The Monfragüe National Park in Extremadura (Spain, about 250km south-west of Madrid) is one of the best birding destinations in Western Europa. It’s especially popular because if it’s high number of raptors.
There you can see 3 species of vultures (Cinereous, Griffon and Egyption vulture) and 5 species of Eagles (Booted, Short-toed, Golden, Bonelli’s and Spanish Imperial Eagle). All those species are very popular among birders and are some of the most sought-after species in Europe. Other interesting species are Black Stork, Eagle Owl, Blue Rock-Thrush or Cetti’s Warbler.

In the plains south of Monfragüe you can see Great and Little Bustards, Red Kites, Montagu’s Harrier or Southern Grey Shrike.

In the city of Trujillo, you can see nesting Lesser Kestrels.

The park offers good birding all year, but during the summer (especially July and August), it’s very hot. A very good time is early April, when most migrants are already back, but the temperatures are still not too high.

If you live in Europa or plan a birding trip there, Monfragüe and it’s surroundings are definitely worth a trip. If you want to see raptors, Monfragüe is a MUST.

For more information about birding in Extremadura, visit the following website:

http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/spain_extremadura.html

If you’ve already been there, leave a comment with your observations.