Several
of
the
breeding
species
are
easy
to
find
and
watch
but
others
are
much
harder
to
spot,
especially
the
eagles,
sandgrouses,
Eagle
Owl,
Stone
Curlew
and
Black-shouldered
Kite.
How
a
sight
of
a
species
is
appreciated
by
a
person
often
depends
on
how
the
birds
are
seen.
A
flock
of
150
Great
Bustards
in
a
nearby
field
is
more
interesting
than
a
single
flying
individual
far
away,
and
a
male
Great
Bustard
in
full
display
is
more
interesting
than
the
same
male
in
rest.
All
target
species
might
be
found
in
a
single
day
if
one
is
extremely lucky but it is wise to plan for a longer
The
name
Doñana
is
known
by
every
bird-watcher,
but
those
that
never
have
visited
the
area
cannot
imagine
how
large,
varied
and
rich
it
is.
It
is
not
unusual
that
a
first-time
visitor
adds
60-70
species
to
his
private
list.
Most
visitors
come
in
April/May
but
the
area
is
worth
visiting
also
during
other
times
of
the
year.
Once,
when
guiding
some
visitors
a
few
days
in
the
middle
of
December,
we
found
no
less
than
200
bird
species.
There
are
also
several
areas
in
the
surroundings
that
are
worth
a
visit,
all
of
them
suitable
for
one-
day trips.
Extremadura
’s
steppic
and
mountainous
areas
as
well
as
the
large
acreage
of
dehesa
are
very
attractive
to
visitors
from
further
north,
both
birds
and
humans.
Large
numbers
of
Cranes
spend
their
winters
in
the
dehesa
,
feeding
mainly
on
acorns.
Also
several
other
northern
bird
species
spend
their
winter
in
the
dehesa
and
steppic
areas.
Some
visitors
come
to
look
at
the
Cranes
but
the
wast
majority
comes
for
the
breeding
bird
fauna,
the
exotic
landscape
views
and
the
historical
sites
–
it
was
from
here
the
conquistadores
came
(Cortes from Medellin and Pizarro from Trujillo).
Extremadura
is
a
bird-watching
paradise
out
of
the
ordinary,
where
one
finds
several
interesting
species
that
don’t
occur
in
western
or
northern
Europe.
One
can
come
most
of
these
species
surprisingly
close.
The
steppic
areas,
with
its
low-intensity
farming,
hold
good
populations
of
Great
Bustard,
Little
Bustard,
Stone
Curlew,
Pin-tailed
Sandgrouse,
Black-bellied
Sandgrouse,
Montagu’s
Harrier,
Calandra
Lark
and
Lesser
Kestrel.
The
main
attraction
in
Monfrague
National
Park
is
the
breeding
birds,
with
species
such
as
Griffon
Vulture,
Black
Vulture,
Egyptian
Vulture,
Spanish
Imperial
Eagle,
Golden
Eagle,
Bonelli’s
Eagle,
Eagle
Owl,
Black
Stork,
Peregrine
Falcon
(of
the
subspecies
brookei
),
Blue
Rock
Thrush,
Rock
Bunting,
Rock
Sparrow,
Red-billed
Chough,
Crag
Martin
and
Black
Wheatear.
Black-shouldered
Kite,
Azure-winged
Magpie,
Great
Spotted
Cuckoo
and
Red-legged
Partrigde
are
the
obvious
target
species
in
the
dehesa
.
Other
species
regularly
found
in
this
part
of
Spain
are
Short-toed
Eagle,
Booted
Eagle,
Black
Kite,
Quail,
Scops
Owl,
Little
Owl,
Rock
Dove,
Turtle
Dove,
Red-necked
Nightjar,
Black-
eared
Wheatear,
Short-toed
Lark,
Wood
Lark,
Crested
Lark,
Thekla
Lark,
Grey
Wagtail,
Zitting
Cisticola,
Dartford
Warbler,
Subalpine
Warbler,
Cetti’s
Warbler,
Spectacled
Warbler,
Sardinian
Warbler,
Orphean
Warbler,
Melodious
Warbler,
Nightingale,
Long-tailed
Tit
(of
the
subspecies
irbii
),
Serin,
Alpine
Swift,
Red-rumped
Swallow,
Cirl
Bunting,
Golden
Oriole,
Hoopoe,
Roller,
European
Bee-eater,
Woodchat
Shrike,
Iberian
Grey
Shrike,
Spotless Starling, Spanish Sparrow, Roller and Bee-eater.
A total of 399 bird taxa have been recorded during earlier tours.