The Spanish Pyrenees - Lammergeier and Egyptian Vulture feeding stations? (1 Viewer)

[BlakeKB]

Hi everyone, I am looking for some help. We are travelling to Spain in early September, spending a week near Aínsa in Fanlo. Although we look forward to exploring the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park and its wildlife, we are mainly focused on Lammergeier and Egyptian Vulture photography.

We plan on visiting Ecomuseo de la Fauna, Fundación para la Conservación del Quebrantahuesos on our first day and plan to book a trip to their photographic hide. We haven't visited before so curious if anyone knows of any other feeding stations or photographic hides in the area that might be good for the Lammergeier or Egyptian Vulture? Any help would be appreciated! 😁

Many thanks,
Blake

 

[wolfbirder]

Sounds like you have it all sorted out, can't specifically give you good sites for photography, but Santa Cilia which is between your base and Huesca (to the south-west of you) was very good for Lammergeier as were Embalse de Calcon (Guara), and Vadiello Dam.

 

[BlakeKB]

Sounds like you have it all sorted out, can't specifically give you good sites for photography, but Santa Cilia which is between your base and Huesca (to the south-west of you) was very good for Lammergeier as were Embalse de Calcon (Guara), and Vadiello Dam.

Thank you very much @wolfbirder! These are definitely sites I will research tonight. It is our first time so we are trying to find out as much as possible before heading out! I appreciate the information 😁

 

[wolfbirder]

With Santa Cilia you just drive through the small village and park up . It used to be a vulture feeding site. I had about 8 Lammers there.

Embalse de Calcon ( also known as Embalse de Guara) is a reservoir but again I had Lammergeier there.

If those 2 sites don’t excite from Loporzano go to Vadiello Dam, which is a top site and along the road to it you will have lots of Griffons and usually a few Lammers. I also had 2 Egyptian Vultures.

But this was over ten years ago.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

The small village of Siresa at the south end of the Hecho Valley is usually reliable for Egyptian Vultures.

Closer to Ainso, the Chistau Gorge, just before Gistain is good for Lammergeier, as is the feeding station at Escuain, off to the east of the A-138. Park at Escuain and take the path north for the station, but if you can't be bothered with the walk, just sit and wait - they'll come overhead on feeding days.

 

[MikeInPA]

While your in the Hecho Valley check out Boca del Infierno. They used to have Wallcreepers, not sure if they still do.

Birding in The Hecho and Ansó Valleys.

 

[JolanOne]

The small village of Siresa at the south end of the Hecho Valley is usually reliable for Egyptian Vultures.

Closer to Ainso, the Chistau Gorge, just before Gistain is good for Lammergeier, as is the feeding station at Escuain, off to the east of the A-138. Park at Escuain and take the path north for the station, but if you can't be bothered with the walk, just sit and wait - they'll come overhead on feeding days.

Where is the feeding station in escuain? I'm planning on going there tomorrow but can't find the route where to go.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Where is the feeding station in escuain? I'm planning on going there tomorrow but can't find the route where to go.

We didn't quite make it as far as the station, because low cloud rolled in and the birds were passing overhead anyway on the walk on their way up the valley. So we cut our losses and photographed them as they passed rather than walk on and the show being over when we got there.

If you go to the visitor's centre there there is a map to show the route to the feeding station, either on a wall or in the pamphlets they dish out, I can't recall which exactly at this moment, maybe both. The station itself is about half an hour or 40 minutes (or something like that) walk along a track northwards from the village. Escuain's a strange place, almost abandoned.

We were there on a Thursday (2 May 2019), which happened to be a feeding day. I don't know what their days are these days, but it rings a bell that there were two days a week.

Give yourself plenty of time to get there from the main road. It's a long and narrow winding road. Low gear work.

 

[JolanOne]

We didn't quite make it as far as the station, because low cloud rolled in and the birds were passing overhead anyway on the walk on their way up the valley. So we cut our losses and photographed them as they passed rather than walk on and the show being over when we got there.

If you go to the visitor's centre there there is a map to show the route to the feeding station, either on a wall or in the pamphlets they dish out, I can't recall which exactly at this moment, maybe both. The station itself is about half an hour or 40 minutes (or something like that) walk along a track northwards from the village. Escuain's a strange place, almost abandoned.

We were there on a Thursday (2 May 2019), which happened to be a feeding day. I don't know what their days are these days, but it rings a bell that there were two days a week.

Give yourself plenty of time to get there from the main road. It's a long and narrow winding road. Low gear work.

Thanks a bunch for all that info, that sounds very interesting. I guess I'll just have to hope I get lucky and get a feesing day.

 

[JolanOne]

Success! I saw a lämmergeier yesterday and managed to take a pretty terrible picture. Also, for anyone else wondering feeding days are Fridays 10:30 am and it's about an hours walk so get up early if you wanna make it there.