Spain - Dupont's Lark Special - 12th - 16th April 2010 PDF  | Print |


Spain – Dupont’s Lark Special



Monday 12th – Friday 16th April 2010    Cost: £775

 



This five day tour takes us into the breathtaking scenery of the Spanish steppes and foothills of the Pyrenees as we go in search of the extremely shy and elusive Dupont’s Lark. But, there is so much more than just this one species on offer as we seek out a wide range of raptors and steppe speciality birds (see itinerary below) and enjoy good home-cooked traditional Spanish meals in the evenings. A relaxing few days away with some great birding thrown in!

 

 

Tour Details

 

 

 

Dates:

Monday 12th-Friday 16th April 2010 (5 days)

 

 

Accommodation:

Comfortable guest houses with en-suite facilities

 

 

Participants:

Maximum 7 plus tour leader

 

 

Focus:

The main focus of the tour will be on finding Dupont’s Lark, but we should also expect to see a great variety of other birds.

 

 

Grading:

Generally easy going. Some walks in beautiful, but sometimes hilly, country, but nothing too strenuous

 

 

Tour Leader:

Josele Saiz

 

 

Cost: £775

Single Room Supplement: £70               Deposit:£200

 


Itinerary – Dupont’s Lark Special

 

Day 1 We will be met at Zaragoza airport by our guide and will head straight out into the steppes for our first attempt to find Dupont’s Lark. En route, we shall also try for Eagle Owl, raptors, Black Wheatear and Rock Sparrow.

 

Day 2 We’ll make an early start for Dupont’s Lark and will spend all day in the Belchite area where we’ll also look for larks, both Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, raptors and migrants. We shall spend the afternoon at a raptor watchpoint, hoping to see up to 10 species of raptor, including Bonelli’s Eagle

 

Day 3 If necessary, we’ll make another try for Dupont’s Lark, though we hope to have it successfully ‘ticked off’ by now! After breakfast we bird the Ebro River for Penduline Tit, Golden Oriole, Great Spotted Cuckoo and acrocephalus warblers. We then drive through Monegros for both Great and Little Bustards and other steppe specialities such as Calandra Lark.

 

Day 4 We shall spend today birding the area around Loporzano where we should see numerous raptors, including Booted and Golden Eagles, Lammergeier, a large colony of Griffon Vultures, Egyptian Vulture, Red-legged Partridge, Scops Owl, Eagle Owl, Alpine Swift, Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Wryneck, Thekla Lark, Black Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Tawny Pipit, Firecrest, Dartford, Spectacled, Sardinian, Subalpine, Orphean, Melodious, Western Olivaceous, Western Bonelli’s and Garden Warblers, Golden Oriole, Southern Grey Shrike, Rock Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Red-billed Chough, Rock Bunting and Ortolan Bunting.

 

Day 5 We visit Montearagon Castle where we shall look for Black, Black-eared and Northern Wheatears, Blue Rock Thrush and Spectacled Warbler before exploring a new area of steppe en route to the airport for our flight home.