Owls of Extremadura
I was on a trip recently in Extremadura in Spain and it was an amazing place for owls, especially little owls. They're pretty abundant and chill so I was able to get some nice shots which I wanted to share here with fellow superbowlers:
We also saw a couple of Eurasian Eagle Owls, which were on my list to see this year:
Sadly did not catch the Scops owl but we did hear one at night!
If you're a birder in Europe, you absolutely need to go to Extremadura if you have the chance (and not just for owls). I swear the skies felt incredibly empty when I got back home.
You got some great owl photos! The Little Owls look like they were fairly sociable.
Wow, Extremadura looks amazing! Old monestary, Roman bridges, beautiful scenery. It made me think of a map from Uncharted or Assassin's Creed! 😄
Thanks! I highly recommend a trip to Extremadura, completely changed my view of Spain. It's basically what Europe used to be like before we blitzed everything with pesticides. There are birds everywhere and the landscapes as you noted are very charming.
I will have to try and remember it! Lots of the wildlife places I want to go are in Africa where it is not always so safe in a geopolitical sense, so this seems much more, relaxed shall we say... 😜 Plus I at least know some very basic Spanish.
Oh man nowhere in Europe could hold a candle to most of Africa, so I can see why that would be in your first pick. Someone I know recently moved to Nairobi and I told them they had to start birdwatching so I can live vicariously through them :') I'd say Southern Europe (Extremadura, Gibraltar, parts of Portugal) and Nordic countries (parts of Norway, Finland) are as close as you're going to get in density, but still lacking.
Africa is also so insanely big and diverse, it gives me decision paralysis on where to go. Europe seems like I could do a bit of hopping around at least. Plus there is so much history along with the nature. Not that Africa doesn't have history too, but I was never really taught any of it, so I have much less of a background of it other than Europe thought it was theirs for a while and now we don't talk about that. 😐
I always wonder what Portugal is like. I feel it has to be underrated. I don't think I've ever heard someone mention them in casual conversation.
As someone who is part portuguese I can tell you Portugal is definitely underrated from a birding perspective, but Spain is definitely in the lead (and given our centuries long rivalry, I don't say this lightly).
The south all the way up to just next to Lisbon is great for late winter. The far south is also great for spring and autumn migration.
If you're speaking to the culture and history, I can only say good things about Portugal. Great food, nice people, rich history, and all of this in a small and accessible package. You just need to skip the horrendously touristy areas in the south.
If you ever find yourself planning a trip this way feel free to hit me up, I'd be happy to give some pointers!
Thank you so much for all the tips! 😊