TARIFA, SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 3 - 12TH SEPT 2014

GIBRALTAR - SAN ENRIQUE WOODS - PINAR DEL REY - CASTILLO DE CASTELLAR - CAZALLA RAPTOR WATCH POINT TARIFA.

We took a bit of a break from full-on birding today and visited some tourist spots. Light westerly winds did not bode well for a great raptor passage so we spent more time looking for passerines.

my motley crew - taken at Europa Point

We set off for Gibraltar at 7:45 and got through the new,  chaotic layout,  within the hour and parked along the east cliff at 9am. The weather was beautiful, clear sky and a westerly wind.

We spent some time scanning for Barbary Partridge without success but found several raptors flying high over the 'rock', these included Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite and lower down Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel. Out in the sea we saw a huge pod of Bottle Nosed Dolphins and a handful of Cory's Shearwaters.

A quick visit to the ringing station was a disappointment, it was all locked up, not a 'ringer' in sight! So we walked the coastal path and found a few birds in the scrub, Sardinian Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, European Robin and not much else. On the rocks above us we saw Blue Rock Thrushes and few Barbary 'Apes'.

 

no not one of the group - but a resident of Gibraltar - Barbary 'Ape' 

We then went down to Europa Point to join the throngs of tourists, after searching for half an hour we came up with very little,  a small flock of Black Kites out at sea with a couple of Short-toed Eagles, a few more Cory's Shearwaters and another Blue Rock Thrush on the rocks.

The 'metropolis' on the west side of Gibraltar was as usual very busy, heavy traffic hundreds of motor scooters, motorcycles cycles and pedestrian tourists. We got through unscathed and drove off the 'rock' via the new exit which brought us out down by the beach.

Pied Flycatcher

So off we went to San Enrique Woods hoping for sightings of migrating passerines, but it was very quiet with just a handful of Pied and Spotted Flycatchers. On the river we saw Common Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper and in the sky we listed a few Homey Buzzards, Black Kites, Booted Eagles and plenty of Alpine Swifts, Barn Swallows and House Martins.

We ate our picnic lunch in the tranquil setting of Pinar del Rey, the smell of warm pine trees filled the air as we sat eating, a Pied Flycatcher entertained us over lunch. A walk through the woods produced Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit, Blackcap, Subalpine Warbler, European Robin, Common Chaffinch, Jay and a Wren.

From the woods we drove to Castellar because the group wanted to see the Two-tailed Pasha Butterfly and the Castle. The butterfly was most obliging, however, it was very windy there so it never settled much. We also stopped to watch more Monarch Butterflies on the way up to the castle, they also showed very well for us.

At the castle we enjoyed a nice coffee break, a walk around the 'village' within the castle walls and a few birdies overhead. Griffon Vultures drifted over, small flocks of Alpine Swifts were joined by the odd Pallid and Common Swift but not the White-rumped Swift. We left there around 5pm and headed back to Tarifa making one stop at the raptor watch point at Cazalla. It was very windy up there, all the birding fraternity had left so we watched alone as a few Black Kites, a single Common Kestrel and a lone Short-toed Eagle struggled to cope with the westerly wind.

the hills around Tarifa are blighted but these  'blots on the landscape'

 

Back the hotel for 6:00 we had time to relax before tucking into a Paella washed down with a glass wine as we sat out on the terrace of the hotel.'
 
 

 

 

 

 

TARIFA, SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 2 - 11TH SEPT 2014

 

 

 

 

PLAYA DE LOS LANCES - LA JANDA - MONTENMEDIO GOLF COMPLEX - BARBATE MARSHES

A very dull and overcast start to the day with light rain at times, the light was very poor until about 10am. We did not let the weather deter us, so off we marched to the beach at Los Lances arriving around 8:15am. First birds were Corn Buntings, Spotless Starlings and Common Stonechats but we soon bumped into some colour when a Hoopoe flushed from the track side and a small flock of some 40 Yellow Wagtails were seen in the fields with some cattle.


a dull start - the boardwalk at Los Lances

From the hide we listed Audouin's Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Kingfisher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Ringed and Kentish Plover, Dunlin and a few Oystercatchers. A couple of Marsh Harriers flew over but not much else, more birds were seen on the  grass fields behind the beach, Short-toed Lark, Skylark, another Hoopoe but not much else.

 

From Los Lances we drove to La Janda some 15 minutes away, where we spent a couple of hours watching a variety of species. Generally it was relatively quiet because not much open water can be seen but huge numbers of White Storks and Egrets little the rice fields. Raptors were particularly good with a Long-legged Buzzard topping the bill followed closely by Black-winged Kite, a fair number of Short-toed Eagles sat on pylons and several Montagu's Harriers quartered the fields with similar numbers of Marsh Harriers.

walking in sunshine

We drove then central track and listed Green Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and enjoyed great views of Spanish Sparrows, Zitting Cisticola, Linnets, Goldfinches and Serins. A few Turtle Doves were a bonus as were a few more Yellow Wagtails.

At the smelly farm we saw a large flock of Jackdaws, a Peregrine Falcon (mobbed by a Kestrel) and all the time large flocks of White Storks drifted over. But our best bird by far was the Red-necked Nightjar, we found 4 in the hedgerow sleeping in the leaf litter, fantastic views and some excellent photographs we taken from not too close a distance.

one of the sleeping beauties - Red-necked Noghtjar

A couple of Woodchat Shrikes, Little Grebe, Common Coot, Northern Lapwing and more Ibis rounded off our species count at La Janda.

Our visit to the golf complex was short and sweet, the 'wintering'  Bald Ibis flock were where they should be, on the driving range! We also enjoyed many birds bathing and drinking in a small pool, good numbers of Goldfinches were joined by Serins, House Sparrows and a single Pied Flycatcher and as we left the complex we noted Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch and more Serins on the lawns at the gatehouse.

It was now blazing sunshine and getting quite warm so a cold drink was nice at a venta in Vejer, then we drove to Barbate Marshes to enjoyed an hour in the later afternoon sunshine. It was high tide, hundreds of Gulls sat loafing on the islands in the huge wader scrapes at Barbate Marshes, we noted many more Audouin's Gulls with Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. A few Little Terns were nice as was a giant Caspain Tern. A couple of Stone Curlew were added and wader numbers included: Ruff, Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed and Kentish Plover, Sanderling and Dunlin.

female Red_veined Darter

For the last birding we drove further into the reserve and added a few species, Red Knot, Greater Flamingo, Common Sandpiper and another Caspian Tern.

Our drive back to the hotel took just 25 minutes, giving us time for a swim, to relax or to answer a plethora of e-mails, guess what I did!

Dinner on the terrace was lovely, a nice cool breeze and a colourful setting sun, nice food, glass of wine, lovely company, somebody pinch me!

 

 

 

 

TARIFA, SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 1 - 10TH SEPT 2014

MALAGA AIRPORT - GUADALMAR - ESTAPONA GOLF COURSE - PALMONES - OJEN VALLEY TARIFA.

The Tour began at Malaga Airport as I collected six of my clients, Mike, Lorna, Chris, Janet, Colin and Maureen all arrived relatively on time. We quickly loaded up the bus and  drove the short distance to The Tryp Hotel in Guadalmar to collect Tony and Christine.

A short birding stop very the near the hotel  failed to produce the hoped for Hoopoe or Bee-eater but we did see Monk Parakeet, Common Kestrel, Cattle Egret, Red-rumped Swallow and Booted Eagle.

the group at Palmones

After a quick stop at the local supermarket, where we bought lunch, we set off along the coast towards Tarifa. After about an hour we stopped to eat our picnic lunch very near to Estapona Golf Course, during lunch we found Spotted Flycatcher, Common Stonechat and several European  Bee-eaters. A short drive deeper into the golf complex was rewarded with great views of 5 Eurasian Hoopoes, they sat on the lush green fairway whilst both White and Yellow Wagtail dashed about nearby. We also saw Northern Wheatear before we continued our journey to Tarifa.

Monarch Butterfly

Just outside of Algeciras there is a good birding area besides the town of Palmones, the salt marshes of the same name usually hold quite a few species. We walked the promenade whilst scanning the salt marsh, this produced sightings of Grey Heron, Little Egret, Great Cormorant and Lesser-black Backed and Yellow-legged Gull.

On a sand-bar we found Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Terns, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover and Ringed Plover. An Osprey on a distant pole was a nice bonus for us.

Keeled Skimmed

The final leg of the journey took us passed Tarifa to our hotel near the Los Lances Beach, we checked in, unpacked and came back out for an hour's birding before dinner. The trip into rhe Ojen was very pleasant, we noted Corn Bunting, Common Stonechat, Cattle Egret, Spotless Starling and a Common Kestrel. We parked by a dry stream and walked for a while, but soon we were watching MONARCH butterflies, these magnificent beasts stole the show. Views of Alpine, Pallid and Common Swifts were over shadowed by rhe MONARCHS. However our walked gave us good sightings of Red-rumped Swallow, Zitting Cisticola, Northern Wheatear, Griffon Vulture and six Black Storks that drifted over us at some grate height.

Zitting Cisticola

That finalised our first day, we got back to the hotel in plenty of time before dinner was served on the terrace at 8pm.

 

 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 7 - 9TH SEPT 2014

JIMENA DE LA FRONTERA - CASTELLAR CASTLE - EMBALSE DE GUADARRANQUE

This was my last day with Mike and Lindsay, they decided that they wanted a quiet, slow and short day and that is exactly what they got.

We left the village at 9am and robe down towards the coast on the Algeciras road making one stop in the fields just below Jimena. It was already hot, the westerly breeze that we had enjoyed for the last week was barely perceptible today. Several flocks of Corn Buntings sat on the power lines and the ubiquitous Stonechat was everywhere, we listed our first Red-rumped Swallow for the trip and we watched a small group of Griffon Vultures with one Short-toed Eagle.

 

Common Stonechats

From Jimena we drove further towards the coast turning off at Castellar and headed up to the castle, a quick stop at a bridge produced a few birds and some nice butterflies. The star butterfly was the MONARCH what a beauty that one os, we saw several feeding on Lantana. A very close Firecrest was lovely to see and we also saw Common Whitethroat, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit and a European Robin.

view from the castle of Castellar

We spent an hour at the castle enjoying the views the small 'village' inside the walls and a few birds, but not the White-rumped Swift, we only saw Crag Martin, House Martin, Barn Swallow and Pallid Swift.

We then drove back down the hill and parked next to the huge 'embalse' - reservoir, at a mirador where we ate lunch and sat for an hour watching Two-tailed Pasha butterflies, these magnificent beasts use the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) as a host plant and the males guard them then vigorously. We sat near one of the trees and a male Pashha sat with us, he entertained us for an hour and even landed on my hat!

Monarch Butterfly

After that we drove back to Gaucin via the track at Marchenilla, we searched for Bee-eaters but came away empty handed, we did find Woodchat Shrike, Tawny Pipit, Serin and few common species.

the magnificent Two-tailed Pasha

 

Well that ended our birding tour, after another superb dinner cooked by Dawn we completed the bird log finishing with a total of 140 species with a couple heard not seen. We recorded over 20 butterflies and a few dragonflies. Our last journey back to Gaucin also produced brief views of Egyptian Mongoose!

Lindsay and Mike - swift watching

view from the top of the Marchenillo track

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 6 - 8TH SEPT 2014

TARIFA RAPTOR WATCH POINTS - (AL GORROBA and  CAZALLA) - LA JANDA - BARBATE MARSHES

It was a fabulous day today, lovely weather, great birds and some exciting finds. I left the village at 8am together with Mike and Lindsay, we headed for the coast making one stop to collect my other two passengers Peter and Penny. Whilst waiting for P & P we scanned the nearby mountainside and found a pair of Red-billed Chough and several Griffon Vultures.

view across the Strait of Gibraltar  to Morocco

It took about 45 minutes to get to our first destination which was a raptor watch-point situated on the slopes above Algeciras heading towards Tarifa. The watch-point, called Al Gorrobo, was very busy with many birders watching the sky and counting raptors. The sky wasn't full of birds but we had bursts of activity. At times there were 100 birds above us and many more were dotted over the hills.

Honey Buzzards were the dominant species but many Black Kites, Griffon Vultures, Booted Eagles, Short-toed Eagles and Sparrowhawks were also seen. A Peregrine was found perched on a pylon, 3 Egyptian Vultures circled in rhe distance and large flocks of Alpine Swifts passed by. Much lower down we found a couple of Golden Orioles and many Spotless Starlings.

Juvenile Purple Heron - photo taken by Penny

We then drove on towards Tarifa stopping at Cazalla which is another of the raptor watch-points, it was crowded with birders, we had just missed a Lanner Falcon sighting but we all saw a Long-legged Buzzard which drifted right over the top of us. Some of the raptors were much closer here and we enjoyed our stay there but we moved on after about an hour.

At La Janda we had a great time cruising the tracks and trails stopping every so often to scope a sighting. We saw lots of Green Sandpipers, Corn Buntings, Little and Cattle Egrets and huge numbers of White Storks. A Purple Heron sat on a bank with a small group of  Little Egrets, many sandpipers fed in one of the rice fields, several Montagu's Harriers skimmed the rice and a few Marsh Harriers searched the rough pastures and ditches for lunch. Above us there were always groups of White Storks, flocks of Wood Pigeon and the occasional raptor.

Banded Groundling - taken by Penny

We drove onto the track to the 'smelly farm' sighting a single Turtle Dove and more flocks of Goldfinches, Linnets and Sparrows. Our picnic lunch was taken along this track and whilst eating we saw two Bonelli's Eagles circling above us.

Following lunch we continued to the 'smelly farm' stopping on rhe rise just before it, this was a known site for roosting Nightjars and within minutes we located a couple of them sitting in  a shady spot in the leaf litter.

looking at a Red-necked Nightjar

 

 

 

R N Nightjar - above taken by Penny

After that excitement we srove onto the Benalup track passing the farm where a flock of Jackdaws were seen. At a small pool near Benalup we watched a group of Glossy Ibis before seating off back across La Janda towards Vejer.

A couple of stops produced some good birds, the first was a Black-winged Kite perched high up on a pylon and the second stop was to watch hundreds of Glossy Ibis and thousands of White Storks in the rice fields, a good number of Black-winged Stilts joined them.

We left La Janda and drove towards Vejer turning off onto a golf course where we searched for Bald Ibis, sure enough a small flock of these reintroduced rare birds was found, ugly but nice to find.

ugly but nice to find - Bald Ibis

From the golf course we drove round to Barbate Marshes on the coast, it was still pretty warm but a nice breeze kept us cool. Huge numbers of gulls 'loafed' on the large open islands in the centre of the marshes, we saw over 50 Audouin's Gulls and hundreds of Yellow-legged Gulls, Lesser-black Backed Gulls and a few Black-headed Gulls. Wader sightings included Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper. A few Little Terns fed nearby and a small group of Eurasian Spoonbills fed in the near distance.

We left the area at 5pm making only one stop at the mirador Estrecho where the views to Morocco were fantastic in the brilliant afternoon light.

 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 5 - 7TH SEPT 2014

 

ENCINAS BORRACHES TRACK - SIERRA SE LAS NIEVES - LAGUNA DULCE AT CAMPILLOS

A terrific and prolific day in the mountains near Ronda. We were joined by Peter for the day, an Ex-pat living in Toronto, Canada. We collected him just outside of the village and set off on rhe road ro Ronda.

Just before we turned off rhe road to the Encinas Track we noted Rock Sparrow, Rock Bunting and Crag Martin on or near the roadside walls.

Encinas Borraches was as good as usual, we never walked too far because I only wanted to show  Peter a few species there. Within 30 minutes we had found: Northern and Black-eared Wheatear, Thekla Lark, Common Stonechat and we had superb views of Blue Rock Thrush. After searching for Southern Grey Shrike without success we walked back to the bus and along the way we found not one but two juvenile ROCK THRUSHES. Amazingly they stayed in view and let us get quite close.

ROCK THRUSH along the Encinas Borraches track

We then drove to the Sierras de las Nieves and had a great couple of hours, first we birded around the entrance area and listed several Common Redstarts, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Jay, Eurasian Chiffchaff and a fly over Southern Grey Shrike. We then spent a lot of time travelling deeper into the park stopping as and when we found something to look at. More Redstarts appeared we then saw Black Wheatear, Common Kestrel, Booted Eagle and a superb Firecrest.

Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler at the 'splash pool'

Our penultimate stop in park produced the most birds, we parked by a natural spring and put in a lot time watching for birds coming to drink. After about 30 minutes we had only seen Grey Wagtail, European Robin and Eurasian Nuthatch, however over the next 10 minutes we located a mixed feeding flock containing: Firecrest, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Eurasian Chiffchaff, Eurasian Nuthatch and Spotted Flycatcher.

Lastly we parked by a drinking trough where a pool of water formed below it because of a leak. We ate our picnic lunch watching several species coming to drink and bathe. It was great to see Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff side by side, we also saw Pied Flycatcher, Great Tit, Common Redstart and Eurasian Nuthatch.

Pied Flycatcher

After a quick coffee stop we drove to Campillos to visit the Laguna Dulce, the water was covered in birds as usual. We listed about 25 species including some goodies such as; FERRUGINOUS DUCK, WHITE HEADED DUCK, NORTHERN PINTAIL, Greater Flamingo and all three grebes. Waders included: Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe, Little Stint, common and Green Sandpiper, Cirlew Sandpiper, Black-winged Stint and Little Ringed Plover. A perched Marsh Harrier proved popular and we also had a possible Peregrine whizz by.

Lastly we drove round to the famous Fuente de Piedra  laguna which was almost completely dry, we did manage a couple of goodies along the way, Stone Curlew and Eurasian Hoopoe and we added Zitting Cisticola on the way back.

We did stop at the Teba raptor view point and watch a few Griffon Vultures and not much else, so we went on home.

 

 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 4 - 6TH SEPT 2014

RIO GENAL - SECADERO TRACK - PALMONES - RIO GUADIARO AT EL COLMENAR - VULTURE FEEDING STATION

Not so hot today, a cooling breeze stayed with us all day and kept temperatures just right. Mike and Lindsay came out for their forth day and were as wager as the first.

lunch at the river

We headed for the coast stopping first at Rio Genal just below Gaucin. We hoped for Hawfinch or Golden Oriole but got neither, instead we saw a couple of Common Buzzards, several Honey Buzzards and a few Wagtails along the river.

The Rio Guadiaro

Along the Secadero track we found a lot more species it was very good birding, lots of migrants and there were always raptors in the sky. Good numbers of Yellow Wagtails we found in a recently cropped alfalfa field and Woodchat Shrikes, Stonechats, Northern Wheatears and Spotted Flycatchers appeared on fences. A Peregrine Falcon sat on a pylon devouring some poor little birdie and both Booted and Short-toed Eagles were plentiful.

Yellow Wagtail

The river held good numbers of White Wagtails, Little Ringed Plovers and Green Sandpipers but we also saw Common Kingfisher, Little Egret, Grey Heron and lots of Corn Buntings, Goldfinches, Linnets and Serins.

Our timing for the tidal salt marsh at Palmones was a little out but we arrived with enough time to see most species before they flew off to roost on a rising tide. A couple of nice surprises were: Glossy Ibis and Collared Pratincole (singles of both) but we also enjoyed a selection of waders: Oystercatcher, Grey Plover (some still sporting summer outfits), Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin, Kentish Plover and over 50 White Storks.

Little Ringed Plover

An Osprey sat in the middle of the marsh and a Marsh Harrier hunted over it whilst Sandwich and Little Terns fished the channels.

From Palmones we drove all the way back to Gaucin and turned down to El Colmenar where we sat by the Rio Guadiaro and ate a late picnic lunch. At the river we watched Eurasian Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcap and more Wagtails.

Violet Dropwing

We logged some nice dragonflies and damselflies, Copper Demoiselle, Violet Dropwing, Scarlet Dropwing, Ringed Cascader and Common Winter Damsel.

 

 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 3 - 5TH SEPT 2014

ENCINAS BORRACHES TRACK - SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES

A later start today saw us leaving the village at 8:30am, my two guests, Mike and Lindsay wanted a short day so we were only visiting two sites in the mountains near Ronda.

However we did make a couple of other short stops including the Sweet Chestnut Woods just outside the village. We didn't stay long because it was very quiet, we saw a Sparrowhawk, Blue Tit and heard  a Eurasian Nuthatch and that just about sums up our visit.



Thekla Lark

'
Next we stopped a kilometer outside of the village of Atajate where we watched from the roadside, a good number of birds we flitting about. We looked over a man-made wall to view Black Wheatear, Rock Bunting, Common Stonechat, Goldfinch and a couple of Sardinian Warblers.

Common Redstart

Over the next two hours we walked the Encinas Borraches Track, the sun was well up in the sky and we had a lovely breeze which kept the temperature at a nice level. We enjoyed superb bird and butterfly watching, the light was superb and the scenery was terrific.



a flock of Hermits? Isn't that a contradiction in terms

 

We quickly located Southern Grey Shrike, Black-eared Wheatear and Thekla Lark. then we moved to a more scrubby area and found Spectacled Warbler, Hoopoe, lots of Goldfinches and more Thekla Larks.

A Little Owl sat out on a wall and a Blue Rock Thrush perched out on top of a rock for us to admire. We walked as far as the edge of an oak wood where we found a Subalpine Warbler and a small herd of Red Deer. On our return journey we noticed several butterfly species on the wing, including The Hermit, Grayling, Clouded Yellow, Bath White, Spanish Gatekeeper asn Sagr Skipper. We also picked up a Woodchat Shrike as we neared the bus.


Sage Skipper

From there we drove to the Sierra se las Nieves Natural Park where sat eating our picnic lunch as we watched many Common Redstarts, Eurasian Jays, Spotted Flycatcher and another Hoopoe. A quick coffee break followed lunch, we sat at a roadside café as we scanned the sky for raptors. We listed Short-toed Eagle, Black Kite and Griffon Vulture before we left.


at the river Guadiaro

I dropped off Mike and Lindsay in the centre of Ronda for a quick tourist half-hour before we drove to the Cueva de Gato site in the upper Guadiaro Valley near Benaojan. The scenery was terrific but it was now too hot for birding, however we did find an Olivaceous Warbler and a White Wagtail, several Crag Martins were still flying around the cave.

the beautiful blue pool at the Cueva de Gato

it was now after 3pm and we decided to head back, we had planned an early finish by getting back by 4pm which we duly did.




 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 2 - 4TH SEPT 2014

SAN ENRIQUE WOODS - MARCHENILLA TRACK - PALMONES SALT MARSH

Another very warm day with a lovely breeze which stopped us from melting in the bright sunshine. Today we were joined by Geoff & Jane and Mark & Debbie, they were joining us for today.

We collected our four new friends from Torreguadiaro at the coast and once we were all loaded into the bus we drove a short distance to the deciduous woods at San Enrique. I was hoping for sightings of migrant passerines but what we got was a lovely spectacle of migrating raptors.


they don't often perch out in the open like this - Common Kingfisher

A spotted Flycatcher was the first bird in the scope but already at 8:45am there were many Black Kites and Honey Buzzards in the sky.  The woods were very quiet we saw another couple of Spotted Flycatchers and a single Pied Flycatcher and that was all. So we walked to the edge of the wood and stood on the bank of the River Guadiaro.

Over the next hour and a half we had a great time watching a huge passage of raptors we even saw Honey Buzzard and Black Kites perched out on the shingle banks. At times the sky seemed full of birds, kites, buzzards, swifts, swallows and the odd Booted Eagle. The river birds weren't bad either. A pair of Kingfishers delighted the group for along time, they dashed about and sat in the open for us to admire.

Marchenilla track - Eurasian Hoopoe and Black-eared Wheatear

Other birds seen on or near the water included: White Wagtail, Common Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Great Cormorant, Night Heron, Little & Cattle Egrets and a Cetti's Warbler sang intermittently from the dense scrub. As the morning wore on the raptor passage fizzled out to nothing so we moved back into the wood noting Eurasian Hoopoe, Blue Tit and more flycatchers.

Next we drove to the Marchenilla track approaching from the Jimena/San Roque road, we walked a good way along the track and had good sightings of Crested Lark, Common Kestrel, Common Stonechat, Woodchat Shrike, Northern Wheatear and another Hoopoe. Further along the track we caught sight of the expected Montagu's Harrier, in fact we saw three of them.

juvenile Woodchat Shrike

After a quick stop for cold drinks we drove across to Pinar del Rey where we sat under shade of the 'umbrella pines' to eat our picnic lunch, we saw a few Cattle Egrets and White Storks along the way. In woods we only saw a Jay but to be fair it was very hot and the birds were very quiet.

For the final session we drove to the edge of Algeciras and looked over the Salt Marsh at Palmones from the raised hide in the Torrejon municipal park. We had a lovely couple of hours there enjoying many bird sightings as the tide receded and more muddy banks became exposed.

the group relaxing in the hide at Palmones

An Osprey sat eating a fish in the distance and proved to be very popular in the ranks but a good selection of waders were enjoyed by all. Black-winged Stilts, Redshank, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper all showed well. We saw Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Black Headed Gull, another Montagu's Harrier and a good number of White Storks circled on the thermals.

We called it a day at 4pm and it was still very hot as we walked back to the bus. Our day total was 53 species.

 

SPAIN: 7 - DAY TOUR - AUTUMN MIGRATION - DAY 1 - 3RD SEPT 2014

DESEMBOCADURA DE GUADALHORCE - CASARES - RIO GENAL

I collected Mike and Lindsey from an hotel near Malaga Airport to take them on this terrific autumn migration tour of southern Spain.

The weather was very hot but an onshore wind kept us cool enough to cope with the heat. A short drive from the airport found us at the eastern end of the Guadalhorce nature reserve. It was very dry the eastern arm of the river had virtually dried up but a few birds were present, a Yellow Wagtail was our  first bird of the trip it was an amazing colour for this time of the year. Then we found several Little Ringed Plovers and lots of Yellow-legged Gulls were flying over.

We drove into the centre of the reserve and parked on a high bank, from there we saw Mallard, Black-headed Gull and a bunch of Crested Larks. For the mext hour we walked along the central raised bank noting thousands of gulls and few waders. The gull flock included a few Audouin's Gulls, one of which was ringed, the ring number was noted and later we discovered the bird was ringed at Matalascanas, Coto Donana in 2012.

the ringed Audouin's Gull

Wader sightings were few and far between but we managed good views of Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Black-winged Stilt, Common Snipe, Curlew Sandpiper and we added Teal and Gadwall to our duck list.

From there we drove to Gaucin making a short stop to eat our picnic lunch where we saw Booted and Short-toed Eagles and we stopped at the village of Casares to watch a number of Griffon Vultures drifting over us and several Pallid Swifts dashed about.


Mike and Lindsay down by the river

Finally we stopped for a walk at the river Genal where it was extremely hot, we stayed in the shade but saw few species. Grey Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, Sardinian Warbler, Goldfinch, Serin and a few butterflies.

We arrived in Gaucin at 5pm where we relaxed before tucking into a lovely chicken dinner cooked by my lovely wife, Dawn. We clocked just 40 species, a slow start but not bad considering the weather.