C/ Abarrategui, 59 31830 Lakuntza (Navarra) Tel. y Fax: +34 948 464 831 e-mail: info@mirua.com
Miruabirds 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).
Our region We usually work in the Northeast of Spain, a very interesting and naturally rich area of the Iberian Peninsula. Mountains, coast, wetlands, steppes, farmland and vast forests of different kinds can be found in this region. This high diversity in landscapes contributes to find here a high bird diversity, with more than 500 species listed. It is also a rich region in plants, wild flowers and wildlife. Here below some of the areas with the most interesting species that can be found in them:
1. Cantabric Coast Balearic Shearwater, Eurasian Spoonbill, Red Kite, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Wryneck, Grasshopper Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff, Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike.
2. Pyrenees Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Golden Eagle, Black Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Water Pipit, Alpine Accentor, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Common Rock Thrush, Crested Tit, Wallcreeper, Short-toed Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Alpine Chough, Snowfinch, Rock Sparrow, Citril Finch, Rock Bunting.
3. Mediterranean transition area Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Golden Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Little Bustard, Eagle Owl, Scops Owl, European Bee-eater, Crag Martin, Nightingale, Black-eared Wheatear, Common Rock-thrush, Western Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff, Short-toed Treecreeper, Red-billed Chough, Golden Oriole, Ortolan Bunting, Cirl Bunting.
4. Ebro Valley Red-crested Pochard, Great Bittern, Purple Heron, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Black-winged Stilt, Stone Curlew, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Eagle Owl, Scops Owl, Red-necked Nightjar, Eurasian Bee-Eater, Hoopoe, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Roller, Wryneck, Dupont’s Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Thekla Lark, Calandra Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Black Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Common Rock Thrush, Spectacled Warbler, Western Orphean Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Great Reed Warbler, Isabelline Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Bearded Reedling, Penduline Tit, (Lesser Grey Shrike), Woodchat Shrike, Red-billed Chough, Golden Oriole, Rock Sparrow, Cirl Bunting.
5. Mediterranean Coast (Marbled Duck), (Ferruginous Duck), Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Balearic Shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, Purple Heron, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Flamingo, Bonelli’s Eagle, Purple Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift, (Rufous Bush Robin), Blue Rock Thrush, Subalpine Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Savi’s Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Isabelline Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Penduline Tit, Rock Sparrow, (Trumpeter Finch).
Other areas in Spain We can also provide you with combinations with trips through the West and Southwest of Spain, in places like Extremadura (La Serena, Monfragüe, Trujillo), Zamora (Villafáfila), Andalucía (Doñana, Tarifa, La Janda) working with local guides. Some of the most interesting bird species for these areas are: Black Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Booted Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Great Bustard, Eagle Owl, White-Rumped Swift, Rufous Bush Robin, Azure-Winged Magpie, Spanish Sparrow, Rock Bunting.
Migration Migration camps can be organized at the Pyrenees, a very interesting migratory pass in late summer and autumn. The Lindus and the Lizarrieta mountain passes are internationally well known as very good bird migration observatories. French and Spanish ornithologists gather each year in these points to count the birds and hundreds of birdwatchers come all from over the world to visit the places between August and November.
More than nature: Culture Our region holds a rich and diverse culture in which the old manners are still very present. Special mention deserves the Basque culture, one of the oldest ones in Europe, that can be lived in most of the Basque Country and Navarra mountainous areas. Food is one of the most striking expressions of this culture, with an excellent traditional cuisine based in fish, meat and fresh local grown vegetables. The wines of the Ebro Valley are ones of the best valued by the experts, and guided visits to the ‘bodegas’ are possible. We have also to highlight the Romanic architecture, spread in the most part of the region, and the well conserved castles and palaces that tell us much of their rich history.
Tour leaders – Local guides
Gorka Gorospe (1968, San Sebastian-Donostia, Basque Country) He is birdwatcher with more than 30 years of experience. He knows the Iberian Peninsula very well, specially the North and places like the Pyrenees, the Cantabric Coast and the Ebro Valley. He has work professionally and as a volunteer in many field bird censuses and scientific surveys in protected areas. Gorka is also a wildlife artist and photographer. Some of the areas where Gorka has gone birdwatching include France, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Norway, United States, Kenia, Senegal, Svalbard and Antarctica. He is member of the Spanish Rarities Committee and works as advisor for several birding tourism and ecotourism projects, including BirdLife and the Government of Navarre. Speaks spanish, english, dutch, basque and german. He already worked with David Lindo (UK), BirdingBreaks (Holland), Birding in Spain (Steve West, UK/Spain), Casa Boletas (Josele Saiz, Spain), Aurora Expeditions (Australia) y Miruabirds (Spain).
Daniel Torrente (1962, Barcelona, Catalonia) Nature Guide and owner of Mirua Actividades de Naturaleza. Since 1995 has organized and guided hiking itineraries, nature routes through the Pyrenees, Irati Wood, Aralar Sierra, Urbasa and Andia Natural Park, Lumbier Gorge and other interesting natural spaces in Navarre and other Spanish regions. He also works as a trail designer, as well as training and advising nature and birdwatching tourism projects.
Accommodations We usually work with well located and comfortable accommodations. The ones in Navarra are members of the Birding Navarra Club, a program promoted by the Navarre Tourism Board that warranties that these accommodations have adapted their services to the bird birdwatchers’ watchers’ needs and that they work in a ‘nature friendly’ way (www.birding.navarra.es). Some of the acc accommodations we recommend are listed below: Hotel Ekai (Ekai, Lónguida, Navarra) 12 double rooms + 8 individual rooms Restaurant, garden, living-room, air-conditioning conditioning and others. Website: www.hotelekai.es Email: hotelekai@hotelekai.com – Tel: +34 948 334 153
Metsola Apartments (Isaba, Navarra) 8 apartments Working together with local restaurant Website: www.metsola.es Email: info@metsola.com - Tel: +34 633 269 222
Murillo de Lónguida, Navarra) Hotel Rural Villa Clementina (Murillo Restaurant, garden, living-room room and others. Website: www.hotelvillaclementina.com Email: informacion@villaclementina.com - Tel: +34 948 102 922
Ruralsuite (Navarra) The whole property is created to enjoy the outdoors. We have a diverse landscape: a pine forest of 3,700 m2 and 6,000 m2 of olive trees, that together with other elements such as the chicken coop, orchard and pond allow us to develop activities of agro-tourism tourism in which our clients can participate actively. 9 luxury suites restaurant, meeting room, garden and jacuzzi. Café-restaurant, Website: www.ruralsuite.com Email: Tel: +34 948 850 448
Hostal Txapi-Txuri (Navarra) Txapi-Txuri is a rural family house, strategically located for touring and visiting the middle and south of Navarre. Completely reformed the house maintains the warmth of a rural building incorporating the current good amenities. 5 double rooms with + 4 double rooms Website: www.turismoruralbardenas.com/txapitxuri.aspx?menu=TxapiTxuri&idioma=2 Email: info@turismoruralbardenas.com - Tel: +34
Casa Mari Cruz (Navarra) Website: http://www.casamaricruz.com/casasrurales/home.html Email: turismorural@casamaricruz.com – Tel: +34 948 790 376 5 double rooms with 3 bathrooms Living room, garden, restaurant.
Casa Sario (Jaurrieta, Navarra) 7 rooms with bathroom Restaurant and bar, terrace. Website: www.casasario.com Email: info@hostalcasasario.com - Tel: +34 948 890 187
Albergue de Beire (Beire, Navarra) 8 double rooms + 1 room for 4 pax + 1 room for 3 pax, all of them with bathroom Restaurant, living room, garden and patio. Website: www.beire.com Email: info@bei-tu.com - Tel: +34 948 740 041
Hospedería Alesves (Villafranca, Navarra) 11 double rooms with bathroom Restaurant, living room, parking. Website: http://www.hospederiadealesves.com/ Email: info@hospederiadealesves.com - Tel: +34 948 845 686
Palacio de Riezu (Riezu, Navarra) Palacio de Riezu is an authentic 16th century building, certified and protected by 'The Institute of Príncipe de Viana', situated in the green heart of Navarra. 4 double rooms (two with bathroom, other two with a shared one) + 4 extra rooms with bathroom in another building Restaurant, garden, living room. Website: www.palacio-riezu.com Email: esteban@terrezu.com – Tel: +34 948 542 312
We also work with other accommodations in our trips abroad Navarre: Casa Boletas (Guara, Huesca, Aragón) Website: www.casaboletas.com Rincón del Cierzo (Monegros, Zaragoza, Aragón) Website: www.rincondelcierzo.com Delta Hotel (Ebro Delta, Tarragona, Cataluña) Website: www.deltahotel.net Companies such as Naturetrek, Birding In Spain, Spainbirds, DOF Travel, Travel the Unknown and others are already visiting these accommodations in their trips.
Transport We also can take care of renting vans for the trips (usually 9 pax vans).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birdwatching at the Arbaiun Gorge viewpoint.