Bird-watching in Navarre

Low Mediterranean Countryside

In the central and southern thirds of Navarre, the deforestation aimed at gaining land for livestock and agriculture has been very extensive over the years. Many of these lands were abandoned over the second half of the XX century, resulting in the spontaneous growth of vegetation. These areas now show different stages in the ecological succession between cultivated land and the original woodland, characterised by the presence of grasslands and abandoned terrain, bushes developed to differing degrees and young or not-very-mature trees dispersed to a varying extent.

Navarre?s Central Zone is where this phenomenon can best be observed, particularly in areas which used to be home to Pyrenean and Kermes oak woods. The location of these lands on hard-to-farm hillsides meant that they were the first to be abandoned. The low vegetation, in addition to more or less young examples of Pyrenean or Kermes oak, comprises the entire range of bushes and trees which normally accompanied these trees in the original woods.

The heterogeneous nature of the landscape means that the variety of species in these areas is fairly wide. Due to the marginal nature of these terrains and their varying, albeit generally small dimensions means that birds from neighbouring environments are usually often seen.

Typical species in these lands are the Hen Harrier, Little Owl, Common Woodpigeon, Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, Thekla Lark, Wood Lark, Tawny Pipit, Blackbird, Rock Thrush, Common Stonechat, Rufous Nightingale, Black-eared Wheatear, Dartford Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Southern Grey Shrike, European Serin, Goldfinch, Linnet, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting (now rare) and the Corn Bunting.