Audouin Birding Tours - Birdwatching in Spain - Extremadura, Andalucia, Aragon and Catalonia - Morocco and other destinations

The Monfragüe National Park, heart of the Cáceres province, is arguably one of the best birding spots in Europe and an essential part of a birding visit to southwest Spain. The landscape is as spectacular as the birds, and one day is rarely enough to capture all the impressions of Monfragüe. Raptors abound in this amazing area, where the rivers Tajo and Tiétar run through deep gorges. The rock faces along the rivers provide nesting sites for species such as Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Eagle Owl, Black Stork, and Red-billed Chough, and all the Spanish eagles are also regularly encountered here. The ruins of the castle Castillo de Monfragüe are always worth a visit for close views of vultures, eagles, and swifts, and this is where you have the best chance of spotting the rare White-rumped Swift. The main roads take you through pine forests with resident Azure-winged Magpie, Mediterranean forests regenerating where Eucalyptus plantations once dominated, and bordering the large reservoirs constructed along the rivers.

Although most people associate Monfragüe only with the steep rock faces surrounding the rivers, the area has much more to offer. The dehesas (a characteristic, savanna-like habitat type formed by cattle grazing below the oak trees) provide habitat for many smaller birds, and this is the place to go looking for Bee-eater, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Azure-winged Magpie, and Black-shouldered Kite. Remember that the dehesas are created by the cattle, which is usually of the Brava race, and keep an eye out for any bulls in the vicinity before wandering off under the oaks!

Apart from birds and bulls, the area holds a wide variety of insects, reptiles, and mammals - and in springtime colourful flowers decorate the roadsides and fields. Mammals found in the area include Wild Boar, Otter, Mongoose, Genet, and perhaps even the endangered Iberian Lynx.