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John Muddeman - Butterflies, dragonflies, birds and birding in Madrid, Extremadura, La Mancha and Andalucia, Spain
John is a professional tour guide, writer and
scientific translator, with a lifelong interest in diverse aspects of
natural history. He lives in Madrid and guides organised groups throughout
Iberia and Europe. Birding is his main field of expertise.
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burnet moth sp. Zygaena hilaris
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John Muddeman
After periods of post-graduate research at Oxford, research trips to
Turkey and Armenia, followed by almost a year in the U.S.A. (Birds of Armenia Project),
all related to bird biology, ecology, distribution and identification,
I started leading wildlife tours in October 1996. Birds are my main focus,
with over 30 years of experience under my belt. However, I have much wider
natural history interests, especially regarding identification: botany,
particularly orchids, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies, butterflies and moths.
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica
A recent side-line of these natural history interests is digital photography,
including digiscoping, and I have begun to build photographic databases of
Iberian dragonflies, butterflies and moths. A few of these pictures are shown
here and elsewhere on the site.
Having been drawn to central Spain in early 1997 by a Spanish señorita,
to whom I am now married, I rapidly fell in love with the diverse landscapes,
huge horizons, extraordinarily rich wildlife, the people, food and generally
good weather of the Iberian Peninsula!
Less than a month after settling near Madrid, I joined a trip to Extremadura
in west-central Spain. This remarkable area has held a fascination for me ever
since, leading to publication of "A Birdwatching Guide to Extremadura"
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvus
by
Arlequin Press in 2000. I have also travelled
and led groups widely across Spain and Portugal, from the Balearic Islands
(Mallorca and Menorca), Pyrenees and Picos de Europa in the north, to Doñana,
the Strait of Gibraltar and the Algarve in the south, several of these in
conjunction with Teresa Farino. I am currently also co-authoring both
"The Birds of the Balearic Islands: historical review, status and distribution"
for Christopher Helm and "A Birdwatching Guide to Central Spain".
Shrubby Pimpernel
Anagallis monelli
I have led a number of trips for individuals and small groups in the past,
particularly to see such key species as Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle,
White-headed Duck, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, White-rumped Swift and
Dupont's Lark. However, my main focus is on leading for established
UK companies. I am a principle guide for
The Travelling Naturalist Wildlife Holidays, but also lead tours for
Limosa Holidays, Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays
and Island Holidays.
While the bulk of my tours have been in Iberia (Balearic and Canary Islands, Andalucía, Extremadura, Sierra de Gredos,
Picos de Europa and Pyrenees), I now also specialise in shorter 7-12 day trips in several parts of Europe. With well over
100 tours and 13 years' wildlife guiding experience under my belt, outside Iberia these have included natural history tours
in such magical and wildlife-rich places as Islay (Scotland), Finland, Poland, Switzerland, eastern Austria, eastern Romania,
Hungary, the French Pyrenees, Lesvos and Cyprus. Further afield I've now also had the immense good fortune to have led in Trinidad
and Tobago (Asa Wright N.C. and Little Tobago are hard to beat!), Churchill in Canada (the Polar Bears are astounding!), eastern
Yellow-winged Darter
Sympetrum flaveolum
South Africa (another amazing experience!) and New Zealand (3 weeks is not enough!). November 2009 saw me guiding in The Gambia
and Senegal, while 2010 will see novelties in the form of mainland Scotland in late spring (for wildflowers too) and Estonia
in autumn (principally for the extraordinary mass bird migration). Finally a planned return to the Galapagos Islands in December
-for my fifth visit- is this time combined with an extension to the extraordinary 'Amazonian' rain forests of the Oriente of
mainland Ecuador.
While obviously always endeavouring to get the most from each of the areas visited,
I am a firm believer that a holiday should be just that, with time for rest and relaxation
Scarce Swallowtail
Iphiclides podalirius
and the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of the surroundings.
If you are after orchids and bottle-nosed dolphins in Portugal in March,
or the birds and 'watercolour' landscapes of Extremadura, perhaps a birdwatching bonanza
in SW Spain in April, searching for Lammergeiers among the wildlife-rich Pyrenees,
getting the thrill of watching raptors pouring south over the Strait of Gibraltar
to Africa in late September, seeing masses of wintering Cranes in Extremadura in
November, or Wallcreepers and Cranes in Aragón in late autumn, then perhaps one of these trips is for you!
Interested?
Please feel free to look at further details of the trips detailed below, either in the relevant websites
(just click on the link), or by contacting me directly.
Non-Iberian Trips for 2010
Please click on the tour which interests you to go direct to the company's website,
where you can find more details of what we might see, a provisional itinerary and,
in the case of The Travelling Naturalist and Limosa Holidays, detailed reports of
past trips. Bookings should be made directly with the company in question, but I am
more than happy to answer any queries that you might have regarding the tour.
| Address: |
C/ Alcocer 1, 1-C
28214 Fresnedillas de la Oliva,
Madrid
Spain |
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| E-mail: |
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| Office: | (+34) 918 989195 |
| Mobile: | (+34) 649 608747 |
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Great Bustard Otis tarda |
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