contact:
westvidal@teleline.es
Steve West
Biography
Steve West, hailing from Hampshire, has been living in northeast Spain (Lleida, Catalunya) since 1988 and has birded the region intensively and extensively since then. Apart from his own book "Where the birds are in northeast Spain", based largely on his own experiences of the region, he has also made significant contributions to other bird-related publications such as the Catalan Bird Report (of which he is an area recorder), the Catalan Breeding Bird Atlas and other books of more local interest, in particular "The birds of the lowlands of Lleida", awaiting publication.
He has been leading birding tours to northeast Spain and Extremadura, acting as a local guide/ground agent since 1997, and as such has worked with British, American, Canadian, Dutch and Swiss tour leaders or operators. He has also personally organised birding tours to the Canary Islands, the North Norfolk Coast and Scotland.
Tours
On Spanish tours his excellent field knowledge of the birds, their habitats, habits, distribution and their calls means that very little escapes his notice, and that if all the tried and tested formulas fail he usually has that "last resort" up his sleeve to pin down that elusive species.
On a more personal level his passion for birding has led him to discover a good number of local, regional and Spanish rarities including Siberian Stonechat, White-rumped Sandpiper, Long-legged Buzzard, Pacific Golden Plover, Black-throated Thrush, etc. Along with a variety of near misses!
When not involved in planning trips most of his time is taken up either by bird census work (Catalan Common Bird Census), bird-related lectures and courses (raptor, finch and protected species identification, introduction to birdwatching) or translation work.
He is fluent in both Catalan and Spanish.
If you are looking for a local guide/ground agent for a birding tour, or if you wish to purchase a copy of his book "Where the birds are in northeast Spain" then contact: westvidal@teleline.es