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place in Europe for a family visit by the end of August? (1 Viewer)

njlarsen said:
Roman,
you piqued my interest: the eagle and falcon, I know they exist in Hungary, but I have no idea how easy they are to get to. [...]

Niels
Click to expand...
In Hungary? We had again 10 juveniles this year from the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Austria:
http://translate.google.com/transla...eradler-jungvoegel-fliegen-aus.html&sandbox=1
Accidentally my father told me yesterday evening that he saw a Grey-headed W. on a play area in Apetlon one day before.
But I assume that you´re right, August isn´t the best month for warblers in the reed bets of the Neusiedler See. Springtime is sure better when they are singing.

PS.: Here a birding report I did on a single day in end July with a swedish university professor: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=63871&highlight=list
 
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njlarsen said:
I might be in Europe for some time during the second half of August, with probably 1 week set aside for kids and grandkids. Now, the family usually want to be somewhere warm and easily reachable from a decent size airport. With therefore not so much time to actually enjoy it, where would you go?

Niels
Click to expand...

corfu, the islands small and easy to get around, and there's a surprisingly large selection of wildlife to see while you're there if you put in a little effort to look. food is good cracking scenery and good southern mediteranean weather, :t:
 
captaincarot said:
corfu, the islands small and easy to get around, and there's a surprisingly large selection of wildlife to see while you're there if you put in a little effort to look. food is good cracking scenery and good southern mediteranean weather, :t:
Click to expand...

Another good choice!

Niels
 
Thanks for sharing the list Roman, a nice days birding! And no, I did not know that Imperial Eagle was to be found in Austria.

Niels
 
Thank you Stephen!

I did post a Europe-wide hit list in post 8. I am currently more intrigued by the southern Spain option simply because my last visit there was in the mid 80ties, while my last visit to the Pyrenees and northern Spain was mid 90ties. I still may change my mind, though.

Niels
 
OK, it did not seem that we could make an August timing work, but instead we are now looking at late April. Does that change anything regarding where to best stay in southern Spain?

thanks
Niels
 
Niels,

you might want to consider the eastern Med / Aegean at that time of year. Lesvos, if you can find the accommodation, should get you a few of the birds on your list and is a beautiful place.

Check out Steve Dudley's site at lesvosbirding.com .

Just a thought as you are having to change the timing of your trip

Roberta
 
Personally, I prefer birding in Cadiz province in late April - less hot, migration in full swing and lots of birds to see (although Lesvos would be a good choice too). We plan to be out in Alcala in April so, if you go for the SW Spain option consider yourself invited up to our terrace for a beer & Lesser Kestrels!
 
njlarsen said:
Thank you both!

John, do you still propose the same two locations for accommodation?

Niels
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Probably ... if only I could remember what they were! Campingazules was one I think but I don't recall the other! The wooden cabin option isn't for everyone - though I had no problems - so check out the website I posted for details,
 
John Cantelo said:
Predictably, I heartily second Eddy's suggestion. Raptor migration will be underway by then and it offers an impressive spectacle.
Click to expand...

This was also my first thought. The autumn passage is best seen near Algeciras, including Punta del Canero. The town has excellent ambiance with traditional accommodation and restaurants. It is NOT at all Costa Packet -- no John Smiths. The windfarms are a drawback but not too bad. The Clive Finlayson book on Gibraltar is old but would provide a good guide on birding expectations.

You may wish to combine a stay there with time a little further west, in Huelva province. The Coto Donana is always with good and there are beaches nearby for the family. I stay at El Rocio but you may find Matalascanas more suitable, if rather bland.

I would suggest flying to Jerez, if it is served from an airport near you.

Dave
 
OK, maybe it is time to close this thread and make a new one elsewhere, because:

(1) We are pretty much settled on southern Spain now, but (2) the timing has changed to last half of April. the title of the thread is therefore now not relevant anymore.

I have more or less a reservation down for Huerta Grande for a week. Unfortunately, I will probably not have much extra time beyond that.

Thanks everybody

Niels
 
Thanks Jamie,
I have also been to the Pyrenees in August (albeit almost 20 years ago). This time the choice was different.

Niels
 
Niels if your trip is now in April, Lesvos would be tough to beat for birding. 200 species or perhaps more is not unrealistic. I wish I could go there this spring. I will be in Lake Como in early spring but unfortunately I suspect few birds will be around.
 
Thank you Mike, I will keep Lesvos in mind for another trip. For this time we already have started purchasing tickets and made reservation for the place where we can all stay together.

Niels
 
cassowary said:
Niels if your trip is now in April, Lesvos would be tough to beat for birding. 200 species or perhaps more is not unrealistic. I wish I could go there this spring. I will be in Lake Como in early spring but unfortunately I suspect few birds will be around.
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion, Mike. It would have been prime for early May, now that the timeframe has advanced from August.

When looking at Niels' target list, replicating our experience would make quite an impact for him. It included Cory's Shearwater, Baillon's (and other) Crakes, Eastern Bonelli's, Eastern Olivacious and Olive Tree Warblers, Kreuper's and Rock Nuthatch, Semi-collared Fly., Cretzschmar's and Black-headed Buntings among others. The reason I suggested Southern Spain was its provision of places to keep the non-birders happy. I do not recall much in the way of beaches on Lesbos.
 
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Spain in April

Hi!

Have you thought baout other parts of Spain?

I can see you really want to go South but, if you are staying long enough, I would suggest visiting Aragón: steppe birds (monegros, Belchite,...), Alpine (Pyrinees), big mass water birds (Caspe), very close to Valencia and Catalonia (sea and mediterranean birds), and very well communicated with other parts of Spain (there's is a high velocity train to Madrid, Córdoba and Seville).
Great food, nice weather in spring and friendly people (well, I must say that, unless you hate people who always speak loud, all Spaniards are friendly!!)

Check out Zaragoza in Google maps.

If you want any info, I'll be glad to help.

By the way, Andalucía is certainly a very nice choice. Try to avoid very touristic areas if you want to find the true spirit of the andaloussians.
Obviously I'm from Aragón, but I've never been dissapointed with any of my trips to Andalucía.

Have a a nice hollyday!!
 
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