Almanza photographic hides

Almanza is a small town in León located on the banks of the Cea River, straddling the Eurosiberian and Mediterranean biogeographic regions.

This, along with its wide variety of habitats, makes it a true ornithological paradise, where we can find a fantastic variety of birds in a limited space.

The birds we can find in Almanza contribute to complementing the Riaño and Crémenes photography hides by incorporating Mediterranean species and allowing for a longer spring season.

The Cea Valley has a large expanse of cereal crops around a relatively well-preserved riparian forest. We can also find some reforested pine forests, as well as broom and heathland on hillside areas.

In the higher elevations, its most notable feature is the outstanding forest of “ Rebollares del Cea” large expanses of Pyrenean oak that are home to many bird species primarily from the Eurosiberian range.

In the Almanza Valley, we find some species absent or rare in the Riaño area that are of great interest to nature photographers, such as the Marsh harrier and Montagu’s harriers, Booted eagle, Hobby, and the Little owl among the raptors.

Doves and red-legged partridges are common species around the crop fields; as are Penduline tits, Hoopoes, Bee-eaters, striking birds with a predominantly mediterranean distribution.

All Iberian woodpecker species are widely represented in the area, including the black woodpecker in the more montane forests.

Crested Larks, Short-toed Larks, Thekla Larks, and the occasional Calandra Lark can be seen in the cereal fields in the lower elevations.

In foothill areas with shrubby patches, we find Subalpine Warblers and Thrushes  sharing territory with the common Warblers, Blackcaps, and Chiffchaffs.

Along the banks of the Cea River, we find Golden Orioles, and Kingfishers, and near the thorny bushes of fallow land and irrigation ditches, we can easily spot the presence of Wood Shrikes, Red-backed Shrikes, and Grey Shrikes.

Tree Sparrows and Rock Sparrows are equally common, especially near villages.

Buntings are also well represented; Here we will easily see  Hortelan bunting, Yellowhammers, Rock buntings or Cirl bunting among others.