OSUNA

ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

SEVILLE

Lat:  37.2374° N, 5.1033° W, 0ha2, 328m

Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit; anytime ()

 

Birding Site Guide

Seville is located in SW Andalusia, Spain and is the best area to see Great and Little Bustard. Even though Great Bustards are huge and the heaviest flying bird in the world, they can be difficult to spot in these vast cultivated flat plains. The intensification of the agriculture in the area is also causing steep declines. The area to the NE of the town is the best area to look.

 

 

The Hospederia del Monasterio is a beautiful place to stay and not far from the centre, but the tourist trade is well set up here and there are many good hotels. Do note however in the summer high season everywhere may be pre-booked.


Great Bustard can be seen anywhere in this general area even from the A351 and A407 or farm tracks from them but to increase your chances of success, a high vantage point coupled with a good telescope is best. The new railway has several flyovers which have little traffic and areas where you can safely park, once on the bridge you can scan a couple of km radius and you should shortly locate some birds. Find a minor road going along the old railway W of town and take exit 80 and go N and down a slip road past a Repsol petrol station and take the E side road of a small industrial estate. This road continues alongside the Seville-Granada railway line, and a few km further meets the new fast AVE line which comes to it from the south and then runs parallel to it going on to Seville. It is here that the bridges to view from can be found.

Little Bustard is harder and may involve walking or driving along farm tracks; when walking along field edges don’t trample crops; most farmers don’t mind birders but if asked to leave (maybe they are working) just move on. Listen for the farting sound of Little Bustard (although if you have friends like mine you will have far more false alerts than you would think possible!). They can often be seen with Great Bustard, just scan carefully around.

 

Trips can be booked through the people I went with, my friends Nick and Lance who run Birding Abroad: Birding Abroad.

2017 Outline Trip.

 

Author: BSG

 

www.birdingsiteguide.com