Spain – A Quest for the Rare Mammals and Birds of Europe – New Tour

Spain’s wilderness still provides a refuge for large predators such as the Iberian Lynx, Cantabrian Brown Bear and the Iberian Wolf, species which have all but disappeared in most of Europe.

During the first part of the tour we will visit two of the main strongholds for Iberian Lynx in Spain and some of the richest marshlands in southern Europe.  We will start our explorations in the sierras south of Madrid, spending several days in search of mammals big and small, and birds including Spanish Imperial and Short-toed Eagles.  Next we continue on to the Parque Nacional de Doñana and the remarkable village of El Rocío.  Its wide, sandy streets and typical white-washed buildings give you a feeling of the American Wild West rather than southern Spain. Here we will spend time in some of the richest marshland habitats in Europe, with tremendous bird diversity and another chance to find the Lynx.

In the second part of the tour we will visit two remote and under-explored areas of Northern Spain. We will concentrate our efforts on seeing Iberian Wolf and Cantabrian Brown Bear. Both species were hunted close to extinction but are now making a slow recovery. We will also be on the lookout for Iberian Ibex, Broom Hare, Pine Marten, Genet, Red and Roe Deer, and with luck the elusive Desman and Golden-striped Salamander. Birding is excellent, with a chance to see 80-100 species per day, including Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Little and Great Bustards.

Our coleader, Gerald Broddelez, has led more than a dozen trips to this region and knows just where to go to find the species we most want to see. Please join me and Gerald on this exciting tour of some of the last remaining wilderness areas of Europe. For more information please email me at fiona.reid at xplornet.com

Dates: September 20 to October 5, 2013

Cost from Madrid: 3,600 Euros

Group Size: 6-10 participants. TWO ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE…