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Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus
© F. J. Garcia
Iberian Lynx, Sierra de Andújar and La Mancha
A shorter 5-day tour to take in a little of the wealth of birdlife in the La Mancha lakes, before moving on to the mammal and bird-rich Sierra de Andújar in Andalucía in our search for the rarest feline in the world, the critically endangered Iberian lynx.
Having once occupied a large part of the Iberian Peninsula, the Iberian Lynx suffered a drastic decline to near-extinction in the 1990s deriving from land-use change, the enormous increase in the number of roads and other dispersal barriers, and above all, the catastrophic crash in the native Wild Rabbit populations.
Andújar landscape
© F. J. Garcia
Indeed, viable lynx populations have only survived in Doñana, where a small and difficult-to-see nucleus survives in atypical lowland habitat, but a much larger and more accessible number remain in the Sierra de Andújar in northern Andalucía, albeit still only numbering around 200 individuals. Here they survive in some of the vast areas of low wooded and scrubby mountains in an area with low human density and, perhaps ironically, in areas principally maintained for large game hunting interests.
Sitting quietly at one of the favoured viewpoints or even driving slowly along the small pot-holed roads in the area will give us our best chances for seeing this, and many other species, such as Red Deer, Wild Boar, and River Otter amongst other native species, plus the naturalised Fallow Deer, Mouflon and Egyptian Mongoose. The former become particularly obvious during the autumn rut which starts around late September.
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Aquila adalberti
© Santiago Villa
But we also aim to differ from others looking for the species by taking a few walks through the region along the old drover's roads, in order to sample the habitats and character of the area more, and also to look for Iberian Lynx and other mammal's tracks and trails.
Naturally, some of the best times for mammal watching are around dawn and dusk, but the Iberian Lynx shows the peculiarity of not being either particularly shy or indeed of sharing this crepuscular behaviour, though like us, they tend to avoid being active during hot midday conditions!
There is also a lot more to look for whilst waiting, too, with good numbers of Spanish Imperial Eagles in the general area, plus Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Eagle-owl, Thekla Lark, Dartford and Sardinian Warblers, Firecrest, Crested Tit, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-billed Chough, Iberian (Azure-winged) Magpie, Iberian Grey Shrike, Rock and Cirl Buntings, European Serin and Hawfinch. This is augmented in spring and summer by breeding Black Stork, Egyptian Vulture, Black Kite, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, the rare White-rumped Swift, Red-necked Nightjar, Red-rumped Swallow, Eurasian Crag Martin, Subalpine and Western Orphean Warblers, rare Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and Eurasian Golden Oriole amongst others.
We punctuate the long journey down to the Andújar area with a stop in the La Mancha lakes area on the first day. This greatly increases the variety of possible birds to be seen, since it combines agri-steppe and lake areas, including opportunities for Montagu's Harrier, Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Calandra Lark in the former and Black-necked Grebe, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Little and Cattle Egrets, Greater Flamingo,
Flamingos and shorebirds in La Mancha
© John Muddeman
Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Western Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Water Rail, Purple Swamphen, Cetti's, Great Reed and Savi's Warblers, Zitting Cisticola and Eurasian Penduline-tit in the latter.
Please note that the tour is principally centred on looking for the Iberian Lynx and as such we will spend the time we consider necessary to find the species, even if this means varying the itinerary for that shown. In addition, the birds indicated vary markedly over the seasons, and we suggest that you consult us for more details if required, since it is impossible to cover all the options here.
For a provisional itinerary, please see the Spainbirds page for this tour.
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
© John Muddeman
Iberian Lynx, Sierra de Andújar and
La Mancha
Leaders: John Muddeman and Santiago Villa for Spainbirds Nature Tours
2012 Dates:
Wed. 7 Mar - Sun. 11 Mar
(SV 1st leader + JM with 8 - 14 clients)
Mon. 24 Sep - Fri. 28 Sep
(JM 1st leader + SV with 8 - 14 clients)
Mon. 15 Oct - Fri. 19 Oct
(JM 1st leader + SV with 8 - 14 clients)
Anytime dates (please consult)
(JM / SV leader/s as required up to 14 clients)
Price: 700€ per person, including half-board, en suite accommodation at the Los Pinos Tourist Complex, picnic lunches, minibus transport throughout, all entry fees and the services of John Muddeman and/or Santiago Villa as leader/s. A single-room supplement of 90€ is applicable.
The cost is for a land-based tour. Flights and travel insurance (obligatory) are the responsibility of the client, though we can help with bookings. We start / finish at Madrid airport.
All payments have to be made in Euros to Spainbirds Nature Tours S.L.
For booking and payment details and terms, please click on the "BOOKING FORM" link at the bottom of the page accessed HERE, or contact me directly (see addresses at the end).
Booking information: either follow the link above or feel free to contact John Muddeman for further details and a booking form, or indeed if you have any queries about this tour.
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| Office phone: | (+34) 918 989195 |
| Mobile phone: | (+34) 649 608747 |
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| Address: |
C/ Alcocer 1, 1-C
28214 Fresnedillas de la Oliva,
Madrid
Spain
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Iberian Magpie Cyanopica cooki
© John Muddeman
