Mirua es una empresa dedicada a las actividades en la naturaleza y que ahora ha puesto en marcha un servicio dedicado a la observación de aves y su entorno llamado MiruaBirds. Nuestro ámbito de trabajo es Navarra (Pirineo Occidental y norte del Valle del Ebro, España). En este blog encontrarás información sobre este territorio y nuestra oferta para conocerlo de la mano de nuestros guías.
Mirua is a local company dedicated to organize activities in nature. We now also offer birdwatching tours and nature guided tours with local experts with MiruaBirds. We work mainly in Navarre, although we also organize tours in the Pyrenees and Ebro Valley area (NortEast of Spain). You’ll find everything you need to know about us in this blog.

Finding the last European Bird

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One of the three Dupont's Larks we saw from our car.

Erik Hirschfeld, renowned Swedish birder, author and publisher, contacted us some time ago with one desire: to see the last European Bird species he still had missed, the Dupont’s Lark (Chersophilus duponti). This scarce and elusive lark species is present in Navarra (upper Ebro Valley) and still helds a small population in the South of the region, so when Erik came in early April this area was our destination to search for his desired bird.
On April the 10th and after having breakfast in the hotel we drove to the steppes. Erik maybe thought that finding this bird could be tricky, but as we know well the area once we arrived and put down the windows of the car we inmediately heard the melodiuos song and saw a Dupont’s Lark singing perched on a rock! After this one we heard at least ten other birds singing and saw two more quite well. Mission acomplished! We spent more tan two hours watching these birds running quickly, hunting insects and worms and making a full perfomance of songs, including one long flight song which is very rare.
We had plenty of time to visit other areas and search for other steppe birds, so the day was completed with other species such as Greater Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Thekla Lark, close views of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, several Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Egyptian Vultures, Montagu’s Harriers, Lesser Kestrels, Stone Curlews, Great Bittern, Southern Grey Shrikes, Black Wheatears, Black-bellied Wheatears, Spectacled WarblersRock Sparrows among others.

Erik scanning the steppes for raptors.

A male Black-eared Wheatear singing for us.

Spectacled Warbler marking his territory from a bush.

Combining birding and gastronomy... Why not? Iberian Yellow Wagtail perch on artichoke.


El ornitólogo, autor y editor Erik Hirschfeld vino a Navarra a comienzos de abril para cumplir un deseo: ver la última especie de ave europea que le quedaba por ver: la alondra ricotí. Esta escasa y esquiva especie mantiene algunas pequeñas poblaciones en el sur de nuestra Comunidad Autónoma, por lo que era un lugar excelente para que Erik pudiera hacer realidad su deseo. Y así fue, pues no solo oímos hasta 10 aves cantando, sino que vimos tres bastante bien. Además las estepas navarras nos regalaron otras muchas especies de interés tales como gangas ibéricas, gangas ortegas, collalbas negras, currucas tomilleras, terreras comunesalimoches, aguiluchos cenizos, alcaudones reales y muchas otras. 

Pyrenees and Ebro Valley in early April

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In early April we did a trip visiting a good bunch of birding sites at the Pyrenees and the Ebro Valley  for a group of 13 birdwatchers from Finland. The group was organized by Skaftung Nature, renowned Kari Korhonen’s birding company, that also came last year. Here is the story of our trip:

Birding at the magnificent Foz de Lumbier, in Navarra.


Day 1
Arrival to Barcelona airport early in the morning and from there we made our way to the Ebro Delta where we spent the whole afternoon birding with strong NW wind. We visited the Southern part of the Delta and despite the wind we could see many interesting birds like Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis, Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Greater Flamingo, Caspian Tern, Kentish Plovers, Red-crested Pochard, Balearic Shearwater or Squacco Heron.
After satiate the first birding thirst we went to the hotel so that we could rest from this long trip and birding day.

Purple Swamphen: a common bird in the Ebro Delta.

Having a look on the Alfacada area.


Two Caspian Terns at Salines de Sant Antoni.

A Common Snipe that showed well at Riet Vell.

Our windy picnic.


Day 2
Windy day again and the whole morning was spent birding in the Northern part of the Delta. This morning was excellent for waders and migration as we found nice flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew Sandpipers, Dunlins, Little Stints, Turnstones, Eurasian Curlews, Greenshanks, Redshanks and good numbers of Barn Swallows and Whiskered Terns moving northwards.
In the afternoon we travelled to Navarra, in the upper Ebro Valley, stopping on our way in Monegros area where we could see some Eagle Owls and had fantastic sights of Short-toed Eagle and Lesser Kestrels in their breeding colony.

Flamingoes feeding at El Goleró.


Waderwatch.


Day 3
First full day in Navarra. This was the day to visit the steppes in Southern Navarra and we started very well as one of our first species to see was the elusive Dupont’s Lark! Later many other cool birds were found in these arid landscapes: Golden Eagle, Greater Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Thekla Lark, Black-eared Wheatear, Alpine Swift, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Rock Sparrow, Northern Harrier, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear… but surprinsingly the Sandgrouse didn’t appear; anyway, we had more days to find them…

Hotel Ekai: A good breakfast for a good birding day.

Thekla Lark posing for us.

Corn Bunting is a quite abundant passerine in Southern Navarra.

Birdwatching in spring.


Day 4
In our second day in Navarra we headed North to visit the higher mountains, a completely different landscape to that of the day before. We were not very lucky with the weather in the highest places we visited as it was snowed and misty, but we managed to find Alpine Choughs and Red Crossbills, and some migrants flying through the fog: an Osprey, a Marsh Harrier and the first Ring Ouzels of the season.
In lower areas we enjoyed in the gorges watching many raptors, including Lammergeier, magnificent views of Short-toed Eagle, Red Kite and Egyptian Vultures, but also some Iberian Chiffchaffs, a species that was very desired by many of the birders in this group. But undoubtedly the star of the day was a male Wallcreeper that was still in one of the gorges we visited spending some days before he went back up to the mountains for the breeding season.

This male Wallcreeper made our day: a lifer for many in the group!

Watching a flock of Alpine Swifts in the Lumbier Gorge.

Male Blue Rock Thrush singing from a high cliff.

From the Arbaiun Gorge mirador.


Day 5
Last full day in Navarra was dedicated to the Middle Zone of this region, a transition area between the mountains in the North and the steppes in the South. Wind was still blowing from the Nortwest, but this was not a handicap to find a group of Great Bustard and then a Little Bustard displaying in a corncrop. Calandra and Thekla Larks were singing everywhere and we could see a good number of Short-toed Eagles and the first Montagu’s Harrier of the season.
We also visited the Pitillas Lagoon, the most important wetland in Navarra, where hundreds of Sand Martins, House Martins and Alpine Swifts were feeding and playing with the strong winds (and coming down very closet o us! What a fantastic experience). Purple Heron, Penduline Tit and the scarce Ferruginous Duck were added to our lists here.

Bad picture of a male Great Bustard... another lifer for many in the group.

Searching for more bustards.

Breeding Storks in Falcés town.

Watching to the Pitillas Lagoon

Amazing numbers of Sand Martins in the windy Pitiless Lagoon.

Purple Heron and Ferruginous Duck at the same time!


Day 6
We did our way back to Catalonia stopping in the Sierra de Guara area, in Huesca province. The magnificent cliffs and Mediterranean scrub and forest areas in this interesting place offered us birds like Black Wheatear, Subalpine Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Woodlark, Wryneck, our first European Bee-eaters, Booted Eagle, more Short-toed Eagles, both species of Kite, many Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, several Lammergeier (very well seen) and even a Cinereous Vulture!
We spent the night close to Lleida and before dinner we still time to find our firsts Common and Pallid Swifts.

The Mallos de Riglos in Huesca is a fantastic birdwatching site for raptors.

Almond trees tell us that the spring is already here... and combined with scrub and bushland for an excellent habitat for small birds such as Subalpine Warbler and Western Bonelli's Warbler.


Watching Lammergeier and other raptor species.

Our first Bee-eaters.


Day 7
Last day visiting the Lleida plains to find some species we had missed in the days before. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Greater Spotted Cuckoo and Bonelli’s Eagle. We found all of them quite easily and we also saw others like Little Bustard, Subalpine Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Stock Dove, Little OwlPied Flycatcher, Rock Bunting, Short-toed Treecreeper, Iberian Green Woodpecker and more.
We left the area at Midday as we had to go back to Barcelona airport to send our visitors back to Finland, all of them very satisfied with the birding experience they had live for 7 days.


Pin-tailed Sandgrouse phonescoped in the distance near Lleida.

Our last picnic.

We add some more species at Estany d'Ivars before returning to Barcelona.


Find the complete list of the bird species we saw here below...

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Entre los días 1 y 7 de abril estuvimos guiando a un grupo de la empresa finlandesa Skaftung Nature. Realizamos un completo itinerario que comprendió el Delta del Ebro, varias zonas del Valle del Ebro, la estepa, Zona Media y montaña navarras y alguna zona del Prepirineo aragonés. El contraste con la tierra de origen de nuestros visitantes norteños hace que aquí encuentren especies de aves totalmente diferentes a las que pueden observar en su hogar. El periplo nos permitió dar con un total 200 especies de aves, algunas muy interesantes y deseadas como quebrantahuesos, aguilucho cenizo, mosquitero ibérico, mosquitero papialbo, alondra ricotí, ganga ibérica, ganga ortega, avutarda, sisón, pito real ibérico, mirlo capiblanco, gaviota de Audouin, gaviota picofina y muchas más. También hubo algunas sorpresas inesperadas tales como buitre negro y porrón pardo, y tuvimos la suerte de ver un treparriscos que aún no se había decidido a subir a las montañas. Nos complació mucho poder trabajar para unos pajareros tan simpáticos e interesados; ellos nos han transmitido su satisfacción por la experiencia vivida.

Bird species list (201 species)
1-7 April 2017

Mute Swan – Cygnus olor
Greylag Goose – Anser anser
Bar-headed Goose – Anser indicus
Common Shelduck – Tadorna tadorna
Eurasian Wigeon – Anas penelope
Gadwall – Anas strepera
Eurasian Teal – Anas crecca
Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos
Northern Pintail – Anas acuta
Garganey – Anas querquedula
Northern Shoveler – Anas clypeata
Red-crested Pochard – Netta rufina
Common Pochard – Aythya ferina
Ferruginous Duck – Aythya nyroca
Tufted Duck – Aythya fuligula
Common Scoter – Melanitta nigra
Red-legged Partridge – Alectoris rufa
Common Quail – Coturnix coturnix
Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis
Great Crested Grebe – Podiceps cristatus
Black-necked Grebe – Podiceps nigricollis
Balearic Shearwater – Puffinus mauretanicus
Northern Gannet – Morus bassanus
Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo
Black-crowned Night Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax
Squacco Heron – Ardeola ralloides
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Little Egret – Egretta garzetta
Great White Egret – Ardea alba
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron – Ardea purpurea
White Stork – Ciconia ciconia
Glossy Ibis – Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill – Platalea leucorodia
Greater Flamingo – Phoenicopterus roseus
Black Kite – Milvus migrans
Red Kite – Milvus milvus
Bearded Vulture – Gypaetus barbatus
Egyptian Vulture – Neophron percnopterus
Griffon Vulture – Gyps fulvus
Cinereous Vulture – Aegypius monachus
Short-toed Snake Eagle – Circaetus gallicus
Western Marsh Harrier – Circus aeruginosus
Northern Harrier – Circus cyaneus
Montagu’s Harrier – Circus pygargus
Northern Goshawk – Accipiter gentilis
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – Accipiter nisus
Common Buzzard – Buteo buteo
Golden Eagle – Aquila chrysaetos
Booted Eagle – Aquila pennata
Bonelli’s Eagle – Aquila fasciata
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
Lesser Kestrel – Falco naumanni
Common Kestrel – Falco tinnunculus
Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus
Water Rail – Rallus aquaticus
Common Moorhen – Gallinula chloropus
Purple Swamphen – Porphyrio porphyrio
Eurasian Coot – Fulica atra
Little Bustard – Tetrax tetrax
Great Bustard – Otis tarda
Eurasian Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus
Black-winged Stilt – Himantopus himantopus
Pied Avocet – Recurvirostra avosetta
Collared Pratincole – Glareola pratincola
Little Ringed Plover – Charadrius dubius
Common Ringed Plover – Charadrius hiaticula
Kentish Plover – Charadrius alexandrinus
Grey Plover – Pluvialis squatarola
Northern Lapwing – Vanellus vanellus
Sanderling – Calidris alba
Little Stint – Calidris minuta
Curlew Sandpiper – Calidris ferruginea
Dunlin – Calidris alpina
Ruff – Philomachus pugnax
Common Snipe – Gallinago gallinago
Black-tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa
Bar-tailed Godwit – Limosa lapponica
Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus
Eurasian Curlew – Numenius arquata
Common Sandpiper – Actitis hypoleucos
Green Sandpiper – Tringa ochropus
Spotted Redshank – Tringa erythropus
Common Greenshank – Tringa nebularia
Wood Sandpiper – Tringa glareola
Common Redshank – Tringa totanus
Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres
Black-headed Gull – Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull – Chroicocephalus genei
Mediterranean Gull – Ichtyaetus melanocephalus
Audouin’s Gull – Ichtyaetus audouinii
Lesser Black-backed Gull – Larus fuscus
Yellow-legged Gull – Larus michahellis
Caspian Tern – Hydroprogne caspia
Sandwich Tern – Thalaseus sandvicensis
Common Tern – Sterna hirundo
Whiskered Tern – Chlidonias hybrida
Black-bellied Sandgrouse – Pterocles orientalis
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse – Pterocles alchata
Rock Dove – Columbia livia
Stock Dove – Columba oenas
Common Wood Pigeon – Columba palumbus
Eurasian Collared Dove – Streptopelia decaocto
European Turtle Dove – Streptopelia turtur
Monk Parakeet – Myiopsitta monachus
Great Spotted Cuckoo – Clamator glandarius
Common Cuckoo – Cuculus canorus
Eurasian Eagle Owl – Bubo bubo
Little Owl – Athene noctua
Pallid Swift – Apus pallidus
Common Swift – Apus apus
Alpine Swift – Apus melba
Common Kingfisher – Alcedo atthis
European Bee-eater – Merops apiaster
Hoopoe – Upupa epops
Eurasian Wryneck – Jynx torquilla
Iberian Green Woodpecker - Picus viridis sharpei
Great Spotted Woodpecker – Dendrocopos major
Dupont’s Lark – Chersophilus duponti
Calandra Lark – Melanocorypha calandra
Greater Short-toed lark – Calandrella brachydactyla
Crested lark – Galerida cristata
Thekla Lark – Galerida theklae
Woodlark – Lullula arborea
Eurasian Skylark – Alauda arvensis
Sand Martin – Riparia riparia
Eurasian Crag Martin – Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica
Red-rumped Swallow – Cecropis daurica
Common House Martin – Delichon urbicum
Tawny Pipit – Anthus campestris
Meadow Pipit – Anthus pratensis
Water Pipit – Anthus spinoletta
Yellow Wagtail – Motacilla flava
Grey Wagtail – Motacilla cinerea
White Wagtail – Motacilla alba
White-throated Dipper – Cinclus cinclus
Winter Wren – Troglodytes troglodytes
Dunnock – Prunella modularis
European Robin – Erithacus rubecula
Common Nightingale - Luscinia megarhynchos
Black Redstart – Phoenicurus ochruros
Common Redstart – Phoenicurus phoenicurus
European Stonechat – Saxicola rubicola
Northern Wheatear – Oenanthe oenanthe
Black-eared Wheatear – Oenanthe hispanica
Black Wheatear – Oenanthe leucura
Blue Rock Thrush – Monticola solitarius
Ring Ouzel – Turdus torquatus
Common Blackbird – Turdus merula
Song Thrush – Turdus philomelos
Mistle Thrush – Turdus viscivorus  
Cetti’s Warbler – Cettia cetti
Zitting Cisticola – Cisticola juncidis
Sedge Warbler – Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Eurasian Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Great Reed Warbler – Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Dartford Warbler – Sylvia undata
Spectacled Warbler – Sylvia conspicillata
Subalpine Warbler – Sylvia cantillans
Sardinian Warbler – Sylvia melanocephala
Eurasian Blackcap – Sylvia atricapilla
Western Bonelli’s Warbler – Phylloscopus bonelli
Common Chiffchaff – Phylloscopus collybita
Iberian Chiffchaff – Phylloscopus ibericus
Willow Warbler – Phylloscopus trochilus
Common Firecrest – Regulus ignicapilla
European Pied Flycatcher – Ficedula hypoleuca
Long-tailed Tit – Aegithalos caudatus
European Crested Tit – Lophophanes cristatus
Coal Tit – Periparus ater
Blue Tit – Cyanistes caeruleus
Great Tit – Parus major
Eurasian Nuthatch – Sitta europea
Wallcreeper – Tichodroma muraria
Certhia brachydactyla – Short-toed Treecreeper
Eurasian Penduline Tit – Remiz pendulinus
Southern Grey Shrike – Lanius meridionalis
Woodchet Shrike – Lanius senator
Eurasian Jay – Garrulus glandarius
Common Magpie –Pica pica
Alpine Chough – Pyrrhocorax graculus
Red-billed Chough – Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Western Jackdaw – Corvus monedula
Carrion Crow – Corvus corone   
Northern Raven – Corvus corax
Spotless Starling – Sturnus unicolor
House Sparrow – Passer domesticus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow – Passer montanus
Rock Sparrow – Petronia petronia
Common Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs
European Serin – Serinus serinus
European Greenfinch – Chloris chloris
European Goldfinch – Carduelis carduelis
Common Linnet – Carduelis cannabina
Red Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra
Eurasian Bullfinch – Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Yellowhammer – Emberiza citrinella
Cirl Bunting – Emberiza cirlus
Rock Bunting – Emberiza cia
Corn Bunting – Emberiza calandra