Spain - Realm of the Iberian Lynx

The Iberian Lynx recently stood on the brink of extinction. Just a century ago, it ranged throughout over half of the Iberian peninsula but, by the early 2000s, its range had shrunk dramatically to just two small, isolated populations within Andalucía. A number of factors had combined to decimate the population of this delightful feline. First came myxomatosis, which devastated Iberia’s Rabbit population and deprived the Iberian Lynx of its main prey species. As if that was not enough, a second disease — viral hemorrhagic pneumonia — hit the region’s surviving Rabbits. Habitat destruction and fragmentation was also a contributing factor, and a surge in road construction and consequential traffic (and road-kills) wreaked havoc on Iberian Lynx communities.

Since the turn of the millennium, a series of projects coordinated by the Andalucían government, the Portuguese authorities and conservation NGOs, has arrested the decline. Lynx numbers have increased and the cat has been reintroduced to areas of the peninsula where it once thrived naturally. According to the latest survey, the Iberian Lynx population has increased markedly over 20 years, rising from 94 in 2002 to 1,668 in 2022. Experts say that, if the current conservation and reintroduction efforts can maintain their momentum, the species could be out of danger by 2040.

In the rugged, dry and rocky hills and mountains of the Sierra Morena some of the best preserved Mediterranean forest in the Iberian peninsula is to be found. Primarily this is open and spacious oak forest, comprised of Holm, Gall and Cork Oak, though alder, ash and poplars are to be found at the margins of rivers, glades and meadows. In this quiet and relatively unpopulated region, Spain’s wild animals thrive. As well as Iberian Lynx, Wolves, Otters, Wild Boar, Mouflon and Red Deer are all to be found. These mountains also hold a large population of Griffon Vultures, as well as good numbers of the rare Black Vulture and Spanish Imperial Eagle. Amongst the oak forest that clads these hills are grassy glades and secluded valleys where the Lynx hunt Rabbits, rest amongst the rocks, and raise their young in ancient, hollowed oaks. Here live the majority (perhaps 70% or more) of the world’s Iberian Lynx. We hope that here, in a refuge from the modern world, the Iberian Lynx has a good chance of survival.

Most of the remaining 20-30% of the Iberian Lynx population lives in and around the Coto Doñana, a quite different environment of flat grasslands and pine forests where just a few individual oak trees or remnant patches of Mediterranean oak forest are to be found.

On this tour we will spend all of our time enjoying the mammals and birds within these two, quite different, Iberian Lynx habitats. Past experience suggests that, on average, Naturetrek groups have been rewarded with a Lynx sighting for every 30 to 40 hours spent within Lynx habitat. We therefore have a realistic chance of seeing this rare animal on this holiday, but we must look upon a sighting as a bonus to our enjoyment of the other wildlife of these areas, rather than a sole aim in itself.

We begin in El Rocío, a delightful and elegant village that overlooks the lagoon, river and marshlands that lie within the Coto Doñana National Park, one of the finest wetlands in Europe. With its whitewashed buildings (that include a magnificent church) and its unmetalled sandy streets, there is something of the American Wild West about this village! It also makes a fine base for our 2-night stay in the region, from where we will head out at dawn, and again in the afternoon, to ensure that we are in the best places for Lynx at the best times of day. Exploring the mosaic of marshes, Stone Pine woodland, and open grassland and heathland, we are likely to encounter Red and Fallow Deer, Hares and Rabbits, potentially all to be found on the menu of the Lynx. We will also enjoy the huge numbers of birds of prey that pass through the park, together with numerous other migrants, amongst them storks, herons, waders, ducks, gulls and terns. We will look, too, for some of the region’s specialities, amongst them Purple Gallinule, Marbled Teal, Crested Coot, the rare Spanish Imperial Eagle (seven pairs of which breed here) and Red-necked Nightjar.

We will then transfer to the hills, completing our holiday with a 3-night stay in the Sierra Morena where we will spend much of our time moving between scenic viewpoints. From each one we will be able to scan vast tracts of Lynx habitat. Unlike in the Coto Doñana, sightings of Lynx and other animals here are often at long range, but the scenery is tremendous, and the birdlife very rich, with Iberian Magpies and Hawfinches particularly abundant.