Spain - Birds & Wines of Navarra

Despite its small size, the autonomous region of Navarra offers stark contrasts in scenery, from lushly forested Pyrenean hillsides, broad river valleys and towering limestone canyons in the north, to the plains of the Ebro River valley in the south; the latter enjoying a more Mediterranean influence — a land of scented maquis, olive groves and vineyards! A visit to this region gives one the feeling of having stumbled across a well-kept secret, and Navarra offers some fine wildlife habitats, its arid semi-deserts and majestic rock formations, unspoiled wetlands and dense forests all providing a year-round haven for an impressive diversity of birds.

We begin our holiday in the 42,000-hectare Bardenas Reales Natural Park, an extraordinary semi-desert landscape of gullies, rocky outcrops and plateaux sculpted by erosion. This rather surreal geology provides a splendid backdrop to our excursions within the park, where the steppes and plains are home to many bird species including the shy Dupont’s Lark, Stone Curlew, Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and many species of lark (Crested, Thekla, Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed, Calandra and Wood) and wheatears (Black, Blackeared and Northern). The park is also home to one of the largest populations of Griffon Vultures on the Iberian Peninsula.

Having explored the dramatic landscapes of Bardenas we head north towards the Pyrenees, stopping en route to explore the marshes and grasslands of the serenely beautiful Laguna de Pitillas, a large saline lake where Bearded Tits and Bittern may be found, plus a host of migratory species in both the reedbeds and surrounding steppe. A superb variety of birds is found here throughout the year and by May the air will be full of bird song. We will listen for such summer visitors as Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Bee-eater and Nightingale, as well as the songs of resident birds, all proclaiming their territories among the reeds and surrounding wheat fields and woodlands. Egrets, Redcrested Pochard plus other duck species are among the many residents we will find here, while summer arrivals include Blacknecked Grebe, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, the exotic-looking Black-winged Stilt and birds of prey such as Short-toed and Booted Eagle.

Before we leave the Mediterranean landscapes of south and central Navarra, we will sample the excellent wines of the area. Bordering the world-famous Rioja region, the vineyards to the south and north-west of the River Ebro form the centre of Navarra’s wine industry. Vineyards have been present in the province since Roman times and Navarra boasts a fine selection of rosés, whites, both young and barrel-aged red wines, as well as sweet wines. As we head north we will visit a couple of these vineyards, and also have plenty of opportunities for tasting a good variety of wines, accompanied by the area’s manifold gastronomic delights!

For the remainder of our tour we will focus on the forested limestone gorges and uplands of northern Navarra. The Mediterranean influence of the plains and wine-growing south gives way to extensive oak and pine forest as we travel northwards towards our next location, the Foz de Lumbier. This spectacular limestone gorge, cloaked in Beech and Holm Oak woodland and low Mediterranean scrub, is home to such species as Blue Rock Thrush, Redbacked and Woodchat Shrikes, Melodious, Subalpine and Bonelli’s Warblers, and Cirl, Ortolan and Rock Buntings, while overhead Alpine Swifts, Crag Martins and abundant birds of prey may be seen. Lower down, in riverside poplar groves, Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles breed, and surrounding fields hold Crested Larks, Thekla Larks and Tawny Pipits.

Lastly, we will explore the higher slopes of the north-western Pyrenees. Here we will focus on the magnificent Irati Forest, the second largest and best-preserved Beech and Silver Fir forest in western Europe. Presenting a vast green mantle of some 17,000 hectares of pristine forest, this is a valuable refuge for a wealth of wildlife — a place where mature trees tower to 40 metres, making this a natural paradise for woodland birds, especially woodpeckers (among them Black and the rare Whitebacked Woodpecker). Nearby, among the rocky summits above the forest, Lammergeiers, Citril Finches, Snowfinches and Alpine Accentors may all be found, together with Chamois and Alpine Marmots and an abundance of glorious alpine flora.

This tour to Navarra offers you an exciting and varied range of little-explored European habitats and their associated wildlife, all washed down with some first-class wines. We are sure you are going to like it as much as we do!