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Spring Birds of Spain

No Tour Planned for 2027

Photography Tour

Leader: Ron R Bielefeld


Springtime is an awesome time for bird photography in Spain. The migrating birds that spend the winter in Africa return to breed in Europe, and there is an extraordinary amount of activity.

This photography tour is focused on the spring birds of the Cantabrian Mountains and the plains and marshes of the Castilla-La Mancha and will be limited to only 6 photographers; a very small group.

In the Cantabrian foothills we will target species such as Black Woodpeckers, Wryneck, and White-throated dipper.  Also in the area are Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, Black Kites, and many species of songbirds.  In the surrounding mountains we hope to photograph such species as Blue-throat, Wallcreeper, Rock Thrush, and other montane species.  During our days in the Castilla area we will be photographing on a private estate; much of which is occupied by a large wetland complex. On the estate we will target such species as Marsh Harrier, Lesser Kestrel, Hoopoe, Roller, Bee-eater, Bearded Reedling, White-headed Duck, Little Owl, and Black-necked Grebe.

In these areas we will shoot mainly from hides/blinds, including very unique hides that are elevated and on/in the water.  However, we also will likely do a bit of easy hiking, so bring your hiking boots.

This tour is second to none and I assure you, you will not want to return home when your adventure comes to an end.  So, join us in this amazing place called Spain!

Dates: TBD 2025

Degree of Difficulty: Low to Medium 

Maximum Number of Photographers: 6

 

Prerequisites: Good working knowledge or your photography equipment


6 photographers Maximum

Cost: $7500 USD*     

         Includes:      

8+ days of photography
Accommodations with breakfast each day
Lunch each day (some are “brown bag”)
Some dinners
All hide and entrance fees
All Transfers once at initial group meet-up location in Spain

_______________________________
Arrival Location: Madrid

Departure Location: Madrid

To Register or with questions please 

email whistling wings photography 

Get stunning images of a variety of birds that call Spain home during the spring.  This tour will traverse two very different geographic areas from the Cantabrian mountains to the plains and wetlands of Castilla-La Mancha. Along with this diversity in habitats comes a diversity of bird species.

 Instruction will be provided with regards to getting the best images from the locations and situations we will be photographing.  However, participants should have a good working knowledge of their photography equipment as this is not a basic photography techniques workshop.  

This photography tour will focus on getting images of a variety of bird species, some of which are very rare and difficult to obtain anywhere else. Some mammals too like Chamois, fox, and Iberian Hare are possible.

Black Woodpeckers
White-throated Dippers
Wryneck
Red-backed Shrike
Pied Flycatcher
Redstart
Cirl Buntings
Rock Buntings
Common Buzzards
Griffon Vultures
Egyptian Vultures
Red Kite
Black Kite
Dunnock
Snowfinch
Alpine Chough
Wallcreeper
Chaffinch
Crested, Blue, and Great Tits
Wagtails
Great spotted woodpecker
Middle spotted woodpecker
Iberian Green Woodpecker
Marsh Harrier
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Little Owl
Bluethroat
Water Pipit
Rock Thrush
Wheatear

Stone Curlew
Hoopoe
Crested Lark
Common Redstart
Roller
Bee-eater
Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Bearded Reedling
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Blackcap
Nightingale
Savi's Warbler
Water Rail
Penduline Tit
Kentish Plover
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse
Green Sandpiper
White Stork
Little Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
White-headed Duck
Zitting Cisticola
Whiskered Tern
And more...

TYPICAL SCHEDULE

Begin your adventure in a small village in the Cantabrian foothills where we spend multiple days photographing birds of northern and montane Spain. We then journey south to Castilla-La Mancha where we will spend multiple days on a private estate.  We fly back home from Madrid.

We shoot rain or shine unless there are hazardous conditions. 

The best images are obtained with 100mm thru 600mm lenses. But also bring your favorite landscape lens. A tripod with a gimbal head is a necessity for some shoots.  Hand holding can be very effective; especially for flight shots.

Some shoots may be on foot, and many will be from hides of different types and in varied settings. So, this tour will give you a great variety of shooting experiences along with a myriad of species to photograph.   

 

To register for this workshop please email Whistling Wings.  

 

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

Clothing 

At our first location we will likely experience cool conditions, even cold in the mornings.  Thus, we recommend that you bring along layers that will allow you to dress for a variety of conditions from cold to warm. Temperatures likely will vary greatly.  Our second stop will be in the Castilla-La Mancha of central, Spain.  Here the weather generally will be warm.   Note: Bright colored outer clothing is not a good choice for the photography shoots.  Please wear dark earth-toned or camo outerwear for the photography outings.      

  • Thin, cool clothing for warm conditions in central, Spain

  • Warm clothing for cool conditions in north, Spain

  •  Rain Gear

  •  Gloves

  •  Sunglasses

  •  Clothing should be camouflage or dark earth-toned colors

  •  Water bottle or flask for tea & coffee

  •  Sunscreen

Camera Equipment

  • Fast action camera body and a spare body.

  • Lenses in the range 100mm – 600mm (a 500 or 600 and a 100-400 works very well).

  • Landscape lens

  • Fast Lenses (f/2.8-4). 

  • An alternative to long telephoto lenses are tele-converters (e.g. 1.4x or 2x).

  • Tripod with gimbal head.  Ball heads for action shots are not recommended.

  • Remote shutter release

  • Spare memory cards

  • Spare battery

  • Battery charger

  • Lens cleaning cloth

  • Camera and lens waterproof cover

  • Laptop or another type of storage device - we will be shooting a lot of images.

Important Notes

The tour itinerary will be flexible to take advantage of the best photography opportunities available and thus is subject to change without notice. The final itinerary will be provided 45 days prior to the start of the tour.

This bird photography tour requires a minimum number of participants, if sufficient tour places are not sold the tour may not be run.

*Cost at this time is tentative. If maximum number of participants is not reached the cost of the tour may increase depending on the number of participants confirmed for the tour, or the tour may not be run at the discretion of the tour organizers. The registration and cancelation policy for this tour can be found here. 

Not all mentioned wildlife can always be observed and photographed, thus the aforementioned species should be considered our target species.  No guarantee is made of photographing all or any of the mentioned species. 

With only 6 spots available it will not take long to fill this tour, so please register soon to reserve your place!

To register for this tour please call or email mail as soon as you decide you would like to participate.  

If you have questions or would like more information please email here.  

Images from the Cantabrian mountains:

Images from the Castilla-La Mancha:

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