Bird watching in Aragon: 23rd February to 2nd March

The Master Plan!

In search of winter cranes: Aragon: Spain: Mon 23rd February to Monday 2nd March


Flight:

Ryanair: Stansted to Madrid


Flight price: £132.16 inc Checked bag and Fast track at Stansted. (Booked)

Car:Booking Number: 762776153: Skoda Karoq: £134.15 (Booked): Pick up : 14.00, Drop off: 16.00

Guide Books and Websites for planning etc:

North Spain: Dave Gosney

Northern and Eastern Spain: Michael Reban ans Ernest Garcia

eBird: historical checklist covering areas to be visited

CloudBirders: reports of previous visit:

Daniel Martin: Pyrenees: 2022

                          Naturetrex: Wallcreepers and Cranes in Northern Spain: 1-7th March 2018

Two centre trip for bird watching plus 1 day visiting the historic city of Siguenza

  1. Laguna de Gallocanta, Aragon: Wed 25th-Fri 27th February

  2. Alquezar: foothills of the Pyrenees: Wallcreeper and Alpine Accentors


Planned days


  • unchecked

    23rd Feb: Travel day: Madrid Airport to Hotel: Stop off at Gallocanta:Dusk: 18.46

  • unchecked

    24th Feb: Sunrise: 07.46: GOS04: Gallocanta circular and Laguna de Guilguerrero: Dusk 18.47

  • unchecked

    25th Feb: Sunrise: 07.44: Circular walk around Daroca

  • unchecked

    26th Feb: Travel day: Revisit Gallocanta on way to Albarracin

  • unchecked

    27th Feb: Exploring Albarracin and the cave paintings

  • unchecked

    28th Feb: Travel day: Albarracin to Parador de Siguenza

  • unchecked

    01st Mar: Exploring Sigüenza

  • unchecked

    02nd Mar: Return to Madrid

Laguna De Gallocanta

Accommodation

Hotel Cienbalcones: 23rd to 26th Feb

Mayor, 88, 50360 Daroca, Spain: £134 inc breakfast:

Distance from Laguna: 32 mins drive: Breakfast 8.30

Target bird(s): Common Crane

Crane numbers breakdown 2022 to 2025


Possible travel date

2025

2024

2023

2022

W/C 26th Jan

500

10000

800

10000

W/C 16th Feb (Mon)

2000

4000

1000

3300

W/C 25th Feb (Wed)

20000

20000

30000

5000

W/C 4th March (Wed)

500

3500

36000

800

W/C 11th March (Wed)

153

270

258

70

W/C 18th March (Wed)

390

600

182

75

W/C 25th March (Wed)

153

123

100

31

W/C 1st April (Wed)

1

7

200

3


Target areas for Cranes



Monday 23rd February

Eagle Owl reported as breeding. Heard calling from centre of Daroca

Route: Day 01: Madrid airport to Daroca via Laguna de Gallocanta ( Tomtom: Aragon: Day 01....)

Notes on Journey:

Dep: 10.11 Late

Arrive: 13.32


Came down east coast passing near Barcelona before turning towards Madrid. This route brought us over the area I was targeting so it was great to get a view from above! Flying parallel to the distant Pyrenees I had great views  over the patchwork countryside below. Some of which I had explored in past visits.


Landed at 13.20. Weather warm thank goodness!


Then the day went really bad! Somewhere from Stansted to the hire car desk at Terminal 4 I managed to loose my wallet with all my cash, cards and driver's licence! Total disaster!

My licence was on their system so he could go ahead with the paperwork but when it came to payment the virtual cards would not work! More melt down. Calls to Natwest resulted in them saying it was a fault of the car hire end. Thankfully I had all the details of my card from the app so after 60mins of stress got the keys.


Then spent 30mins looking for the lost and found in the terminal which was booked away! No joy. So what a way to start a trip, no cash and a worry that the virtual cards might not work!


Yet it gets worse! After a quick trip to Lidl to get food I didn't need but wanting to check card ( it worked and on coming out a flight of 400+ Cranes flew over) I cut out the planned visit to the Laguna and headed straight to the hotel at Dacora. Then disaster number two!


By the time I got to Daroca it was dark, I was tired and still a little stressed. To get to the hotel I had to pass through the town walls and misjudged them and scrapped down the passenger side of the car, cracking the wing mirror casing, removing the door handle and added numerous dents and scratches! Needless to say I could have cried! This trip was going to be a complete disaster.


The hotel had no parking other than up a very narrow lane with cars parked at all sorts of strange angles. By the time I was in a beer and food was very necessary!


Tuesday 24th February


Route: Day 02: Around Gallocanta: ( Tomtom)Aragon: Hotel Cienbalcones: Gallocanta: GOS04: Pt 05)

Notes on Journey: Terrible nights sleep, full of catholic guilt over the damage to the car! Attempted to contact Sixt but no joy. 

Anyway lets put that behind us and go birding. The run to Gallocanta was pleasant going through some very nice countryside and twisty roads. Laguna de Gallocanta was much larger than I imagined so circumventing it would be interesting. 

It was just after 10am that I stopped at the visitors centre and walked down to a hide. I could hear Cranes calling but not see any other than this one!

Statue of Crane

A large group of Greater Flamingo were present on the far side, the largest group I've ever seen. Scanning them I counted 232 and was pretty sure there was more hidden by others and the reeds. All so present were large number of Pochard mainly female as expected and but still a good number of males.

Hide at Visitor's Centre
Stonechat, Zitting Cisticola and Crested Lark were present in good numbers but not a sight of a crane.

Stonechat


I decided to move on further around the laguna by now it was just after 10.30. Getting no further than 200m down the road before I had to make a quick stop and out of the car, binoculars in hand as the first flight of Cranes passed over head. I estimated that there was nearly 300 birds in that flight alone. The sight and sound was spectacular and in the presence of such a sight my anxiety of the trip disappeared....at least for a while!

The vast number of birds moving out from their roost were impossible to count all I could do was take numerous photos for later grid count and enjoy the sight I had come to see!


Moving to the Mirador I stopped to count a flock of Cranes feeding in a field near to the road. I counted 350 birds before the majority moved off plus two Great White Egret and three Marsh Harrier.

Common Crane (Digiscoped)


I called in to the Interpretation Centre and chatted to the ladies there for a while. She told me that they were out carrying out a census of not only the cranes but other birds on the Laguna and that I should call back in in the next day or so to get the results. She also  told me how I could drive closer to the laguna and thereby the birds, this I did for the afternoon.


I returned to the Mirador for lunch and again photographed the cranes that were nearby. While eating I heard then saw four Red-billed Chough pass overhead. 

Cranes feeding in field near the Mirador


The Hotel Cienbalcones

Wednesday 25th February

Route: Day 03: Walking: 3hr circular walk from Hotel

Notes on Journey: Had a really good walk from the hotel following the Puerta Baja de Dacora loop. Climbed up  to the castle and had a wander around this impressive ruin before heading through the woods on a ridge walk that lasted about three hours during which time I did  not see a soul. 

Daroca

During the walk I spotted a single Crossbill and numerous Woodlark and a large flight of Crane passing over.





Thursday 26th February

Route: Day 04: Travel Day: Aragon:  Hotel Cienbalcones, Daroca to Albarracin

Notes on Journey: Heading a new location today which took me past the Interpretation 
Centre so called in to get the figure. On the Tuesday there had been 15 527 Cranes counted. I set out to do a 20 min fixed point count and counted 1010 Cranes from the Mirador.


Had a good journey to Albarracin. On the way spotted a Little Owl in a derelict farm building. Sadly no photo! 

Passed through a number of quiet and seemingly empty villages and when passing through agricultural areas I noticed quite a bit of burning of the edges of the field. Not sure why this was being done, possibly as fire breaks for the hot summer.

Had a stop at Laguna del Cañizar--Embarcadero de Villarquemado and had the place to myself. Over 750 Common Crane were visible from the tower hide as was a single Great Crested Grebe and two Great White Egret. There was plenty of Tree Sparrow in the area and Cetti and Water Rail were very vocal.


Friday 27th February

Route: Day 05: Walking: Exploring Albarracin and its surrounding area following the wonderfully named route 'Cabrerizo Viewpoint-Rock shelter of the Diverse Figures'. 


Notes on Journey:The walk took me through excellent countryside, passing the many boulders that attract climbers from all over and for which the area is renowned. During the walk I only saw three people, one of which had obviously been sleeping in a cave and then spending the day bouldering.

Meadow and rock formation on the way to the cave paintings

The walk took you to an area containing a number of caves that had ancient cave paintings and then on to the Cabrerzio viewpoint.

The Archer: Cave painting

View from the viewpoint

Having had lunch at the picnic site I continued the walk back to Albarracin without seeing a soul!

Albarracin and its walls

Coming back into Albarracin I passed what I can only assume is a dinosaur museum next to the Camper van park.


On returning to the hotel I enjoyed a cool beer and a nice cake!

That evening I took a stroll through the town looking for somewhere to get a meal. 

Albarracin




However, everywhere was shut but I had noticed a burger restaurant down by the car parks just outside of the town walls.  Heading there I had a nice walk along the river below the walls of the town. The path took me over a very interesting wobbly, by design, bridge!


The walk to the restaurant gave me an excellent appetite and I enjoyed the best meal of the whole trip. The burger was thick and juicy and the chips were excellent and the beer wasn't too bad either! 



Saturday 28th February

Route:Day 06: Travel Day: Albarracin to Siguenza: Travel Day to the Parador de Siguenza:

Sunday 1st March

Route: Day 07: Walking: Exploring Siguen




Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)