Extremadura, Spain

The term ‘birders’ paradise’ is bandied around rather a lot, but when it comes to Extremadura in south-west Spain, the description is justified.

Griffon Vultures are numerous, while the area holds the largest densities in the world of the rarer Black Vulture. You’ll also find Great and Little Bustards, Black and White Storks and a host of Iberian specialities including the near-endemic Spanish Imperial Eagle. The range of habitat includes mountains, rivers, steppe and dehesa – rolling plains that form the most typical Extremaduran landscape.

This fully revised second edition Crossbill Guide to Extremadura covers all of this and much more besides. I used a cut-down version of the book when I visited the region in February this year and found it to be an excellent introduction.

The guide is split into four main colour-coded sections covering Landscape, which looks at the habitats, history and conservation of the area, Flora and Fauna, the ‘Practical Part’ with walks, cycle rides and car trips, and a final section packed with tourist information, observation tips and species lists for the plants, animals and birds mentioned in the book.

This isn’t a field guide, and you’ll also need a good bird book if you’re visiting the area, but for anyone new to Extremadura or wanting to explore the region further, this guide provides all the essential information. It’s also engagingly written and small and light enough to fit into a rucksack or bag, without having to leave behind that all-important field guide.

Tech spec

• Extremadura, Spain by Dirk Hilbers (Crossbill Guides Foundation, Arnhem, The Netherlands, 2011).

• 244 pages, 177 colour photos, plus illustrations and maps.

• ISBN 9789050113816. Pbk, £19.95.

Available from Birdwatch bookshop

First published in Birdwatch 230:78 (August 2011)