Did you know that you could get up close and personal with vultures in Spain? I didn’t!

I woke up on my birthday to discover with surprise that my wonderful wife Nicola had bought me a surprise trip to Sierra de Guara, Huesca to get up close and personal with vultures. We drove there to meet Manuel Aguilera of http://fondoamigosdelbuitre.org who is the wild vulture man of Siera de Guara, a man who has dedicated his life to conservation all over the world – and is a bloody nice chap to boot.

A trailer full of body parts, guts and blood….

We arrived in this small town to find him parked on a hill with a 4×4 and a trailer full with blood and gore, literally – dripping blood. We followed him in our car up the mountain a short drive and parked.

Already the vultures were appearing, first one or two, then more and more – so huge and impressive to witness in real life!

Manuel unloaded his trailer load of guts into an electric wheelbarrow and set off, with us meters behind. “Keep close and keep quiet” he said, as we started our walk through the rocky, narrow and natural paths of the mountains.

The walk continued and more vultures began to fly overhead, dozens, so close that you could hear the “woosh” of their wings – diving so close to your head… it was SPECTACULAR.

As we looked around we started to see more and more pairs of eyes… vultures a meter or two away staring at us, walking alongside us, peeking out behind bushes… “Keep moving” said Manuel while we gawped in amazement… our feet were rooted to the floor watching magnificent birds flying around our heads at such a short distance away…

We arrived at the feeding ground. Manuel unloaded his wheelbarrow as HUNDREDS of Vultures surrounded him – he had a backpack with all the best bits.

We sat quietly – about 3 meters away – as he adressed each of the birds by name and as they ate from his hand. It was incredible. These huge animals unafraid of us, friendly to him and we felt entirely safe.

Are vultures dangerous?

Allthough many cartoons or stories paint vultures as violent or murderous birds, they are in fact harmless, feeding only on dead animals.

After the feeding Manuel sat with us and told us of all the hardships these animals are going through, all his work in conservation and the history of the project as we sat and listened with our eyes wide open. Later he took us to the local museum to learn more.

Is this the best place to see vultures in Spain?

Is this place the best place to see vultures in Spain? I don’t know, but Huesca is an absolutely beautiful place, filled with nature and wildlife, and this specific project is a well kept secret that will blow your mind.

You can watch our video here:

Plan your trip by visiting Fondo Amigos Del Buitre