The Ebro Delta - or Delta de l’Ebre in Catalan - holds a special place in my heart. It’s an ornithological dreamland that I’ve visited many times but never during Spring. Covering roughly 320 km squared, it’s recognised as a RAMSAR wetland of international importance. Like a patchwork quilt, it’s comprised of rice fields, lagoons, woodland, reedbeds, saltmarsh and beaches. What seems to be a distant fairytale of ecological equilibrium that once was here in the UK, suddenly feels faintly possible once again when you set foot in a thriving ecosystem like the Ebro Delta.
It’s our first afternoon here and the wind is reaching 45mph. While it’s not the most ideal condition for birding, it’s nice to relax in a hide with the golden light seeping through the reeds. Hirundines explode across the sky while Marsh Harriers swoop and flush flocks of Black-winged Stilts, Pied Avocets and Spotted Redshanks. A Booted Eagle flies by. We’ve started off strong despite the relentless wind. We end our day at the popular lagoons of Observatori de la Tancada which hosts an abundance of waders, gulls and terns. We see Grey, Kentish and Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint, Greenshank, Redshank, Common and Sandwich Tern, Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gull, and of course, the Greater Flamingos.
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On to day two and our first stop is El Violi. We arrive shortly after sunrise, the sky is alive with Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Caspian Terns and a species I’ve longed to see for some time. The Collared Pratincole. Darting about with their beautifully forked tails streaming behind. I barely manage photos because I’m so in awe. We slowly wander along the tracks, surrounded by waders and plenty of passerines whose absence was evident during the first day. Sardinian and Western Subalpine Warbler, Western Yellow Wagtail, Bluethroat, Zitting Cisticola and Penduline Tit all make an appearance. Meanwhile, Melodious and Moustached Warblers are singing in the scrub where they remain their usual shy selves, hidden away.
For our last full day on the delta, we venture out at sunrise to the David Bigas Mirador. Watching the sun rise from this tower with its 360 views of sea, lagoons and mountains is a great way to start the day. In just one hour, we record a total of 82 species. Highlights include Osprey, Gull-billed Tern, Marsh Sandpiper, a reeling Savi’s Warbler and Little Bittern. The open wetland habitats are an intrinsic part of the Ebro Delta; however, the small areas of woodland are absolutely worth some time. Having heard Scops and Long-eared Owl calling at night, we decide to explore a small copse near our accommodation. This little pocket of woodland provides a moment of serenity and much-needed shade from the midday sun. A Common Swallowtail butterfly dances in the dappled light around my feet as Common Kestrels and Hoopoes are busy in the trees above but just when I didn’t think my Collared Pratincole moment could be topped… a daytime roosting Scops stares down at us from its Eucalyptus tree. We couldn’t resist one final visit to this location on our last day and we are spoilt as not only do we see the Scops again but also three Long-eared Owls. After just three days, our species list is growing quickly.
Following on from the Ebro Delta, we travel 40km inland to stay with my family for a couple of days. Here, we have some downtime but still manage to add some more species to the trip list such as Bee-eater, Cirl Bunting, Turtle Dove, Northern Goshawk, Black Kite, Little Owl and Nightingale. Then we leave for the region of Lleida with a couple of stops along the way. Firstly, we head up into the Els Ports Nature Reserve. The towering, jagged rock formations and pine woodland look picturesque in the early morning mist. Lower down the mountain we see Woodlark, Firecrest, Crested Tit, Black Redstart and a group of Griffon Vulture’s gliding past at eye level. As predicted, the view from the top of Mont Caro is non-existent and it’s eerily quiet but just as we’re about to leave, an Alpine Accentor appears, unfazed by the cold. We start to descend the windy road, regaining visibility when we have a surprise encounter with two Rock Buntings.
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It’s time to carry on so we pry ourselves away from the misty mountain. Next stop, a layby along the C-12. Swathes of Asphodel, Poppy and Viper’s Bugloss sway in the wind, Green Tiger Beetles dash across the dry dirt and a Blue Rock Thrush sings from a crag above. But way up high in the sky are several large birds of prey. First, we identify Black Kite and Griffon Vulture but, to our amazement, two Egyptian Vultures appear, and then something even more astonishing - a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles! Totally worth the neckache. After letting this major trip highlight sink in, we continue to Lleida where we plan to spend the remaining part of our trip amongst the agricultural fields and steppe in the south-east. To our surprise, the landscape is generously adorned with thick verges and field margins of Poppies and Wild Radish. Crops are luscious green, and groves of trees are enveloped in blossom. Lleida wears springtime well and with temperatures averaging around 20 degrees, it’s comfortable to be birding from sunrise to sunset. Bliss.
We begin in the town of Alfes where we watch Western Bonelli’s Warblers feeding amongst the pines, followed by a completely unscheduled stop at a landfill site which rewards us with incredibly close views of Kites and hundreds of White Storks circling on a thermal while Cattle Egrets blend into the waste as they scavenge below. From here, we go in search of our main target species. As the evening starts to draw in, we visit a well-known Eagle Owl hotspot in Aspa. Upon arriving, the sun is slowly slumping in the sky, chattering Bee-eaters are flying overhead and as if scripted, an Eagle Owl sits in the old ruins of Castell d’Aspa, perfectly framed in a square opening with the sun illuminating its fiery orange eyes. After gazing at this extraordinary creature for a while, it suddenly takes off into the night. What a way to end our first day in Lleida.
The next morning, we go to Timoneda d’Alfes, a disused airfield which has become a popular birding site. As we arrive it’s still dark, but the dewy morning air is already filled with a beautiful symphony of Lark song. Calandra, Crested, Thekla and even the rare Dupont’s Lark all declaring their territories. Here we also catch a glimpse of distant Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Little Bustard. To the north of the site is a small area of woodland where we encounter several Iberian Green Woodpeckers, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and mating Black Kites. Onwards to the Mas de Melons nature reserve, in hope of seeing another target species - Black Wheatear. We’re greeted by charismatic, Red-billed Choughs nesting in the carpark. Then we wander down through the steppe that’s scattered with wildflowers and Hummingbird Hawk-moths feasting on nectar. Western Black-eared Wheater, Golden Eagle and Great-spotted Cuckoo are seen along the way, but it seems perhaps our luck has run out as after an hour of looking, there’s no sign of Black Wheater. We make our way back towards the car park and decide to scan the steppe one last time when suddenly a stunning male Black Wheatear appears on a rock below. Success! As the heat intensifies, we decide to spend the rest of the afternoon at a nature reserve situated in Lleida called Parc de la Mitjana. Walking through the mix of woodland, wetland and scrub, we see some new trip species, notably Wryneck, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Wood Warbler.
In addition to the key sites and hotspots, much of our time in Lleida is spent driving along numerous dirt tracks through fields and groves. You could always count on singing Corn Bunting’s wherever you were but, exploring these tracks was also a great way to pick up extra species such as Common Quail, Iberian Grey Shrike, Rock Sparrow and a personal favourite on our last evening…
We wanted one last Eagle Owl encounter, so we make our way to Aspa when another group of birders kindly point us to not one, not two, but three Montagu’s Harriers flying across the fields. We sit and watch them a while in the evening sun before moving on. Due to the delightful distraction en route, by the time we reach Aspa the Eagle Owl is not perched in its palace but further up the valley in the distance. The light’s fading but we decide to follow the road to see if we can catch one final glimpse, eagerly scanning the landscape the whole way. Then, there it was. Perfectly perched on a rock at the side of the road. A moment I’ll cherish forever.
Words & photography by Charlotte O'Shea.