Bird Photography Tours in Spain with Ebro Delta Birding
Dynamic & multi-faceted approach will help you to achieve high quality images.
Spain has some of the best opportunities in Europe for achieving high level photos of a wide variety of feathered subjects - ranging from huge vultures through to tiny passerines!
Our bird photography tours incorporate a variety of different tactics to help get you close to the birds, combining elements of hide photography, boat and car based shooting.
We are happy to help photographers at all levels of their journey into the hobby. If you are already a proficient bird photographer, we will put you into the right positions to get those dream shots and let you do your thing. For people who are at beginner or intermediate level, we can help you with field craft, camera settings and image editing to advance you to the next level.
For bird photography tours we recommend groups of two people. When using the tour vehicle as a 'mobile blind', this will allow direct line shooting from the forward and rear passenger seats of the car. The majority of the photo hides that we will use are suitable for 2 photographers & guide.
Choose our suggested itinerary or request a custom designed tour.
Our recommended bird photography tour is a 5 night / 5 day itinerary which begins with collection from Barcelona. We will spend time in and around the Ebro Delta, which will include bird photo sessions by boat, car and from hides. We will split our days into morning and evening sessions to capitalise on the best light conditions and avoid the hot / quiet mid afternoon period.
The tour progresses north with some hide based sessions at Sebes nature reserve and around the dry plains of Lleida. The final two days will be spent in the mountains, with private hide sessions for the vulture species.
If you would prefer a custom designed bird photography tour, we are happy to help you design your perfect route. Let us know what time of the year you intend to visit, duration of tour that you require, and target birds and we will design an itinerary to match your needs!
Suggested 5 day Spring bird photography itinerary
Bird photography tour in Spain, 5 day route including sessions by boat, car & from photo hides
- Day One (morning). We begin the tour in style with a car based photography session for European Bee-eaters at a nearby disused sand quarry. From a respectful distance, we will photograph Bee-eaters as they come and go from perches close to their breeding tunnels. We may be lucky enough to see courtship behaviour including food passes and perhaps even breeding sequences. We can expect to see them with a variety of different prey!
- Day One (evening). Heading out late afternoon in improving light conditions we will enjoy a bird photography session by boat. Using the custom fitted electric motor we will be able to slowly and silently drift towards bird like Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Penduline Tit & Osprey, all of which can be located around the Islands of Sapinya & Gracia on the lower Ebro river.
- Day Two (morning). We will embark on our second boat trip, this time heading north from Amposta with the light behind us on an early morning start. Our destination will be the bird rich Illa de Vinallop which has good numbers of Eurasian Wryneck, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole & nesting Black Kites. Riverside songsters such as Great Reed Warbler, Nightingale & Cetti's warbler can be targeted, along with Whiskered Terns which will be busy feeding on insects in the shallows of the river and make great in flight subjects.
- Day Two (evening). A car based birding session around the best sites of the Ebro Delta. In the spring season we can target star birds such as Collared Pratincole, Yellow Wagtail, Woodchat Shrike, Flamingos and many more. We will visit the photo hide at Riet Vell, very reliable for Purple Swamphen, Water Rail and perhaps Kingfisher (depending on season).
- Day 3 (morning). Departing from the Ebro Delta early morning, we begin our road trip, and the first port of call will be at Sebes Nature Reserve. Here we will visit some of the photo hides which offer great opportunities for the likes of Kingfisher, Little Bittern, Marsh Harrier and Great Reed Warbler.
- Day 3 (evening). We will be doing a car based session in the northern Monegros canyons, a true raptor hotspot particularly for Golden & Short-toed Snake Eagle. This productive zone also has some very photogenic passerines, such as Black-eared Wheatear, Spectacled, Dartford & Sardinian Warblers. Bee-eaters are also abundant in this zone, and with luck we could get chances with Great Spotted Cuckoo and perhaps even Eurasian Eagle-Owl.
- Day 4 (full day) - Hide photography, full day session north of Lleida for Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture) & Griffon Vultures. We will arrange a high quality private photo hide experience for the kings of the mountains. We have a very good possibility to photograph the Lammergeier feeding on the ground!
- Day 5 (morning) - A second half day session in a different photo hide further north in the Pyrenees, where we can expect to photograph Eurasian Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture & multiple Griffons.
On conclusion of the final session, we will return you to Barcelona for return flights (late afternoon / evening), or over night accommodation.
Tour Facts
- Airport Transfers: Included from Barcelona International Airport
- Accommodation: Included, 3 nights at our Birder's Guest House at the Ebro Delta, 1 night Ibis Hotel in Lleida, 1 night apartment in Tremp
- Locations: Bee-eater breeding site, Riet Vell hide, Ebro River x 2 sessions, Sebes Nature Reserve hides, Monegros raptor hotspot, Catalonia Pyrenees photo hides
- Duration: 5 nights / 4.5 days bird photography
- Party Size: 2 people
- Language of Guide: English, Spanish as second language
- Best Times: This is a recommended itinerary for the Spring season (mid April - May). Itinerary can be adjusted for autumn / winter season.
- Price: EUR 1350 per person
- Single room supplement: N/A
- Meals: Breakfasts included, lunches, evening meals & drinks not included.
- Not Included: International return flights to Barcelona. Travel Insurance - it is your responsibility to be adequately insured for your journey.
- Payment: Deposit requirement of 25% to secure your reservation. Balance to be paid 4 weeks prior to trip start date. Payments can be made by bank transfer (BACS) or by PayPal.
- Tour Pace: Easy, almost no walking involved.
Bird Photography in Spain - Our 3 key approaches
From the Boat
Photography Hides
From the Boat
Bird photography sessions by boat are extremely rewarding for classic river bank dwellers like Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron & many others. Using our privately owned 6 meter Carolina Skiff, we can guide you slowly and silently towards your subject with the correct light aspect. This is achieved using an ultra quiet battery powered electric motor, which we have fitted to the boat.
By Car
Photography Hides
From the Boat
Not all birds can be attracted to a photography hide - in many cases it is necessary to go into the field and locate target birds with good field craft using visual & audible recognition. We achieve many high level images of different species by locating the birds using the tour vehicle, being patient and using the car as a mobile blind.
Photography Hides
Photography Hides
Photography Hides
Of course, in many cases using photo hides is the most effective way to get close to your subject - particularly in the case of vultures & large raptors. We are able to work a combination of public and private photography hides into our routes, to create optimal opportunities for you to achieve dream images of rare birds like this Eurasian Black Vulture (see above).
Bird photography tours in Spain - favourite birds!
European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
The colourful & charismatic European Bee-eater is highly desirable for photography. Our top site for this incredible species is just 10 minutes away from our base at the Ebro Delta in a disused quarry.
Season: Mid April - September
Common Kingfisher
European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
The spectacular Kingfisher is a subject well known to many bird photographers. Abundant on the Ebro Delta in the winter months, we can use both hide & car based tactics to get close!
Season: Year round, more abundant in winter.
Lammergeier
European Bee-eater
Little Bittern
The Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture - King of the mountains, a rare vulture found in the Pyrenees and lower hills to the south. Hide photography sessions recommended to photograph these majestic creatures up close.
Season: Year round
Little Bittern
Eurasian Hoopoe
Little Bittern
The secretive Little Bittern is abundant along the banks of the lower Ebro river during the breeding season. They can be seen regularly, hunting in the short reeds at the water's edge. Our boat sessions can get you incredibly close!
Season: May to late September.
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Hoopoe
Hoopoe is a spectacular year round bird on the Ebro Delta and some of the other locations we visit in NE Spain. Regularly seen and not habitat specific, good results are often possible by using the car as a mobile hide.
Season: Year round
Bluethroat
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Hoopoe
A very popular wintering bird at the Ebro Delta during the cooler months - the spectacular Bluethroat. This bird can be photographed using the tour vehicle to stay hidden with a patient approach key to success.
Season: Mid September - March
