strait nature news

A Calandra Lark  - Come and listen to their wonderful song!

February 2007

26th February - First of the Egyptian Vultures Cross Back to Europe - Stephen Knapp writes

One adult bird seen crossing over the Sierra del Bartolome near Bolonia today.

The Black Swans are still milling about on the flooded rice fields. More Hoopoes around and some Booted Eagles flying in a huge flock of spiraling Griffon Vultures. Also included about thirty Black Kites which are now plentiful each day. Black Shouldered Kites were seen a food exchange . Three Adult Black Storks were watched and one Little Bittern also seen flying out of the reed beds. Loads of Hirundines  are about with Barn Swallows making up the bulk of these lovely, long-distance migrants.

An adult Spanish Imperial Eagle flew high near the Sierra de Retin and a Black Vulture was noticed in amongst a spiraling flock of Griffon Vultures nearby. I seemed like there was a fallen cow or horse on the ground below the hungry group. Last weeks rain showers probably prevented them from feeding and any sick animal would have more than likely succumbed  with the colder temperatures and rain. Hoopoes, Woodchat Shrikes and some Glossy Ibis were around the La Janda area while down at Barbate's military area Black-crowned Night Herons, Squacco Herons and masses of White Storks stood around the main tributary from La Janda where an Osprey fed on a fish also on the mudflat banks.

18th - 21st February - Woodchat Shrikes, Yellow Wagtails, Black Swans and more! - Stephen Knapp writes

Stephen Daly had showed our clients,Leo and Anne and Paul and Susan, the good spots in and around the Coto Doñana and in fact made a short trip into Portugal! I had the pleasure of showing them some excellent birding on The Strait which started off fantastically with some Woodchat Shrikes, Spoonbills, Hoopoes coming through. We came upon juvenile Bonelli's Eagles with some Booted Eagles showing really well near Finca Los Charcones and I was able to point out the ID features on each raptor. Other raptors seen were Marsh Harriers (in abundance), a few Hen Harriers and Waders included the usual Greed and Common Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, Ruff and Snipe. Cetti's Warblers were out in the open exploding with song every few yards and Kingfishers darted across the fields in front of us. I didn't manage to see Great Spotted Cuckoos or Short-eared Owls even although Stephen told me where he last saw both species, instead we came across three Black Swans (Cygnus atratus) in the rice fields on the south-west side of La Janda!

14th-17th February - What´s Happening To The Coto Doñana - Stephen Daly takes a close look at the downside of this

protected area

I had a booking with two clients who booked a week with us on the southern coast in Andalucia, and wished to visit the large silted delta area, known as the Coto Doñana. Spending three nights in El Rocó at the Hotel Turuño, we explored the of the parks and the surrounding countryside. Many species congregate here, especially on the marshes to the south of El Rocío within the Parque Nacional boundaries. Access there is extremely limited.

The best place to go to would be the José Antonio Valverde Centre. The tracks that lead there are in a pretty poor state especially in winter and spring, but if you take it easy driving along 30kms of these poor tracks, you can inspect the ditches, canals and surrounding fields for many waterfowl and waders. Thousands of Greater Flamingo's congregate there to feed before dispersing to their breeding sites. Hundreds of thousands of ducks which this year saw thousands of Pintails, Mallards, Shovellers and Pochard's feeding. Huge flocks of Glossy Ibis that pass along The Strait after crossing over from Morocco, invariably congregate and breed in the Doñana and other areas in Europe. Their increasing breeding success shows that they are today a fairly common bird to see throughout Spain Portugal and southern France. The same can be said for Eurasian Spoonbills, Purple Swamphens and Black-shouldered Kites to name but a few. It's a great pity that the re-introduction programme on Spanish Imperial Eagle,Red-knobbed Coots hasn't taken off in the same way with similar numbers.

Red Darter

The amount of surrounding land that has been drained and turned into agricultural areas is  mind-blowing. This is a massive silted up area and over the millenary has increased in size, and of course is still increasing into the Atlantic Ocean. Draining the land for crops is an on-going affair. Land is fenced off, drains put in and it's left to get washed each winter with the rains helping to reduce the salinity to turn it into land for crop production.

The richness of all the silts washed down from the higher ground in the north is ideal as feeding grounds to millions of birds, insects and all other forms of life. It's just such a pity that money does in fact talk and the new swathes of endless orange and olive groves, rice fields and soft fruit farms seems to be much more important than additional protective conservation.

While I'm looking at the whole question of the use of the Doñana, it's fair to say that with out founding members of of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Like José Antonio Valverde, Chris Mead and others, the National Park for the Doñana hunting reserves would have never have been established. Not so long ago throughout Spain, locals were encouraged to hunt any Eagles and bring them to local estates where a bounty for each eagle killed was paid to the hunter - on the spot! This is only forty years ago and in population terms, the near eradication of some raptor species in Andalucia will take a much longer time to recover. The absence of Carrion Crows in the south is a good indicator of the general problem and where there are estates with partridges and pheasants for hunting seems to tell one why this is.

The speeding up (no pun intended) of the decline of the Iberian Lynx in the Doñana area is the increase of road building and the volume of cars that use those lovely fast roads. A nearby motorway to the north taking traffic to Portugal literally cuts off the whole area to breeding Lynx. The natural boundary of the mighty Río Guadalquivir then runs through the Andalucian capital to the south, effectively sealing in the lynx to the west. Road upgrading and in some places illegal asphalting of  drovers roads,  literally lets drivers complete their journey times in half, getting from point A to B. The local community thinks this is wonderful and certainly brings a more modern aspect to the area famous for Wild West look-alike sets, with horses and riders on the sandy tracks that crisscross the flatlands of the Doñana. Add to all this the massive processions that bring over a million people to take part in the Romerías during Easter week, slap bang in the rearing of cubs season, and you have the answer not only to the decline of the Iberian Lynx, but many other species as well. Officially, there were over 30 (recovered) Lynx killed on the roads in Huelva province (Doñana) last year (2006). I know for a fact that there are some people who practice taxidermy as a hobby, selling in the main partridges in local "Venta" or roadside restaurants, that will, for a fee of course mount the head of an Iberian Lynx on a wooden plaque for you to proudly display on your living room wall.

It has to be said that this area is extremely rich in bird numbers, especially in winter after a lot of rain. We have been fortunate this year to have had good rainfall with water levels in the reservoirs and local dams almost full. The downside to the Doñana is that during the summer months, through until the first rains, which usually occur in late October, the whole area is as dry as a bone. During this time the lagoon at the south of El Rocó dries up and there may only be a trickle of water coming from La Rocina. Give me the Strait of Gibraltar any day with its stunning scenery, close proximity to Africa and such variable habitats that welcomes all types of birds on migration. We too have our problems with wind farm development and the ancillary tracks, electricity wires and pylons, industrial agriculture schemes, negligent water management, over-use of pesticides and organophosphate and the illegal hunting and indiscriminate shooting, but the National protective status of the Doñana and the surrounding natural Parks should be a beacon shining out to everyone, encouraging conservation and extending its umbrella to care for all the wildlife that exists. Then perhaps other areas can be saved if we realise what we have and fight to keep it and expand the parks boundaries.

4th February  - Some Lovely Mammals as well as Stunning Birding - Stephen Daly writes

After heavy showers that came during the week, Brian and Rose clients, from Sheffield and I went to look for the Spanish Imperial Eagles here on the Strait. We drove down to El Palmar and travelled east along the coast to see what early migrants might be seen. Black Kites were streaming in across the open water that separates Europe from Africa. Barn Swallows too kept Sand Martins company as they too too advantage of the break in the weather to make it across from Morocco.

The military were having manoeuvres on the beaches from Barbate to Zahara. Landing craft  were being sent from large naval ships anchored in the Strait to the beaches and and  Huey helicopters patrolled the skies above the sea. We decided to stay clear of the area and move inland through La Janda.

Glossy Ibis                                                Common Cranes

Hundreds Common Cranes were feeding on a large farm or finca across to the Alcornocales side of this huge area. The recent rains had turned most of the agricultural parts, consisting of many rice-field, into a huge lake. This is what La Janda's large plain should look like all the year round!

Twenty or so Griffon Vultures and one Black Vulture circled the woodland areas. Six Booted Eagles and one Short-toed Eagle were watched as were Hen and Marsh Harriers. Forty plus Black Kites came over our heads, three Red Kites, Black-shouldered Kites, plus lots of the resident Common Kestrels were seen at a fairly close distance.

An adult Spanish Imperial Eagle  flew over our house on the 23rd - What a garden tick!            Cirl Bunting

Short-eared Owls have started coming through now and we saw three birds, two of which were extremely close. Little Owls too were about and unfortunately found two dead on the roads. Stone Curlews were present in two large flocks of 22 and 43 respectively. Purple Swamphens are now active and displaying after keeping a low profile during the cooler months. Cetti's Warblers which normally can be heard and not seen were also displaying and seemed to be in abundance. When you get close up views of the Cetti's, you can see that their short wings make them a local bird and not really designed to migrate.

Common Sandpiper                                             Cetti's Warbler

Just as we were about to head for lunch, an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle came into view and we stayed to watch it soaring and circling the edge of the Alcornocales forest for about 35 minutes. Brian and Rose agreed that views of this rare eagle was certainly worth going hungry for!

After lunch at a local Venta or restaurant, we came across a pair of Otters along an open ditch near some meadow grazing. Otters have a huge territory and do move about a lot during the day although the chances of seeing them regularly are pretty small.

Firecrests, Long-tailed Tits, Eurasian Jays, Cirl Buntings, Nuthatch and Short-toed Treecreepers kept us occupied and literally hundreds of Song Thrushes flitted about the forest areas. A single Egyptian Mongoose suddenly came out the bushes with it's nose close to the ground, crossed the track in front of us and disappeared into the undergrowth on the other side. Magic!

Distant Black Shouldered Kites were seen hunting. Their distinctive bulky look and light coloured shape, together with strong hovering action gave us positive identification without the aid of telescopes.

Glossy Ibis and  some Eurasian Spoonbills were also seen flying across the rice fields.

Common Cuckoo like this hepatic form will be arriving on  The Strait of Gibraltar soon

2nd February - Down By The Riverside - A Walk in the Mountains - Stephen Daly writes

One of the most pleasant river walks in the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Grazelema is the one near Grazelema town. This is a wonderful and quite easy walk from the village of Benamahoma to the larger town of El Bosque. At Benamahoma you can park near two cafés where the signposts lead you to the start of the walk. Here you follow the river downhill through leafy glades and the abandoned ruins of water mills. The path is well made and probably well trodden over the centuries and is mixture of rock gravel and earth. Several little bridges have been built along the El Bosque river and the whole setting is quite picturesque with small canyons, pools and little waterfalls coursing over mossy boulders. Bird life here is plentiful and with luck you could spot a White-throated Dipper flying past or diving under the flowing river searching out water insects on the riverbed or underneath stones. The Dipper is a great little bird and I've timed them remaining underwater for more than 90 seconds! Kingfishers and Grey Wagtails are also present.

Dragonflies and Damsels fly over the calmer stretches of the river and skimmers and water boatmen skate and slide across the surface during the spring and summer months. Brown trout also feed in the lovely mountain water.

On parts of the walk, the steep-sided mountain slopes are covered with various types pines, Eucalyptus, Holm and Cork-oaks. Here Firecrests, Cirl Buntings, Crested and Long-tailed Tits flit though the treetops. On the barer, rocky sides keep an eye out for Blue Rock Thrushes perched or chasing insects. Black Wheatears can also be watched, usually above small villages or houses in the mountains. These lovely dark birds are resident to the area, choosing to stay the whole year, signifying that there is plenty of food for them and other species. Dashing Sparrowhawks, soaring Bonelli's Eagles, and gliding Griffon Vultures can also be a real treat to see flying above you or even when you reach El Bosque and are sitting outside with a coffee at the end of the walk.

The beautiful Copper Demoiselle

Butterflies too can be found throughout the year many colourful butterflies migrate from north and central Europe, south to winter in Andalucia. Many breed here and caterpillars can be found hatching during springtime. The Red Admiral, like a lot of butterflies is quite territorial and is one that you can see patrolling the same area each day. Other Butterflies that can be seen during the year in the mountains under 800m, include Scarce Swallowtail, Two-tailed Pasha, Spanish Festoon, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown and Large Tortoiseshell.

The walk is approximately 6kms long  and takes about 2 hours. There are a few bars and restaurants to choose from in El Bosque and couple of them specialize in fresh cooked trout – straight from the river. After lunch you can use the local taxi service to take you back up the mountain to Benamahoma if you don't want to walk back the same way.

Male Hen Harrier hunting over the rice-fields