The Autonomous Community of Madrid, as it is officially named, is an area often overlooked by foreign birders but with great potential and accessibility.
Its 8,028 sq. kilometres include a great variety of habitats, ranging from alpine pastures in the high mountains of Sierra de Guadarrama to cereal steppe and dry plains in the Tagus basin, where many of the Spanish specialties can be found. In fact, the region presents a summary of almost every habitat found throughout the Iberian Peninsula.

Its climate is Continental-Mediterranean, with cold, dry winters and very hot, dry summers; and wet autumn and spring weather, usually with milder temperatures. A weekend in Madrid, especially in Spring, can produce many bird species usually searched for in Extremadura, Andalucía or even the Pyrenees, together with beautiful landscapes, within surprisingly short distances from downtown Madrid and its international airport.

As an example, species of such different habitat requirements as Citril Finch and Black-bellied Sandgrouse can easily be seen in the same day, with no more than a relaxed three-hour driving, with stops on the way that may produce Azure-winged Magpie, Booted Eagle, Bee-eater, while other species may require a certain amount of hiking, like Alpine Accentor. Scops Owl can be heard in city parks, and usually elusive Hawfinch become very tame when wintering in the Botanical gardens next to Museo del Prado. Only those few Spanish species restricted to either northern or southern extreme latitudes are absent from Madrid.

The region is particularly good for raptors, with important resident populations of Black Vulture and Spanish Imperial Eagle. Lesser Kestrel, Booted Eagle and Montagu's Harrier breed in sizeable numbers. Even Black-shouldered Kite has recently been recorded breeding on the eastern edge of the region.
All Spanish bird of prey species can be seen with relative ease, with a few exceptions: Lammergeier and Eleonora's Falcon are absent from Madrid, and Bonelli's Eagle is very scarce and threatened, and best searched for elsewhere in Spain.   Many of the best birding sites around Madrid are in, or close to, very popular areas in weekends and public holidays. However, Spaniards aren't early risers, so mornings are usually quiet even in the busiest seasons. Later in the day some mountain areas can become extremely crowded, although people tend to concentrate around determined areas and it's often easy to get away from the crowds.

Northwest of the city, the Sierra de Guadarrama offers some spectacular mountain scenery, with the peak of Peñalara reaching 2,429 m and several others well over 1,700 m. It is part of the Sistema Central, the mountain range that crosses through much of central Spain, and can be easily reached from downtown Madrid.

 
Driving northwest on the A-6 (towards A Coruña) and then the M-601, the road climbs to the western area of the Sierra, around the passes and ski resorts of Navacerrada and Valdeski. For obvious reasons, these areas are best avoided on weekends during the skiing season (roughly from November to February).
However, on quieter days any stop on the slopes densely covered by Scots pine may produce Crested Tit, Goldcrest and Crossbill. Around the tree line Citril Finch can be found, and on the meadows and shrub areas surrounding the ski stations Alpine Accentor may be seen in winter when the weather is cold enough, and Red Rock Thrush, Bluethroat and Water Pipit are present on the breeding season. Keeping an eye on the sky is always advisable: Black Vulture and Golden Eagle may show up at any time, and Booted and Short-toed Eagle in the breeding season.


Driving north on the A-1 (towards Burgos), after some 25 km the highway runs parallel to the cereal plains that extend to the east into the province of Guadalajara. This area represents one of the last strongholds of Great Bustard in Europe (and therefore in the World).
Although their numbers seem to be relatively stable, their habitat is being increasingly encroached upon by urbanization. Little Bustard, Black--bellied Sandgrouse, Red Kite and several lark species are also present year-round, and Montagu's Harrier and Lesser Kestrel in the breeding season. Immature Golden Eagles use the plains as hunting grounds, and Black Vultures often descend from the mountains in search of food.


The eastern area of the Sierra can be accessed leaving the A-1 highway towards Guadalix de la Sierra, past the reservoirs of El Vellón and Santillana, where a variety of water birds, herons and Black Stork can be seen, especially on passage and breeding seasons, and where rarities are regularly recorded every year.


Behind the village of Manzanares El Real lies the imposing limestone rock range of La Pedriza, with conspicuous Griffon Vulture colonies and other rock-dwelling species like Eagle Owl and Blue Rock Thrush. Spanish Ibex can be seen from the many trails that traverse the area. Climbing up over the Pass of La Morcuera, this very scenic drive crosses high mountain areas covered with broom and cistus, where Rock and Ortolan Bunting and Bluethroat breed, together with Tawny Pipit. Oak woodlands hold Bonelli's Warbler in Summer, and year-round Azure-winged Magpie, a generally shy species that is becoming rather tame around picnic areas.


Driving southwest from Rascafria is the Parque Natural de Peñalara, with the highest peak of the Sierra and many hiking trails giving access to the meadows and pastures around several alpine lakes. Alpine Accentor may be seen near the peak of Peñalara, and some interesting amphibians such as Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and a relict population of Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris) can be found around the lakes. Throughout the Sierra, the Iberian endemic Mountain Lizard is present in its striking bluish green form; formerly Lacerta monticola cyreni, it's been recently split into its own species, Iberolacerta cyreni.



  Warning: every year there are accidents involving hikers getting lost or injured in the Sierra, even in areas surprisingly near human habitation, sometimes involving frostbite or even death. Weather can be very unpredictable in the higher mountain zones, and night temperatures can fall well below zero even in early Spring.

 

To the west of the city, M-501 drives directly towards the province of Avila and to Sierra de Gredos, the western portion of Sistema Central. This road traverses some excellent dehesa, the open oak woodland usually associated with Extremadura, which constitute excellent habitat for Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Azure-winged Magpie, Great-spotted Cuckoo, Red-necked Nightjar.

The pine-covered hills around the pass of San Juan hold an interesting mixture of Mediterranean and mountain species like Rock Bunting, Black-eared Wheatear, Firecrest and Crested Tit. Goshawk can be very conspicuous around February, when they display their courtship flights.

Wetlands in Madrid are generally man-made, either in the form of reservoirs or gravel-extraction pits. They hold acceptable water levels more or less year-round, and they can be very important as wintering quarters for ducks and waterbirds; every year some rare vagrants are recorded at different seasons.



On the south-east of the region, the Laguna de San Juan holds a permanent population of Purple Swamphen, a species restricted to southern and coastal areas until quite recently.

Rivers in the region include the Jarama, the Lozoya and of course the Tagus, which creates the basin that constitutes the south-eastern two thirds of the province.
They still maintain some good riverine forest in which Penduline Tit and Golden Oriole are common, and Little Bittern and Purple Heron can be seen on the gravel pits of the Jarama, in the south.