Iberian ibex rut, Sierra de Gredos
Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica victoriae). Sierra de Gredos, Ávila; also Sierra Nevada, Spain.
Best time: 15 Nov – 15 Dec (November to December). Where: Plataforma de Gredos (trail to Laguna Grande), Laguna Grande de Gredos, Sierra Nevada – Hoya de la Mora (Granada) (Spain). Time of day: Chases and horn clashes once the sun reaches the slopes, from about an hour after sunrise until late morning.
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 2/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 Nov – 15 Dec. Mid November to mid December
Active from 1 Nov to 31 Dec (November to December) in a typical year.
Time of day
Chases and horn clashes once the sun reaches the slopes, from about an hour after sunrise until late morning; a second bout from 15:00 to sunset.
- Morning rut: 1 h after sunrise → 11:00
- Afternoon rut: 15:00 → sunset
What will you hear?
Horn clashes cracking across granite cirques, males snorting and chasing, and the near-total silence of the high sierra in early winter.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Ibex are within metres of the Plataforma trail; binoculars for clashes across the cirque.
Where to go
- Plataforma de Gredos (trail to Laguna Grande) — Habituated ibex within metres of the trail; car park at 1,770 m, snow possible. Map
- Laguna Grande de Gredos — Cirque with the densest herds; refuge for overnight stays. Map
- Sierra Nevada – Hoya de la Mora (Granada) — Southern subspecies, same season; ski-station noise nearby. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Drive the AV-931 from Hoyos del Espino to the Plataforma de Gredos car park (paid barrier in season) and walk the paved trail towards the Laguna Grande — the ibex are beside the path; the Elola refuge at the lake takes bookings for a dawn start. Sierra Nevada: the A-395 to Hoya de la Mora and the trails above.
Cost: Plataforma de Gredos car park charge (check current prices); trails free.
Field-recording notes
Visual first, but the impulse of two males' horns meeting is a sound worth the walk; the granite gives a dry, clean slap. Ibex in Gredos are a hunting trophy in the regional reserve — hunting days are posted. Weather turns fast above 2,000 m.
Sources
Similar spectacles
Ibex, chamois & isard rutHorn clashes echoing off rock, snorting and hissing males chasing across scree, and the snow-muffled silence of winter valleys.
Chamois & ibex rutSnorts and whistles, horn clashes echoing off cliffs, and the stillness of snowy valleys.
Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Berchtesgaden AlpsMarmot whistles echoing off the Watzmann east face, chough flocks, chamois sneezes, ptarmigan on the Steinernes Meer plateau, golden eagle; cowbells on the alpine pastures; in autumn, roaring stags in the Klausbachtal.
Alpine ibex, chamois and marmotsIbex horn-clashes in the December rut, hoof-clatter on rock, chamois alarm hisses, marmot whistles echoing, chough flocks, water pipit; the wind.
Marmots, ibex and vultures, Hohe TauernMarmot alarm whistles bouncing between glacier-polished walls, chough flocks, ibex hoof-clatter, the wing-rush of a griffon passing at 20 m, ptarmigan; glacier streams and cowbells below.
Marmots, ibex and chamois in the Julian AlpsMarmot alarm whistles echoing off limestone walls, chough flocks, ptarmigan croaking above the treeline, chamois hissing alarm sneezes; in autumn the roar of red deer from the valleys below.
More: all spectacles in Spain · ibex · ruts · Spain in November · Spain in December