Southern Spain Trip Report (12th August-17th August 2014) - Species List and Locations

Day 1 – Malaga to Alcaidesa

Pallid Swift – 12^th August - Route from Malaga to Jimena de la Frontera off the A-2100 near Castellar de la Frontera, Cadiz. (Large flock flying in the valley by the side of the road)

Alpine Swift – 12^th August - Route from Malaga to Jimena de la Frontera off the A-2100 near Castellar de la Frontera, Cadiz. (One flying over the valley by the side of the road amongst the Pallid Swifts and another seen later on Gibraltar)

White-rumped Swift – 12^th August - Alcaidesa, near San Roque, Cadiz. (One flying with large swift flock over the roads, showing exceptionally well)

Day 2 – Gibraltar

Audouin’s Gull – 13^th August - Europa Point, Gibraltar (Several flying over the lighthouse)

Day 3 – Tarifa and Las Mesas de Chullera

Iberian Chiffchaff – 14^th August - Woodland near Tarifa, Cadiz (Two showing very well in the trees next to the path)

Western Olivaceous Warbler – 14^th August - Woodland near Tarifa, Cadiz (Showing very well in the trees next to the path. Another at Laguna de Fuente de Piedra)

Kentish Plover – 14^th August - Playa de los Lances, near Tarifa, Cadiz (Several on the beach and dune pools)

Short-toed Lark – 14^th August - Playa de los Lances, near Tarifa, Cadiz (One on the fields next to the beach)

Red-necked Nightjar – 14^th August - Site near Manilva (One fly-by and an individual showing very well sitting on the dirt track and flying in to near-by scrub, illuminated by the car headlights)

Photo by Alex Jones

Day 4 – Alcaidesa to Jerez

White-headed Duck – 15^th August - Bonanza Pools, near Bonanza, Cadiz (Several birds on pool 2 next to the road)

Purple Swamphen – 15^th August - Bonanza Pools, near Bonanza, Cadiz (Two individuals near the reeds at the edge of pools 2 and 3)

Little Bittern – 15^th August - Bonanza Pools, near Bonanza, Cadiz (One individual in the reeds surrounding pool 2)

Slender-billed Gull – 15^th August - Bonanza Salt Pans, near Bonanza, Cadiz (Several birds on the pools)

Common Waxbill – 15^th August - Laguna de Tarelo, near Bonanza, Cadiz (Small flock in the conifer trees leading up to the pool)

Marbled Duck – 15^th August - Laguna de Tarelo, near Bonanza, Cadiz (Several at the back of the pool, though distant)

Whiskered Tern – 15^th August - Laguna de Tarelo, near Bonanza, Cadiz (One flying round the pool)

Day 6 – Sevilla to Malaga

Lesser Flamingo – 17^th August - Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, near Fuente de Piedra. On the route back from Sevilla to Malaga. (Three individuals seen within the Greater Flamingo flock, showing well)

Also of note: Two Gibraltar Buzzards seen (hybrid Common Buzzard x Long-legged Buzzard) One seen at Lagunas de Espera, near Espera, Cadiz on the 16^th August, with another seen off the small tracks by the SE-715, near Osuna, Sevilla on the 17^th August.

Additional birds:

Mallard

Gadwall

Shoveler*

Pochard*

Red-crested Pochard*

Ferruginous Duck*

Red-legged Partridge

Black-necked Grebe

Little Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Night Heron

Cattle Egret

Squacco Heron

Little Egret

Grey Heron

White Stork

Glossy Ibis

Greater Flamingo

Cormorant

Griffon Vulture

Short-toed Eagle

Booted Eagle

Red Kite*

Black Kite

Marsh Harrier

Montagu’s Harrier

Common Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Kestrel

Moorhen

Coot

Avocet

Black-winged Stilt

Little Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Grey Plover

Sanderling

Turnstone

Dunlin

Little Stint

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Black-tailed Godwit

Whimbrel

Black-headed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Little Tern

Caspian Tern

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Turtle Dove

Common Swift

Little Swift

Hoopoe

Kingfisher

Bee-eater

Roller

Crested Lark

Thekla Lark

Lesser short-toed Lark

Sand Martin

Crag Martin

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

House Martin

Pied Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Nightingale*

Stonechat

Blackbird

Blackcap

Sardinian Warbler

Subalpine Warbler

Fan-tailed Warbler

Cetti’s Warbler*

Reed Warbler

Western Bonelli’s Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Penduline Tit

Woodchat Shrike

Jackdaw

Raven

Spotless Starling

Golden Oriole*

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Serin

Corn Bunting

Monk Parakeet

(* birds not seen by myself)

Birds that were heard only:

Robin

Wren

Dartford Warbler

Woodlark

Southern Spain Trip Report - Day 5

Day 5 - Saturday 16th August 2015

The next day dawned as scorching as ever, and we started off on our quest for Red-knobbed Coots – our main target for the day. Laguna de Medina, once a stronghold for this species, unfortunately turned up nothing despite the abundance of Common Coots, with several hundred birds present on the large lake. A close Little Bittern was great to see, offering much less obscured views than our first bird at Bonanza Pools, whilst a Purple Swamphen in the reeds to the left of the hide was another bonus. Several newly fledged Penduline Tits danced their way across the bulrushes in front of the hide, but with the heat now reaching even greater heights, we moved on to our next site of Lagunas de Espera hoping for some better luck.

Little Bittern - Photo by Alex Jones

Penduline Tit - Photo by Alex Jones

The sun was now absolutely stifling and vast becoming unbearable, so I was extremely grateful for the small amount of shade offered by the welcome building (which unfortunately was closed). The first pool was disappointingly nearly bone dry with no sign of any Red-knobbed Coots inhabiting it, although a low flying Griffon Vulture flying at eye level just a metre or so in front of us was absolutely breath-taking, the sheer size of these magnificent birds never more apparent as it landed on the swaying branch of a nearby tree with a crash.

Ever the observant, Chris then announced he had an odd looking raptor in the scope, and aligning Alex’s to get the bird in view I was met by a large Buzzard species. With Chris having experience of African and European birding he was strongly reminded of Long-legged Buzzard, although checking my Collins guide I wasn’t convinced – something just wasn’t right plumage wise. As the bird circled closer and with scopes still trained, we watched as incredibly it came lower before landing in a bush on the opposite hill. Alex had managed to reel of some distant record shots, and we piled back in to the car and drove up to where the bird had landed in the middle of one of the barren fields. The heat haze made viewing exceptionally difficult, and with me staying in the car and taking more photos, Alex and Chris approached closer to get more details on the plumage through the scopes.

With Alex and Chris approaching the small shrub, I watched as the bird arose and managed a number of snaps, which along with Alex’s from earlier gave us a great range of plumage details from the bird in a variety of positions.

My field notes from the time: Prominent white patch on the back of the head, dark black tail, black tips to the wings, long, yellow legs, white underneath wings, buzzard like in pattern, black carpal patches on wings.

Carefully analysing what we had obtained, we were still very much in the dark. Chris was still certain we had a Long-legged Buzzard, while the white markings on the back had me thinking there may have been some Bonelli’s Eagle influence. The face however was distinctly buzzard like, as were the underwings, and we were still none the wiser as to the identity of our mystery bird.

Getting back to the UK I did some research to try and solve the mystery, and came across an interesting paper detailing the emergence of Gibraltar Buzzards – a hybrid between Common Buzzards and Atlas Long-legged Buzzards (the paper in question). First originating near Gibraltar where naturally the two species have the highest chance of meeting, these hybrids have now spread over Southern Spain, even as far north as Seville. With Long-legged Buzzards only very rarely recorded in Spain, it was highly unlikely that we would encounter two on our journey (we spotted a second individual near Osuna a day later). This coupled with the highly irregular plumage details we encountered meant that the birds were most probably “Gibraltar Buzzards” – unfortunately hybrids and not a true species in their own right.

With the afternoon pressing on, we continued down the track to a small parking area, before heading out on foot to the second and third pools at Laguna de Espera, hoping Red-knobbed Coots could be found on at least one! The heat was now completely unbearable, and having drank all my juice supplies I was without a source of hydration – not a good mix! Having made it to the first hide and despite it being well covered, for some reason the birds all inexplicably flushed! An otter seen later running across the track may have been the culprit, but we now had an even trickier task as the birds were much further away.

Sage Skipper - Photo by Alex Jones

Alex had a pair of Ferruginous Ducks in flight, whilst Red-crested Pochard, Mallards, Shovelers and Gadwall were all present. With the huge distance between us and the birds it was going to prove exceptionally hard to pick out any Red-knobbed Coots, so we headed on to the third lagoon. This proved to be some distance away, and when we reached a fork in the path the heat just proved too much. Telling Alex and Chris to go on ahead and that I’d stay under the shade of a tree, they weren’t having any of it, and we thankfully headed back to the car as a team, stopping at regular intervals in the shade to stop any dehydration setting in. Thanks to both of them for looking after me and making sure I was ok!

With the heat still scorching hot and not abating in the slightest, we headed to our penultimate night’s stay in the beautiful city of Seville, (where our hotel had keys replaced with James Bond style fingerprint scanners!) and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of tapas after taking in the sights. 

Southern Spain Trip Report - Day 2

Day 2 - Wednesday 13th August

The second day saw us head south to the fantastic Rock of Gibraltar to take in the sights and see what birds and other wildlife may be on offer on this well-known British Oversees territory. Waking up relatively early, I was greeted by an absolutely amazing sight out of the apartment window of thousands of Black Kites drifting effortlessly on the air currents and beginning their migration south – sure to filter through to Gibraltar later on in the day. With the sky filled with Kites at eye level due to our height in the apartment, it was truly breath-taking to watch – a definite highlight of the trip.

Driving down to Gibraltar and heading for the lighthouse on the southernmost tip at Europa Point, we scanned the gorgeous periwinkle blue waves for any seabirds that might have been patrolling over the ocean. Several stunning summer plumaged Audouin’s Gulls drifted overhead as we watched, their bright blood red bills clear to see as they passed. Not a lifer for neither Chris nor Alex but one for myself, I was exceptionally glad to catch up with this species, as I was unsure if we would see any on the trip. 

Europa Point lighthouse

With a complete lack of Shearwaters and other pelagic species, we headed round the corner to view the rock itself. A migration hotspot, Black Kites in groups of hundreds at a time steadily rose on the thermals, a constant presence in the skies above us and fantastic to see. Still a touch early for the true spectacle of autumn migration, a few weeks later buzzards, eagles, raptors and storks would all be passing here in their hundreds and thousands - at present we were merely touching on the very start of migration. A small kestrel perched on the side of the huge rock itself was just a bit too distant to firmly nail as a Lesser Kestrel, and like the majority seen on our trip, was frustratingly yet another female!

Black Kite flying over the point

A trip to Gibraltar wouldn’t be complete without stopping off to admire the iconic monkeys that live on the rock, and several individuals were happy to oblige and have photos taken with us.

Bitey monkey going in for the kill....

We decided to venture up to the top of Gibraltar and explore, seeing what the Nature Reserve had to offer. Heading up the steep slopes we encountered a number of gorgeous butterflies, including a very showy and photogenic Two-tailed Pasha, reminiscent of the captive bred insects found in the butterfly Jungles I used to love.

Two-tailed Pasha

The view of Gibraltar down below

Approaching the summit, we were pleased to see a large gathering of swifts directly overhead, our height on the mountain meaning they were considerably lower down than they usually would be and consequently flying right over our heads. One much larger than the others zoomed between the rocks – a second Alpine Swift – that large white belly and huge wings unmistakeable as it passed overhead on several occasions, happily providing much better views than the brief encounter on the first day. Several more Pallid Swifts darted above us, whilst the continued presence of the ongoing raptor migration was felt with an absolutely huge gathering of Black Kites slowly drifting overhead, with a possible Honey Buzzard trying to go unnoticed amongst them.

Black Kite migration

Heading back to the hotel ready for an early start tomorrow in search of Red-necked Nightjars, we tucked in to a nice Japanese meal after enjoying a poolside paradise that was apparently part of a private golf club resort! Hopefully nobody noticed....

Southern Spain Trip Report Day 1

Day 1 - Tuesday 12th August 2014

Arriving at Malaga airport extremely late on the evening of the 11^th August, Chris Alex and myself headed straight for our hotel for a good night’s sleep ready to depart bright and early the next morning. With the hire car picked up we were soon well on our way to begin tracking down our first major target of the trip – the rare and localised White-rumped Swift. Our main target for the week, Southern Spain is the only breeding location in Europe for these enigmatic aerial acrobats.

A large flock of swifts circling at the side of the road provided our first Pallid Swifts of the trip, artfully weaving through the air in pursuit of the abundance of insects enjoying the warm weather. Taking in my first ever views of Pallids, the cry soon went up of “Alpine Swift!” A huge swift with a bright white belly was hurtling through the flock, darting over our heads and away over the trees and we had excellent but all too brief views of this super-sized swift. Alpine swift was actually one of my most wanted birds for the trip, and I was especially pleased to have connected so soon on our journey – hopefully our first day would prove to be a “three swift day”! 

Carrying on in to the small village of Jimena de la Frontera, Alex thought he spotted a Spanish Sparrow on one of the railings lining the terracotta coloured houses, catching a brief glimpse as we drove by. There was was no time to stop however (even though this would be a lifer for me!) and I was told that we’d see plenty of Spanish Sparrows on the trip (we didn’t!!) so we carried on our way and in to the scenic Spanish countryside.

Stopping at a small river, the extreme heat of the Southern Spanish summer was apparent (the water had practically dried up) and we regularly reached temperatures nearing 40 degrees throughout the trip – it was impossible to stay out in the harsh sun for too long. Several Crag Martins zoomed by at eye level, nesting in the shade underneath the bridge, whilst a group of Terrapins sunbathed in the shallow water below, evidently loving the sun’s rays!

Terrapin sunbathing!

There was disappointingly no sign of any White-rumped Swifts in the area, although a female Golden Oriole picked up by Chris and Alex was a nice consolation. 

Getting lost and disorientated down an extremely narrow track (that soon turned in to a surface so potholed and boulder strewn it was like driving on an actual mountain) we had flashbacks of our first hire car’s destruction on our previous trip to Spain, so carefully manoeuvred down the track ensuring the tyres didn’t come off worse for wares. After such careful driving by Alex, it was a bit of a slap in the face to subsequently realise the track was in fact a dead end and that we would somehow have to do a 3 point turn and do it all again to get back to the main road!!

Our second site of Castellar de la Frontera also proved fruitless, with more Pallid and Common Swifts darting around the top of the mountainside, so we headed over to Alcaidesa near San Roque, where our apartment for the next few days was based and conveniently where White-rumped Swifts using the pond opposite to drink were reported just a few days earlier.

Sadly there were no White-rumped Swifts at Castellar de la Frontera

Approaching the area we were greeted by a tremendous swift flock, with hundreds of birds making the most of the afternoon bonanza of flies to feast upon.

A large flock of migrating Black Kites were visible in the distance taking advantage of a thermal, while a small Gecko scurried in and out of the bark in one of the ornamental palm trees lining the road. A showy male Sardinian Warbler serenaded us from a nearby bush, hopping between the branches, his scratchy song carrying on the sunny breeze, whilst cicadas chirruped noisily from the vegetation.

Alcaidesa Golf Resort where the swifts were flying over

Turning our attention to the swifts, the previously distant flock moved ever closer, and after around half an hour eagle-eyed Chris shouted out that he’d got one! In a flock of hundreds of fast moving swifts, getting us all on the White-rumped Swift may have proved a challenge in itself, but despite the trees and the swift being quite distant, both me and Alex managed to pick up the bird in question, the white rump clearly visible and its sheer size and wing length making it stand out from the accompanying House Martins.

With the flock heading closer still, we waited, and miraculously just a few metres above us and directly in front, me and Chris picked up the White-rumped, showing fantastically well and providing exceptional views! Calling Alex over, all 3 of us watched the bird zooming around until it became lost amongst the many hundreds of hirundines in the flock. 

Ecstatic that it was mission success on the swift front, we headed back to the apartment happy, where a Night Heron quietly searching for its evening supper on the pool opposite was a nice end to the day before bed. 

Northern Spain Trip Report - Day 5

Day 5 - Thursday 17th April 2014

Our last day in Spain dawned, along with the daunting prospect of a mammoth 300km journey back from Zaragoza to Barcelona ready to catch our evening flight back to the UK. Arriving back at the car, we spotted a flock of swifts screaming and performing their acrobatic flight high above our heads, but they were just too far up to positively nail down to a species. 

Having cleaned up on all our key target species, but still lacking any Bustard sightings, we headed towards a site near the Laguna de Gallocanta to see if we could strike it lucky with these impressive birds. A Griffon Vulture perched on one of the telegraph poles on route gave absolutely amazing views, allowing a close approach and a great photo opportunity.

Upon arrival and scoping the huge lake, I was thrilled when Alex found two stonking Greater Flamingos in the middle of the water, surprisingly far north and showing just how far up Spain this species can occur. I wasn’t expecting to have flamingos on my trip list at all, so this was a great final lifer to add on the very last day.

The many terns flitting around proved just too distant to ID, as did the majority of birds on the lake, although several Black-winged Stilts could be picked out feeding in the shallows. A local informed us that we had just missed a Black Stork that had circled round and dropped by on the lake briefly – another of our wanted species – but a search around the area unfortunately provided no further sightings of this majestic and huge winged bird.

There was no sign of the bustards either, and a check in Alex’s site guide told us this was only a wintering site for the two species – the birds would be back on their breeding grounds now and would have more than likely left the area. A small gathering of European Swallowtails, the same species we get back in Britain, was a nice consolation (I’m yet to see the ones in Norfolk) and we watched around 5 or 6 of these large butterflies busy drinking from the muddy puddles on the track.

A Rock Sparrow on one of the stone huts provided great views for several minutes, especially after our earlier more fleeting glimpses of this species, and an incident in one of the fields involved a true “leg it!” moment which resulted in Alex driving us off at high speed from a seemingly disgruntled local!

Leg it!

It was soon time to head back to Barcelona however, although despite the long drive (including a €30 toll charge that we had no idea about!), no more species were added to our final trip tally. A stop off at a service station provided some likely Roller habitat in the middle of the Spanish Countryside, but to no avail.

With our three main species tracked down – Wallcreeper, Dupont’s Lark and Lammergeier – the trip had been a resounding success for all 3 of us, with tonnes of laughter and memories made along the way, complete with a bucket load of new birds. 

Massive thanks to Chris who planned the entire trip and was effectively mine and Alex’s guide for the week, his quick off the mark ID skills were second to none and we simply couldn’t have done it without him. Alex also did a sterling job doing the majority of driving throughout the trip - the car certainly had an eventful time as can be seen by the state of it at the end of it's journey, absolutely covered in layers of mud and sand!

The incredible Pyrenean landscapes that engulf northern Spain are simply fantastic, and one of the most beautiful areas I have visited – rich in bird life and highly recommended to everyone. The breath-taking mountain landscapes with the roaring crystal clear rivers gouging out the mountainsides, complete with the fresh alpine air just can’t be beaten in terms of beauty, although the incredible mix of snowy mountaintops, warm open plains, dry grassland and winding forest trails were all simply stunning in their own right – a truly magical place indeed.

Northern Spain Trip Report - Day 4

Day 4 - Wednesday 16th April 2014

The next morning saw us head further north still through the beautiful alpine villages to reach our destination of the Astun Ski resort, where Snow Finch and Alpine Accentor are regular visitors throughout the winter months. 

A walk around produced several Crag Martins nesting underneath the rooftops of the buildings, and they provided great views as they swooped along the banks collecting mud and returning to the nest sites. 

A cracking summer plumaged Water Pipit was great to watch foraging on the banks heading towards the slope – colours I’m not used to seeing them in being just a winter visitor to the UK. April was slightly too late to observe any Snow Finches or Alpine Accentors in the car parking area however, so a trip up the mountain was on the cards. A slightly hairy moment when me and Alex didn’t realise we had to put the ski-lift safety barrier down on the way up the slope was in all in vain however, as there was no sign of either species at the halfway café.

The trip back down resulted in us having to then climb all the way back up the snowy slope by foot after Chris thought he had picked up the song of an Alpine Accentor whilst in the ski-lift on the journey back. Closer reflection and it turned that what he had actually heard was the squeaking of the ski-lift as the chairs passed over a joint.

Later in the afternoon we headed off to a site I found through google whilst waiting on the mountainside, the Monasterio de San Juan de la Pena, which has a good reputation for Black Woodpecker sightings.

Stopping off to admire the simply amazing views the twisting roads offered, a warbler singing in the surrounding trees eventually revealed itself to be a fine male Subalpine Warbler. Flitting from branch to branch, despite its close proximity, it took a good ten minutes to nail the ID of this skulking individual, the white moustachial stripe and red eye separating it from the similar Spectacled Warbler.

Driving up the heavily pine forested road to the monastery, we noticed several small birds feeding on the tarmac, mostly Chaffinches and Greenfinches, before a small yellow bird on its own caught our eye. Excited exclamations from the back of the car and shouts of “It’s a Citril Finch!” from Chris confirmed that it was indeed this hard to come by Alpine finch – completely unexpectedly and totally out of the blue. 

We watched it busy feeding before it flitted up and away in to the canopy – magical. We had spent some time earlier in the week searching at another location for these charismatic finches, but after drawing a blank we had resigned ourselves to not catching up with one on the trip!

Testing out my long buried Spanish skills at the monastery’s visitor shop (Donde estan los picos negros por favour?!) we headed up the steep slope to the viewpoint where I was told they could be found. Here more Griffon Vultures soared overhead, framed by the brilliant, cloudless blue skies and some individuals flying exceptionally low around us – our elevated position putting us at their level. Soon the shout went up of Lammergeier, and our second individual of the trip made its way over our heads, showing the distinctive diamond shaped tail and orangey belly that separates it from the other vultures.

In the distance, we could hear the call of a Black Woodpecker that came steadily closer as the time went by, leading to an absolutely phenomenal spot by Chris as he located it half hidden behind a trunk and completely obscured by branches in the valley below – whether this was by eagle eyed eyesight or by pure luck, I was still blown away that he had managed to locate it.

A tense few seconds ensued when despite the scope pointing directly at the bird, I just couldn’t see it, showing just how completely camouflaged it really was! I eventually caught sight of a large yellow eye peering back at me framed by jet black feathers, with that vibrant vermillion red crest on the top of the head standing out against the foliage. 

The three of us after woodpecker success

Europe’s largest woodpecker species, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me, and even though we only saw the top half of the birds body as it clung silently to the trunk, it was a truly amazing thing to be watching this magnificent woodpecker. Incredibly still and clinging close to the trunk, I appreciated just how lucky we were to see it – a Black Woodpecker needle-in-a-haystack amongst hundreds and hundreds of trees!

Panoramic view of the area

Completely satisfied with our day and two tricky targets seen, we headed back to Zaragoza, thankfully avoiding the drums and cloaked figures of our previous stay!