BIRDS, BIRDWATCHING &

RUSTIC HOLIDAY HOMES

IN THE SPANISH PYRENEES

WWW.BIRDINGPYRENEES.COM offers you lots of information on birds and birding in the Spanish Pyrenees with the Ebro Valley. We put two well equiped Rustic Holiday Homes to at your disposal from where to make your birdwatching trips, well informed about the opportunities. Start reading about birds, landscape and climate in the north of Spain on this page.

BIRDS AND THE LANDSCAPE OF THE PYRENEES
WITH MONEGROS AND THE EBRO VALLEY

The Pyrenees has a wide variety of landscapes and climates. From the north to the south we find the high Pyrenees with their alpine meadows and areas of bare rock, the montane area in the Interior Sierras with the dense forests and the depressions with a varied vegetation and the Exterior Sierras with a Mediterranean vegetation. Many, mainly small, rivers cross the area from north to south. In the Ebro valley steppe zones are found as well as areas of dry arable land (mostly cereals), irrigated arable land and areas with the original natural vegetation like Holm Oak forests and riverine woodland.

The high Pyrenees

The forest limit Pyrenees is situated at an altitude of between 1600 and 1800 metres. Here the area of the alpine meadows commences, which is over most of its range rather intensely grazed by sheep and cattle during the summer month. The vegetation mainly consists of low herbs, although in the rare areas of lower grazing density rather dense bracken vegetation may occur. Within the alpine zone, and particularly above 2,300 metres, wide areas of bare rocky terrain may be found. The installation of skiing stations like Candanchú, Astún, Formigal and Cerler has destroyed much of the original alpine flora and has improved the accessibility of the high mountain range to man.

Typical birds of the forest edge are Grey Partridge, Tree Pipit, Ring Ouzel, Yellowhammer, Citril Finch and Red-backed Shrike. Most of these species are either absent or very rare further south. The most abundant species of the alpine meadows are Water Pipit, Wheatear and Linnet. The Chough and Alpine Chough depend on these meadows for their food. Typical species of the areas of bare rock are Alpine Accentor and Black Redstart, being found in high densities. On the rock walls of the high Pyrenees the following birds nest: Alpine Swift, House Martin, Wall Creeper, Chough and Alpine Chough. On the highest peaks, well over 2,000 metres, the habitat becomes suitable for Ptarmigan and Snow Finch. In winter most of the species mentioned descend towards more moderate altitudes, escaping from the cold and the scarcity of food. Many birds hold out until the first snowfall and some may hold out throughout the winter.

The Interior Sierras and the Depressions

In the valley bottoms the landscape is dominated by grasslands. The forests, the original vegetation of euro-siberian woodlands, are found all along the Pyrenean mountain chain. The construction of large reservoirs has resulted in the disappearance of many valley bottoms. In the euro-siberian woodlands are found the highest densities of the typical birds of this habitat type: Capercaillie, Tengmalm’s Owl and Black Woodpecker. Passerines, common in central Europe, breed here in much higher numbers than elsewhere in the Iberian peninsula: Chiffchaff, Robin, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch and Crossbill.

The landscape of the Depressions, situated between the Exterior Sierras and the Interior Sierras consists of wide open cereal fields and interspersed by rivers and ‘sotos fluviales’. Here the highest densities of breeding raptors like Red and Black Kite, Buzzard, Booted and Short-toed Eagle are found. In the cereal fields passerines like Corn Bunting, Tawny Pipit breed as well as still some pairs of Montagu’s Harrier, all of these birds hardly found elsewhere within the Pyrenees. In winter the fields are full of buntings, larks and finches.

The Exterior Sierras

Because of their relative inaccesibility the Exterior Sierras have been little altered. They are characterised by a large difference between their northern and southern slopes with respect to the vegetation. After the abandoning of most of the villages the Exterior Sierras now belong among the least densely populated areas of Europe.

The southern slope is dry and sunny and covered by a typically Mediterranean scrub vegetation, except for the dark and steep canyon bottoms. Typical birds of this terrain are the Sylvia warblers: Orphean, Dartford and Sardinian Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear and Tawny Pipit, among others. The spectacular vertical walls (Agüero, Riglos, Roldán, Vadiello, Mascún) hold colonies of Griffon Vulture and solitary nests of Egyptian Vulture, Peregrine, Lammergeier, Golden Eagle and Bonelli’s Eagle. These walls also hold Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Chough and Alpine Swift. In winter several birds from the high Pyrenees descend to this zone, such as Ring Ouzel, Alpine Accentor and Wall Creeper. In the highest areas of grassland and scrub Nightjar, Ortolan Bunting and Red-backed Shrike all breed. The northern face of the Sierras Exteriores is quite different, with vast areas of pine forests and much more humid. Here the typical woodland birds are found: Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Bullfinch, Nuthatch, Robin, Chaffinch and tits.

The Ebro valley: woodlands, wetlands, arable lands and steppe areas

Woodlands. Particularly in the Ebro valley only few much reduced areas remain with original natural vegetation. Holm Oak woodlands are forests mainly formed by Mediterranean Quercus species. In Aragón these woodlands are known by the name of ‘carrascal’. The surface area covered by ‘carrascal’ nowadays is very much reduced. Typical birds of the ‘carrascal’ are the Chaffinch, Wood Pigeon, Turtle Dove, Bonelli’s Warbler and various species of Sylvia warblers, including the Subalpine Warbler. The ‘carrascal’ offers nesting opportunities for shrikes and raptors, for example, the two species of kites, the Buzzard and Booted and Short-toed Eagle. In winter the Holm Oak woods are full of a wide variety of passerines such as thrushes and finches. The ‘sotos fluviales’ are woodlands found along the river banks. Typical species inhabiting the ‘sotos’ are Golden Oriole, Green Woodpecker, Nightingale, Blackcap, Penduline Tit, Cirl Bunting and Blackbird. Many other species reach higher densities here than in other habitats, like for example Woodchat Shrike, Turtle Dove and Hoopoe. Similar to the Holm Oak woodlands, the ‘sotos’ also form an ideal breeding habitat for raptors. The introduced pine forests are woodlands characterised by their paucity with respect to both plant and animal life. Very few birds, such as Great Spotted Cuckoo and Mistle Thrush, have found an adequate habitat here.

Wetlands. Natural wetlands in the Ebro Valley are formed by the marsh vegetation along the lower river banks and the saline lagoons within the steppe area. Typical bird species of the reed beds and willow and poplar vegetation along the ‘sotos’ are among others: Night Heron, Water Rail, Reed and Great Reed Warbler and Penduline Tit. The saline lagoons of Monegros hold a very sparse salt vegetation. Some examples of this type of lagoon still exist close to the village of Bujaraloz (Zaragoza. The reservoirs are not much less attractive to water and marsh birds but the Sotonera may be interesting and the natural lake of Sariñena in the Monegros is certainly worth visiting.

Arable land. In the Ebro valley cereals have traditionally been the most widespread crop.. Typical bird species in the wheat fields are Montagu’s Harrier (nowadays threatened), Red-legged Partridge, Quail, Little Owl, Roller, Great Grey Shrike, Rock Sparrow and Corn Bunting. In winter, many passerines feed in the cereal fields, seeking refuge in nearby scrub or woodland. Particularly numerous among these are Chaffinch, Cirl Bunting, Yellowhammer, Rock Bunting and larks and pipits. Raptors like Red Kite and Buzzard are much more abundant during the winter months. These birds breed in the Pyrenees or in more northerly countries and find here a more benign climate and an ample food source. Maize, rice and sunflowers are crops of which the cultivation has been increasing greatly and now already are dominating much of the landscape.

Steppe areas. Throughout the past centuries, the Spanish steppe areas have been steadily growing, particularly because of the massive deforestations that has been carried out ever since Roman times. The extension of the steppes has recently been reduced, as a consequence of new technologies and irrigation systems of the arid land. The important characteristic bird species here are Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Little and Great Bustard. Also the lark family is represented in this habitat, Calandra, Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Lark and, last but not least, the enigmatic Dupont’s Lark. The Stone Curlew is also a typical inhabitant of this type of terrain. Some of the steppe birds migrate southward to winter elsewhere. In winter, large numbers of passerines arrive from northern countries: Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, finches and buntings.

The climate

While in the Pyrenees a mountain climate predominates, the influence of the Mediterranean climate is important especially in the Ebro valley. Temperatures reach annual means in the Pyrenees of 0º C. above 2,800 metres, but are high in the Monegros, with meadium of 14-15∞ Celsius. The difference between the temperatures of the coldest month and the hottest month is great, fluctuations of 15-20∞ C being normal. A noticeable decrease in temperature in October marks the beginning of the long winter which ends in March (Los Monegros) or May in the valleys of the Interior Sierras. The area receives a high number of sun-hours, varying from 2,600 per annum in the lower areas to some 2,200 hours per annum in the mountains. July is the most sunny month and December the darkest one.

In the Central Pyrenees significant quantities of precipitation are registered, reaching some 1,000-2,000 mm per annum. Within the Pyrenees as well as within the Ebro valley, annual rainfall decreases from north to south and from west to east. Los Monegros belongs to the most arid areas of of Europe. The summer is very dry in the Ebro valley, a period of over two months without a single drop of rain being normal. In winter, snow is usually present in the higher mountainous area, with important snowfalls occurring from November until April. Some of the peaks maintain their snowcap throughout the year. Fog is frequent, especially in the Ebro valley, between November and January and is very rare in summer.