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Family holiday in Europe late August -- advice for destinations please!? (1 Viewer)

leonardo_simon

leonardo_simon

Well-known member
I'd appreciate some advice as to where's OK for a family holiday towards the end of August that can have some reasonable light-hearted birdwatching thrown in.

My 9 year old likes 'easy' birding & wildlife & we would usually go for a bird walk around where we are staying.

Having looked through this forum and other websites it seems like this is probaby the worst time of year for birdwatching -- but that's the unfortunate limitation of school holidays.

Thoughts so far include Picos de Europa, Pyrennees, Brittany - any other suggestions most appreciated.

thanks
 
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interoception said:
I'd appreciate some advice as to where's OK for a family holiday towards the end of August that can have some reasonable light-hearted birdwatching thrown in.

My 9 year old likes 'easy' birding & wildlife & we would usually go for a bird walk around where we are staying.

Having looked through this forum and other websites it seems like this is probaby the worst time of year for birdwatching -- but that's the unfortunate limitation of school holidays.

Thoughts so far include Picos de Europa, Pyrennees, Brittany - any other suggestions most appreciated.

thanks
Click to expand...
See my reply to Elvisboy on the Sardinia/Corsica thread on here.
the Baia Di Conte is ideal for kids and the location is ideal for birdwatching.
 
Actually, in Catalonia, NE Spain, late-August is a great time for bird watching.

http://www.catalanbirdtours.com/Spain birding/spain birding summer.html

This is a Summer birding link but of course post-breeding migration has already started.

Great for passage of raptors and shorebirds, including Dotterel, and there's still many Summer breeders like Bee-eaters, nightjars and Rollers around too. That's all on top of the usual resident bustards, sandgrouse, lammergeier (and other raptors) too.

The Pyrenees, Steppes and coastal wetlands (inc Ebro Delta) are superb but you don't have to visit the big sites to get great birding. Lots of great local coastal sites, woodlands, vineyards, etc

Cheap flights I'm sure are available to Barcelona, Girona or Reus.

A good local area to base yourself in is the Aiguamolls de L'Emporda, for instance (Girona airport for Roses, etc). But there are many others. Barcelona has much to offer of course.

Let me know if you want more info or a full species list.
 
I had a very pleasant week in late August in Bulgaria last summer. Saw around 150 species along the Black Sea coast, with good wader, raptor and stork passage. Some of the breeding birds are tricky then, but I still saw some good ones e.g. Pied Wheatear, Eagle Owl, Masked Shrike. Quite a cheap place to visit too.
 
For mostly non-birding reasons, I'd look to the northern coast of Spain. Lovely beaches and lovely hills around Santander or San Sebastian, and less crowded than Barcelona.

If you're going to visit Brittany, August is the best (driest) time. It gets colder and rainier as you move north and west - around Brest you can count yourself lucky if you get three sunny days in a row. Also note that the water is very cold. Bring wetsuits if you're planning on any watersports like sailboarding.
 
I tend to concentrate on mountains in August European trips: Alps, Picos or Pyrennes. I especially enjoyed Someido last year; the fact that it is a mainly a place for holidays Spanianards rather than Brit.s probably helped. Obviously I am a holidaying Brit much it just felt more 'abroad'. I enjoyed Bulgaria too but again especially the mountains. Plenty of trips that I have done in August on my website.
 
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The area Vienna - Bratislava - Budapest has a lot to offer too, in terms of culture and birdwatching (Neusiedler See, WWF Wetland Marchegg, Thaya National Park, walking/cycling along the Danube). I regularly saw White-tailed and Imperial Eagle, smaller raptors like Hen and Marsh Harrier, Great Bustard, Bee-eaters, lots of waders, Eagle owl ... always something to discover in terms of birds plus snakes and mammals.
 
Late August is peak time for Madeira and Baltic area.

In area of Greifswald is very high chance for Broad billed Sandpiper and other waders.
Until third week of August also for Lesser spotted Eagle is good chance.
I suppose in other Baltic areas are similar.

Madeira is also high chance for dolphins, sea turtles and whales.

see also
http://madeira.seawatching.net/reports.html
 
interoception said:
I
Thoughts so far include Picos de Europa....
Click to expand...

I think a very good choice for late August - top time for possibility of Brown Bears (come onto meadows to eat berries) at well-known viewpoints, maybe Wild Cats too, nice range of butterflies, quite good birding. Plus scenic, pretty easy going and usually good weather.
 
spocki said:
The area Vienna - Bratislava - Budapest has a lot to offer too, in terms of culture and birdwatching (Neusiedler See, WWF Wetland Marchegg, Thaya National Park, walking/cycling along the Danube). I regularly saw White-tailed and Imperial Eagle, smaller raptors like Hen and Marsh Harrier, Great Bustard, Bee-eaters, lots of waders, Eagle owl ... always something to discover in terms of birds plus snakes and mammals.
Click to expand...

Neusiedler See maybe have many gun noises, because they want to have the Starling away. Begin of September it was the case, it was awful.
 
albatross02 said:
Late August is peak time for Madeira and Baltic area.

In area of Greifswald is very high chance for Broad billed Sandpiper and other waders.
Until third week of August also for Lesser spotted Eagle is good chance.
I suppose in other Baltic areas are similar.

Madeira is also high chance for dolphins, sea turtles and whales.

see also
http://madeira.seawatching.net/reports.html
Click to expand...

Agreed, the area of Greifswald-Stralsund plus the islands of Hiddensee and Rugia make for an ideal family-holiday destination.
 
I've enjoyed some great birding in Cadiz province in August when raptor migration is underway and many waders are passing through. There are also many non-birding activities available. However, the downside is that some might find it too hot. I was very impressed with NW Spain when I visited the area a few years back - rather like the west country on steroids. The downside is many of the Iberian specialities will be absent and you won't see the spectacular movements you get across the straits.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
I had a very pleasant week in late August in Bulgaria last summer. Saw around 150 species along the Black Sea coast, with good wader, raptor and stork passage. Some of the breeding birds are tricky then, but I still saw some good ones e.g. Pied Wheatear, Eagle Owl, Masked Shrike. Quite a cheap place to visit too.
Click to expand...

Obviously biased because I live here, but I would second Andrew's suggestion! IMO very good value for money, especially for families!

@ Andrew - sounds like you had a good visit! Where did you connect with Masked Shrike? Were you with a guide or DIY?

Chris
 
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Scridifer said:
Obviously biased because I live here, but I would second Andrew's suggestion! IMO very good value for money, especially for families!

@ Andrew - sounds like you had a good visit! Where did you connect with Masked Shrike? Where you with a guide or DIY?

Chris
Click to expand...

The Masked Shrike was a juvenile at Poroy. I didn't use a guide at all.
 
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