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WildWings, 577 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol. BS16 3AF.UK
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These holidays are aimed at those who want to experience more than just seeing as many birds in as short a time as we can, but who would also like to see, and taste, other aspects of what the areas have to offer. This is not to say that we will not try to see as many of the special birds of each area as possible, but we will also try to keep the time spent travelling down to a minimum. A typical day will be spent birding during the most productive time of the day, with winery visits and tastings arranged for the afternoons and/or evenings. Spain is well known as one the most outstanding areas of Western Europe for its birds, but increasingly its wine and food have also gained an international reputation.
Cota Doñana
Our first tour is centred around the Coto Doñana, in Andalucía, perhaps the most famous birding area in the whole of Spain, and at one time virtually inaccessible. It is now far easier to do a lot more than just nibble at the edges as was often the case in the past. In a spring visit, the breeding season will be in full swing, but migration should still be underway, with northern waders in summer plumage adding to the variety provided by Black-winged Stilts, Collared Pratincoles and Avocets establishing their territories. Black Kites and Marsh Harriers are the most numerous raptors, but Black-shouldered Kite, Lesser Kestrel and Spanish Imperial Eagle are all to be found here, albeit in small numbers. Bee-eaters, Rollers, Great Spotted Cuckoos and Southern Grey Shrikes head a long list of smaller birds. The tour will not just be confined to the marismas alone – we aim to visit the areas east of the Guadalquivir river as well, to look for specialities such as White-rumped Swift and Red-knobbed Coot which are easier to locate away from the Coto itself.
The classic wine of the area is of course sherry, and we will visit at least two sherry bodegas to see the special solera systems used to produce these unique wines. Forget about the medium-sweet sherries your granny used to sip, sherries range from bone dry to extremely luscious, and locally the dry is drunk throughout the meal. On previous wine tours, doubtful participants have been very quickly won over, and all their previous (mis)conceptions overthrown. In the evenings, we will aim to provide meals that show off the best ingredients that southern Spain can offer, accompanied by table wines from other parts of the country, as well as a range of sherries and brandies, the latter also being a speciality of the region.
Itinerary
Day 1: Late afternoon flight from London to Seville. Drive to the Doñana region, arriving hotel late evening.
Day 2: Birding Doñana all day including Acebuche and other sites. Picnic lunch.
Evening return to hotel. Aperitif wine tasting of southern Spanish wines, followed by regional dinner.
Day 3: Another day in the field in Doñana including El Rocío, with picnic lunch.
Late afternoon return to hotel and evening search for Red-necked Nightjars etc, followed by dinner.
Day 4: Morning drive back to Seville, birding along the way through the northern Coto. Tapas lunch in Seville and short city sightseeing tour including Giralda Tower for Lesser Kestrel. Afternoon drive to Jerez de la Frontera with birding stops. Arrive hotel early evening. Pre-dinner tasting of different southern Spanish wines followed by dinner.
Day 5: Birding the Trebujena area with picnic lunch followed by late afternoon tour and tasting at a specialist producer of very fine sherry. Return to hotel early evening and dinner.
Day 6: Another day in the field, the morning at the Bonanza saltpans and Algaida woods, picnic lunch followed by an afternoon visit to the Chipiona area. A tasting in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and return to Jerez for dinner.
Day 7: This morning we head out for Zahara de los Atunes, picnic lunch or tapas in Tarifa and then a walk through the Ojén Valley. We will arrive back at our hotel for our third, pre-dinner wine tasting of southern Spain plus another regional dinner.
Day 8: We reluctantly head back to the airport for our flight home after breakfast. Arrive back in London.
Holiday Information
Dates: 9th – 16th May 2010
Leaders: Ken and Lys Hall
Cost: The basic cost is £1459.00 per person sharing a twin room
Single supp: £200.00 per person.
Deposit: £200.00 per person
Group size: 8 plus leaders
Price includes: Return economy class flights from London including pre-paid airport taxes, all ground transport by minibus, accommodation on a half board basis (breakfast and evening meal) in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities, picnic and/or tapas lunches as specified, wine tastings as specified, services of WildWings leaders plus a pre-tour information pack including a day-by-day birding checklist.
Price excludes: Travel insurance, other drinks, tips, and other items of a personal nature.
Northern Spain
The best table wines, however, undoubtedly come from northern Spain, with Rioja perhaps the most well-known. But wines from Somontano and Navarra are making more and more impact overseas, and both areas are close to some of the best birding areas in the Pyrenees and the Ebro valley. Based in Huesca, our tour will take in the foothills of the Pyrenees, always more productive than the high peaks themselves, although we will certainly range high enough to find species like Lammergeier and search for Wallcreeper and Citril Finch. We will also head south into the steppes south of the River Ebro, to look for the wide range of larks to be found there, including the localised and threatened Dupont's Lark. In between, and overhead, soaring birds of prey range from Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle and Red Kite to Short-toed Eagle and Peregrine. Not to mention a host of smaller birds from Hoopoe to Ortolan. Winery visits will include the white and rosé wines of Somontano and the rich reds of Calatayud and Cariñena, while meals will be accompanied with a wide range of other wines from northern Spain.
Itinerary
Day 1: Fly from London to Barcelona. Drive to Huesca, birding along the way. Arrive hotel late afternoon, evening at leisure or more birding. Aperitif tasting of northern Spanish wines followed by a regional cuisine dinner.
Day 2: Head off to bird the Belchite area with a picnic lunch and then on towards Cariñena. Late afternoon vineyard tour and wine tasting. Return to our hotel for dinner.
Day 3: We depart for Riglos, birding along the way. After a short stop at the Castillo de Loarre, we will spend some time raptor watching at the Mallos de Riglos. After our picnic lunch we will walk round the nearby Mallos de Aguero. Late afternoon return to our hotel. Pre-dinner regional wine tasting and another regional cuisine dinner.
Day 4: We will spend the morning in the Guara hillside area followed by a vineyard visit, tasting and lunch in the cellars (Somontano DO). We will drive back to our hotel, birding along the way. Evening at leisure.
Day 5: Today we venture into the Pyrenees and explore the Hecho and adjacent valleys. Picnic lunch. Evening pre-dinner wine tasting and regional dinner.
Day 6: Another full day’s birding as we head towards Jaca and explore the San Juan de la Peña range. Picnic lunch. Back at our hotel our last pre-dinner wine tasting followed by another regional dinner.
Day 7: We have plenty of time to birdwatch on our return journey to the airport to catch our afternoon flight home. Arrive London early evening.
Holiday Information
Dates: 6th – 12th June 2010
Leaders: Ken and Lys Hall
Ground Cost: The basic cost is £1239.00 per person sharing a twin room
Single supp: £120.00 per person.
Deposit: £200.00 per person
Group size: 8 plus leaders
Price includes: Return economy class flights from London including pre-paid airport taxes, all ground transport by minibus, accommodation on a half board basis (breakfast and evening meal) in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities, picnic and/or tapas lunches as specified, wine tastings as specified, services of WildWings leaders plus a pre-tour information pack including a day-by-day birding checklist.
Price excludes: Travel insurance, other drinks, tips and other items of a personal nature.
The leaders
Ken Hall is a birder based near Bristol, living close to Chew Valley Lake for many years. As well as being active locally (he wrote the Helm 'Where to Watch' guide to this part of the south-west), he has also travelled widely in Europe, and has led several trips for local birders to both France and Spain. His first visit to Spain – on a motorbike – was in the mid 1970s, and since then has visited almost every part of the country in search of birds. In recent years he has spent rather more time in France – he is the UK representative of the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, and edited the second edition of the Helm guide, Where to Watch Birds in France – he still finds time to get to Spain as often as possible, and remains a long-standing member of the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO).
Lys Hall has been organising and accompanying wine groups for over a decade, primarily through her own company, Lys Hall's Grape Escapes (www.grape-escapes.co.uk). She is the Education Officer for the West of England Wine and Spirit Association, organising and leading courses for wine professionals and the general public alike. She is an established lecturer on the wines of Europe and an expert on those of Italy, Spain and the Pyrenees area in particular. She also has a degree in Art History and a passion for Mediterranean history, as well as having a good all-round knowledge and love of the countries themselves.
Both Lys and Ken have travelled extensively to areas where great birds and wonderful wines can be found, the combination of both subjects always proving a pleasure!
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