Birdwatching in the Sierra de Gata
The range lies in the north-west of Cáceres province, beside the Salamanca border. It is a protected bird area and one of the routes in the official Birding in Extremadura network.
Birds of the range
The eastern range is an Important Bird Area for resident raptors, including the Spanish Imperial Eagle. The official route lists Black-winged Kite, Griffon Vulture, Black Stork and Nightingale. The landscape mixes pine, heather and broom on the high ground with oak and olive woods, tobacco-drying sheds and open dehesa lower down.
Cranes at Borbollón reservoir
The regional guide estimates about 4,000 Common Cranes winter around the Borbollón reservoir, though it gives no date for the count. Treat it as a scale and ask a local guide for recent numbers. The island also holds heron and egret colonies in the breeding season. For the wider picture, read when and where to see cranes in Extremadura.
Alagón valley fields
Cranes feed by day in open farmland and dehesa near Moraleja, in the Alagón valley close to the Sierra de Gata. Binoculars are enough, and no hide is needed. Late afternoon is when cranes typically return to their roost sites.
Villages, crafts and trees
Robledillo de Gata, Hoyos, Trevejo, San Martín de Trevejo and Gata are the stone villages on the route, and Robledillo de Gata is a protected historic ensemble. Local crafts include the lacework of Hoyos, the goldsmiths of Gata and the basketwork of San Martín de Trevejo. The Cedro de Gata is a protected singular tree.
When to go
November to February is crane season. Spring brings woodland song and raptors over the ridges. See the bird calendar and the winter crane route, which starts here.
Where to stay
Casa Rural Jardín de la Sierra de Gata is on the edge of Hoyos, one of the villages on the route. About the stay.