Our first day involved getting the group assembled; Conor & Ann were collected from Malaga Airport at 11:30am and then Peter, Alison & Gordon were collected from Gibraltar at 2:30pm it was the shortest visit to Gib that Conor and Ann were ever going to make. John and Estelle will be arrive on Sunday to join the group for the last 6 days. 
After the short drive to our hotel in the foothills above Algeciras we reconvened at 4pm to head off for a short birding session. We drove to El Bujeo, a small picnic area situated along the main N340 just above Pelayo, it consists of open grassy scrub and some mature eucalyptus trees. A pair of ravens flew over as we emerged from the bus, quickly followed by 4 griffon vultures and in the scrub we found a woodchat shrike, common redstart (a nice male), a couple siskin high in the trees and a few barn swallows flew by. 
As we walked through the shrubs we found several bonelli’s warblers (a couple were singing), blackcap, common whitethroats, Iberian chiffchaff (also singing), common nightingale (heard only), stonechat, cirl bunting, serin and a few common species. Not a bad start to our holiday, we returned to the hotel and got ready for our dinner which was served at 8pm.
Red-throated Bee-eater
join us for a fantastic tour of The Gambia this November
Saturday, April 16, 2011
TARIFA & COTO DOÑANA 7-DAY TOUR - DAY 1 APRIL 15TH
ANDAULICA 7-DAY TOUR – DAY 7 14TH APRIL
This was our last day and what a great one it turned out to be! We decided to go to the lake district around Campillos to the north of Ronda. Along the way we saw a few Rock Sparrows and Red-rumped Swallows. We stopped at a known Bonelli’s Eagle site just north of Ronda and to our delight 2 birds were present giving good displays. We also saw Jackdaw, Rock Dove and Crag Martin.
Bonelli's Eagle Laguna Dulce was our next venue, it sits on the roadside between Campillos and Antequera and it was full of birds. The 3 Grebes were present, great crested . Black-necked and Little, several duck species were found Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Common Pochard, Red-crested Pochard and White headed Duck. We also saw Greater Flamingo, Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns, Black-winged Stilts, Lapwing, Stone Curlew, Common Coot, Moorhen and an Osprey circled above the water for a while. 
Wood Sandpiper
In the distance we noticed a few harriers quartering the fields so we drove there to take a closer look. We had good views of Montagu’s and Marsh Harrier, then we found ur bird of the day so far, a Little Bustard, wow what a find! It was a male performing its display by puffing out it neck feathers and issuing its call as it threw its back. 
Laguna Dulce
In the open meadows we also found Calandra lark, Corn Bunting, Yellow Wagtail and a couple of Collared Pratincoles. The rest of the day was spent at Laguna de Fuente de Piedras whixh is found some 15 kilometeres from Laguna Dulce. Along the way we stopped at a good site for Bee-eaters, a colony of some 30 pairs nest in a roadside sand bank , they gave us terrific views. The first stop at Laguna Fuente was a mirador which overlook the south side of this huge reservoir, we could see a few thousand Greater Flamingo’s and in the nearside pools we picked out Slender-billed Gull, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Pied Avocet, Gull-billed Tern and many Coots and Grebes. Along the boardwalk near the visitor’s centre we found some good birds for our list which include: Marsh Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank, we also found more stilts and avocets, Redshank and Little ringed Plovers. In another pool we found good numbers of Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Flamingo’s, another Marsh Sandpiper, Redshank and a juvenile Glossy Ibis. All in all we amassed a great list for the day. We stopped off at the Teba Gorge on the way home to take photographs and whilst doing so we saw 2 more Bonelli’s Eagle, a Short-toed Eagle, Red-billed Chough and Crag Martins. To top it all a Quail flew across the raod and nearly crashed into the windscreen as we pulled away!! Our last day was over and so was the holiday there would be no time to bird-watch in the morning. We concluded the tour at dinner and after completing our checklist we totalled the final tally which turned out to be 145 species. Not a bad effort at all.
ANDALUCIA 7-DAY TOUR – DAY 6 – 13TH APRIL
This was not really a birding day out, we were tourist for a while, however there was an element of avian adventure and some new birds were added to our list.
We drove down to Gib via Jimera de la Frontera and San Roque logging White Stork, Bee-eater, Spotless Starling, Lesser Kestrel (9) and Cattle Egret along the way.
Once on Gib we drove along the east road and stopped to scan the slopes for Barbary Partridge which did not appear, we only saw thousands of Yellow-legged gulls at their nests. We then drove through the recently opened tunnel to Europa Point, the tunnel had been closed for 9 years!!! Europa Point is a building site and well worth avoiding, we parked short of the point on the east side and scanned the sea and the cliffs for possible sightings.
The best out to see was an Osprey struggling against the east wind, a Caspian Tern, likewise and a flock of some 100+ Black Kites. On the land we found a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes and a perched Peregrine. We decided to follow the Kites as they approached the ‘rock’ from Algeciras bay, they soon found a thermal and rose in a swirling mass up over the highest point, a great sight for us.
Next we visited the ringing station at ‘Jews Gate’ where the ringers were just packing up for the day! They patrolled the nets one more time and produced a solitary Willow Warbler, still a nice bird to see in the hand. Earlier they had caught many Pied Flycatchers, Bonelli’s Warblers, Common Redstarts and lots more.
We visited the Botanical gardens but only added Robin, Blackcap and Great tit to the list. The rest of the time was taken up with visits to the shops, lunch and walking around the sites.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR - DAY 5 - 12TH APRIL
This is one of my favourite walks and even though the NE wind tried hard to ruin the day for me, it failed miserably. We were joined by Paul and Helen from the village and both of them contributed well to the list.
Spectacled Warbler
On arrival we quickly logged Southern Grey Shrike, Linnet, Stonechat, Corn Bunting, Thekla lark and Black-eared Wheatear in the open valley.
Orphean Warbler - white eyering just visible
As we approached the heath we found Woodlark, Common Cuckoo and Helen pulled a great find out of the bag - a Golden Eagle!.The bird was being mobbed by two Common Kestrels, they looked tiny in comparison, they eventually drove it off but not before we all got good flight views of the sub-adult plummage. Super stuff. A flock of some 20+ Red-billed Chough filled the air and both Booted and Short-toed Eagles joined Griffon Vultures in the cloudy sky. On the heath itself we had good views of Dartford Warbler before moving into the cork oak woodland.
Portugese Dappled White
The woodland provided some great views of both Bonelli's and Orphean Warbler, we also saw Jay, Wood Pigeon, Subalpine Warbler and Robin.
During the return journey to the minbus we had very close views of Spectacled Warbler and better views of Black-eared Wheatear, Thekla Lark and Southern Grey Shrike.
Green hairstreak
The afternoon was spent in the huge natural park of Sierras de las Nieves which we found a bit too windy and birdless. After an hours walk we found a flock of Bee-eaters, Short-toed Eagle, a couple of interesting butterflies and not much else. We drove deeper into the park to find some shelter and logged Common Redstart, Great Tit and Rock Bunting in the process.
The group along the Encinas Borrachas trail
After a coffee stop we returned to Gaucin seeing another Rock Bunting, Red-rumped Swallow and Griffon Vultures along the way.
ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR - DAY 4 - 11th April
Another lovely sunny day but windy at times. The first stop at the Bridge below Gaucin failed to produce much. All the trees are now thick with foilage and birds are difficult to locate even though you can hear them well. Blackcap, Cetti's Warbler and the common finches were all we got.
We followed the river all the way to where it meets the Rio Guadiaro and then onto Secadura. Along the way we found Woodchat Shrike, Little Ringed Plover, Serin, Nightingale (many in song) and a Twany Pipit was new for the trip.
We ate our picnic lunch in the shelter of the pine trees at Pinar del Rey, during which time we found Bonelli's Warbler, Jay, Raven, Booted Eagle and many common species.
Palmones wasn't brilliant, we logged a few species of wader, Greenshank, Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Dunlin and Turnstone. A Whiskered Tern was a nice find and the first of the year for me.
On the way back up to Guacin we stopped to view Sierra Crestellina and quickly located the Bonelli's Eagle nest where an adult bird was attending the nest, a great bird to finsh off the day with.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR - DAY 3 - 10TH APRIL
A beautiful sunny day brought out the birds and the butterflies, the flowers were terrific and the scenery just fantastic.
We arrived at a track which runs above the river Guadiaro near Estacion Cortes and walked through some cork oak woodland. We found several new species for our list and many birds were in song. Cirl Bunting, Blackcap were the first and Chaffinch, Subalpine Warbler, Serin, Greenfinch quickly followed, lots of species were also heard but not seen. Common Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, Wren, Robin and Nightingale were not seen but heard well.
At the river we found Little Ringed Plover, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and we had great views of Nightingale. Many Cetti's Warblers sang unseen and both Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagles showed well above us. A small flock of Rock Sparrows cheered us up as did a pair of Red-rumped Swallows.
The drive to Montejaque took us through some beautiful scenery with terrific limestone mountains and a deep river valley. Along a track above the village we ate our picnic lunch in lovely sunshine but our target birds did not appear, however, we did find a Spanish Ibex high up on the mountain with a newly born kid.
At the 'dam' we spent a good hour watching Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Swifts, Crag Martins, Red-billed Chough, Black Wheatear and Rock Doves. We also found good numbers of Yellow Orchids (Ophrys lutea) and several nice butterflies.
Our last walk was through a lovely cork oak woodland where despite the time of day plenty of birds were calling and feeding in the trees. Firecrest, Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Serin and Great tit were listed. We also saw Green Hairstreak, Moroccan Orange Tip, Scarce Swallowtail, Small Heath, Copper brown and several other butterflies.
We drove home earlier than usual as the wanted to relax in the sunshine on our terraces before getting ready for dinner.
ANDALUCIA 7 - DAY TOUR - DAY 2 - 9TH APRIL
Today we were joined by George and Vivienne for the day, we collected them from the shopping centre at Sabinillas on the coast road. Our first stop was a few kilometers west at Torreguadiaro Laguna. Lesser Kestrels and Little Owls performed well for us in their usual place on the the tower. A few migrants we found in the beach scrub, which included several Northern Wheatears and Woodchat Shrikes, we also saw a Squacco Heron and some Red-rumped Swallows and bee-eaters in flight. The laguna itself held very little but the farmland across the road held more shrikes, Nightingale, Reed Warbler and Cattle Egrets.
At San Enrique we saw the resident Tree Sparrows, Serins and a good passage of Black kites, booted Eagles, marsh Harriers and a single Montagu's Harrier. We drove through Algeciras and up to Tarifa and we soon realised that we had made a mistake, it was dull overcast and very misty. You couldn't see Africa and the wind from the west was quite strong. Our picnic was consumed on the promenade near tarifa Island but the birds recorded only included gulls.
At Los Lances beach hide we found Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover. The gull roost included a single Sandwich Tern and a few Audouin's Gull. On the grass turf behind the beach we found a flock of Short-toed Larks and acouplr of Crested Larks.
The rest of the day was spent at la janda where we found Purple Swamphen, White Stork, Grey herons, Little Egrets, Zitting Cisticola and not alot else. Driving the tracks behind La Janda back to Facinas we found many Black Kites, Harriers, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagles and Griffin Vultures. Various other species were added which included: Calandra Lark, Bee-eaters, Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings, Common Snipe and Lesser Kestrel.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
ANDALUCIA - 7 DAY TOUR - DAY 1 - 8TH APRIL
Rita, Ann and Ivan joined myself and Dawn at our house for the beginning of their 7 day break, I collected Ivan from Malaga Airport at 11am whilst Ann and Rita arrived a day earlier.
From the airport we arrived at Guadalhorce in bright and breezy weather with plenty of sunshine, we sat on a bench to eat our picnic lunch whilst watching many species of birds and butterflies.
Our afternoon was spent touring the whole of the reserve, we visited all of the hides,we watched over all of the lagunas and we walked along the beach to finish off. Some of our best sightings included: Ruddy Shelduck - a very good record for this part of Spain, we also saw Kentish Plover, Collared Pratincole, Monk Parakeet, White-headed Duck, Serin, Crested Lark, Yellow Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallow, Woodchat Shrike, Common Redstart, Zitting Cisticola and lots of the more common species.
Our drive to Gaucin took just over an hour, we arrived with time to relax before we ate our home cooked dinner of ratatouille with chicken served with a chilled white rioja.
Friday, April 8, 2011
DAY TOUR - 7TH APRIL - TARIFA - LA JANDA
Kevin and Pat came out with me for their second outing, we decided to head for the coast to look for migrating raptors. Big Mistake! Whilst it was a lovely bright, calm morning in Gaucin it was blowing a gale in Tarifa!!! We stopped at Jimena to look over the meadows and hills to look for migrants but only found Griffon Vultures.
At Palmones the river mouth was very quiet despite a low tide. We found only a few Redshank,Greenshank, Whimbrel, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover, GreyPlover, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Sanderling and Kentish Plover. At Tarifa we visited Los Lances beach and nearly got blown away! We only saw 3 Sanderling and 2 Kentish Plover on the beach and a single Northern Wheatear on the grass. A few Black Kites braved the crossing but nothing else.
At La Janda the wind was just as bad with very few species on show. White Stork, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier,Montagu's Harrier, Booted Eagle and the odd Short-toed Eagle flew over.We also found Collared Pratincole (5)and a Long Legged Buzzard was a great find and a first for Spain for me! A distant juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle cheered us up and large groups of Bee-eaters flew over several times during our visit. We drove back towards Facinas on a wide track where we found Lesser Kestrels, Corn Buntings, Calandra Larks, Hoopoe, more Bee-eaters and as soon as we returned to Algeciras the wind abated. We returned to Gaucin blown away from the coast by the weather!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
DAY TOUR - APRIL 6TH - GENAL VALLEY, SOTO GRANDE
