Where to Watch Birds in Southern and Western Spain

by Ernest Garcia and Andrew Patterson

Published by Helm

There was a time when any birder visiting Andalucia would have virtually no chance of seeing some of the special birds such as Purple Gallinule, Crested Coot and Marbled Duck. This was because there was practically no published information about the best sites to see these species. Even as late as 1995, sites such as the Laguna de Taraje, the Laguna de Tarelo, the Salinas de Monte Algaida and the Brazo del Este were either unknown to birdwatchers or practically impossible to find and the Coto Doñana was effectively only accessible via main roads and organised Land Rover trips. Lots of books had been published on the birds of southern Spain but my guide, Finding Birds in Southern Spain, was the first to resolve all these issues and make these special places easily accessible to all birdwatchers.

Now Helm have released a new edition of their book on southern Spain and it too gives details of these previously little known places and, crucially, provides better maps than in their previous version to help birdwatchers find such sites. What is really great about this book is that the coverage is so thorough, providing details of nearly 200 sites covering not only Andalucia and Almeria but Extremadura too. Even though I've been to Spain many times, this book points out sites that are new to me such as Las Norias, a recommended spot for Marbled Duck. The details for each site include valuable information about access, the best time to visit and comments on where to find the key species. The systematic list at the back is particularly valuable, giving details of the accepted records of all the rarities and giving an idea of the best sites for the special species.

I still think birders will value the extra detail in the text, and especially the maps, in my books (my guide to Northern Spain covers Extremadura) but if you want one book to guide you to all the top sites in southern and western Spain, then this is the one to get.