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Books
on birds
Click here for birdwatching holidays in the UK
and abroad
News and research for more
information on parrots and other birds
Birdwatching in the Wild West of Spain
Drive out west from Madrid towards Portugal, and, after an hour or so, when the high rise suburbs have receded, you can see a mountain range to your right, running almost parallel to the road. The peaks come closer to the motorway after you get past Talavera, and can be snow covered as late as June, providing a cool contrast.to the shimmering heat of the plains below. Near Oropesa, with its castle parador, or state-run hotel, perched on a hill to the left, there are turnings off to the Gredos mountains on the right. This is prime birdwatching country. There is such a wide range of habitat, mountains, rivers and plains, in a small area, that you can see a surprising range of birds, while in the towns and villages, everywhere there is a high building, storks build untidy nests, and make majestic forays from their perches.
You can turn left off the motorway, and travel through Oropesa, to go south to Puente del Arzobispo ('Bridge of the Archbishop'), named after the old stone bridge over the river Tagus, underneath which there is a large swift colony. You can stand on the bridge and watch the swifts dart past as they catch insects over the river. Puente del Arzobispo is a pottery town. The red clay from the Tagus, under the bridge where the swifts live, is used in the local industry. Many houses have a family kiln, with pottery wares on display outside the front door.
Back at the Oropesa junction, instead of turning left, you can turn right off the motorway, and move north along the Candeleda road, towards the Gredos mountain range. One attraction of this route is the abundance of birds of prey, sometimes in unexpected places. The Oropesa rubbish tip, just a little way along the Candeleda road, is a great attraction for many noble birds!
The towns and villages in this region are varied, each with its own peculiar character. Lagartera, straight ahead on the motorway, just past Oropesa, and just off the main road, specialises in embroideries and pig rearing. You can still see women sitting on low straw-seated chairs, making drawn threadwork tablecloths by the old church, with its obligatory storks. Lagartera is a lively little town at night, with a lot of good bars.. There are some surprisingly interesting shops, too, such as Deportes Geminis, near the main square. This shop sells hiking, fishing and hunting equipment, as well as wildlife stamps. It's owned by Magdalena, who has a keen interest in the local wildlife. She notes that the local storks migrate less than in the past, perhaps because these days they have rubbish tips to feed from. In the old days, just after the Civil War, people often went hungry, and little that was edible was thrown out. Today humans have a surfeit of food, and this helps to sustain local wildlife, even if the rubbish tips are visually unappealing, and smell rather in the summer!
It's clear then, that the local fauna and their habits are constantly changing. Magdalena has been a keen observer of wildlife since she was a child, when she used to go hunting with her father. She is publishing a book of wildlife anecdotes from her memories of this period.
The older houses in these plains towns and villages tend to be built of granite, Move north, to the foothills of the Gredos mountains, and the building style changes dramatically. Many streets are narrow, with a stream running through the middle, and tall, wood-framed houses with mud packed walls on each side of the street. They look like old Elizabethan houses, you can almost shake hands across the street from the top floors. This region is called the Vera, and most of the towns' names end in 'de la Vera'. Valverde de la Vera and Villanueva de la Vera have some of the best preserved buildings, while Jaradilla boasts a castle parador.
Birdwatchers are well catered for at El Mirador de La Vera, a specialist centre near the town of Robledillo de la Vera, with self-contained chalets, and a conference centre. It's run by Jorge, who speaks very good English. He can tell you where the best birdwatching sites are, and he can also tell you about the best music bars to go to in the evening - there are many excellent local bands, some playing traditional music from the region, others developing fusion music of various kinds, with Celtic and Moorish influences featuring strongly.
There is a particularly benign microclimate in the Vera towns like Robledillo, which means that they are not as cold in winter, or as stiflingly hot in summer as the towns on the plain. El Mirador de la Vera is well placed, either for forays high into the Gredos mountains, or for trips down to the plain. One word of warning though, while the plains can be stiflingly hot in summer, be prepared for it to get very cold indeed if you travel high up the mountains in the winter. The winds at the top of the Gredos mountains can be bitingly cold, yet it's worth the discomfort for the spectacular views. There are a number of tracks which criss-cross the Gredos, some very ancient, used by the Moors before the Reconquest, and no doubt used by the Romans, several centuries before them. There is a magical feeling when you rest by the side of a track, listening to a concert of goat bells in the distance.
A stick of bread, a hunk of sheep's cheese, and some tomatoes can be very welcome on a birdwatching hike. The local food tends to be of the robust, peasant variety, very tasty with strong flavours. The Vera is a region where vegetables thrive, so food tends to be healthier than in the plains, where dishes are more likely to consist of meat and ballast.
Vegetarians are often looked at pityingly all through this region, and may find they are offered yet another omelette, so they might consider self-catering! There are good ranges of pulses and cheeses in the local supermarkets, though lentil and chickpea dishes in restaurants tend to be served with meat. The local food, like much Spanish food, is also sometimes a little salty for the English palate, so self-catering has another advantage of allowing you to reduce your salt intake!
How can you travel round the area if you don't want to take your car? There are very cheap bus services from Madrid to Oropesa and Lagartera, if you want to stay on the plains, and it's easier to cycle along the flatter land than up un the mountains! Bus services also go from Madrid to the Vera pueblos, though they are less frequent than to the plains, and the journey takes much longer. You can also catch a train to Navalmoral, where it's possible to hire a car. Local taxis are quite cheap by British standards, so you may find it worth while to hire a taxi for an afternoon, or even a day trip.
Visitors who are lucky enough to stay for a long period in this region can plan long trips, for example to Guadaloupe to the south, with its monastery, now Catholic, but with obvious Moorish influences in the architecture. Salamanca, to the north, is also a spectacularly beautiful town, with its cathedral and university. Further west, there's Plasencia, where storks nest in a large colony just off the main square. Or you can travel further west, to the Monfrague nature reserve, or to the Las Hurdes region. Las Hurdes was once a synonym of rural poverty and backwardness, but is now more prosperous, with picturesque villages, and rough tracks across wild terrain, where you can pause to watch the bird life.
It's well worth a trip to the wild west of Spain, to experience a secret Spain that few British people know. The breathtaking views, the hospitality, the food, and, of course, the birds.
For information on El Mirador de la Vera: info@elmiradordelavera.com
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