John Cantelo
Well-known member
Thanks for the update. Things are clearly very serious but I hope he manages a speedy recovery. Please keep me updated either here or via a PM.
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Birdwatching in Straits of Gibraltar & La Janda (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Birdman7
- Start date
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I had a tweet from Eddy today and, although still unwell, he's hoping to go home from hospital in the near future. I know all his friends here will wish him all the very best and hope to see him out in the field come the autumn if not before.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
I had hoped to pop in to see Eddy in hospital this week, but sadly I can confirm that since mid August Eddy is no longer with us. I was shown a photo of his grave a few days ago. A good man, sadly missed by the Spanish birders I’ve spoken to this week. I often went to Algarrobo for no other reason than for his company.
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N Might be of interest to someone who covers this area.
A copy of our approach to Gibralter and then sail- out from Gibralter on the return aboard the Aurora from my report on vacations forum.
5th August going towards the Med
We headed down the west coast of Spain and Portugal, towards our next destination, Barcelona.
We disturbed two rafts of Cory’s Shearwater[42 and 38], off Cape St.Vincent, Portugal and more birds appeared as we neared the Gibraltar Straits in the evening.
There were 28 Cory’s Shearwater, 8 Northern Gannet and a Yellow-legged Gull.
We’d see a lot more on the return leg, as we would be on the inside lane, much closer to the coast of Spain.
6 Whales and 12 Dolphins were spotted during the day.
We sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar, near midnight when the ship reduced its speed to 14 knots, to comply with restrictions during the whale breeding season.
13th August returning from the Med.
We spent the morning and early afternoon in Gibraltar.
In order to escape the thousands of thronging masses in the the duty free shops[ whisky £8 a litre, rum £8.50 a litre, cigars £2.50 a packet of five], we headed towards the more peaceful Alameda Gardens. If the information boards are to be believed, Sardinian Warbler and Blackcap breed there. There was a Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Blue Tit, as well as many Blackbird, House Sparrow and Collared Dove.
The sail-out was a real Dolphin-fest with well over 100 giving us a send-off, many close to the ship[not sure why some passengers had spent £45 each to go on a Dolphin watching trip in Gibraltar!].
Not too far out, we encountered 27 Cory’s Shearwater and several Yellow-legged Gull
It went rather quiet as we sailed through the straits but things livened up as we drew close to the Cadiz area which could be clearly seen on our starboard side.
Three Swift species flew over, then we came across 184 Cory’s Shearwater, the most seen in one area, during the entire trip.
Thirteen Northern Gannet were also spotted along with 2 Great Skua.
A copy of our approach to Gibralter and then sail- out from Gibralter on the return aboard the Aurora from my report on vacations forum.
5th August going towards the Med
We headed down the west coast of Spain and Portugal, towards our next destination, Barcelona.
We disturbed two rafts of Cory’s Shearwater[42 and 38], off Cape St.Vincent, Portugal and more birds appeared as we neared the Gibraltar Straits in the evening.
There were 28 Cory’s Shearwater, 8 Northern Gannet and a Yellow-legged Gull.
We’d see a lot more on the return leg, as we would be on the inside lane, much closer to the coast of Spain.
6 Whales and 12 Dolphins were spotted during the day.
We sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar, near midnight when the ship reduced its speed to 14 knots, to comply with restrictions during the whale breeding season.
13th August returning from the Med.
We spent the morning and early afternoon in Gibraltar.
In order to escape the thousands of thronging masses in the the duty free shops[ whisky £8 a litre, rum £8.50 a litre, cigars £2.50 a packet of five], we headed towards the more peaceful Alameda Gardens. If the information boards are to be believed, Sardinian Warbler and Blackcap breed there. There was a Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Blue Tit, as well as many Blackbird, House Sparrow and Collared Dove.
The sail-out was a real Dolphin-fest with well over 100 giving us a send-off, many close to the ship[not sure why some passengers had spent £45 each to go on a Dolphin watching trip in Gibraltar!].
Not too far out, we encountered 27 Cory’s Shearwater and several Yellow-legged Gull
It went rather quiet as we sailed through the straits but things livened up as we drew close to the Cadiz area which could be clearly seen on our starboard side.
Three Swift species flew over, then we came across 184 Cory’s Shearwater, the most seen in one area, during the entire trip.
Thirteen Northern Gannet were also spotted along with 2 Great Skua.
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tperry
Well-known member
occasional
Well-known member
Olive-backed pipit(s) in the NE corner of the NW sector of the Princess Sofia park in La Linea.
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Just back from a short weekend in southern Spain. We spent a few wet hours driving to and across La Janda last Friday. The weather was too foul to attempt the walk to the beach at Los Lances.
On the plus side the track into La Janda has just recently been regraded and is now as smooth as the proverbial baby's wotsit. We entered from the ex-Venta retina side. However, with all the rain it won't last long if they start putting heavy agricultural vehicles and lorries on it.
Started well with two Purple Swamphens out in the open at the start of the embankment. There were several Kestrels and Buzzards. Many small flocks of mostly Spanish Sparrows. About half way along the embankment was a field on the west side with plenty of weeds and about 200 Cranes, plenty of White Storks and Little Egrets, and 26 Spoonbill. There were also lots of Larks here - mostly Crested, but some Calandra and Short-toed too. Over the fields behind all this activity was a hovering Black-shouldered Kite. We saw another further along the track perched close to the track, but it flew before we were in camera range. 3/4 Marsh Harriers present. Not many Cattle Egrets. 2 Green Sandpipers and a few Lapwing were the only Waders we recorded, The track to Benalup was blocked (as usual in winter) by a huge puddle. We returned to the bridge junction and exited along the track towards Vejer. More wet fields here held at least another 300 Cranes, many White Storks 1 adult Black Stork, 2 Glossy Ibis and a Great White Egret. one Corn Bunting, one Chiffchaff, a few Chaffinches, a Peregrine, but not a single Duck, or any Bluethroats or Penduline Tits.
The drive home to Jimena was wet and sometimes dangerously so. As we arrived into Jimena a true and short-lived cloudburst deposited an immense amount of water and the roads were almost inundated.
On the plus side the track into La Janda has just recently been regraded and is now as smooth as the proverbial baby's wotsit. We entered from the ex-Venta retina side. However, with all the rain it won't last long if they start putting heavy agricultural vehicles and lorries on it.
Started well with two Purple Swamphens out in the open at the start of the embankment. There were several Kestrels and Buzzards. Many small flocks of mostly Spanish Sparrows. About half way along the embankment was a field on the west side with plenty of weeds and about 200 Cranes, plenty of White Storks and Little Egrets, and 26 Spoonbill. There were also lots of Larks here - mostly Crested, but some Calandra and Short-toed too. Over the fields behind all this activity was a hovering Black-shouldered Kite. We saw another further along the track perched close to the track, but it flew before we were in camera range. 3/4 Marsh Harriers present. Not many Cattle Egrets. 2 Green Sandpipers and a few Lapwing were the only Waders we recorded, The track to Benalup was blocked (as usual in winter) by a huge puddle. We returned to the bridge junction and exited along the track towards Vejer. More wet fields here held at least another 300 Cranes, many White Storks 1 adult Black Stork, 2 Glossy Ibis and a Great White Egret. one Corn Bunting, one Chiffchaff, a few Chaffinches, a Peregrine, but not a single Duck, or any Bluethroats or Penduline Tits.
The drive home to Jimena was wet and sometimes dangerously so. As we arrived into Jimena a true and short-lived cloudburst deposited an immense amount of water and the roads were almost inundated.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
We got lucky with the weather. We flew into Malaga in cloud and spots of rain on Saturday 4th January, but it was sunny by the time we got to Estepona and apart from some coastal cloud the following day (clear skies inland, where we went looking for alpine accentor) we had sunshine every day for the next two weeks, with very little cloud. The rain started when we were getting onto the plane at Malaga on the 18th.
That puddle at La Janda, north of the sluice on the road to Mediana was absent during our whole stay and the roadworks on the track from Venta Retin were just being completed in the first two days of our stay. Motorway standard.
The track in from the Vejer end of La Janda was best for black-shouldered kites, with two pairs. We saw odd individuals elsewhere. Most of the cranes, huge numbers, that were on the rice fields in their hundreds the week before we arrived had relocated to the fields on either side of the Facinas track near Cortijo Las Habas, behind Tahivilla, leaving smaller numbers on the rice fields. A surprise there was a black vulture sitting in a field with several hundred cranes on 16th January, a couple of days before we came home.
We had bluethroats at Bonanza.
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Jon Turner
Well-known member
I've never seen Alpine Accentor in 15 years of visiting SW Spain! Can you let me know where? Was it up at Montejaque? That's where I mostly look!
We had to go round again when landing in Gib. Fortunately he popped it in nicely second attempt. Malaga airport had been closed for much of the day (23rd) - not sure where we would have ended up.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
Alpine Acc was a target bird for this trip, photos of one, anyway. I'd never managed to get a pic in loads of visits to mountains in the south and in the Pyrenees.
I've only had the briefest of views of them, my first one at El Torcal in February in 2007. another one landed on the edge of the grass right next to my car in the car park at Candanchu in the Pyrenees a few years ago and stayed only long enough for my camera to start focusing, before it flew off over the top of the car, never to be seen again.
Spring 2019 I was back at Candancu, up the ski run, right on the French border when one landed on an outcrop I was walking past, but again it was off like a shot.
In December I saw a report that a group of 14 had been found in Sierra de las Nieves near Los Quejigales picnic area. I made further inquiries and was told how to get to where they'd been. It wasn't easy.
About 800m before Los Quejuigales is a chained-off track to the right. I parked there (a little over 1300m) and set off uphill. After some pine woodland is a bare area and I was hoping they'd be there, because I'm not a fan of tramping up hills. They weren't.
We kept going, me with about a stone or more of camera kit and a coat that I soon wished that I'd left in the car. The temperature was only 9°, but the sun made up for it. Pleasantly warm (without the coat). The track entered more pines for a couple of km, before coming out onto bare ground again. It runs uphill from where I parked the car at a constant grade of about 1 in 10 for a bit over 4km to the top at Puerto de los Pilones.
At around 1700m I was thinking we were onto a loser when that one in the photo landed on a big rock right next to me. It then flew across the track to the top of a lightning-blasted pine tree, where it was joined by a second bird. They came onto the ground and moved closer and we had them with us for a little over 10 minutes before they flew off.
Later in the week we went looking for more, firstly at El Torcal, where I'd seen my first one in 2007, but although we had great views of male ibex grazing right next to us there were no Alpine accs.
Next day we tried Grazalema, towards the radio masts at Puerto de las Palomas, but when I came out of the trees and saw the climb to the bare ground at the top, I realised my heart wasn't in it, because of the second location I had lined up for that day. Llanos de Libar at Montejaque, that should have been an easier option. No luck there either. Spent time on foot scanning the rocks, but at least I could drive the track at this time of year.
I know from other reports that single birds had been seen in 'Sierra de las Nieves general area' and I assumed that these were at the same location as I'd found my pair. Co-ords 36° 41' 15"N, 5° 2' 00"W.
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occasional
Well-known member
White-backed vulture at Los Barrios rubbish dump recently. Most easily identified by the jewellery which it is carrying - otherwise by size and the relatively extensive black face.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
E-bird tells me it was captured and ringed at La Zarga (near Bolonia) on Friday 3 Dec. Is the sighting at Los Barrios an additional one?
occasional
Well-known member
Same bird on various occasions. I am told that there is speculation about a second bird.
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occasional
Well-known member
One lesser crested tern at Marismas de Palmones today.
simple
Well-known member
First White-backed Vulture tagged in Spain and Europe
It is hoped the bird will reveal valuable information on the dispersal and movements of Critically Endangered African vultures.
www.birdguides.com
Kevin Wade
Well-known member
Also one bird there on 22/01/2022
Back in 2019 my wife and I spent some time traveling and birding in southern Spain. Much of the time was in Cádiz Province, with some birding around Tarifa and La Janda. I finally got around to putting all my notes into a trip report. If interested it's here:
A million thanks to John Cantelo for his invaluable advice and guide to birding Cádiz Province, which made the trip so much more enjoyable.
A million thanks to John Cantelo for his invaluable advice and guide to birding Cádiz Province, which made the trip so much more enjoyable.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
A good trip report. Thanks for your kind comment here and in your report. It's always a pleasure to help fellow birders get the most out of their trip so I'm delighted to hear that you had such a good time and that my notes were so helpful. When friends join me in Spain Llanos de Libar is always their favourite even if Bonelli's Eagle seem not to be quite as reliable as I suggest, but at least they did the decent thing eventually.
