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Archive March 2006

31st March - Mid-Spring Wildlife Just Doesn't Get any Better! - Stephen Daly writes
The day couldn't have started any better! Five of us went along the coast to see if we could get views of Montagu's Harriers. Stopping off the Vejer road we saw a beautiful male flying close by. He put on quite a display and came quite close. Just as this was going on a Stone Curlew flew past us and landed on some scrub land. Calandra, Thekla and crested Larks sang and flew around us and the lush green vegetation also held Linnets, Goldfinch, Woodchat Shrikes, Corn Buntings and Yellow Wagtails. Lesser and Common Kestrel were also seen. Travelling north west we stopped to watch more Monty's - five in all, quartering or sitting on distant posts. Red-legged Partridges, Jackdaws, Cattle and Little Egrets Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves and Turtle Doves were seen, but the Highlight was a wonderful flying display from one of the Black-shouldered Kites in the area. Subalpine Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Nightingales, Blackbirds, Spotless Starlings, Zitting Cisticolas, White Wagtails, Spotted Flycatchers, Sardinian Warblers and Cuckoos were seen around a wooded glade and near some small farm buildings. Bee-eaters constantly called overhead, Cuckoo's and Nightingales seemed to be calling from every corner and Booted and Short-toed Eagles came and went as the day progressed. Quail was also heard White Storks were in their hundreds as they rose ever higher in great Kettles over rich farmland and huge numbers of Griffon Vultures passed in the distance. We ate a a lovely traditional country restaurant for a meager eight Euros per head for three courses and drinks!
Travelling on to the plains of La Janda we came across hundreds of Mallard, some Teal and Shoveller, Green Sandpipers, Ringed Plovers, Snipe and Black-winged Stilts. Whilst watching more Griffons and a lovely dark phase Booted Eagle, a juvenille Golden Eagle came close and we watched it wheel and turn over the nearby rocky outcrops that break the cork-oak skyline on the first line of the southern side of the Alcornocales Natural Park. What a bird! Again Woodchat Shrikes were in abundance and Black Kites, Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards either flew nearby or sat on electricity pylons with more Booted and Short-toed Eagles coming in from the coast. Another two Black-shouldered Kites were seen and watched for what seemed to be ages. One of the birds, a tagged bird with the number 'Z1' on a red tag, was seen and has been here for over eight months now.
Hoopoes, Little Owls, Spoonbills, Cormorants, Collared Pratincoles, Greenfinches, Serins were seen in the final hour of the tour with Bee-eaters sitting on wires and a flock of thirteen Night Herons were watched flying above the Marismas Natural Park near Barbate. What a way to end a great day out.

28th March - Beautiful Weather Again - Stephen Daly writes
Clear blue skies, light winds and temperatures in the mid 20's have brought in countless migrant birds across the calm waters of the Strait of Gibraltar.
On the 27th, we lost count of Bee-eaters that were coming in across the Barbate cliffs. A rough estimate was 500 birds per 30 minutes! This went on for four hours, peaking at about 5pm, so you can calculate how many Bee-eaters crossed at one point in one afternoon - amazing. I was also wakened up in the middle of the night by Bee-eaters calling as they passed over our house, migrating at three in the morning.
I had to get on with some jobs around the house and in our garden this week - even still the Pallid and Common Swifts are present with Barn Swallows and their cousins, the lovely Red-rumped Swallows. A Short-toed Eagle flew over yesterday, low enough to make out his lovely orange eyes in fact! Griffon Vultures have also been passing daily and I watched a Purple Heron, Ravens, Common Buzzards, a Cuckoo and an Iberian Green Woodpecker all pass over our garden sometime this week. Not bad for a garden list at all.

26th March - Getting Ready for the Tuna - Stephen Daly writes
Going for a stroll along the beach between Barbate and Zahara de Los Atunes is always uplifting. During the bird migration in springtime it is positively magnificent.
I was walking along the shore both days when the tide was in and the wind was calm. Usually after a spell of stormy Atlantic weather, the sea brings great rollers in, that pond on the dunes and rocks, much to the delight of the surfers. Migrant birds too make use of the lull and clear visibility during this time. Bee-eaters continue to flood across with more Cuckoos turning up all along the woodland stretches all bright eyed and 'long' tailed.....
Spectacled Warblers Subalpine Warblers, Whitethroats, and resident Sardinian and Dartford Warblers were all feeding together south of Barbate and what a din they were making!
Out in the Strait, Pilot Whales were seen moving slowly out into the Atlantic. Meanwhile preparations are underway by the fishermen of Barbate, Conil and Zahara to set out the elaborate 'Almadraba' nets in time for the migration of both Blue Fin and Yellow fin Tuna. A timeless process of trapping what little remains of once gigantic shoals that streamed into the Mediterranean to spawn followed by hunting Orcas.
Raptors were in abundance with more Booted and Short-toed Eagles crossing. Sunday saw an huge 'kettle' of over three hundred White Storks come in over Barbate whilst having a quiet Sunday drink on the Paseo. Three Purple herons, twelve Glossy Ibis, sixteen Night Herons were also seen flying along the coast a few hundred metres out. At the estuary twenty Spoonbills and at least forty Greater Flamingoes fed and more that eighty Avocets came and went with the usual array of waders already listed here - Oh yes plus four Temminck's Stints, four Wood Sandpipers and seven Spotted Redshanks too!

23rd March - Back Watching the Migrants Fly Across the Strait - Stephen Daly writes
It's always interesting for birders to compare notes on what you saw even although you you were quite close to each other "as the crow flies". Stephen K was on the edge of the Doñana and I was with Gill and John from Hertfordshire checking out what was arriving from Morocco. We found the Northern Bald Ibis on the Military land near Barbate quite quickly and watched them fly around briefly before settling in grazing land searching and probing the soft ground for worms and insects. Moving down the coast we found five beautiful male Montagu's Harriers hunting grasshoppers across farmland. We had long and exceptionally close views of this stunning summer visitor as it flew gracefully and glided on long wings like a paper aeroplane.
Common and Lesser Kestrels were also much in evidence when we drove up to a rich plateau close to Vejer to catch some raptors. We left the mini-bus and walked to the top of a high hill that gave us views down the Strait to Atlanterra with the Riff mountains of northern Morocco in the distance. On our right we could look down the Atlantic coast to Cadiz and beyond. Short-toed Eagles put their hunting techniques on display, hovering effortlessly in the warm breeze. Five Common Buzzards and two Booted Eagles came past quite close as Sardinian Warblers, Greenfinches, Serin, Nightingales, Stonechats, Linnets and Goldfinches flew around us. Walking through a meadow of lush grasses and a carpet of early spring flowers, we came across some large, blue Carpenter Bees at work on an old wooden gate. In the meadows brightly coloured Spanish Festoon butterflies, Small Coppers, Red Admirals and some unidentified Hairstreaks were also seen in the early flowering meadows. The air was scented with the sweet smell of Gorse and Wild Lavender, Rosemary and Thyme as Thekla and Crested Larks sang and displayed. Descending to the rolling hills south of Vejer, we stopped to watch Calandra Larks displaying and several Marsh Harriers hunting with further distant views of some Monty's. Little Owls and Iberian Green Woodpecker were seen as we drove along the country tracks where every second fencepost had a Woodchat Shrike, Corn Bunting or Stonechat on top!
We took lunch at a local restaurant, choosing to sit outside in the shade in a lovely typical Andaluz courtyard. Bee-eaters called out above us as we ate and Griffon Vultures soared on overhead. Later that afternoon we caught up with the incoming Bee-eaters at the summit of a large stone-topped hill. The walk was good after the "Menu del Día" at the "Venta". A Tawny Owl screeched as we passed some tall Eucalyptus and the Griffons were just skimming along the top of the ridge as we neared the top. You could hear the wind passing over their huge wings. Suddenly, the Bee-eaters came in low and fast, calling as they came towards us. We had great views of these wonderfully exotic looking birds. A pair of Hoopoes were also seen as we walked back down to head back to the coast.
23rd March -The Coto Doñana's Eastern Edge - Stephen Knapp writes
I decided to head to the Algaida area along the East Bank of the Rio Guadalquivir. Situated on the opposite bank to the Coto Doñana National Park this low lying area of marshland, salt pans, lagoons, scrub and pine forest supports most if not all of the special birds from the Doñana but is far more accessible, particularly for day excursions from the south coast.
Collared Pratincoles were hawking over the saline waters where Little Stint, Dunlin, Greenshank, Kentish and Ringed Plover and hundreds of Black-winged Stilt were feeding, whilst a group of fifty-plus Spoonbill lazily soaked up the mid day sun. Montagu’s and Marsh Harriers quartered the extensive wet grasslands whilst Black and Red Kites, Common Buzzards, Griffon Vultures Short-toed Eagles and at least five Booted Eagles soared overhead. The Umbrella Pines of the Pinar de la Algaida produced yet more Black and Red Kites, Woodchat Shrikes and a small group of Azure-winged Magpie whilst my “final port of call” was the Laguna Tarelo where sixty Red-crested Pochard, five Black-necked and a pair of Great-crested Grebe, three Greylag Geese, over one hundred White-headed Duck, one male Garganey, Teal and Mallard were present. Night-Heron and Purple Swamphen perched or were scrambling through the scrubby fringes of the pool whilst beyond, groups of Greater Flamingo were passing overhead.

22nd March - The Laguna de Medina - Now Better Access for All - Stephen Daly writes
The construction of a raised wooden walkway along the side of the Laguna de Medina is such a bonus for birders. The hide which is situated further along the path, had been locked, but someone had kindly removed the door from its hinges,allowing access to all. The elevated new walkway now gives much better views over this large lake, but I would advise that you bring a telescope with you to check the far side and bottom corner.
There was quite a lot of passerine activity after the rain storms of the last few days and a lovely male Spanish Sparrow greeted us at the car park. Cetti's called out all along the walkway and Nightingales were singing from the shrubs and bushes. The weather remained bright for most of the day with only two light showers. Stonechats, Whinchats, Chiffchaffs,Yellow and White Wagtails, Robins, Wrens, Greenfinches, Linnets, Water and Meadow Pipits, Blackbirds, Common Thrushes, Crested and Calandra Larks were all either singing or darting through the bushes and trees in front of us. The surrounding cereal fields and large new olive grove still hold Stone Curlews, Quails and Red-legged Partridges and Montagu's Harriers. Collared Pratincoles flew across the Lagunas surface skimming insects together with Whiskered Terns, Pallid and Common Swifts, Barn and Red Rumped Swallows, as well as House and Sand Martins. Little Grebes, Black-necked Grebes and Great Crested Grebes displayed and fed while Coots, Moorhens, Avocets, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits, Common and Green Sandpipers and Black-winged Stilts fed along the shoreline. Marsh Harriers hunted above Eurasian Spoonbills and Purple Swamphens while ducks present included Mallards, Gargany's, Gadwalls, Teals, Pintails, Shovellers and White-headed Ducks. Some Red Kites circled with Black Kites and six or seven Booted Eagles turned up with Short-toed Eagle, Montagu's Harriers and Ravens passing overhead some time later. The motorway construction is at last complete beside the reserve and parking and access is no longer a problem and the area is well sign posted.

20th March - Avocets and Audouin's Gulls - Stephen Knapp writes
The torrential rain and strong southerly winds of yesterday had at least subsided leaving just a heavy grey sky with the ominous threat of yet more rain. Ideal conditions for a possible “fall” of northbound migrants. However I had barely got down the dirt track when the heavens opened. After an extended coffee break at Steve’s the weather looked brighter so I moved on to Barbate Estuary. First views were not promising; barely any waders and the passerines, apart from a few Spotless Starling were only noticeable by their absence. Moving to another location overlooking the marismas produced good views of a few waders including over one hundred Kentish Plovers and five Avocet, plus a gull roost with one Med. Gull about fifty Audouin’s and about a hundred each of Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Back to the bridge over the Rio Barbate and walking ‘up river’ the birding got much more interesting. Three Spoonbill feeding on the mudflats and another twelve Spoonbills flying further up river whilst another three were feeding alongside five Greater Flamingo and a couple of Little Egret. Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Kentish and Ringed Plovers, Sanderling and Redshank were feeding near another gull roost with four adult and one 2nd summer Med Gulls, one Slender-billed Gull fifty-plus Audouin’s and over one hundred Sandwich Tern. Star bird for me was the Caspian Tern, on it’s own and very very close!
Excited by these sightings and the relatively nice weather I decided to detour my route home to include the Benalup end of La Janda. Black Kites everywhere, way up high, swooping all around, perched seemingly on every fence post and even sitting en mass in the fields. Easily over one hundred Kites in view from the humble summit of the silo hill alone. With all these Kites in the air it was difficult to pick out any other raptors, other than Kestrels and all three Harrier species including five male Montagu’s. The paddy fields were almost bird less other than the odd Green Sandpiper, Snipes and Little-ringed Plovers, a few Purple Swamphens, two Water Pipit and a superb adult Purple Heron – the first of the year - that dropped into the reeds never to be seen again!

19th March - Bee-eaters arrive - Stephen Knapp writes
Black skies this morning made it a bit dubious about collecting a client for a days birding today. Nevertheless, even as the heavens opened up once again I set off looking for Montagu's Harriers that had arrived on the south coast a few days earlier. Between the showers we managed to watch fifteen Spoonbills down at Barbate and six Mediterranean Gulls together with a Caspian Tern and a flock of over sixty Audouin's Gulls. Sandwich Terns were also out in force with about forty birds seen. Seven Monty's were seen along the coast and they comprised of four males and three females - all adults.
As I made my way home along the dirt tracks with yet more Black Kites filling the air a fine Woodchat Shrike perched on a fence post seemed more wary of the Kites than me and allowed close approach. To top the day off however, as I approached my turning for my home I was suddenly surrounded by hoards of swooping Bee-eaters. I counted over 100 including 65 perched together on an open branch of a huge olive tree. Fabulous!
The truth is, between storm fronts during the migration periods, anything can turn up at all, so let's see what tomorrow brings.

18th March - Montagu's Harriers are Crossing the Strait - Stephen Knapp writes
It was the first Montagu's Harrier of the year that got my pulse racing. Yesterday afternoon a beautiful male was seen flying gracefully over the cereal fields close to my house. It certainly makes me feel as though spring has truly arrived when we get Monty's arriving in Europe.
Click Here for more Information on the European Population of Montagu's Harriers
The sky turned completely black this morning and a huge storm front brought torrential rain across southern Andalucia from the south-west for a good part of the day. There was a recent report in one of the local newspapers that said the water supplies for all the reservoirs in the Barbate area were over 60 per cent capacity. This is certainly good news and the added water today should help. More water to wetland areas promotes vegetation growth, increased presence of insects, reptiles and amphibians, thus providing nesting habitat and plentiful food source for birds there. The Coto Doñana had a poor breeding season in some of the park areas due to lack of water over the 2005 winter and spring.
Oh-oh, that's the rain on again!

17th March - Looking Across to Morocco - Stephen Daly writes
I was up fairly early this morning and looking outside we had four Hoopoes flying around my neighbours and our garden. They were hissing at each other and chasing one another round and round. I clasped my hands together and made their more familiar call of "poo-poo-poo - poo-poo-poo-poo" blowing through my thumbs. It had an immediate effect and the two UK birders that have rented out the cottage in our garden this week, were delighted when one of the birds was diverted to the top of our telephone pole, answering my call with raised crest! Stunning birds.
Down on the coast the Flamingoes were still feeding on Barbate Estuary and a pair of Great White Egrets were also watched for a spell. Two collared Pratincoles flew around the salt pans and a pair of Yellow Wagtails fed on the edge of a brackish small lagoon. The Kentish Plovers are looking wonderful right now and the number of Hermit Crabs that scuttle around the mud banks at low tide are amazing to watch. The locals were out, busy as usual searching for clams on the mud flats at the riverside and were oblivious to the Osprey that glided silently overhead looking down on the centre of the Río Barbate for a fish for breakfast. Wild Statice looks beautiful at present along the coastal road, blending in with the white and yellow flowers of Camomile, the mauve of the Common Vetch, the vivid blue of Buglos and the delicate pale blue flower of Periwinkle.
A flock of fifteen Bald Ibis were wheeling along the side of the Sierra de Retin and some Black-eared Wheatears and a male Whinchat was also seen. Scanning out across to Morocco a pair of Purple Herons were slowly flapping north west at a fair altitude. Some Eurasian Spoonbills were on the little estuary at Zahara and the Blue Rock Thrush that breeds near the bridge showed up too. Some Turtle Doves came across, flying over our heads, their fast flight quite unmistakable. Ravens were around as well and Woodchat Shrikes kept watch along the fence-posts. I heard some Quail calling in amongst some Calandra Larks and everything either sped off or ducked down as a Marsh Harrier hunted low with its characteristic head-down mode.
Six Little Bustards were seen flying near El Palmar and a Common Cuckoo was sitting on a telephone line near Barbate as I drove home.
It was a mixture of sun and clouds earlier today, but rain stopped play late in the afternoon - it was warm rain with temperatures still around the 20oC mark!

15th March - The Massive limestone slabs of the Sierra de la Plata - Stephen Day writes
One of the most impressive and stunningly beautiful areas on the Strait of Gibraltar are the high mountain ridges of the Sierra de la Plata. The close proximity of Morocco on the other side of the Strait is a magnificent backdrop watching incoming raptors, passerines and storks cross over in front of your eyes. A light easterly (Levante) wind blew from Tarifa and the Mediterranean as hundreds of Black Kites crossed with huge kettles of White Storks. A pair of Ravens above the Griffon Vulture colony called, chased and harried two adult Egyptian Vultures. A male Peregrine Falcon launched itself off a cliff face above us and flew around in circles to watch the fracas and amongst it all, a vivid male Blue Rock Thrush sang merrily as the drabber, almost brown coloured female watched and listened in silence from above.
In not so many weeks, the colony of White-rumped Swifts will be joining the Ortolan Buntings and Rufous Bush Robins all around this special and very diverse area.
On the southern fringes of the giant Alcornocales forest, seven Short-toed Eagles and four Booted Eagles mingled with wheeling Black Kites. Griffon Vultures patrolled and lingered hoping I suppose for some action down on the ground, but eventually gliding and soaring off towards La Janda when they realised the raptors were just taking breath after flapping across the Strait.
More Black-eared and Northern Wheatear male birds are arriving and another Western Orphean Warbler was spotted near Tarifa.
Tomorrow I'm off to watch the Spoonbills, Slender-billed Gulls and Greater Flamingoes that have arrived at the Barbate estuary. Hope I can get some good photos, but the weather is slowly set to change for Atlantic storms.

13th March - Migrants Stream in Across the Strait and where did that Common Magpie come from? - Stephen Daly writes
Another warm day in the south started well for us as we checked out the Najara area. Two male Northern Wheatears and a beautiful male Black-eared Wheatear were watched chasing insects on open farmland. A Subalpine Warbler scuttled along the base of vegetation close to the track, searching for insects at great speed. Moving through Benalup to La Janda we watched Lesser Kestrels, Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles (both phases), Black Kites, Common Buzzards, masses of Griffon Vultures, some at close range and others wheeling and thermalling on the hot air currents. Some waders were visible with Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Redshanks, Snipe, Green and Common Sandpipers and a few Northern Lapwings. A Black Shouldered Kite put on a fantastic hunting display close to us and hovered, wheeled and banked as it watched possible prey. More Turtle Doves flew overhead and Hoopoes fed along the grass verges with Calandra, Thekla and Crested Larks. Sardinian Warblers, Blackcaps, Serin, Water Pipits,Yellow Wagtails and White Wagtails were in good supply and we lapped up the warm sun walking along the track, scanning the ever changing horizon towards the coast.
More Ocellated Lizards and Algyroides, the smaller lizardshave been seen warming themselves in the sunshine. More food for the Short-toed Eagles I'm afraid.

Here is a photo of an male Ocellated Lizard I took last year. What a beautie!

Today a lone Common Magpie was watched flying across the rice fields. This is the first such bird I have seen in this area and it could be a sign that the birds are spreading to fill the gap between Puerto Real and Estepona. I know a lot of people don't like Common Magpies, but one consolation for increased numbers of this species here, is that the Great Spotted Cuckoo parasites the nest of the Pica pica, and although there is undoubtedly sufficient food supplies for both species, the lack of Common Magpies in this area push the Great Spotted Cuckoos towards areas where Common Magpies breed, in similar habitat to open dehesa or sparsely populated countryside and woodlands that can be found on the Alcornocales perimeters.
In a study of Great Spotted Cuckoos care and post-fledgling dependence by MANUEL SOLER, JAVIER PALOMINO and JUAN GABRIEL MARTINEZ of the Department of Biology and Animal Ecology, at the University of Granada in Spain in the 1990's, Great Spotted Cuckoo chicks were better cared for by their surrogate parents and had a better survival rate, particularly during the dangerous migration times than the Pica pica chicks.The study included fitting the cuckoo fledglings with radio-transmitters that had a life of 10-12 weeks. All fascinating stuff.
Send me an email and I can give anyone who wishes the whole article on 'word doc' if you are interested in reading more.

12th March - The Hottest Day of the Year so far - Stephen Daly writes
I thought I was still in the south of Morocco yesterday when we went out birding. Definitely the warmest day so far for 2006. La Janda seemed to be the obvious choice although we wanted to see if there were any Little Bustards in the Naveros area before heading over to Benalup. We weren't disappointed when four males and seven females were seen. The males were flying in the distance and displaying to the females and their constant "raspberry" like clicking carries really far on such a still morning. Some Iberian Hares were running about the hilly terrain and a small flock of five Stone Curlews were spotted in sugar beet field and I could hear their unmistakable haunting cries. A few Little Owls showed and Calandra Larks danced and sang their wonderful never-ending repertoires and Corn Buntings "jangled" non-stop. A Common Cuckoo flew over as we headed along the deeply pot-holed road that leads to Finca Las Charcones. Two Great Spotted Cuckoos were watched on the far side of the dehesa and Black Kites flew overhead towards the dam and a long line of Common Cranes headed west to the Alcala direction. The Cranes have almost all departed, but a few still remain.
We later headed back over to the Presa (reservoir) de Barbate, that lies between Benalup and Alcala, to see if there was any Osprey activity. After parking the car and walking with scope for half an hour we saw one adult bird low down on long dead tree that poked out of the still low reservoir. A couple of White Storks seem to be interested in the Osprey nest and only time will tell if the birds come back to the same spot to breed for a second time in succession. A Turtle Dove flew past as I headed back to La Oliva. Happy days!
Here's a good movie-link for the current European weather. Takes a wee minute to load!

7th March - Little Bustards, Egyptian Vultures and a Bonelli's Eagle - Stephen Knapp writes
With Steve D away finding birds in Morocco and with Becky Wheeler from Arkansas joining me on a day tour the following day I set off early in the morning to search out any recently arrived migrants. Black Kites were soaring above Benalup and as I turned off the main road to the La Janda track the fields seemed to be full of White Storks, Cattle Egrets, Corn Buntings and Goldfinch. A Hoopoe was inspecting the muddy wheel of my vehicle and a Cetti’s Warbler was singing loudly from a patch of scrub…..but no sign of the Little Bustards that had been around for the last few weeks in this field.
The rice fields near the Celamin Dam are now drying out but there was still 30+ Purple Swamphens around the fringes, whilst Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, two fine Wood Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilt and scores of Common Snipe and Green Sandpipers fed in the wetter patches. Overhead, tormenting the numerous Marsh Harriers were hundreds of Barn Swallow and House Martins with several Crag and Sand Martins mixed in. Pallid and Common Swifts were coming through with the hirundines but no sign of the Alpine Swifts that had been over my house the day before. Higher still were hoards of Griffon Vultures, more Black Kites, two light phase Booted and a Bonelli’s Eagle.
Along the main access track away from the rice paddies, the undulating terrain is largely unimproved grassland with extensive cattle grazing. In all but the summer months, the track is only accessible to 4WD, but it is always worth a trip. Five Great-spotted Cuckoos, Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrike, 3 Black-shouldered Kites including a pair displaying, 2 Red Kites, 6 Short-toed Eagles, 3 Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, hundreds of Lesser Kestrel, Common Crane and BlackKites, 1 Black Stork, Whinchat, Yellow Wagtail, Crested, Thekla and Calandra Larks seemingly everywhere, and best of all a total of 18 Little Bustards.
I finished the day with a visit to nearby Bolonia; a stunning coastal location with fabulous views over to Morocco. Amidst the scores of nesting Griffon Vultures, 3 adult Egyptian Vultures were soaring in the late sunshine whilst Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler, Serin and Black Redstart hopped about the boulder strewn hillside.

4th - 9th March - Trip report - Morocco - Read about it here - Jennifer Heney writes

2nd March - Egyptian Vultures and Egyptian Mongoose - Stephen Daly writes
After a rainy, overcast day yesterday the weather could only get better. It started off quite misty in pockets along the coast and you could tell that some of the lower valleys were going to take longer to clear. We headed over in the direction of Naveros and soon picked up Stone Curlews, Black Kites, Lesser Kestrels and Common Buzzards. Red-legged Partridges seemed to be everywhere and there were small flocks of Golden Plovers in amongst the fighting bulls pastures. Hoopoe's flitted by us and Little Owls sat and waited for the sun to warm them up.By the time we crossed over to Benalup Bonelli's Eagles, Red Kites as well as Hen and Marsh Harriers hunted or scavenged over the tracks and fields. A Short-eared Owl hunted along the ditches and we had great views of this wonderful migrating owl. Mallards, Teal, Pintails and Shovellers were plentiful in the flooded paddy-fields as were Little Ringed Plovers, Ruff, Snipe, Black-winged Stilts, Northern Lapwings and Water Pipits. An adult Woodchat Shrike kept us company flying from post to post as we climbed up to higher pasture, and right on cue at least twelve Great Spotted Cuckoos performed their mad flight around us, calling and flying low between the spires of flowering Asphodels. Down on the plains of La Janda, Purple Swamphen, Coots, Moorhens, Eurasian Spoonbills and literally thousands of ducks (- the usual suspects), fed amongst White Storks and a lone Black Stork, Cattle and Little Egrets and a host of different passerines including White Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, and Calandra Larks. More Hen and Marsh Harriers were seen and what seems to be the last of the Common Cranes fed quietly unperturbed by all the mass bird movement going on around them.
Down towards Tarifa a constant stream of Black and Red Kites poured across from Morocco. Booted and Short-toed Eagles hunted with the Short-toed Eagles putting on wonderful hovering displays. We did find a Horse-shoe Whip Snake that had been run-over and the warmer weather has brought out more snakes and lizards from their winter slumbers - hence the return of the specialist reptile hunters the Short-toed Eagles, who's talons are designed just for the purpose of catching such prey. At least six Egyptian Vultures flew north and as if to salute them an Egyptian Mongoose crossed the quiet country road ahead of the mini-bus. A lovely day all round!

28th February - Northern Bald Ibis, Short-eared Owls and Spring Flowers - Stephen Daly writes Bald Ibis -Further Reading Here!
Driving along the coast to Zahara de los Atunes is one of the best uninterrupted scenic stretches devoid of development you can find anywhere on the southern coast of Spain. It 's such a lovely stretch of countryside to travel along, and today Cape Espartel on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar was quite clear. The whole area between Barbate and Zahara is designated Military land, and it goes without saying that there is little or no real buildings on it at all. This stretch is basically in the same wild condition as it was in the 8th century when the Moors came ashore at Barbate and with the help of the Spanish Umayyads, claimed the area as Al-Andalus, independent of Damascus.
The re-introduction programme for the Northern Bald Ibis is supported by the Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) and the International Northern Bald Ibis Group (IAGNBI). A globally threatened species, a flock of the Northern Bald Ibis has been established on the military land for over a year and a half. Twenty-four free-flying birds are in the area and it's just a matter of locating them in such a huge area that can often be a problem. Most of the time we have a pretty good idea as to their current location, and know all the tracks and best vantage points to watch them flying or feeding. Today I managed to get some good flight shots, even although the weather was getting dull when I finally caught up with them. A smaller group was feeding on some pasture near the sea and the photos look quite good with all the spring flowers that are blooming after last weeks heavy rain. If you'd like to see them please do not enter onto any part of the military land. Give us a call and we'll be only too happy to tell you where to look safely!
I found some flowering Statice, Camomile and Tangier-Pea (Lathyrus tingitanus) a type of perennial sweet-pea which is quite early to be flowering at this time of the year. A really good reference guide book on Mediterranean flowers is by Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1993). Mediterranean Wild Fowers. 560 pp. Harper Collins Publisher. ISBN0-7136-7015-0.
Scores of Sand Martins came across today, I lost count after half an hour. A couple of Swifts were also seen higher up as were two adult Egyptian Vultures over towards La Janda. I flushed a lone Short-eared Owl as I cruised along the middle section of La Janda. This time I managed to get a flight shot of him. Hoopoes, Spanish Sparrow, Stonechats and Meadow Pipits flitted in front of the car as I continued along the track, and two Woodchat Shrikes dashed for cover. and some Night Herons stayed motionless in the lower bushes and small willows on the canal bank, their wonderful red eyes following the car. A couple of Hen Harrier and the usual glut of Marsh Harriers were present and coming past the Great-Spotted Cuckoo field, which was surprisingly quiet, I saw two Wood Sandpipers in a flooded field with some Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwings, Snipe, Black-winged Stilts, Ringed Plovers and Green Sandpipers. A little further along towards Benalup was a sub-adult Egyptian Vulture in a field usually occupied by Little Bustard and Stone Curlew. The bird was quietly preening so I didn't loiter in the area. The wind was getting up and as I returned home I noticed a Black-shouldered Kite hovering at the side of the Vejer to Medina road with its wings held high ready to drop onto its prey. Booted Eagles were also seen as were Corn Buntings, Calandra Larks, Purple Swamphens, White Storks, Griffon Vultures and two lovely Bramblings.

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