Having recently reviewed an excellent guide on this blog, but one which has, perhaps, a relatively limited use for a birdwatcher based in southern Spain, I thought I'd add one for a guide which is of great utility not only for the region it covers, but also the rest of Andalucia. Although priced at 27€ and listed as 'out of print' on several websites, the excellent Libreria Agricola in Jerez ( http://www.agricolajerez.com) is selling it for a bargain 16€. Snap one up quick before it becomes unavailable! (NB In the past it has been available in the UK via NHBS (http://www.nhbs.com) for about £24, but it is currently unavailable).
Field Guide to the Birds of the Strait of Gibraltar
(Guia de Aves del Estrecho de Gibraltar)
ISBN – 84-607-4545-7 David Barros Cardona & David Rios Esteban Ornitour (2nd edition 2008) 115 plates c350 species
In some ways this is a very curious book. In geographical scope it's an oddity covering the southern half of Cadiz province and a small area in North Africa (largely the Spanish enclave of Cueta). It's a bilingual book that aspires to be part field guide, site guide, atlas and local avifauna which has no parallel amongst British bird books. The problem with covering so many bases is that there's a danger of falling between stools. So how well does it do and is it worth getting?
The bilingual element – Spanish/English – is a two edged sword. On the one hand it gives the notoriously monoglot Brit (like me) a chance to tap into local Spanish expertise and knowledge. However, it means that everything has to be repeated in each language and consequently there's less information than might otherwise be the case in a book this size (i.e. 328pp in field guide format). Consequently, guidance on identification and much else tends to be very brief. The sixty page introduction, rather like a county avifauna, gives an overview of the area's ornithological history, climate, habitats, bird distribution and, particularly, bird movements (illustrated by drawings, maps and over 30 photos). Although informative, the text is again necessarily brief.
(Guia de Aves del Estrecho de Gibraltar)
ISBN – 84-607-4545-7 David Barros Cardona & David Rios Esteban Ornitour (2nd edition 2008) 115 plates c350 species
In some ways this is a very curious book. In geographical scope it's an oddity covering the southern half of Cadiz province and a small area in North Africa (largely the Spanish enclave of Cueta). It's a bilingual book that aspires to be part field guide, site guide, atlas and local avifauna which has no parallel amongst British bird books. The problem with covering so many bases is that there's a danger of falling between stools. So how well does it do and is it worth getting?
The bilingual element – Spanish/English – is a two edged sword. On the one hand it gives the notoriously monoglot Brit (like me) a chance to tap into local Spanish expertise and knowledge. However, it means that everything has to be repeated in each language and consequently there's less information than might otherwise be the case in a book this size (i.e. 328pp in field guide format). Consequently, guidance on identification and much else tends to be very brief. The sixty page introduction, rather like a county avifauna, gives an overview of the area's ornithological history, climate, habitats, bird distribution and, particularly, bird movements (illustrated by drawings, maps and over 30 photos). Although informative, the text is again necessarily brief.
The bulk of the book – c230 pages – is set out in field guide style with plates to the right, graphs, maps and text (usually) on the left (see illustration). The text falls into three sections on 'Status' (between one word and 2 lines), 'Identification' (2-3 lines) and 'Movements' (2-3 lines) with occasional short references to ringing returns ('R'). Fortunately, the discussion of status is well supported by a series of excellent maps (presumably drawn from the Spanish bird atlas) indicating whether species are resident, summer or winter visitors based on the area's 47 10km squares (two of which are in North Africa). Obviously these maps are extremely useful, but, as with the textual distribution notes, it must be remembered that just a few kilometres further north some of the wetland birds describes as 'vagrants', 'occasional' or even 'accidental' in this book (e.g. White-headed Duck) are regular visitors. The text also includes a simple bar chart for the commonest birds (c260 species) showing when the birds are present, or not, for each month (with a basic indication of frequency). For just under 200 species, those that migrate through the area in reasonable numbers, there are graphs showing the intesity of migration (75% do so on a fortnightly basis with the remainder, usually scarcer migrants, on a monthly basis) These are extremely useful as they quickly allow you to pinpoint when birds are most, and least likely, to be seen passing across the straits. If you're planning a trip to the area to see the spectacular bird migration then these two elements, maps and graphs, are invaluable. They alone make the book worth buying.
The plates by Juan M Varela (apart from a few, mainly of habitats, by David Cuenca) have been taken from “Guía de las Aves de Espaňa” (itself an excellent guide). Although fewer in number, somewhat smaller and frequently reversed compared to that guide, the quality of Varela's work still shines through. They're lovely 'jizzy' paintings reminiscent, at their best, of Lars Jonnsson's earlier work. Species with a range of plumages (e.g. gulls) are poorly served. Unfortunately, given that they are such a huge attraction here, coverage of raptors could be a lot better. That said, together with the two or three lines of identification text, these illustrations should allow the observer to identify, given a good view, all but a handful of the most tricky species. They may be no substitute for the varied and detailed illustrations in a 'proper' field guide like the 'Collins Guide', but they add greatly to the book's appeal.
Map of La Janda from the guide Finally, there's a dozen pages on where to look for birds. Seven sites – Breňa & Barbate, Marismas del Río Palmones, Río Guadiaro (Sotogrande), Playa de los Lances and Upper rock (Gibraltar), La Janda and Sierra de Crestellina [Casares] – are briefly described and each has a map. They're certainly better that nothing, but they give a pretty basic grasp of where to go so need to be supplemented by a good site guide such as Garcia & Paterson. the location of all the principal raptor watchpoints are also shown on a map of the area
Like a curate's egg this book is good in parts, but whilst individual sections can be reasonably criticised, the whole is somehow far better that its parts. Where it's good, it's simply invaluable and the whole package works surprisingly well. It might not be wholly satisfactory as a field guide, but the helpful and decorative illustrations make it a far more attractive book. Doubtless a more detailed account bird movements would be very useful, but the diagrammatic brevity is quickly grasped and highly functional. If you visit the area regularly, then you'll find this book invaluable, but even if you only visit once then you'd be unwise not to pick up a copy. In fact the graphs showing migration periods and intensity are useful for anyone living in Andalucia. Highly recommended.
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