Good news for bird lovers: here are several places where you can enjoy birding in Ávila.
Birding, or birdwatching, means watching and identifying wild birds in their natural habitat. It is one of the fastest-growing activities among nature lovers in Ávila.
Birding routes in Ávila
Although you can simply go birdwatching on your own, it is increasingly done in groups: local enthusiasts organise birding days, and experts lead guided routes to spot the birds of Gredos.
Where to see birds in Ávila
These outings are easy for adults and children alike. In La Moraña, north of Ávila, the Laguna de El Oso bird reserve is a very rewarding spot for birdwatchers. You can also walk the trails up into the mountains, where the high-altitude species of Gredos are especially prized by birders.
Elsewhere in the province there are many other habitats depending on the terrain: mountain bogs, pine forests, reservoirs, grasslands and rivers. The result is a huge variety of bird species, which makes Ávila an ideal destination for birding and ornithological tourism.
Among the most characteristic birds of Ávila are the great bustard, mallard, common kestrel, white stork, black kite, red kite, alpine accentor, goshawk, hoopoe, griffon vulture, cinereous vulture, short-toed snake eagle, common crossbill, great spotted woodpecker, citril finch, bluethroat, white-throated dipper, ring ouzel, Thekla’s lark, green woodpecker, rock bunting, lesser spotted woodpecker, water pipit, blue rock thrush and rufous-tailed rock thrush.
Lagunas de El Oso
The Lagunas de El Oso are the most important wetland in La Moraña, north of Ávila, an area of steppe lagoons, small wetlands, ponds and seasonal pools of special interest for their birdlife.
This birding route from El Oso passes the Las Lagunillas picnic area and two waterbird hides.
From here you can watch common cranes, which come to roost on the lagoon in their hundreds, and greylag geese, which winter and feed around it. You can also see several species of ducks, such as shovelers and mallards, and waders (godwits, black-winged stilts…).
The route continues across the cereal plains, with kites, kestrels and harriers.
Photo credits
- Griffon vulture in flight: Artemy Voikhansky · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Lagunas de la Moraña visitor centre, El Oso: Malopez 21 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Common crane in a field: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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