River Ebro Apartments Spain, Self Catering Accomodation,Bird Species,grey heron, purple heron, squacco heron, little egret, kingfisher, sandpiper, wagtails, swallows, swifts, Other Activities,Catfishing, Carp Fishing, Walking, Cycling, Climbing, Golf, Birdwatching, Fishing, Activity holiday, Port Aventura, Saluo, Cambrils, Costa Durada, Barcelona

Birdwatching and Nature

If you are a nature lover you will delight in the variety of birds to be seen (or heard) in the immediate vicinity of the apartments. The river itself attracts grey heron, purple heron, squacco heron, little egret, kingfisher, sandpiper, wagtails, swallows, swifts and martins. In the mixture of scrub, grasses and orchards along the riverbank and the adjacent cliffs we see finches, warblers, great tit, treecreeper, golden oriole, bee-eater, hoopoe, black kite, short-toed eagle, hobby and much more. And at night we hear the nightingale, little owl and scops owl. The fruit blossom and wild flowers during Spring are a joy to see and of course the river and vegetation also support several species of butterfly, dragon-flies and damsel-flies.

The Ebro Delta
For the serious birdwatcher a visit to the Ebro Delta is a must. It is an important breeding ground and migratory stop for up to 300 species of birds – a massive 60% of all the species in Europe. Some are resident and breeding birds the others are winter residents or migratory and include the rare red-crested pochard, shelduck, purple swamp hen, bittern, crested grebe, redshank, crested and lesser short-toed lark, marsh harrier, little bittern, oyster catcher, avocet, kingfisher, various terns, waders, ducks and a flock of around 2000 greater flamingos. It is also unique in that it is home to around 75% of the world population of Audouins Gull. A few decades ago only 1000 pairs existed. It is estimated that around 12,000 pairs now reside on the Ebro Delta.

The Els Ports Mountains and Serra del Montsant

Leaving the shorebirds behind you can explore the mountain ranges of the Els Ports and Montsant. Here you can see the griffon vulture with it’s massive 2.4 metre wingspan; the golden eagle, booted eagle and bonelli's eagle, osprey, chough, great spotted woodpecker, jay, firecrest, goldcrest, golden oriole, nightingale, black wheatear, spotted flycatcher, black redstart, great grey shrike, cirl bunting, alpine swift, crag martin and a variety of wagtails, warblers, tits and finches.

The parks are also important natural areas due to the mammals, reptiles and flowers that they support. The Spanish Ibex (wild mountain goat)is emblematic of the Els Ports mountains. Also resident in these regions are the wild boar, genet, badger, polecat, fox and squirrel and the wildcat and the otter are protected species here.

For more information on the Natural Parks of Catalonia click here:

http://mediambient.gencat.net/eng//el_medi/parcs_de_catalunya/inici.jsp

If you would like to benefit from the experience of local knowledge we can recommend Audouin Birdtours. Full day or half-day guided tours are available in the Els Ports Mountains or the Ebro Delta.