Talk at length to any member of Inntravel staff about their experiences on our holidays and they will regale you with tales of thrilling encounters with birds: an Egyptian vulture gliding lazily above the Pont du Gard, kingfishers fishing in millponds along the River Ouysse (a tributary of the Dordogne), and even a close encounter with a sea eagle on the Lofoten Islands. Such experiences can really make your holiday special. Naturally, some holidays are better than others if you want the chance to see rare birds or spot species that you would never see in Britain. Here is our Top 10 Holidays for Bird-Watching.
Andalucia, Spain. For a close encounter with a griffon vulture, the Grazalema Sierra walk is a good bet. The Garganta Verde route leads down the dramatic ‘Green Gorge’ to a viewing platform from which you can gaze across to the opposite cliff on which 200 pairs of griffon vultures nest (the young are usually born in February and remain in the nest until May or June). Look out, too, for choughs, crag martins, alpine swifts, Bonelli’s eagles and booted eagles.
Charente Maritime, France. A real highlight of the Atlantic Coast Discovery cycling holiday can be the spotting of numerous egrets and herons in the marshland and salt flats that lie behind the coast. Certainly we have never seen so many as on this holiday!
Catalan Pyrenees, Spain. One member of staff who is a keen birdwatcher spotted forty-five different species of bird over the course of the Catalan Pyrenees walk. Although some of them were fairly mundane, others included a black redstart, citril finch, firecrest, serin, dipper, honey buzzard, bee-eater, crossbill, whitethroat and red-backed shrike.
Samos, Greece. This Aegean island lies on the main migration route along the Turkish coast, and so sees a wealth of migrating birds each season. As you walk along the north coast, look out for Cory's shearwaters gliding out at sea, as well as blue rock thrushes, black-eared wheatears and black-headed buntings. On some of the inland routes, you may be lucky enough to spot (or at least hear) nightingales, Sardinian warblers and Ruppell's warblers. The western mountains and their foothills shelter birds of prey such as the golden eagle, royal eagle, eagle hawk, snake eagle, horn owl, long-legged buzzard, Bonelli's eagle, honey buzzard and goshawk.
Catalan Coast, Spain. Another area that sees a huge number of migrating birds is the Aiguamolls bird reserve in Catalonia, which you can explore from the Catalan Farmhouse Apartments. In fact two-thirds of the species that have been sighted in the park are visitors. Although no member of staff has ever tried it for themselves, as the birds migrate in spring and autumn, you can apparently spot over a hundred species in a day! Even if you don't travel during migration periods, spend just a little time in one of the park's numerous hides and you could spot ibis, herons, tufted ducks, pochards, snipe, redshanks, marsh harriers and sandpipers.
Lofoten Islands, Norway. Deep within the Arctic Circle, these unspoiled islands are a haven for birds. Sea eagles are a relatively common sight; with 40% of Europe's sea eagle population living on the islands, our holidays in the Lofoten Cottages definitely deserve a place in our Top 10 holidays for birdwatchers. One staff member got within twenty metres of one of these elegant birds on a couple of occasions before it spotted him and gracefully soared off over the sea. You may also see a sea eagle being mobbed by marauding seagulls attempting to rob it of its catch. Eider ducks, king eiders, common scoters, red breasted mergansers and goosanders are among the many diving birds you may see on the sea.
Brittany, France. The Sept Iles nature reserve, which you have the chance to visit on our Granite Coast of Brittany walk, is uninhabited but for thousands of seabirds, including puffins, cormorants, guillemots, gannets and razorbills. The bird colonies are at their most active during the breeding season in early summer, when the rocky cliff-faces are alive with squawking nestlings clamouring for food and their hard-working parents.
Northumberland, UK. Closer to home, you can spot a similar array of sea birds – puffins, fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, shags, eider ducks and three different types of tern – on a boat trip to the Farne Islands on the last day of our Holy Island & the Northumberland Coast walk. The second day’s walk should also reward you with sightings of various birds: the route crosses Budle Bay, an important habitat for waterfowl.
Sardinia, Italy. Visited on our Islands, Lighthouses & Memories cycle, the small island of San Pietro just off the south coast of Sardinia is home not only to Eleonora’s falcons, Audouin’s gulls and herons, but also to flamingos. Another excellent place to spot flamingos is AlmerÃa in southern Spain – flocks of up to 2,000 birds can be seen at Las Salinas salt flats during the spring and autumn migrations.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary and Saryu Valley, India. Our Encounters in Secret India holiday is full of unique experiences, not least the chance to spot some spectacular wildlife. One customer, who did a shorter version of the holiday, Journey into the Himalayas, recorded over ninety different species, from the Himalayan monal to the crested serpent eagle, and from the Eurasian cuckoo to the plum-headed parakeet.
If our Top 10 Holidays for Bird-Watching has inspired you, please contact our friendly reservations team for more information about our holidays.