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The Coto Doñana and More
This is a weeklong tour combining the very best of Andalucía's rich and varied landscapes and habitats. First we will visit some of the key sites in the Donana National Park, where we will be based for the first part of our stay. The abundance and variety of birdlife here is legendary and will surely make for some excellent days birding. We'll then move east towards the city of Jerez de la Fonterra from where we will be able to enjoy some of the many lesser known sites this southern corner of Spain has to offer. These range from large lagoons and coastal marshes to the more mountainous areas inland.

DAY 1
Meet at the airport for our flight to Faro, and move just over the border to Huelva where we will stay for the first night. After checking into the hotel and having a short rest we will head back out spending rest of day on the Odiel Estuary only 15 minutes away. Here we can expect to see large numbers of Greater Flamingo and Spoonbill with a nearby colony of the latter holding c500 pairs making the largest in the whole of Iberia. This is also a good site for Purple Gallinule and the rare Red-knobbed Coot. Waders, gulls and terns are also numerous and a careful check through these should produce Kentish Plover and Audouins Gull. While other birds of note may include Osprey, Southern Grey Shrike and with luck perhaps even Ferruginous Duck.

DAYS 2 & 3
In the morning we transfer to our next base on the edge of the Doñana National Park, where we spend two full days visiting some of the key areas. We will spend much of our time at various wetlands, where we can expect Little Bittern, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Purple Gallinule, Marsh Harrier and Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns. We will visit one of the most important heronries in the region where thousands of Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egret breed along with smaller numbers of Night Heron, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Little Egret. Raptors are never far away and should include Short-toed & Booted Eagles, Black and Red Kites and Montagu's Harrier. A few pairs of Spanish Imperial Eagle also breed in the remote stands of umbrella pines and we'll keep our eyes peeled for this majestic bird of prey. The area also holds many passerines, the highlights of which may include Melodious, Savi's & Great Reed Warblers, Short-toed Treecreeper, Penduline Tit, Spotless Starling, Woodchat Shrike, Serin and the handsome Azure-winged Magpie. Bee-eaters are a common sight as are Hoopoe; while in the drier areas we can expect Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Dartford Warbler and Calandra, Theckla and both Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks. Recently established exotics to the area include Yellow-crowned Bishop and both Common and Black-rumped Waxbill.

Day 4
After visiting one last site in Doñana which houses the largest tree nesting colony of White Storks in Spain, many of which also accommodate nesting Spanish Sparrows, we head east to the city of Jerez de la Fonterra, with our base for the remainder of the tour nearby. On the way we will visit a large lagoon where we hope to find White-headed Duck along with good numbers of common wildfowl which include Red-crested Pochard and Black -necked Grebe. We also have a chance of finding Red-knobbed Coot here along with Purple Gallinule and Great White Egret, while the rare and elusive Marbled Duck are also occasionally seen. The lagoon is surrounded with thick scrub amongst which we are likely to hear, and with patience see Nightingale and Cetti's and Sardinian Warblers.

Days 5 - 7
Three days exploring from our base near Jerez, which is within easy reach of some of the most productive sites in Andalucía. One day we will head inland to the more mountainous regions where both Bonelli's and Golden Eagles are possible and Griffon Vultures should be seen in good numbers. The landscape here is very different and in places spectacular. This is reflected with a new cast of birds, Alpine Swift and Crag Martin patrol over the peaks, as do the acrobatic Red-billed Chough. Below them Black Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and Rock Bunting can all be found on the rocky slopes. While a search of the nearby pine woods may reveal Bonelli's Warbler and Firecrest. Andalucia is famous for its white-washed towns and villages, and we will visit one of the most beautiful, stopping for a quick stroll through the cobbled streets for a coffee.

One day we will make an early start and head south towards Tarifa, the most southerly point in mainland Europe, from where we can look across the straits to Morocco. We will visit a number of sites while in the far south with raptors again high on the list, with numbers swollen by a steady stream of new arrivals heading north. Amongst these we hope to find Honey Buzzard and Egyptian Vulture, while rarities are also occasionally found. Black-shouldered Kite is a resident here and Lesser Kestrels are fairly common. We will also spend some time looking for Little Swift a rare but regular breeder in the area.

Another area not to be missed is a large series of wetlands on the east bank of the Rio Guadalquivir, which consist of salt pans, freshwater pools and brackish marshes. Here we will again find a good selection of waders, with Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Stone Curlew, Collared Pratincole and Kentish Plover all breeding, while a long list of others are possible on migration. It's also the best place locally for Slender-billed Gull with several pairs breeding, while Mediterranean Gull and Black and Caspian Terns are also possible. In recent years it has also been one of the most reliable sites for Marbled Duck.

Day 8
After a final morning birding we'll set off for Faro and our return flight to the UK.