, we found some excellent habitat which was teeming with Nightingales, Orioles, Melodious Warblers etc, and some wetland where we had Great White Egret, Purple Heron and Red Avadavat.

There are some excellent tracks through the steppe areas just to the W of town, where we had Great and Little Bustards (easier than in the areas around Trujillo, we found) and our only Rollers and Black-shouldered Kites of the trip.

In the Gredos mountains we had Rock and Ortolan Buntings, Dartford and Subalpine Warbler and we would hope (next time!) to pick up Bluethroat, Rock Thrush and Citril Finch - we had this latter further E in the Guaderrama....

Of course, all of the above pertains to a visit in May - not quite sure what would be around in Nov.

All sites are documented in the Muddeman book - Where to watch birds in Extremadura.... good luck trying to get hold of one of these if you havn't already got it - it's out of print and I've just finally secured a copy having been trying for 9 months!


All the best.... Ray

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Reader said:

Whereabouts did you have good views of the Bustards. That may be a good back up for me if I am struggling for these species.

John

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Hi John,

There is a road which heads W out of CyC (the CM4101) and soon after leaving the town there are a couple of tracks heading N which go up toards a railway line.... That's where we saw them.

Muddelman also recommends a couple of tracks on the left approx 13k further down the 4101, but we didn't have time to go there...

I've just had a quick look in the book, and it suggests that there should be additional over-wintering BS Kites in this area too.

Thanks ray.

I have printed this last post and added it to the one trip report I have found for that time of the year.

John

Ruby said:

Hi John,

There is a road which heads W out of CyC (the CM4101) and soon after leaving the town there are a couple of tracks heading N which go up toards a railway line.... That's where we saw them.

Muddelman also recommends a couple of tracks on the left approx 13k further down the 4101, but we didn't have time to go there...

I've just had a quick look in the book, and it suggests that there should be additional over-wintering BS Kites in this area too.

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We were with John Butler October 2006, John . This is the first day of our holiday - work back from here.

http://www.donanabirdtours.com/cgi-bin/web.asp?pageid=49

We were in the area you plan on visiting, as you see. The accommodation John & Rebecca used was very acceptable. (Don't know how we'll go on next spring when we visit again on the same tour as far as smoking in the bars/dining area we used now that we're non-smoking at home. Will seem infinitely worse I suppose - but we'll get over it.)
Looked at your dates in case Bob was interested in joing you but we will be in Egypt for a week from 3rd December.

Have a smashing and fruitful trip.

Sandra & Bob

Hi Sandra

An interesting read regarding the Extramadura extract, especially the rain. I hope I don't get that when I'm there.

I am going to have to check out a couple of places mentioned in that trip report and see if I can fit it into my itinerary.

BTW I have booked the Hostal Julio in Trujillo. Is that where you stayed?

John

Hi John,
I made a similar trip to yours in Feb.06. Here's a report of the Extremadura bit.
It's difficult to be specific about best areas, it depends what your target birds are.

Might be best if you PM me with these and I'll give you what information I've got on suitable itineraries etc. it's a big area and you can do a lot of miles for little reward.

Extremadura and Donana areas Feb 5th – 18th 2006

5th Feb…Flew from Newquay Airport to Malaga with Monarch Airlines leaving at 10am and arriving 13.10 at Malaga (local times). Picked up a pre-booked hire car and was on the road by 2pm to Seville then North via Merida to Trujillo, in Extremadura, taking about 6 hours to complete the journey.
I had intended to stay at the Motel La Cruce but on arriving and finding the place packed with lorry drivers I decided to find somewhere quieter and drove up the road a few miles to the Pension Monfrague in Torrejon el Rubio. I’d stayed here before and knew I was quiet, clean, the food was good and it was reasonably priced, it was also pretty central for the Trujillo/Caceres/Plasencia triangle where I would be spending my time. I booked into a double room, with single occupancy, for 5 nights at 30 euros/night.

6th Feb…Up at 7am and left at 8 (first light), the car was iced over so it must have been cold in the night (in fact this was the pattern for my stay, cold at night but fine during the day). Belen plain was the first stop and just after leaving the village a Great Bustard flew across the road, on stopping to look at it I picked up 3 Little Owls in various spots to the right of the road. Driving on a little way and stopping to scan the area I found 5 Little Bustards feeding in a field of long grass with many thistles and in the distance a group of 19 Great Bustards and 15 more Little Bustards, a little further on and a flock of 200+ Little Bustards took to the air flashing white in the sunlight as they flew. On stopping again at the top of the first brow another 4 Great Bustards were sitting around but flew off as soon as I stopped the car.
Turning right at the next crossroads good numbers of Calandra Larks were seen, some obviously holding territory, singing and displaying. Several flocks of Skylarks also in and around the area and of course Crested Larks. Corn Buntings seemed everywhere as did Lapwings and Golden Plover. Stonechats, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Serin, 10+ Southern Grey Shrikes, Hoopoe, 2 Great Spotted Cuckoos and Ravens were added to the list while raptors were represented by Buzzard, Kestrel, Black Kite and another Little Owl.
Coming back to the main road I turned right and drove as far as the White Stork and Jackdaw colony, Storks were on their nest bill-clappering away, more larks S.G. shrikes etc were present plus several White Wagtails.
I left here about 1.30pm to buy some groceries etc at the supermarket in Trujillo then took the road about 5 miles north on the EX108 to Monroy and back to Torrejon. 2 Little Bustards feeding in a cereal field gave very good views, I spent a few minutes watching something black flapping in the wind under a hedge until the head of a Black Vulture appeared, it was obviously feeding on something there – and I was beginning to think it was just a bit of plastic!! Several Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels, a Little Owl, Crested, Calandra and Skylarks, Stonechats, plenty of Corn Buntings again, Golden Plover and Lapwings, Azure-winged Magpies and Southern Grey Shrikes were seen along the way.

7th Feb…Monfrague Parque Natural today, it was to be a full day here but on arriving at the castle it was cold and blowing a gale so after seeing a few Rock Sparrows, Rock Buntings and Blackcaps I went down to Salto Gitano and the Pena Falcon rock, thick fog here, only the top half of the crag visible, still 100’s of Griffon and 1 Black Vulture were on view plus another Rock Bunting.
This called for a change of plans so back to Torrejon and down the Caceres road to the well known Black-shouldered Kite site. No kites today but the Colony of White Storks were on their nests, Serins, Sardinian Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Southern Grey Shrike, Woodlark and Crested Lark, 3 Hoopoes, House and Spanish Sparrows, Coal Tit and several Redwings made for a good hour or so.
Leaving here and heading towards Caceres I took the first turning for Talavan, a new road built since my last visit to the area. Pretty quiet and difficult to stop anywhere but quite a few Common Cranes were feeding in the dehesa.
At the top I turned left, then left again, to come down the old Talavan road. It’s a good steppe area part of the way with Calandra and Thekla Larks, Hoopoe, more Cranes and a few White Storks, Spanish Sparrows etc. Stopping at the hide on the edge of Talavan Reservoir Little and Great Crested Grebes, Black-headed Gulls, Pochard and Coot were on the water while a Bluethroat, Fan-tailed Warbler and several Chiffchaffs lurked in the vegetation. A few Swallows, Crag Martins, Crested Larks, Red Kites, Ravens and White Storks nesting provided the entertainment.
Carrying on to join the Caceres road again I turned right towards Caceres and drove to the turning for Santa Marta de Magasca. This very poor surfaced road (I’ve referred to it as “rotten road” in the past) is driveable and that’s what matters as it can be an excellent area for steppe birds etc. This afternoon it was reasonably quiet, no bustards but 9 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Larks everywhere, several flocks of Skylarks, Thekla Larks, Hoopoe, several Southern Grey Shrikes, Kestrels, Red Kites and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over.

8th Feb… Left Torrejon at 8am (just getting light) for Belen plain and spent the morning there. Plenty of Great Bustards showing but distant, 24 + 2 +11 + 2 in various parts of the area, 9 Little Bustards feeding in a field of thistles, plus most of the birds from 6th.
Back to Torrejon and on to Monfrague N.P. for another try. Weather much better today but loads of school children visiting the castle so only a short stay, luckily long enough to see a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles fly overhead at close range, also lots of Griffon Vultures in the air, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting etc.
Salto Gitano and the Penafalcon had its usual masses of Griffon Vultures in the air or sitting on the rocks, Azure-winged Magpies, Crag Martins, Serin, Great Tit and Blue Tit.
At the Puente Cardinal lay-by 4 Black Vultures in the air plus 5 more and several Griffons near the turning for the Embalse de Torrejon and a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes. The area around the Embalse dam held 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Chiffchaffs, Black Redstart, Long-tailed Tits, Crag Martins and a Cormorant.
Portilla de Tietar also had it’s share of Griffon Vultures, many nest building and mating, Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler, Blackcaps, 40+ Azure-winged Magpies, Jay and Wood pigeons.

9th Feb… Left at 8am again and thought I’d try the Aldea Bispo to Monroy road. Not a very successful detour, poor road surface and much of the habitat too closed-in to see very much, however there were a few areas that showed promise and these produces small numbers of Common Cranes, Jay, Hoopoe, Crested Lark and Woodlark, Azure-winged Magpies and a Kestrel eating a road-killed cat!
One of the most interesting sights of the day were 1000’s of Wood Pigeons migrating, several huge flocks being seen in various places.
From Monroy I drove on to meet the Torrejon-Caceres road and turned left towards Caceres soon taking the old Talavan road on the right. After a brief stop at the hide, with very little seen, I carried on towards Talavan and eventually down the Campo de Santiago road stopping at the Arroyo de Talavan on the way, although some good habitat birds were a bit thin on the ground today, I was hoping for bustards or Sandgrouse but no luck, Crested, Thekla and Calandra Larks, Spanish Sparrows, Hoopoe, Dartford Warbler and a few more Cranes, White Storks etc. were seen.
As this was my last day in Extremadura I decided to head back to Monfrague N.P. and have a look around the castle area.
After passing through Torrejon and just past the swish Hospedaria de Monfrague I caught a fleeting glimpse of a pale bird sitting on an over-head cable, luckily there was a convenient pull-in nearby and I was treated to 10 minutes watching a superb Black-shouldered Kite, very much the highlight of the trip so far.
Stopping at the castle, no schoolchildren today so much quieter, I was soon watching Hawfinch, Rock Bunting, Sparrowhawk and a few everyday birds such as Blackcap, Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits, Song Thrush, Robin, Goldfinch etc.

10th Feb…Today was heading south day to the Donana area in Huelva Province for the next 8 days.
As I left Torrejon I had the first drop of rain for the trip but this soon cleared to another warm, sunny day.
Arriving early afternoon at Hinojos I was hoping to stay in at a Casa Rural I’d stayed on a previous trip but to my disappointment there were no vacancies. After a fruitless hour’s search for somewhere else in Hinojos it was down to El Rocio and try the Hostal Isidro where I’d also stayed previously, more luck here and I managed a single room at 24 euros/night.

One thing is certain, you'll enjoy your first trip to Extremadura and I bet it won't be your last.

Regards

John

Thanks John

I have replied to your PM and have printed out the above reply.

Thanks for that. It will be most useful.

John

Extremadura base

Yes a base in Trujillo is good but why not try the newly opened Hostal in Santa Marta de Magasca (I live in the village) just 20 Kms north and right in the middle of some interesting terrain not to mention Great Bustards often within a few metres of the road. Tel 927 278 104. English run.

Hi Dave

Your a tad bit too late as I got back on Saturday. I actually went around the area you mentioned on Dec 3rd. It's a shame I didn't know you lived there before as we might have been able to meet up.

I just have to add a few more photos to the trip report on my web site and I will put into a trip report thread on BF, probably tomorrow.

BTW, welcome to BF.

John

deepeejay said:

Yes a base in Trujillo is good but why not try the newly opened Hostal in Santa Marta de Magasca (I live in the village) just 20 Kms north and right in the middle of some interesting terrain not to mention Great Bustards often within a few metres of the road. Tel 927 278 104. English run.

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