Gallocanta·Spain
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons
The Laguna de Gallocanta hosts one of Europe's greatest crane gatherings - up to 60,000 birds roosting on the water and rising at first light in a wall of sound. A staggering, accessible spectacle.
In season: Nov–Feb · Peak: Dec–Jan
Easy roadside and hide viewing on a cold, windswept plateau; the dawn fly-off from the north shore is the moment. December and January hold the peak numbers.
Tens of thousands of cranes lifting off the water at once
Close viewing on the eastern edge
The full loop of the lake between roost and feeding grounds
Base in Gallocanta or Daroca and be at the north shore before dawn. Bring warm layers, binoculars and a scope; the interpretation centre has the daily counts.
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