ome to Castile and Leon C Spain iscover Dits birdlife elax R in its accommodation Rural Domestic Tourism and Ornithology www.birdwatchinginspain.com/trino León U.K. Palencia Burgos Zamora Valladolid Soria Segovia Salamanca Ávila ome Spain to Castile and Leon C Sistema Central, Ávila Cereal plains, Palencia The vast, and highly diverse, region of Castile and Leon is an exceptional location for habitats of the majority of the most threatened bird populations of the European Union. bird watching in the Iberian Peninsula. From the vast plains of the interior to its high Seventy SPAs have been declared, covering an area of around two million hectares, over mountain peaks, a multitude of different habitats can be found with a rich and varied 21% of the regional surface area. birdlife. Around 361 species of birds have been recorded and of the 266 species that nest in Spain, 218 can be found in this region. Amongst the main species remarkable Main habitats and species for their breeding populations (when placed in a national and European context) are: Arable land provides a favourable habitat for numerous species of steppe birds. The the White Stork, Black Stork, Red Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Great Bustard is the most representative, with one of the most important populations Spanish Imperial Eagle, Hen Harrier, Montagu´s Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, in the world. About 10,000 of them can be found spread around the cereal plains of the Great Bustard, Cantabrian Capercaillie, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Dupont´s Lark, region, mainly in the Tierra de Campos, Tierra del Pan, Tierra de Medina and La Moraña Bluethroat and Rook. areas. In these wide-open spaces low-flying Montagu´s Harriers can often be seen, as well as flocks of Little Bustards and Black-bellied Sandgrouse scattered among the crops. Castile and Leon is the Spanish region with the greatest represen- tation in the European ecological network Natura 2000 Net- The Cantabrian Mountains provide the southern border for the distribution area of work, with 18.94% of the total. Within this framework, some European birds. In the deciduous forests of the Picos de Europa (Leon) lives a network of Special Protection Areas for birds the Cantabrian Capercaillie, a glacial relict increasingly threatened with extinction. The (SPA) was established which provi- beech and oak forests of these mountains also provide a habitat for woodpeckers such des protection for the as the Black Woodpecker and Middle Spotted Woodpecker and other small birds such as the Eurasian Treecreeper. The steppe lagoons are of vital importance to the migration of aquatic birds from all over Europe. The Natural Reserve at the Villafáfila Lagoons (Zamora) and the lagoon at La Nava (Palencia) are the main wetlands in the region with more than 50,000 wintering aquatic birds, 30,000 of which are Graylag geese. The river canyons provide the main breeding sites for many species of rupicolous birds. The Natural Park of Arribes del Duero (Salamanca-Zamora) is one of the leading exam- ples of this type of environment with very important breeding populations of Black Stork, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Golden Eagle. The park hosts the main re- productive concentration of the Bonelli Eagle, the most endangered species in the Page • 2 Page • 3 region. The canyons and cliffs of The riverine forests that run the SPAs of the Hoces del Alto alongside the river network of Ebro and Rudron and Humada- the Duero basin provide an en- Peña Amaya (Burgos) also pro- vironment for a rich diversity tect important birds of prey po- and large number of birds. The pulations including the Griffon Natural Reserve of the Riberas Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Pere- de Castonuño-Vega del Duero grine Falcon and Eagle Owl. (Valladolid) and the riverbanks The towns and villages of Castile of the Duero at Burgos have and Leon are home to bird po- well-preserved stretches of pulations of significant interest. thicket and vast areas of reed The White Stork is the most beds where herons nest, inclu- popular and well known with ding the Purple Heron, the Grey more than 8,000 pairs. Other species of note include the Lesser Kestrel with more Heron and the Marsh Harrier. than three thousand pairs nesting on the roofs of buildings in most of the villages of the region. All these natural trea- sures that have made The moorlands conserve large areas of largely their home in our re- unproductive wasteland and stony gion can also be yours for a while just by coming to visit our ground where the established ve- natural environments, meeting local people and sharing our bio- getation consists of small shrubs. diversity. We have preserved this The SPAs of Altos de Barahona and Paramos de Layna (Soria), are natural heritage so you too can home to important populations get to know it and help us to of Dupont´s Lark, one of the broadcast the importance of rarest of all Spanish birds. our countryside. Page • 4 Page • 5 Roller Come to Castile and Leon iscover D its birdlife In the vast geographic area that makes up the region of Castile and Leon, a Knowing where to search for each different species, as well as which huge variety of bird-friendly habitats can be found. From the vast plains of the can be found at any given time in the different ecosystems of the interior to the mountains that surround them, a wide variety of different region, is undoubtedly one of the best ways of helping ornithological habitats can be found with communities of birds characteristic enthusiasts when they are starting out. of each area. The birds that can be found include typically Euro-Siberian In the following pages details are given of the distribution of 20 species of birds within Casti- species (such as the Cantabrian Capercaillie), exclusively Mediterranean birds le and Leon, of interest to the ornithological enthusiast either for their beauty or their rarity (like the Spanish Imperial Eagle in the southern area of the Sistema Central) in a European context. and steppe birds such as the Great Bustard that inhabit the deforested inte- We would like to invite all nature lovers to come and enjoy the beauty and biodiversity that rior of the plains. is still in existence in the extensive Castile and Leon region. Natura 2000 Network in Castile and Leon Castile and Leon is the Spanish autonomous region with the grea- test representation in the European ecological network Natura 2000 Network, with 21% of its total surface area under protection. Page • 6 Page • 7 Come to Castile and Leon 20 Birds all within reach in Castile and Leon •Black Stork Ciconia nigra •White Stork Ciconia ciconia •E gyptian Vulture Neophron pecnopterus •Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus Distributed around the southern fringes of the Widely distributed throughout the region from Found mainly in the Cordillera Cantábrica, Arribes del Distributed around the mountainous areas and ri- region and regularly breeding in the provinces of the arable land of the interior to the mountainous Duero and the Sistema Ibérico and their foothills. Not ver canyons, mainly in the eastern and southeas- Avila, Salamanca, Segovia and Zamora. Numerically, areas. Breeds in all provinces with the largest bree- found in the arable land of the interior where there is tern parts of the region. Breeding is rare in the Castile and Leon has the second most important ding concentrations in Leon, Salamanca, Segovia a lack of suitable nesting sites. Breeds regularly in all Sistema Central and non-existent in the cereal population in Spain. and Zamora. Gathers in large concentrations in provinces except Valladolid. Worthy of special mention growing areas of the interior and mountainous the days prior to migration. is the population in Burgos and the populations con- areas of the northwest. Breeds in all the provinces centrated around the river canyons of the Arribes del of Castile and Leon. Duero in Zamora and Salamanca. Population trend Increasing Population trend Increasing Population trend Declining Population trend Increasing Distribution in Castile and Leon Distribution in Castile and Leon Distribution in Castile and Leon Distribution in Castile and Leon Nesting Nesting Nesting Nesting Migration Migration •Greylag Goose Anser anser •Red kite Milvus milvus •Black Vulture Aegypius monachus •Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus Average wintering population of 30,000 birds. The Widely distributed although it seems to avoid areas to Breeding colonies are restricted to the Sistema Widely distributed throughout the region, preferring Villafáfila lagoons, the second most important site the northwest and the deforested arable land in the in- Central. They breed in the provinces of Avila, Sa- open and deforested spaces in the arable land and moor- in Spain after the Marismas del Guadalquivir, are terior of the region. Breeds in all provinces with the main lamanca and Segovia with the main populations land of the Duero basin. More dispersed and scarce el- the main location for this species with an average of breeding concentrations in the pasture lands around Sa- concentrated around the Sierra de Guadarama, sewhere, especially in large mountainous areas. Breeds in 24,843 birds. Other sites of interest are the lagoons lamanca and Zamora and on the north face of the Sis- the eastern Macizo of Gredos and the Sierra de all provinces with the biggest populations concentrated at La Nava and Boada in Palencia, the Rosarito reser- tema Central, where the highest numbers can be found. Francia. in the cereal growing areas of the interior such as Tierra voir and the El Oso lagoon in Avila, the Ricobayo re- The breeding population is estimated at 1,000 pairs. de Campos and La Moraña.