ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR - DAY 7 - MAY 12TH

GAUCIN - ALGERCIRAS VIA JIMENA DE LA FRONTERA AND LOS BARRIOS - THEN TARIFA - LA JANDA - LOS PALMONES

A full day with a full van, we all set off for the coast hoping to see some migration passage. Our first stop was a few kilometers out of Gaucin near the village of San Pablo. We stopped along a courty track that overlooked some meadows and scrub. Not many birds we seen or singing but we found Common Buzzard, Sardinian Warblers, Stonechat, some very bright GReenfinches, Goldfinch and Corn Bunting.

At Jimena we parked just below the village and scanned the wide expense of fields found there. No migrants were in the air but we saw Griffon Vultures, Barn Swallows, Pallid and Common Swifts, Corn Buntings, Zitting Cisticola, Serin and a Nightingale called from the bushes.

We drove past Castellar where we saw lots of Bee-eaters, a colony of Lesser Kestrels and more swifts.

A diversion found us at the rubbish dump at Los Barrios where hundreds of Griffon Vultures, Black kites and Yellow-legged Gulls congregated to feed on the rubbish, we also saw Cattle Egret, Stonechat, Spotted Flycatcher and more Bee-eaters.

The wind had picked up and as it was still easterly we knew our chances of seeing migrant raptors was small. At Tarifa it was blowing a gale and we had to drive inland to find shelter. We ate our lunch by the side of a babbling brook in the Ojen valley where we enjoyed views of Woodchat Shrike, Griffon Vultures, Serin, Crested Lark and a Cetti's Warbler.

After lunch we drove round to La Janda, alas it was too windy to get out of the van,
very few birds were seen. However we all enjoyed good views of Collared Pratincole as a small flock fed on the wing and landed fairly close to us.

Defeated by wind we went back over the hills to Algerciras and visited the Torrejon Municiple Park. The gate was locked as usual but we used the 'birders' entrance, through the fence. A pair of Black-winged Stilts were breeding close to the fence and over the next hour we enjoyed good views of Dunlin, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Great Cormorant.

Lastly we stopped at crestellina to view the Bonelli's Eagle nest, one chick was on show but there was no sign of the parents whilst we were there.