Wintering greylags at Villafáfila
Greylag goose (Anser anser), with cranes, wigeon, teal and great bustards. Tierra de Campos, Zamora, Spain.
Best time: 20 Nov – 31 Jan (November to January). Where: Casa del Parque 'El Palomar' and observatories, Laguna Grande – Otero de Sariegos, Laguna de Barillos, Revellinos (Spain). Time of day: Geese leave the lagoons in waves from about 45 min before sunrise to 30 min after.
- You can go on your own
- Free
- Binoculars essential
- Sound 5/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 20 Nov – 31 Jan. Late Nov to January (about 26,000 greylags on average, far more in wet years)
Active from 20 Oct to 28 Feb (October to February) in a typical year.
Time of day
Geese leave the lagoons in waves from about 45 min before sunrise to 30 min after; the return from an hour before sunset until dusk. Roads are open all hours; the Casa del Parque has daytime hours.
- Dawn departure: 45 min before sunrise → 30 min after sunrise
- Evening return: 1 h before sunset → last light
What will you hear?
Waves of greylags leaving the saline lagoons at first light in a continuous honking chorus, with great bustards grunting on the stubble and cranes overhead.
Binoculars?
Binoculars essential. Geese pass low over the road at dawn; the lagoon rafts and bustards on the stubble are 300 m+ off — binoculars, scope better.
Where to go
- Casa del Parque 'El Palomar' and observatories — Interpretation centre 2 km before Villafáfila with a 1.5 km trail and hides; closed on some winter weekdays. Map
- Laguna Grande – Otero de Sariegos — Roadside viewing over the main roost lagoon. Map
- Laguna de Barillos, Revellinos — Second roost; the road between the lagoons is the classic dawn position. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
The roads between the lagoons (ZA-P-1409 Villafáfila–Otero de Sariegos–Revellinos) are public and open at all hours — stop on the verges before dawn. Casa del Parque 'El Palomar' (2 km before Villafáfila): free hides and trail in daytime hours (closed some winter weekdays).
Cost: Free.
Field-recording notes
The lagoons dry out completely in drought years and the geese go elsewhere — check water levels first. Open, treeless plateau at 700 m: wind is the enemy, frost and dead calm the reward. Hunting is banned inside the reserve but partridge shooting continues on the surrounding steppe (Oct–Jan). Farm traffic on the minor roads is minimal.
Sources
- Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León – Reserva Natural Lagunas de Villafáfila
- Casa del Parque de Villafáfila
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More: all spectacles in Spain · wild geese · winter geese, swans and ducks · Spain in January · Spain in November · Spain in December