A covey of red-legged partridges defies two young booted eagles at a waterhole

Aragón Hides is a nature tourism and photography initiative offering photographic hides for observing and photographing wildlife in Aragón. The company offers nature and wildlife photography experiences from inside photographic hides located in two distinctive areas of Aragón.

Hides de Monegros is located in the open steppes, while Hides del Subordán is situated in the high peaks and forested environments of the Aragonese Pyrenees. The people behind this project promote good practices in wildlife observation and respect for fauna and the natural environment.

Thirst for water brings partridges and raptors together

Two young booted eagles visit a water point in Los Monegros.

As they quench their thirst, a covey of red-legged partridges approaches the waterhole despite the presence of the two eagles.

The partridges gather to drink on the opposite side of the pond from where the raptors are.

The truce between the booted eagles and the partridges lasts two minutes. The eagles take flight to try to capture the partridges, but the flight speed of their potential prey prevents the capture.

Nature tourism in Los Monegros

It is one of the driest and most distinctive regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Endless dryland plains, the Sierra de Alcubierre as its backbone, and a landscape that appears frozen in time are home to extraordinary biodiversity, unique in Europe.

The Sierra de Alcubierre acts as a forest refuge contrasting with the steppe plains, creating an exceptional diversity of habitats for wildlife.

Balsetes are small features that collect and store runoff water. In summer, when the heat is extreme, the few points capable of retaining some water attract almost all the wildlife in the area.

In this Aragonese region, divided between the provinces of Zaragoza and Huesca, there is no declared natural park or national park, although environmental organisations have been calling for its steppes to be declared a National Park for years.

In Los Monegros, we can find emblematic species adapted to its steppe and semi-arid ecosystem, such as the Dupont’s lark, the great bustard, the little bustard and the pin-tailed sandgrouse. The region is home to thousands of arthropod species, including more than a hundred endemic insects.