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Trip Report - A Birding Trip to Andalusia

21/10/2022

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These days, I rarely write up a visit to Cadiz Province in narrative form partly because I'm there for several weeks at a stretch which would make any account very long (and a tiresome chore). Another reason is that I often spend my time just watching what happens to drift over my terrace in Alcala which tends to be repetitive and often not very exciting. The downside of this approach is that I never give a useful impression of what it's like birding intensively in the area for a week or so which, after all, is what most visiting birders tend to do.  Accordingly, I'm very grateful to David Tomlinson for permission to reproduce his diary of a visit to the area this October.  I've edited it a little for length, put names in 'bold' and clarified a few points - apologies to David if I've been too ruthless!.   
Andalusia - 3 to 12 October 2022
A nine-night visit to Andalucia with Martin Garwood, Chris Roome and Mike  Copland. We stayed at three different centres, which worked well, and employed professional guides on two days. The weather throughout our stay was very hot (up to 35°C) and mostly sunny, though with strong winds at Tarifa. We missed few of the birds we might have expected to see, while finding Rüppell's griffon vulture and both little and white-rumped swifts was a bonus. I had never seen either the vulture or white-rumped swifts in Europe before. Our final group total was 158 species. Butterflies were poor, but we did manage to see a single monarch.

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3rd October
Stansted at 5am is a horrible place. The airport seemed exceptionally crowded - there was hardly a seat to be found - but we were soon called for our flight, which took off on time and arrived in Seville early.

Finding the hire-car courtesy bus was a minor challenge and it took some time to get the car.  The big excitement here was a large raptor spotted by Chris. I only saw it briefly, but it’s large size drooping primaries suggest that it was a juvenile imperial eagle, as did its plumage, with notable white rump. 

We stopped at Aldi in Marchena for a quick shopping expedition, then carried on towards the great bustard zone (i.e. the Osuna area). It was very hot (33°C), but the sky was rather hazy. Through we found birds in the rolling cereal-growing area, we failed on any steppe species. The landscape was parched, though there were a few puddles. Crested larks and stonechats were common, and we saw a good number of spotted flycatchers, as well as a few warblers - Sardinian, willow and best of all, olivaceous, though the latter is now called isabelline warbler. There were raptors, too, though most turned out to be buzzards, plus an immature marsh harrier. Other birds seen included Spanish sparrows, corn buntings, a few linnets and goldfinches, a single whinchat, blackcap, blackbird, one yellow wagtail, several ravens and lots of spotless starlings.  Butterflies were few, with a couple of probable Bath whites and two swallowtails. Interestingly, we met a young Italian couple who were also birdwatching. They had been to Doñana but said it was very dry, while they had suffered from strong winds at Tarifa. We continued on to Osuna, then south-west through the mountains to Montecorto, stopping briefly to watch a soaring golden eagle, a very showy and handsome young bird. We soon found our accommodation in Montecorto, a three-storey town house, El Mirador 

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​4th October
I woke at 3.15am and felt rather pleased to hear a tawny owl. Martin did rather better, both hearing and recording an eagle owl and a little owl. Frustratingly, the eagle owl was never heard again.
Sunrise wasn’t until well after 8am, so by the time we left it was still quite cool. We took a rural road through the cork forest to Grazelema, with our first stop producing a variety of new birds, most of which were heard rather than seen. Blue and great tit, chaffinch, nuthatch, jay, Iberian green woodpecker were all noted, while a small group of woodpigeons were spotted high on a tree warming in the early morning sun. 

Our next stop was close to a large and impressive cliff face close to Grazelema. The first good bird was an Iberian grey shrike, warming up in the sun, but we soon saw and heard our first choughs, their wonderful calls so evocative of sites such as this. Stonechats were common, and we also saw Sardinian warblers and once a melodious warbler, but our first rock buntings were very distant. Mike spotted a group of griffon vultures waiting in the sun for the first thermals, while I found an ibex that no one else saw. Butterflies offered a diversion, with wall browns, southern grizzled skippers and southern common blues.
We then dropped down into the valley where a small water-treatment plant’s settling pools offered a different habitat. There were lots of warblers here, but they were mostly elusive, though I photographed a small group of smart young chiffchaffs feeding by the side of the road.  White wagtails were numerous, and a grey was also noted. Our first short-toed eagle was seen high overhead.

After a false start (though we did manage to refill our big water bottle from a spring) we climbed up to the Puerto de las Palomas (Pass of the Pigeons), but apart from a few griffons and high hirundines we struggled for birds. The far-reaching views, however, were superb, and we did see blue rock thrushes, while Mike surpassed himself with finding a pair of black wheatears. Martin and I missed them as we were then back at the car. We then wound our way down to lower altitudes and made our way back to base for lunch and a siesta. At 4pm we set off for Ronda, a large and challenging town to drive through. We eventually found the historic centre and drove across the old bridge, but it was packed with people and parking was nearly impossible. So, we finished our afternoon by driving south through the mountains on the Algeciras Road, stopping at various miradors. We did see birds: big numbers of migrations hirundines, with our first red-rumped swallow.  Distant black wheatears were enjoyed, but birds were generally few as the ground was parched and arid. We didn’t even manage a Thekla’s lark. Again, though, the scenery was superb, and we enjoyed a picturesque drive home.

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​5th October
No exciting owls in the night. We set off shortly after 9am for our morning’s excursion, enjoying the brief period of cool temperatures before the sun had risen in the sky. We made two or three stops in the cork-oak woods finding our first pied flycatcher, shortly followed by a pair of firecrests that showed well. A great-spotted woodpecker flew over, nuthatches were seen, along with blue and great tits. We continued to the valley below Grazelema with the water treatment works, and here we enjoyed great views of blackcaps, saw another grey wagtail along with numerous white wagtails. A hawfinch flew over and turned out to be one of a flock of perhaps nine or ten birds. None showed particularly well (no chance for photographs), but we enjoyed seeing them. As we drove out of the valley, we stopped for a blue rock thrush posing on a rock: there were two birds, one an immature male, the other a full adult. Martin and I took some pleasing pictures.
We then took the road to Ubrique, with our first stop overlooking an extensive flat grazed area. Here the first new bird was a mistle thrush: there were four or five of them. A Dartford warbler showed well close to the road, while an unseen bird with a dry rattling song confused us. We eventually saw it, and it was of course a cirl bunting. Griffon vultures were now circling in numbers over a nearby ridge, while an unseen woodlark was singing close by. We also saw a perched northern wheatear. Hairstreak butterflies were flying around the ilex oaks. These were presumably ilex hairstreaks, but according to the books there is only one brood that flies from May to late July. Curiously, no hairstreaks are noted as flying in October.

A little way farther on we stopped at an attractive wooded site with picnic tables where we enjoyed watching (and trying to photograph) a pair of pied flycatchers. Here a tired-looking great banded grayling was new for the list and was the only one seen during the holiday. Our route took us on through a deep but wide gorge - we paused briefly for a black wheatear close to the road. The scenery was spectacular, but the birds were few. There were no raptors other than a few griffons, while the only birds to photograph were Sardinian warblers. We paused in Ubrique for coffee, or in my case a cheesecake. House sparrows clustered round our table, including an interesting bird with white in its primaries.

On the way back we paused to look over the reservoir in the valley below Montecorto. The level was desperately low, while there was not a single water bird of any description to be seen. After our late lunch and siesta, we drove out again, covering a loop of rolling agricultural countryside behind Montecorto. As usual, the scenery was spectacular, but we saw some birds, too. We had fine views of alpine swifts, high overhead, and apparently moving south with house martins, while we also saw a short-toed eagle. There were lots of griffons, as usual, with many sitting in trees, as if waiting for something to happen. We were also entertained by a number of paragliders, flying at great altitudes with the vultures. At the high point of our drive, we came to the ruins of ancient Ronda (Ronda la Vieja), a protected archaeological site. Here there were scores of corn buntings resting in the tangle of brambles below the summit.

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6th October
We were packed and on the road before 9am. I chose to drive on the main road to Arcos de la Frontera, so we didn’t take long to get there as the road was fast with little traffic. We soon found the reservoir, which I couldn’t remember at all from my last visit, as it is now a public recreation area, with fishing and even paddle boarding. There were few birds. Initially all we found were Muscovy ducks and a few domestic mallard and waxbills, the latter feeding in the trees close to the banks. We did add black headed gull, great-crested grebe and coot, while Mike and I saw a spoonbill drop into the extensive reedbed, but it wasn’t good birdwatching. We eventually added serin (heard but not seen), plus marsh harrier and a distant soaring booted eagle (we were to see a much closer booted eagle from the car as we drove out of Arcos.) I managed to find the road below Arcos that gave us a fine view of the famous Arcos cliffs, and here we enjoyed great views of a small male peregrine.
From Arcos we drove south to Medina Sidonia on a remarkably smooth road that must have been finished a few months ago, but in contrast in Medina we crawled through the town on the same old narrow roads that have been unchanged in decades (Note - this was an unnecessary detour as there's now a ring road by-passing the town but older sat navs seem not to have been updated - JC).  We soon found the Valcargado track that John Cantelo recommended, a broad, well-graded but very dusty sand road that took us deep into the rolling countryside past a few rather grand country houses. (Note - grand and with an interesting history as Valcargado finca was often visited by Ernest Hemmingway and later Orson Welles - JC) We stopped for our lunch not far from the end of the track and had scarcely taken the first bite before a fine juvenile Bonelli’s eagle appeared over the ridge to the north of us, soon followed by a juvenile Spanish imperial eagle from the same direction. Both gave prolonged and good views, though mainly at long range (at least for photography). We had fine views of another imperial eagle but didn’t see another Bonelli’s. It was hot and sunny, as usual, but there was a very strong and gusting wind that made conditions less than pleasant. Buzzard, kestrel and griffon vulture were added to the raptor list, and we also saw red-legged partridges, but not much else, possibly because it was too windy.

It was then just a short drive to the coastal town of Barbate. We approached past the cliff where the bald ibises nest, then drove across the bridge with the extensive marshes to our left, the sea to the right. It was brilliantly sunny, but horribly windy. Out to sea we saw our first gannets, while the big gulls loafing on the spit were all yellow-legged. A whimbrel, a flock of turnstones and a single ringed plover were our first waders of the trip. Looking out over the  marismas, we saw very distant flying bald ibises.

We continued along the road between the sea and the marsh - I overshot the turn I wanted to make, so we turned round, came back, and drove off road to the edge of the marismas. Here our first stop was close to a pool crowded with a variety of waders - stilts, dunlin, little stint, curlew sandpiper, ruff - while farther out there were many more waders to see, along with flocks of  flamingoes. Two of the latter were pronounced to be dead, but they were simply having a snooze on the mud. There were lots of good birds to be seen. We soon added osprey to the list (a bird with a fish, when it flew it took its fish with it, leaving a disappointed gull behind), plus avocet, black-tailed godwit, redshank and a large flock of resting Audouin’s gulls.  However, that horrible wind made it difficult to use the telescope and took away much of the fun.
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We all felt tired and sun- and wind-battered, so we decided to head for our new base in Tarifa (Hotel La Torre) an easy drive past the hundreds of wind turbines. We were delayed briefly by an accident that had happened (fortunately) some time before, with a rolled and destroyed 4x4 upside down in the ditch. (It remained there for the next two days). 

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7th October
We  eventually got away not long after 8.30.  Our guide, Javi Elorriaga, from Birding the Strait (www.birdingthestrait.com) proved to be a likeable chap in his 40s, originally from Bilbao and with a Belgian wife. 

He certainly knew his birds and how to find them, taking us first to the cliff face (Laja de la Zarga, Bolonia - JC) where scores of griffons roost and a number breed. He soon found us a Rüppell's, an immature bird standing on a ledge next to a standard griffon which allowed us to compare the two. The former was distinctively darker headed, and quite clearly a different species, though its slightly smaller size wasn’t obvious (NB - although texts often suggest that smaller size is a distinguishing feature of Rüppell's there is a considerable overlap in size with griffons - JC). We watched it for some time before it finally launched itself off, soaring high above us. I took a number of photographs, but the light was poor, and none were worth keeping.

We then climbed back into Javi’s small Renault van and drove for about 20 minutes up to Tahivilla and then La Janda (seeing a red kite en  route), where before long we had our first rather brief glimpse of a black winged kite. The strong wind made it more challenging to see, but we eventually found it again and enjoyed great views of it, although at some range. A delightful and entertaining bird, and a lifer for Chris and Mike. (I had seen my first near Badajoz in 1964). Here we also saw a pair of stock doves, apparently rare birds in Andalucia. A number of distant booted and short-toed eagles were also seen, but no harriers other than a marsh - this is apparently prime harrier country.

We then drove south, pausing in Tarifa to buy sandwiches and trying to see the world’s loneliest bulbul that lives there - we failed. We then drove along the busy coast road towards Algeciras, turning round then stopping at a raptor watchpoint with a backdrop of Gibraltar.  Here a couple of professional watchers were already in place. We saw numerous griffons, booted and short-toed eagles, but all at long range.  As we left a juvenile Bonelli’s eagle flew over, but by the time we saw it was all but impossible to identify. Apparently Bonelli’s are often identified because of the reaction of other birds to them, as they are regarded with fear. The wind remained too strong for the raptors to be able to cross the Strait.
Our next stop took us back much closer to Tarifa on the south side of the road, driving through a crumbling tarmac road through a derelict army base, eventually ending up with commanding views of the Strait (Observatorio de Guadalmesí - JC). It was very windy, and we didn’t see a great deal here, other than a single black kite and an unexpected juvenile honey buzzard, an extremely dark individual that, without Javi’s expertise, would have been tricky to identify. We returned to the main road, pausing for coffees and/or ice creams at a rather scruffy cafe (Mirador de Estrecho - JC) with an impressive view. Then it was back across the road, into the natural park, travelling on a rough but well graded dirt road. We gathered from Javi that this is a classic roosting site for short-toed eagles that bottle-up here when they are unable to make the crossing. We then had a fascinating hour watching these impressive and beautiful birds, mainly from above, as they landed in the trees below us. We gathered that breeding birds from southern Italy and even Croatia will cross here every year, rather than risk the longer crossing from Scilly to Libya.
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Apart from the snake eagles there were also a number of booted eagles, and we also saw two hobbies (or perhaps the same bird twice), along with a number of sparrowhawks. It was an attractive drive which we much enjoyed.
We finished the day with an abortive search for monarch butterflies, but our efforts were rewarded with the sight of a flock of around 30 black kites high overhead, one of the very last migrant kite flocks of the year. We had seen 16 species of raptor, including all three kites, while we hadn’t expected honey buzzard or black kite as they should have all gone through. A memorable day. 

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​8th October
Though this was a second guided day in a row, it was quite different in many ways from yesterday. Our guide, Manuel Morales from Birding Tarifa (www.birdingtarifa.com) is quite a different character than Javi yesterday, and rather more fun. He arrived five minutes early (our breakfast was rather slow as usual), but we were soon off in his spacious VV minibus for our first destination, the old Martello tower on the headland south of Zahara, the Cabo de Gracia. The sky and the sea were both a rich shade of blue, and though we were partly sheltered from the wind it was still fierce. It was challenging seawatch, as most of the birds were well offshore.
A number of Cory’s shearwaters were eventually spotted passing distantly, and we did see two Balearic shearwaters, but passage was light. Gannets were more numerous, and once we saw a flock of a dozen spoonbills heading south along the coast. A couple of Sandwich terns were noted, but no skuas. In many ways more interesting than the seabirds was the steady passage of hirundines moving south. These included sand and house martins, as well as swallows, but red-rumped swallows were the most numerous. We had only just set off when Manuel spotted a couple of swifts flying above the road - little swifts. We jumped out and enjoyed watching these delightful birds. I saw two but the count was five individuals.

Our next stop was the marshes at Barbate, which we entered at exactly the same place as we had done 48 hours before. There were all the birds we had seen before, plus a couple of lapwings, but despite trying hard we failed to find stone curlews. There was a party of ex-pat birdwatchers, led by a jovial chap called Peter Jones, already there, and they had recorded 56 species for World Birdwatch Day. We didn’t see nearly as many, but we enjoyed a trio of bald ibises feeding in one of the scruffy and crowded cattle enclosures, in company with scores of feral pigeons, a few corn buntings and a single hoopoe. They were tame and took little notice of us. Next Manuel promised us imperial eagles, but en route on the A396 he spotted a pair of swifts over the road. He did a quick U-turn, managed to park the van, and relocated the birds which hawked over our heads for the next few minutes. They were white-rumped swifts, a bird first found nesting in Spain (and Europe) for the first time in 1967 by an Englishman called Geoffrey (FGH) Allen.  I had stayed with Geoffrey in October 1968 at Los Barrios, in his house close to Gibraltar. This was my first sighting of Apus caffer in Spain, so a satisfying moment. Before our eagle hunt, we stopped at a roadside venta ... as we ate on the terrace, I saw short-toed eagle, marsh harrier, red kite and a possible (if not probable) lesser kestrel.

Our search for the eagle took us back along the Valcargado Track we had driven along on Thursday, and which I now recognised as the one Rocio had taken us along in April 2019. We had reasonable views of juvenile imperial eagles, but the adults were more elusive and viewed only at great range.

Then it was on to La Janda, driving first past an extensive and hugely intensive plantation of olive trees, not a fine advert for the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. We paused briefly to admire a herd of toro bravo, though they were mainly cows, then stopped to watch a delightful young Montagu’s harrier hunting along a waterway. Scores of corn buntings rose from the fields, and we saw several flocks of calandra larks, too. Our final stop of the day was at a couple of flooded rice fields, and here there were lots of birds to see. Most obvious were the hundreds of glossy ibises, but there were also white storks, lapwings, a few ruffs, ringed plovers (and also one little ringed), our first wood sandpipers, a few green sandpipers along the ditches, stilts,  snipe, a kingfisher and a bluethroat, though the latter were only glimpsed. A pair of ortolans buntings, spotted by Manuel, came into the latter category. A large flock of calandra larks stopped and circled over one of the paddies. We had been promised hen harriers, and though we missed seeing a cock, we did see three different females. It was a great way to finish the day, with nearly 90 species in the bag. We didn’t get back until after 7pm - a long day. 

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​9th October
Our last morning in Tarifa, so we ventured out first thing to check the beach.  Tarifa’s beach is a magnificent five-mile long broad band of sand, so is attractive to birds, but even more so to humans. Disturbance is such that even in the early morning few birds loaf on it, and we only saw a few Kentish plovers. Out to sea we did see distant Cory’s shearwaters, plus Sandwich terns and gannets and the inevitable yellow-legged gulls. On the way back we made our last try for a monarch, and this time we were successful, with a pristine butterfly posing for us briefly.
We then drove on to Barbate, where we once again failed to see a stone curlew. This time it wasn’t as windy, so we spent some time with the scopes, checking out the waders. Martin spotted a trio of ducks that proved to be shovelers, a new addition to the list; it proved to be only one.  According to Manuel, the marshes here were once a rubbish tip, but the neighbouring fish farm had to restore them as a condition of planning permission. You can still see the rubbish, but it’s a good nature reserve now.

We then drove north-west along the coast, past Cape Trafalgar where we nearly stopped (but were put off by the possibility of finding it packed, as it was a busy and bright Sunday), so continued on to Conil de la Frontera, where we had our lunch sitting on benches overlooking the river estuary, an attractive spot. As we ate, we watched little egrets and a whimbrel, and also saw ringed plovers, redshank, sanderling and our first bar-tailed godwit. Martin spotted an osprey resting on a fence post, and when we went for a walk after lunch this bird flew over us, eventually hunting a large lagoon just inland from the sea, where it dived, unsuccessfully, on at least four occasions. Funnily enough, Martin and I watched Chris and Mike studying waders on the lagoon, oblivious to the osprey fishing in front of them.
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After lunch we tried to find a site recommended by John Cantelo on the Rio de San Pedro. It was impossible to find with our large-scale map, and even defeated the navigation system on Chris’s iPhone, so after driving in circles for half an hour we eventually gave up, continuing on to the LB Lebrija Hotel. (Note - to find the site take the CA 35 towards Cadiz but turn off following signs for the Barrida Rio San Pedro where the waterfront is easily found. Old sat navs may confuse as the road system here was altered in 6-7 years ago with the opening of a new bridge).  

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​10th October

John Cantelo advised offering a prayer to the Virgin Mary to improve our chances of seeing sandgrouse (As an atheist this isn't something I often do but, in my experience, seeing sandgrouse here involves a lot of luck! - JC ) .  We failed to do so, so failed on the sandgrouse, too. We had, however, left the hotel well before sunrise and driven to a suitable site outside Trebujena, as recommended by John, but there wasn’t a hint of a sandgrouse. There were compensations, including big flocks of calandra larks. We found a small freshwater wetland reserve with hides (locked so unusable) which had flamingoes and stilts, plus a solitary pochard and several little grebes. On our way home a dozen stone curlews flushed and gave us good flying views.

We weren’t on the road again until 10.30, retracing our early morning route, then carrying on to the Bonanza saltpans. As we drove we saw the expected birds on the floods of the Guadalquivir, including a variety of waders and an osprey. At the northern part of the saltpans we saw a good flock of lesser short-toed larks, their buzzing call highly distinctive. The track was now very rough, so we turned round and back to the Algaida pinewoods where I hoped to see azure-winged magpies. No luck. (NB - this is a traditional site for the magpies but they are now very hard to find here - JC)  A hobby soaring overhead was the best bird, but there were a number of spotted flycatchers in the umbrella pines, where I also saw blue tits and Sardinian warblers.
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We continued on along the rough road, with its fierce sleeping policemen, to the unattractive Algaida lagoon (Laguna de Tarelo - JC) , with its rather nasty reed-screen hide. There were hundreds of shovelers on the water, with hardly any of the drakes showing any sign of moulting into full plumage. There were also seven or eight white-headed ducks, while I managed to spot a trio of marbled teal at  the farthest end of the lagoon, but the view was bad due to a combination of distance, heat haze and tall reeds blowing across the telescope lens. A bonus was a sighting of four black storks circling in the distance.
We ate our lunch in the woods, pestered by numerous small flies, before setting off to try and find the Lagunas de Camino Colorado. We found them eventually - two scruffy pools but with plenty of birds. The first held our first purple swamphen and a couple of Temminck’s stints that I eventually found, along with moorhens, coots and a couple of juvenile glossy ibises. I also had two brief views of a kingfisher. The second larger pool held a trio of marbled teal that showed well. These two small pools are surrounded by rubbish in an area of extremely intensive agriculture, but remarkably attract interesting birds.

We then drove into the Bonanza salt pans that, to my surprise, didn’t hold a lot of birds. There was the usual sprinkle of waders and flamingoes, but not much else. We paused near the Guadalquivir, a broad and mighty river here, and were rewarded when a fine Caspian tern came over, repeatedly hunting the same beat. A single black stork also appeared and dropped in on a wetland that also held a couple of feeding spoonbills, along with several grey herons, little egrets and flamingoes.
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Our drive home was slow and at times painful, with the road rough and broken. We stopped again in the pinewoods but failed to see anything new, though we again saw a hobby (the same one as this morning?), plus a trio of red kites. Then it was back across the dried marismas, and back to base at 6.45. 

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​11th October
Breakfast in a noisy and popular local bar, with three televisions all showing the same news programme (with devastating floods in Valencia), started our day. We then drove south to Sanlucar, threading our way past the bodegas to the river front. Here there was ample parking, with fine views north across the mouth of the Guadalquivir towards Doñana and Huelva. A large expanse of sand was exposed, and the tide was falling fast, but few birds were visible. We continued south, stopping at two more viewpoints where we had a commanding view over the estuary. We heard, then saw, our first curlews of the trip, along with bar-tailed godwits, sanderlings, turnstones and ringed plovers. At one site, La Jara, an extensive rocky foreshore was exposed, and here we scoped a distant group of terns and gulls. I found our first Mediterranean gull, while there was a common tern with the Sandwich terns. The great majority of the gulls were lesser black-backed.

We continued on to Chipiona, winding our way through narrow streets until (with a little help from electronic devices) we eventually found the fish market, complete with several little swifts flying overhead. Most disappeared soon afterwards, but there were regular returns from pairs, some of which visited the nest sites under the low roof of the market. Photography was a challenge, but the pictures we did get showed that several of the birds were carrying feathers. The swifts here are resident, and are apparently double-brooded, though The Birds of the Iberian Peninsula suggests that the nesting season finishes in July. It clearly doesn’t. Out to sea I spotted a skua, which judging by its size and flight was an Arctic. Mike and Chris eventually saw two together.

We had our lunch on the beach next to an old castellated building, watching the gulls on the beach that waited hopefully for crumbs. Again, the majority were lesser black-backed, and most of them were immature birds. They are more athletic birds than the yellow-legged, with slightly shorter legs and slimmer bodies. Here sanderlings and turnstones were clearly used to people and very approachable. A trio of greenshanks landed noisily on the tideline: I managed to photograph two of them. I was tempted to explore the coast towards Rota, but it’s heavily built up with new holiday developments. (Note - the largest development here, the Costa Ballena, has a large park with ornamental pools which can be surprisingly good for birds, often hosting ring-billed gulls), We did stop once, walking to the beach where a gannet was seen offshore and a fine Mediterranean gull flew by. There were blackbirds in the bushes, but nothing to excite us, so we head back towards La Jara, as John’s email had told us that it was a good site for terns a couple of hours before high tide. Alas, the whole bay was now flooded, and there was nothing to see. We tried again a little closer to Sanlucar, but without success.

The Colorado pools weren’t far away, so we decided to have another look at this productive but unattractive site, and to find the third lake. We soon added a new bird - a drake pintail - and the Temminck’s stints were still to be seen. The third lake (which I hadn’t seen before) proved to be most productive. Here there were roosting night herons (at least a dozen), plus our first teal, which flew off. A pair of garganey ... and we enjoyed good views again of marbled teal. I checked out the coots carefully, but they were all the standard model. We also saw two or three swamphens, lots of moorhens, half a dozen very young flamingoes and a kingfisher. As we watched the sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and eventually it poured with rain, though it didn’t last long. It was time to head for home, a 35- minute drive. 

​12th October
We set off for the airport at 7.30 sharp. It was an easy drive on deserted roads (apparently because it was Spain’s National Day). Security was quiet and easy, but it was a long walk up to Gate 24 for our flight. 
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Autumn Updates 2022 - I Montes Propios

12/10/2022

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The city of Jerez de la Frontera sits a low hill surrounded by rolling farmlands covered with cereals, sunflowers and, of course, vineyards.  Understandably, this rich farmland forms the core of the municipality but, as the map shows, there’s a 20 km long administrative tombolo (at one point little more than 100m wide) that links the principal part of the municipality to an ‘island’ wooded hills and modest mountains (with peaks of c400-c500m), the Montes Propios.  There must be some reason for this odd arrangement but it’s hard to see what this could be since the connecting filament of land doesn’t follow a road, stream or link to a village. My only thought is that it may be to protect the headwaters of the Embalse del Guadalcacin which presumably supplies the city with water.  However, this explanation can hardly apply to the entirely detached “fingernail” of municipal land (c5km x 1 km) near Algar which seems to contain but a single small farm so perhaps other factors are at work.
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Whatever the logic of this arrangement, it seems that the municipal authorities have decided to embrace this area, part of the Parque Natural Los Alcornocales, as a valuable ‘green lung’ for the city’s population.  With rocky crags, dense cork-oak woodland and cistus clad hillsides the area is certainly very different to and much wilder than the rest of the municipality’s rural areas.  Presumably it’s for this reason that the area has an Education centre (Centro de interpretación Montes Propios) here.  

Similarly, it probably explains the relatively dense network of footpaths (including several, circular routes) in the area. (More details of these footpaths may be found at Senda Cadiz Senderismo). Note that the starting point of some of these senderos does not seem clearly marked.  
It was only when I read about the Casa de Torres trail in the “Birdwatching Calendar of the Province of Cadiz” (see an earlier blog) that I realised that the road down to the Centro de Interpretation was open to the public rather than private as I’d always assumed. My confusion stemmed from the road being flanked by a wall topped by two lanterns which made it resemble the route up to a private finca. So, when I visited the area this September, I made sure that I visited the site. I didn’t have time to explore the various senderos but I saw enough to appreciate that this site offered an excellent opportunity to explore a part of the Alcornocales on foot.  I've found Iberian Green Woodpecker, Bonelli's Eagle & Iberian Chiffchaff in the wider area but I'm sure that there's more to find here. 
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Autumn Updates 2022  - II El Berrueco

12/10/2022

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It's hardly surprising that the raptor passage across the strait is invariably the first thing that comes to mind when birders consider Cadiz Province or that a close second tends to be various Iberian or Mediterranean specialties like Lesser Short-toed Lark, Black Wheatear, etc. What tends to be forgotten, or perhaps not appreciated at all, is that many common (or in some cases formerly common) passerines also get funneled down through SW Andalucia as they approach Africa. This was brought home to me in mid-September as I stood in a municipal park just over the border in Seville Province and found myself surrounded by a dozen or so Pied Flycatchers - more than I'd expect to see in a whole autumn in Kent. Even though I was there to help (successfully) a friend find two lifers, Iberian Green Woodpecker and Azure-winged Magpie, for me the highlight was seeing 'commoner' migrants. Every other bird seemed to be a Pied Fly., those that weren't often turned out to be Spotted Flycatchers or, less often, (Common) Redstart. , both now depressingly scarce migrants in SE England. This wasn't a one-off but was a regular feature during my visit and I'm sure a systematic survey at several sites would have turned up many dozens of birds, perhaps a100 or more in some instances. This isn't a peculiarly autumnal phenomenon but happens in spring too. Urban parks (notably Parque Princessa Sofía in La Linea), coastal strips of woodland (Tarifa beach) and isolated woods surrounded by pastures and saltmarsh (La Agaida, Bonanza) often harbour more migrant flycatchers, Redstarts and warblers than you might expect.

However, this post isn't about a coastal site or an isolated patch of flycatcher-friendly woodland but a small arid site surrounded by poor cistus scrub not too far from the centre of the province near Medina de Sidonia, El Berrueco. So what has this site got going for it? The optimistically named Rio Iro does provide a narrow thread of better vegetation but after a long hot dry spring and summer (as was the case in 2021) is reduced to a series of disconnected puddles. However, what it does have is an old quarry in the middle of which is an overflowing water trough that feeds several larger puddles nearby. Looking at noticeboards informing visitors about this quarry it seems this trough has been leaking for several years! Here I had good views of Common Redstart, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Goldfinches, Serins, Linnets and Ortolan Bunting. Other observers here have seen Blue and Common Rock-thrushes, Cirl Bunting and various warblers here (see https://ebird.org/hotspot/L13469116 ).   . A more patient observer here armed with a decent camera and lens would be in a good position to take some decent photos of the birds.

I was delighted to see the Ortolans as, embarrassingly, it was a species I hadn't seen in Cadiz Province. They're a declining and uncommon breeding bird in Spain being restricted, apart from an outpost in the Sierra Nevada, to the northern half of the country. They're regular but rather scarce migrants in the province so seeing one is a bit of a lottery. I had three Ortolans at El Berrueco but others reported 4, 5 or even a dozen birds at this site (for photos of Ortolan at this site see Ortolan Bunting - Emberiza hortulana - Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird).. This seems to have been the only site they were regularly reported in the area on eBird with only two isolated reports elsewhere during the autumn (both of single birds) from Vejer and La Zarga (obviously more were seen by observers not using eBird but the paucity of reports on this increasingly well-used app is a fair indication of the species' status). In fact, it was through these eBird reports (cleverly discovered by my guests Ben & AJ) that I became aware of the site and although I do randomly explore tracks leading off into the campo, I doubt that I would have found it otherwise. This is where eBird can be extraordinarily helpful (although it seems in this instance some of the references took us to the centre of the village rather than the site itself, the photos on eBird certainly helped to confirm once there that we were in the right place). If, as seems likely, the supply of water here isn't a one-off due to temporary negligence but has been a recurrent feature over a number of years then if you're driving along the A395 between Medina Sidonia & Chiclana de la Frontera a detour here could be well worthwhile.  

The two morals of this post are a) remember to check eBird for details of target birds and b) in drought conditions even the most unpromising sites can attract birds if there's a good source of water.
I started this account by doubting that El Berrueco is very reliable site for birds but on reviewing my photos, I notice that the image on the noticeboard shows an overflowing water trough. Perhaps, then, the supply of water here isn't a one-off due to temporary negligence but has been a recurrent feature over a number of years.  If you're driving along the A 395 between Medina Sidonia and Chiclana de Frontera in the autumn, then a detour to check this site could be worthwhile.  
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Autumn Updates 2022 - III Desembocadura de Rio San Pedro

12/10/2022

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My first visit to the ​Desembocadura (= rivermouth) de Rio San Pedro this September did not disappoint as I managed to see my first lifer in Spain for a decade or more - Elegant Tern. The second wasn't too bad either as I had Lesser Crested Tern.  With such a track record it's no surprise to discover that this site (along with Montijo beach, nr Chipiona) has a growing reputation as THE site to see rare terns in Cadiz in autumn. Playa de los Lances (Tarifa) once almost had a monopoly of 'orange-billed' terns in the area but I suspect that in large measure this reflected where the birders were as much as where the terns were. This site seems to be best for roosting terns and gulls about an hour or so before high tide when birds are pushed up along the river as the vast expanse of the mud & sand on the seaward side of the Los Toruños peninsula disappears.  A 'scope is invaluable here since the birds are generally c100-150m away on the far side of the Rio San Pedro (although I got lucky with the Elegant Tern as it lingered for a while on the nearside of the river).  If you get your timing right expect to see hundreds of gulls (inc. Mediterranean, Slender-billed & Audouin's) and a good mix of terns (Caspian, Sandwich, Common & Black).  Orange-billed terns are generally to be found amongst Sandwich Terns and, unless they're sleeping or hidden by other birds, shouldn't be too hard to pick out with a 'scope. However, distinguishing Lesser Crested and Elegant (see  Orange-billed terns photo ID guide - BirdGuides) is another matter so I was happy to be with birders who'd seen the species before!  The site also has a good range of waders although these too tend to be distant and other sites in the area are better.  Small passerines shouldn't be ignored as the pines along the esplanade can hold a good numbers of flycatchers, redstarts, etc in the autumn. eBird account lists 106 species for this site  (see https://ebird.org/hotspot/L11907457 ).   
I also had Elegant Tern at Montijo beach but, unlike Rio San Pedro, this site is better when the tide is lower and should be avoided on summer weekends when the beach can be busy.  
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Birding Atlantis

7/10/2022

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There’s an arc of low-lying land running along the Cadiz-Seville border and down towards Mesas de Asta that begs to be explored. These low-lying fields were once beneath the waves and what are now surrounding hills were once isolated islands and peninsulas. It was here that the semi-mythical city of Tartessus was located. The Tartessian civilisation owed much to Phoenician traders who, according to tradition, founded the city of Cadiz in 1100 BCE (making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in western Europe). They called the place Gadir taking the name from a Berber term for a wall or compound (and hence also the origin of the name for the Moroccan city of Agadir). It was silver that attracted the Phoenicians and reputedly made the Tartessians fabulously wealthy.  Although their influence once stretched west to what is now southern Portugal, east to Murcia and north to Extremadura, relatively little is known about them.  One of the most famous examples of Tartessian art is the fabulous Bronce Carriazo.  It is thought to represent a local Tartessian goddess of the marshes assimilated into the Phoenician cult of Astarte and that of the Egyptian goddess Hathor (polytheism is an equal opportunities form of religion).  Her tunic is adorned by water lilies and the birds depicted are surely Mallards suggesting an intimate familiarity with wetland wildlife (although I’ve no idea what outsized bottle openers she’s holding are meant to be!)  It certainly makes you wonder what the vast, shallow Tartessian Gulf (now occupied by the Coto Doñana) with its multiple inlets must have been like for bird watching 3,000 years ago. This mysterious past, the city’s location beyond the Pillars of Hercules and their city being surrounded by the sea, has inevitably caused many to link it with the myth of Atlantis.  This may well be entirely fanciful, but I quite like the idea that when I’m birding the area, I’m birding Atlantis!

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Bronce Carriazo - possibly representing a local Tartessian goddess of the marshes
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Much of this area was once below the sea and Mesas de Asta, not Jerez, was the main settlement.
At times after heavy rain, this area can appear to be straining to return to its former aquatic nature as extensive areas can be flooded. When this happens (sadly, an increasingly unusual phenomenon) it attracts hundreds of Flamingos, White Storks, three species of egret and a multitude of waders. When dry the patches of bare earth and poor vegetation look good for the ever-elusive Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (although I’ve only seen them here once). Within its orbit there are old settling ponds constructed for the sugar beet industry near Mesas de Asta, which have one of the largest colonies of both Gull-billed Tern and Slender-billed Gulls in Iberia (although the destruction of the Coto Donana on the far side of the Guadalquivir may now have changed things).  
So why isn’t it better known?  In one word “access” (compounded by the proximity of better known and reliably ornithologically productive areas).  The aforementioned settling ponds off the A 2000 at Mesas de Asta have always been ‘out-of-bounds’ despite, as I vaguely recall, talk by the former owners Ebro Foods that it would become a reserve.  Access to the nearer patch of wetland used to be permitted (or at least tolerated) but this is now disputed so both can now only be viewed distantly by pulling of the road onto a track (GPS 36.7927, -6.1636) running beside the main road. Despite this it can still be a good place to pause and catch up with Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed and marsh terns, Collared Pratincole, Montagu’s Harrier, Red-rumped Swallow, etc. The fields to the south are a mix of rough grazing and arable but when flooded they too attract waders, terns, etc.  There may also be patches of bare ground – particularly after the floods have receded – that can harbour Stone-curlews.  It may also be worth exploring the Cañada Ancha which crosses the valley to the CA 3103.  (This track passes under the A 2000 at GPS 36.7804, -6.1672 and can be accessed via the track noted above running parallel to the main road or via the outskirts of Mesas de Asta (at GPS 36.7834, -6.1725).
A second area worth exploring are the Marismas de Casablanca. It's not an area I’ve often visited, despite my good intentions, but when I have done so it has proved to be worth the effort.  From Jerez there are two alternative routes to reach area; one slow and the other fast. The slower route along the CA 3103 is the more interesting as you can more easily stop to scan the undulating countryside. I've had Montagu’s Harrier here and the area is often traversed by Gull-billed Tern from the nearby colony at Mesas de Asta (or it was when I was last here).  
Unfortunately, the marsh is out of sight hidden in the rolling hills but as noted above, if you’re really keen the Cañada Ancha (GPS 36.7662, -6.1180) takes you across the valley towards the A 2000. This narrow thread of grass and scrub should have more birds than the surrounding farmland but you have to walk 1-2 km before you reach wide open areas prone to flooding.  Another potential plus of this route is that there remains an outside possibility that you might find Little Bustard. They were reported in this general area a decade ago, are still shown as present in the most recent Spanish atlas (based in surveys in 2014-2018) and I was told they were still around in the early 2020s.  
I’ve driven along the CA 0606 (essentially a continuation of the CA 3103 northwards) a couple of times but fully not explored the area. The track runs past the Cortijo de Capita through a rather dull agricultural landscape until after c2 km the track drops down towards a flatter area bisected by an agricultural canal (Caño de Capita). By c2 km along the 'road' it has degenerated into no more than a farm track so I’ve only once driven any further.  About 700m to the east, there’s a large triangle (c1.2 km tall x 600m at base) of rough grass dotted with small pools that attracts birds (I’ll return to this areas in the next paragraph). In theory at least, the CA 0606 then crosses Caño de Capita, loops east, past area noted above and on to Cortijo de Casblanca on the CA 3103. However, the track would be tough going even in a 4x4 so if you do explore this track then do so on foot (although remember I’m not 100% sure that access is permitted so ask permission first if possible). ​Alternatively, you can ignore the turning onto the CA 0606 and continue along the CA 3103.  I have seen Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl along this stretch of road in winter. There's room to pull off the road near the cortijo from where you can try walking c2.5 km along the track to the area noted above (but try not to disturb any large flocks of birds.
PictureTwo Cranes (?) photo bombing the StreetView image at Campo de Tiro.
Before we leave the vicinity of Cortijo de Capita, it’s worth noting that according to Google Maps, a 4-5 km drive from the CA 0606 west towards Trebujena takes you to a small aerodrome, restaurant and shooting range (Campo de Tiro) surrounded by similarly interesting habitat. The reality is rather different as the suggested route across the campo follows very poor or even entirely imaginary tracks. In fact, to reach this area means driving back towards Jerez, then along the A 2000 a few km short of the A 471 and then taking a track signposted for Campo de Tiro, a journey of 35 km!   
This is not an area I’ve explored and, obviously, the apparent presence of a shooting range here demands great caution. However, the far end of the track (c3 km from the main road), the open rough grassland habitat (as viewed on Streetview) certainly looks interesting enough to warrant future investigation. One of the images on Streetview even seems to have caught what might be a couple of Cranes flying over!  It doesn't make much sense to take such a long diversion from the Casablanca area but it might be an interesting diversion if exploring Trebujena.  It's on my ‘must-do list. 

I must confess that as I’ve tended to visit the Marismas de Casablanca as an afterthought and when I’m short of time, I’ve usually arrived via the faster route along the NIV, pulled off onto the CA 3103 (GPS 36.8292, -6.0693) and taken the track towards the two prominent silos here.  The track behind these landmarks takes you to a bridge over the railway (GPS 36.8383, -6.0730) which is one of the few locations that gives you a commanding, if distant, view across the area. On my most recent visit (February 2023) I had c200 Common Crane, 500+ White Stork, hundreds of Cattle Egrets many of which were feeding/roosting in the wedge of habitat noted previously. The fields also had Lapwings, Golden Plover and many small passerines too distant to identify with confidence.  In the past it’s hosted c600 Common Cranes and the odd rarity including an adult male Pallid Harrier has been noted here.  When this area is flooded than it can be a mecca for huge numbers of Flamingos, egrets and waders.  Unfortunately, I’ve only witnessed this ornithological extravaganza from a passing train over a decade ago. On that occasion, I was also rewarded by a group of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse – perhaps refugees from the flood - lifting off near the tracks as we passed by!  Once again, further exploration either by car or foot should be productive.  The track (another section of the CA 0606!) to the west of the railway is very poor so best tackled on foot but the one on the far side of the railway should be easily drivable. This allows access to a second bridge c2.5 further on (GPS 36.8565, -6.0877) which should give better views of the area that held Common Cranes etc.  This area is one for the adventurous and after all where else can you claim to have gone birding around Atlantis? 
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Autumn Updates 2022 - IV All at sea!

6/10/2022

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When I first visited Andalucia in the 1970s the whale-watching industry didn't exist but when I returned in the early 2000s it had become a significant touristic attraction in Tarifa. I went on a couple of trips hoping to see a few seabirds as well as whales. As hoped, I managed to obtain some excellent views of Cory's Shearwater and somewhat fewer (and more distant) views of Balearic Shearwater (plus Great Skua & Audouin's Gull). However, piggybacking on jaunts to see cetaceans is no substitute for a focussed birding pelagic. Over a decade ago friends tried to organise a private trip in search of seabirds out of Tarifa but for various reasons it fell through. 
Happily, the ornithological tourism industry in Cadiz province is now so well developed and popular that pelagics are now part of the regular birding calendar.  As I recall, the first few birding pelagics were organised out of Tarifa but Chipiona quickly became the more popular option.  However, my first taste of pelagic birding here was out of Cadiz on 17th September this year.  This jaunt was organised by Manuel Morales (Birding Tarifa  www.birdingtarifa.com/en) but other birding guides (e.g. www.birdingthestrait.com) have also run trips to see seabirds.
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Puente de La Constitución de 1812
As the boat was due to leave Puerto America, Cadiz shortly after first light this meant an early start from Alcala de los Gazules for myself and my Kent birding friend Barry Wright who had joined me for a few days. The first treat was driving over the impressive Puente de la Constitucion de 1812 (see my prosaic photo from a few days earlier and Barry's superb shot as we crossed the bridge just before dawn).  This handsome bridge was named to commemorate and celebrate of Spain's first written constitution which was ratified in Cadiz in 1812. It established a constitutional monarchy and votes for male citizens and, despite being overthrown, was very influential serving as the model for constitutions in Portugal, Italy and several countries in Central and South America.
As well as ourselves, the skipper and Manuel, there were two local Spanish birders, an Australian, two Dutch birders (one of whom had exceptional eyesight which helped greatly later on) and ex-pat British birder, Ricky Owen, on the boat. Our first ornithological delight was a Roseate Tern on the harbour wall - a Spanish tick for me and my first Roseate Tern for decades.

As the boat headed out into the Golfo de Cádiz, we soon started to see Balearic Shearwaters (our final total was c40 birds) and European Storm-petrels (our total was also c40 birds). Despite the calm conditions, the latter were difficult to see as they skittered quickly past just above the water and, for once, I found myself regretting that I had changed from x8 binoculars to x10 as every lurch of the boat was magnified.  After a handful of stormies (a Spanish tick), another petrel hove into view which was clearly something different. There was some speculation that it was a Leach's as it lacked European Storm-petrel's pale bar on the underwing. I found this ID unconvincing but fortunately Barry had the presence of mind to get several photos (see below) of the bird which confirmed that it was a Wilson's Storm-petrel.  The clinching feature was that its toes clearly extended beyond the tail.  Another Spanish tick and my first for thirty-odd years.  Another Spanish tick and again my first for many years, was a far more co-operative Grey Phalarope (oddly enough, a few weeks after returning to the UK, I had a Grey Phalarope at a regular haunt (Stodmarsh) and what was almost certainly a second one at Reculver.   Cory's Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Bottle-nosed Dolphins also had walk-on parts in the drama.
If you plan to visit Cadiz province for the marvellous autumnal raptor passage, don't neglect to check online whether there are any pelagics scheduled at the time, you won't regret it. The only disappointment of the trip was that the petrels and shearwaters studiously ignored the 'chum' put out for them, so views were generally distant and brief.  
I got all of the species I realistically hoped to see netting no less than 4 of the 7 Spanish ticks I this September: Roseate Tern, European & Wilson's Storm-petrels and Grey Phalarope (the other ticks being Pectoral Sandpiper, Ortolan Bunting & Elegant Tern). 

​Mention of lists reminds me to mention that Barry got the four species he wanted to add to his impressive 7,700+ World list: Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Iberian Azure-winged Magpie, Iberian Green Woodpecker and Spanish Imperial Eagle.  ​
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Autumn Updates 2022 - V Cañada de Valcargado

5/10/2022

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PictureLittle Bustard at Valcargado in spring several years ago
It's something of a shock to realise that I first drove along the Cañada de Valcargado well over a decade ago.  On that occasion, I was looking for Little Bustards having already seen them elsewhere in the valley formed by the Arroyo del Yeso (a tributary of the Rio del Alamo).  Happily, I was successful, and I obtained good views of a calling male not far from the start of the track. As my focus was on finding steppe habitats that might hold bustards, I was a little disappointed to find that the rest of the track climbed up through unsuitable habitats for bustards. Hence, I was less interested in what else the area might offer than I should have been. So, despite returning many times since, I generally only drove one or two kilometres along this nine-kilometre track (a) to look for Little Bustards, Stone Curlew, Montagu's Harrier and Black-winged Kite.  Unfortunately, recent searches for Little Bustard here haven't been successful, perhaps indicative of their sharp decline in Spain despite their continuing presence elsewhere in the Campo de Medina.  This short-sighted approach made me under-appreciate the fact that the track pierced a wild hilly area with plenty of old olive groves, scrub and rough grazing.  I should have realised that the panoramic views particularly at the end of the route (as far as a non-4x4 vehicle's concerned) made this an ideal place to scan for passing raptors.  

So, when my friends Richard & Michelle Page-Jones told me that they were going to take me to a favourite site of theirs, Valcargado, this autumn I initially failed to recognise the name. Fortunately, new signs on the A 2225 now make the track hard to miss.  As we drove further along the track than I was used to doing, it dawned on me just how mistaken I'd been to overlook this excellent area for so long.  We had Bee-eaters, numerous hirundines, many small migrants and finches and larks galore but what struck me most of all was the opportunity that the wide vistas gave for scanning for raptors. A network of rough undrivable (unless in a 4x4) tracks radiating from the far end of this route (b) link up with routes back to Benalup or across to Alcala de los Gazules (just visible beyond the windfarms).  

PictureOrdóñezqui & Hemmingway
In the 1950s the Valcargado estate was owned by a famous bullfighter, Antonio Ordóñezqui, who was good friends with both Ernest Hemmingway (whom he called Father Ernesto) and Orson Welles (whose ashes were buried on Ordóñez's estate near Ronda). The presence of his grander-than-average finca and similar properties along the cañada doubtless explains why it's kept in such good repair for most of its length.  Apparently, the estate is still owned by his family so perhaps it's not a surprise that blood sports such as hunting continue to be an important activity on the estate. 

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The BoPs, especially the Honey Buzzards, were passing over very high so Chris did well to get identifiable photos
Accordingly, it's no surprise to see so many Red-legged Partridge (Sp: perdiz roja) along the track and in the fields. For Brits, it is perhaps surprising to find what the Spanish call Aguila perdicera (Partridge Eagle), better known to Anglophones as Bonelli's Eagle, is a frequent visitor here too.  Surprisingly, although not entirely blameless, Spanish hunters seem to be far more tolerant of birds of prey than many of their British equivalents. On half a dozen visits here this autumn I saw Bonelli's Eagle every time which is a better 'hit rate' than any other site for this species I know. Not only that, but on most visits, I saw multiple birds here culminating in a group of four birds (3 juveniles and a 2nd year) and a fifth juvenile on the way out.  It is interesting that all were sub-adult birds suggesting that this is an important area for birds dispersing from more mountainous breeding sites. The juvenile plumage of Bonelli's Eagle is superficially similar to that of dark morph adult Booted Eagles. Although Bonelli's are larger than Booted (L -55-65cm vs 45-51cm; W/s 143-165 cm vs 110-135 cm; Wt 1600-2500g vs 840-1250g) juveniles can be confused with the rufous form of the smaller species although, with experience, the Bonelli's different wing shape (pinched base broader middle & tapering tip) and a proportionately longer tail  should distinguish them.  To my eye the Booted is buzzard-like whilst the Bonelli's has a whiff of an Aquila eagle about it. 

Other raptors included the inevitable Griffon Vultures, one or two Egyptian Vultures, Booted & Short-toed Eagles, Osprey, Common & Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harrier, Common & Lesser Kestrels, Sparrowhawk and a single Goshawk.  It was also pleasing to confirm that at least some of the larks along the track are Thekla's although, since I've also seen Crested Lark here, every bird needs to be carefully checked. As with almost anywhere in this part of Spain on a decent day during late August and September, the scrub contains more Redstarts, Pied & Spotted Flycatchers than you could hope to see for a whole autumn in my home county of Kent.  
Along with Red-legged Partridge, Rabbits are also common here so it's equally unsurprising that I had Spanish Imperial Eagles here three times - two different adults and a juvenile. The species is doing well locally as I again had one over my terrace in Alcala (as I did Bonelli's Eagle) but one of the highlights of my entire sojourn here this autumn was seeing four SIEs (an adult and three juveniles) soaring together near Castillo de Torrestrella (d). (Note that this small group was also reported near the Embalse de Barbate). Access along this road once stretched for another kilometre to a quarry just beyond the castle (and is still shown as doing so on Google Streetview) but further progress is now blocked by a gate (possibly due to the Ecologistas en Acción de Jerez denouncing the illegal rubbish tip here). This is a pity as the views further along the track were still better. It's a good track for Calandra Lark in spring (although none were present in September) and passing raptors are always a possibility. Many people staying in Tarifa visit La Janda to find both "wintering" Bonelli's Eagle and SIEs but they probably have a better chance of both exploring this fabulous area. 
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Access to the area from Ermita-Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Santos (c) is problematical as the track here has signs stating it's a 'camino particular' and that it's 'prohibido el paso'. These signs have always put me off exploring this track, particularly as there are other viewpoints in the area that are accessible but my friend LuisMi, who used to work in this area, had no such inhibitions when he took me birding here insisting that, signs or no signs, it was a cañada and therefore a public right of way. Certainly, none of the farm workers or hunters we saw here batted an eyelid at a couple of birders scanning the skies but visitors using this track do so at their own peril. That said, I suspect walking or cycling this route is unlikely to cause much trouble and you only have to walk a few hundred metres beyond the sign to reach a point with a good vista from which to look for raptors. Exploring some of these tracks when I finally get around to buying a bicycle in Spain will be a priority!  ​
PictureChris Holt and I at Cortijo los Monteros (Benalup)
It may be heretical to some but in my view travelling around Andalucia shouldn't be just about birding or even wildlife. Pit stops at ventas and wayside restaurants need not be made every day, but they make a pleasant diversion when the sun is high in the sky and the temperatures soar. 

I'd particularly recommend trying a menu del dia (which provide three courses & a drink for as little as €8.50 although €12+ increasingly seems to be the norm).at roadside ventas (look for ones off the tourist routes with crowded car parks! Even if you go to a more upmarket restaurant like Cortijo los Monteros (convenient for Valcargado as it's near Benalup) eating out at lunchtime is surprisingly good value for money. 

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    About me ...

    Hi I'm John Cantelo. I've been birding seriously  since the 1960s when I met up with some like minded folks (all of us are still birding!) at Taunton's School in Southampton.  I have lived in Kent , where I taught History and Sociology, since the late 1970s. In that time I've served on the committees of both my local RSPB group and the county ornithological society (KOS).  I have also worked as a part-time field teacher for the RSPB at Dungeness.  Having retired I now spend as much time as possible in Alcala de los Gazules in SW Spain.   When I'm not birding I edit books for the Crossbill Guides series.

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