7 Night

Catalan Guided Bird Watching Holiday (7 Nights)

The “Wild Coast”, Medieval Villages and Mountainous Interior

Nights: 7 Nights B&B

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Girona Airport or Figueres Train Station where you will be transferred to you accommodation in Sant Pere Pescador. Surrounded by areas of authentic natural beauty and bordered by the River Fluvià, Sant Pere Pescador keeps a perfect balance between land and sea, between the greens and yellows of its orchards and the blue and gold of its extensive beaches.

Immerse yourself in the history and culture of the village, take a walk through the countryside and discover the wide-open landscape on the banks of the River Fluvià, with its apple orchards and nature trails, and its glimpses of windsurfers and sand-dunes… discover all the details that go together to make up the everyday life of this village.

Accommodation: Rural Guest House (Casa Rural), B&B, Sant Pere Pescador. The house is situated next to the River Fluvia and surrounded by fields of fruit trees. It is right at the beginning of the natural reserve “Parc de Mig de Dos Rius”, where there is a great diversity of fauna.

The house was constructed in the 19^th century and is completely restored and furnished with care. It has five rooms all en-suite, heating, television and air conditioning. The dining room is very sunny with views to the garden; the living room has a chimney, television, music equipment and board games. In the lounge of the top floor you will be able to relax, read or simply enjoy the view. The Guest House also has a swimming pool that is open in the summer.

Day 2: We will visit the of Aiguamolls Reserve of the l’Empordà  Natural Park and Visitors Centre.

We will visit several ponds, rice plantations, Mig de dos Rius Reserve which is around the zone visited in the morning (we’ll choose the exact places depending the season and the level of water)

This park is situated between the Mediterranean Sea and two small rivers, “la Muga” and “el Fluvià”. From the salted coastal lagoons at the seashore to the forested interior zone, it is a shelter to migrating birds, a good area where wintering birds are safe, and an excellent breeding ground for the breeding birds.

Because of its situation, just below the Pyrenees, it is an excellent shelter before or after crossing  the mountains, but when the northern wind (the famous “Tramuntana”) gets stronger, the role of these marshes gets even more important as there is a strong fall out of migrating birds. Furthermore, like all the few wild areas close to the seashores (Camarga, Salses and Canet in France and The Llobregat and Ebro Deltas) the “Aiguamolls de l’Empordà” is a place for the migrating birds to rest and recover.

Birds present the whole year round are Balearic and Mediterranean Shearwaters, Cory’s Shearwater (rare in winter), Bittern, White Stork, Greater Flamingo (young ones), Purple Gallinule, Stone Curlew, Moustached Warbler, and Penduline Tits.

During breeding season there are Little Bittern, Puple Heron, Garganey, Short-toed EagleKentish Plover, Roller, Bee-eater, Lesser Grey Shrike (really rare), Great Reed Warbler and Reed Warblers.

Wintering birds are Dives, Black-necked Grebe, Gannet, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, thousands of ducks , Lapwings, Golden Plover and other shorebirds, Bearded Tit (although it is becoming fewer every winter) and Reed Buntings.

During the migration, we can get many of the birds which migrate along the Mediterranean seashores. The most important are Squacco Heron, Black Stork (every year we get a few of them), Spoonbill, Garganey, Osprey, Red-footed Falcon Wiskered, Black Terns and every year some White-winged- Black Tern.

Apart from birds, there are other kinds of wildlife that live in the reserve; we have Reed Deer, Eurasian Otter, Butterflies and other insects making visiting this Park a very enjoyable experience.

Day 3: We will visit the Serra de Roda, the inner part of the Cap de Creus- Serra de Roda Natural Park, then return to the Aiguamolls Reserve of the l’Empordà  Natural Park.

Day 4: All day: We will visit the coastal section of the Cap de Creus and the Serra de Roda Natural Park.

The “Cap de Creus” is the most oriental part of the Pyrenees. For birdwatchers, there are many chances to be surprised, with typical and interesting species from this habitat, some of them are here all year round, and others in winter or during the breeding season.  Furthermore, you can also experience the huge migration show: Cap de Creus is an excellent place to see the birds recovering from their challenging travel and searching for a good place to settle, whenever in autumn or in spring.

During the whole year you can discover the Cap de Creus and its birds. Interesting birds likely to be found here during the whole year are Mediterranean and Balearic Shearwater, Cory’s Shearwater (though it comes back very rarely in winter), Bonelli’s Eagle, Pelegrin Falcon, Thekla Lark, Black Wheatear (really rare and close to disappearing), Blue Rock Trush, Sardinian Warbler and Dartford Warbler and Rock Sparrow.

Breeding birds are Pallid Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Short-toed Lark (rare), Tawny Pipit, Black.eared Wheatear, Rock Trush, Spectaded, Subalpine and Orphean Warbler, Woodchat Shrike and Ortolan Buning.

Wintering birds include Razorbills, Gannets, Great Skua, Alpine Accentors and some years you can see Wallcreeper.

Geology and botany are also very interesting in this area. Obviously insects in this Mediterranean landscapes are both plentiful and important. Humans have been here since long ago, leaving many megalithic monuments, Romanic monasteries and emblematic places like Cadaqués and Port Lligat, which captivated Artists like Salvador Dalí.

Day 5: Free Day: Perhaps a day on the beach, a visit to Dali’s house in Cadaqués, a visit to the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes or just a lazy day around the village would be in order.

Day 6: Today we will travel inland into the Pyrenees with peaks nearing 3000 meters.  We will walk up in the high mountains from the Coll de Barraques (depending on snow level in spring – winter). We will spend the night in La Seo d’Urgell.

This part of the Pyrenees is also very interesting for those who wish to know in one or few days this mountain range with his flore and faune.

We may observe the Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Lammergeier, Peregrine and other raptors. We have the Jackdaw, and in some places Chough, and when we walk higher into the Alpine meadow and rocky zones, Wheatear and Rock Pipit will accompany us while we hear the shouts of the Marmots calling from the screes with the amongst the waterfalls and streams.

The Wallcreeper is one of the Pyrenees stars. Always scanty and difficult to locate, we will look for it in the most appropriate areas.

In the forest areas, where Capercaillie and Tengmalm’s Owl live, we can listen and observe Black Woodpecker and Crossbill, as well as other birds of the mountain forest. Citril Finch and Ring Ouzel we will be seen easily in more open areas.

Besides the Marmot, also we can see Chamois, and in some places Muflon.

Accommodation: Hotel, B&B, La Seo d’Urgell Hotel Andria is a small hotel founded at the end of the 19th century managed by the 4th generation of the Peguera-Sort family. Located in a beautiful modernist-style building with an entranceway garden that, together with the entrance columns, gives the place a stately look. In addition, it has a terrace with a portico, TV lounge, fireplace lounge and a wine cellar from the 12th century. Our numerous collections of antiques add flavour and ambiance to all these places.

Day 7: Today we will vvisit a special area for vultures (charnel). For the rest of the day we will look for mountain birds, before returning to Sant Pere Pescador via Sant Joan de les Abadeses for a walk in a fantastic area for river and forest birds.

Accommodation: Rural Guest House (Casa Rural), B&B, Sant Pere Pescador

Day 8: Pick up and transfer to Girona airport or Figueres Train Station.

What your holiday includes:

• Transfer to and from Girona Airport or Figueres Train Station
• Welcome meeting with local German/English/Spanish speaking guide
• Seven night’s B&B accommodation
• Local maps (to keep)
• Personal information pack including information about local history, culture, traditions, restaurants, shops and local attractions etc

What’s not included:

• Flights
• Holiday Insurance
• Meals (except breakfast)

Prices 2010:

Extra night prices 2010 (extra nights can be booked)

Please ask for details.

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