Traditionally, most birders visit themagnificent rolling steppes, ruggedsierras and Cork Oak woodland ofExtremadura in April and May, when thecountryside is besieged by migrants, andGreat Bustards are in full display. A birdingvisit in the crystal-clear light and relativelymild temperatures of winter, though, has itsown particular, very special, merit. We begin this holiday with a flight toMadrid, from where we head south-westthrough rolling hills, olive groves andwoodland to the central plateau ofExtremadura, where we find extensivesheep-grazed grasslands and the CorkOak forests known locally as 'dehasa'. Forall six nights we will be based in adelightful country house a short distancefrom the beautiful medieval town of Trujillo.With a lounge complete with open fire infront of which to complete our daily birdlog, a warm Spanish welcome and anenviable garden bird list, this is an ideallocality from which to explore the adjacentsteppes and Monfragüe National Park. Due in part to the shorter grass at this timeof year and the absence of any heat haze,Extremadura's many attractive residentbirds are much easier to see in winter thanat any other season. Stately Great Bustards(the world's heaviest flying bird) congregatein large numbers in their winter quarters,the males busily exercising their wings inreadiness for the annual spring-time battlefor a mate. Little Bustards, too, congregatein huge flocks of 500 or more and, as wescan the fallow steppes for flocks ofbustards, we may find Black-bellied or Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, and flocks of larks.Great Spotted Cuckoos, too, may be seen,for they return from Africa as early as mid-January, while Stone Curlews, Calandraand Thekla Larks, Corn Buntings, SouthernGrey Shrikes, Little Owls, Hoopoes,Spotless Starlings, Spanish Sparrows,Woodlarks, White Wagtails and magnificentfar-reaching winter vistas complete thepicture out on the plains. We'll also enjoy watching the unforgettableevening spectacle of Common Cranes, inflocks of 10,000-strong, as they fly in totheir night-time roosts. Making the most ofpurpose-built hides in the area, the sight ofthese Cranes coming in at dusk as thewinter light slips beneath the horizon willbe a highlight of the tour. Elsewhere, theregion's lakes should hold large numbersof wildfowl, Purple Gallinule, Black-neckedand other Grebes, plus Cattle, Little and afew Great White Egrets. Water Rails, Cetti'sWarblers and exquisite Bluethroats emergeto forage at the fringes of the wetlands andin damp channels, all so much easier tosee than ever they are in Britain! Patchesof woodland and scrub hold LesserSpotted Woodpeckers, Azure-wingedMagpies, Blackcaps, Sardinian andDartford Warblers, Firecrests, Short-toedTreecreepers, Crested and Iberian Long-tailed Tits, Serins, Siskins, Hawfinches andCirl Buntings. In fact many of thesespecies may be seen within a stone'sthrow of our accommodation! On thehigher ground Alpine Accentors over-winter, while Chough, Black Redstart,Raven, Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush,Rock Bunting and Black Wheatear are allon the cards along with the resident andomnipresent Crag Martins.No mention of birding in Extremadura,however, can be made without reference tothe magnificent raptor-watchingopportunities. The onset of winter sees theBlack Kite being replaced by the Red, andby January Spanish Imperial Eagles aredisplaying over their nest sites - abreathtaking sight. Although the Short-toedand Booted Eagles will not return fromAfrica until early March, there is still plentyof variety, with Golden Eagles starting tonest and airborne Griffon and BlackVultures drawing our attention to anycarrion in the area. Bonelli's Eagles soar inbonding pairs, with Buzzards havingarrived for the winter by the thousand fromelsewhere in Europe. Other residentsinclude Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrineand, of course, the stunning and muchsought-after Black-shouldered Kite,another species with a tendency to formwinter groups. Eagle Owls have mated bylate December, with the female usuallyincubating by January, calling for the maleat dusk to bring her food. We hope that alate afternoon visit to a special site willprovide a fitting climax to our holiday.Spain - Extremadura inWinter (& at Christmas!) A thorough 7-day winter exploration of the bird-rich steppes of Extremadura.Wednesday 16th November - Tuesday 22nd November 2011 Cost: £1,095Thursday 22nd December - Wednesday 28th December 2011 Cost: £1,195Wednesday 8th February - Tuesday 14th February 2012 Cost: £1,095Wednesday 14th November - Tuesday 20th November 2012 Cost: £1,195Saturday 22nd December - Friday 28th December 2012 Cost: £1,195Outline itineraryDay 1Fly to Madrid, driveExtremadura.Day 2/6Daily programmeof birding excursionsfrom our base nearTrujillo.Day 7Fly London. AccommodationA beautifully restored andcomfortable country housein delightful surroundings; allrooms with private facilities.Food and wineAll included in the price.GradingGrade A. Day walks only.FocusBirds.LeaderDavid Morris or ByronPalacios. Single room supplement£195.Web quick search: ESP23118Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryFRANCEPORTUGALTRUJILLOGREDOS MOUNTAINSSEVILLEGUADALQUIVIRRIVERMADRIDATLANTICOCEANMEDITERRANEANSEASPAINBluethroatCommon CraneGreat Bustards and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse

As any map of Spain will indicate, theSierra de Guara, protected as a parque natural since 1990, is one ofthe quietest of regions in the SpanishPyrenees and its outlying foothills. On itsrolling lower slopes, a pretty patchwork ofoak woods, almond orchards, olive grovesand small, irregular wheat fields,traditionally farmed, is to be found.Attractive, limestone villages and theirsplendid churches ride the flanks of thesierra; their populations, like virtually all inrural Spain, dwindling today and allowingnature back in. Above them lies a ruggedland, clothed in stunted oak forest andmaquis scrub and noted for its numerousgorges and canyons, and spectacularcliffs, columns and pinnacles fashionedfrom limestone and conglomerate. In highsummer the region attracts French'canyoners'; during the colder months thismagnificent landscape becomes the wintercapital of Spain's Wallcreepers! It is also aland favoured by Lammergeiers, hugenumbers of Griffon Vultures, GoldenEagles, and the occasional Bonelli'sEagle, Hen Harrier or Peregrine.Just a few hours away, to the south ofZaragoza, lies a very different 'avianhotspot'. Laguna de Gallocanta is a giantsaltpan, the largest natural lagoon in theIberian peninsula. It lies in a vast, shallowdepression surrounded by distant hills and,although its water levels are dependent onregular seasonal rainfall, at the time of ourvisit it is to be hoped that winter rains willhave replenished them. Gallocanta attractsthe greatest concentration of CommonCranes in western Europe. The largestnumbers, 20,000-50,000, come through onpassage, but increasing numbers arestaying to winter here. Our February visit istimed to coincide with the moreconcentrated spring migration when thelargest concentrations are generally to befound, prior to the Cranes' northboundmigration over the Pyrenees to theirbreeding grounds in northern Europe. Waterlevels permitting, Gallocanta can alsosometimes host good numbers of winteringduck and other waterbirds. The area alsosupports a variety of wintering birds of prey,amongst them Hen and Marsh Harriers,Red Kites, Peregrines and Merlins. GreatBustards breed in this area and althoughthe majority leave in winter, a few individualsare sometimes still present at the time ofour visit.The high páramo, or steppe, surroundingthe lake is also attractive to birds. Here,Black-bellied Sandgrouse and such larkspecies as Calandra, Lesser Short-toed,Crested and Thekla Larks as well as manywintering Skylark may all be found.However, for the best steppe habitat we willspend some time during our transfer dayaround Belchite. Here, 40,000 hectares ofsteppe habitat - including within it theSEO's 645-hectare El Planerón naturereserve, part-funded by proceeds from the1992 British Birdwatching Fair - presentthe best habitat of its type in northernSpain. This windswept, arid land of dusty,red, scrub-covered plains and erodedplateaux, more reminiscent of Morocco orAfghanistan than western Europe, holdslarge percentages of the Spanishpopulations of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse,Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Lesser Short-toed Lark and the elusive and enigmaticDupont's Lark.This 2-centre holiday is designed to offerthe best of these two magnificent regions.First, in the Sierra de Guara, we will bebased in the magical fortress town ofAlquézar, built around a spectacular 8thcentury Moorish citadel which sits on apinnacle above the gorge of the Río Vero.This quaint and ancient town, with itsnarrow streets, sits like an eagle's eyrie ona shoulder of the Sierra, the impressivecliffs that surround it a haven for winteringWallcreepers. From this base, we willexplore the slopes of the Sierra, whereLammergeiers and Wallcreepers will beforemost amongst our target species, andwe will visit the Embalse de la Sotonera, areservoir that attracts thousands of Craneseach spring as they make a final stop torest and feed before crossing thePyrenees.By contrast, at the Laguna de Gallocanta,we stay in a modern, glass-fronted hotel,set in an isolated position that commandsmagnificent views over the entire lake;views that can be enjoyed equally from thebar, the bed or the bath! The movementsof Cranes at dawn and dusk arespectacular, and will be a highlight of thetour, but for the cultural buffs, so too willbe a visit to the nearby 8th century walledtown of Daroca.Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern SpainA 7-day winter break, looking first for Wallcreepers, Lammergeiers and other birds of prey in the pre-PyreneanSierra de Guara (Europe's Wallcreeper capital), then at the spectacle of Cranes and waterfowl at the Laguna deGallocanta and for bustards, sandgrouse and the enigmatic Dupont's Lark in the steppes around Belchite. Monday 24th October - Sunday 30th October 2011 Cost: £1,095Monday 20th February - Sunday 26th February 2012 Cost: £1,195Monday 22nd October - Sunday 28th October 2012 Cost: £1,195Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationTOULOUSEBARCELONACATALONIA LLEIDAGALLOCANTAHUESCABELCHITESIERRADE GUARAZARAGOZATARRAGONAANDORRA BILBAOMADRIDFRANCE SPAINOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Zaragoza andtransfer Alquézar.Day 2/3Sierra de Guara, fromAlquézar.Day 4/6Gallocanta and Belchite,from Gallocanta.Day 7Fly London.AccommodationA very comfortable family hotel inAlquézar and a modern, glass-fronted hotel at Gallocanta whichoffers great comfort together withunrivalled views of the lake and itsbirdlife. All rooms have privatefacilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingGrade A. Optional short walks willbe taken during the course of theholiday, but much of our time willbe spent watching and enjoying theavian spectacles. FocusBirds.LeaderJohn Willsher.Single room supplement£165. Availability limited.Web quick search: ESP17119Common CranesWallcreeperEl Planerón