Map of Bolonia area - see my blog for details
Way back in the mid-1960s, before the plethora of field guides now available and the phenomenon of ‘world birding’, the identity of even well marked birds could confuse if they were ‘exotic’ enough. Even the ‘correct’ name to be used was a matter of debate – well, some things never change! I’d not long since started getting ‘BB’ and so felt myself ridiculously well informed to read therein that a white-rumped swift, what we now call Little Swift (Apus affinis), had bred in southern Spain. The proof was there in some grainy b&w photos taken at the nest. Or was it? Later various correspondents rightly challenged the ID – the birds were actually White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) which was a bit of a shock since, unlike Little Swift, this was thought to be an exclusively sub-Saharan species.
At the end of the 1960s on a ‘gap’ five weeks trip (gap years hadn’t been invented then) I got down there myself. We had no site guides nor detailed notes; just a name “Zahara de los Atunes” and the gen to ‘look in the area around the police station’. The later instruction was a bit scary as none of us had ever seen armed police before and the tricorn hated ditator supporting versions in Spain scared the whatnot out of us! Be that as it may we arrived and, without arousing any suspicions quickly saw the birds. Job done!
At the end of the 1960s on a ‘gap’ five weeks trip (gap years hadn’t been invented then) I got down there myself. We had no site guides nor detailed notes; just a name “Zahara de los Atunes” and the gen to ‘look in the area around the police station’. The later instruction was a bit scary as none of us had ever seen armed police before and the tricorn hated ditator supporting versions in Spain scared the whatnot out of us! Be that as it may we arrived and, without arousing any suspicions quickly saw the birds. Job done!
Sierra de la Plata from Bolonia ruins
End of story? Not quite. Clearly Little Swift didn’t want to be outdone and from the mid-1990s proved to be a regular visitor to the same area. They may have even been present earlier as a good friend swears he had a Little Swift nearby in the 1970s. So the Bolonia area is now the only site where you have a fair chance of seeing all 5 breeding species of European swift. Well, to be honest it’s not always that easy! The best known site (and it’s in all the guides) is a small cave above Bolonia where I’ve spent more hours that I care to calculate staring up into the skies above that wretched cliff face. On one spring visit I managed the unenviable distinction of seeing, after several hours watching continuing until dusk, only one swift. It was a Common. Until recently, after about a dozen May visits (although a number were pretty brief), my success rate was, frankly appalling; two White-rumped Swift and a single Little! Those friend who sniggered and laughed at my failure grew less vocal when they came out to Spain with me and suffered the same fate! My hit rate wasn’t a lot better at Zahara either.
However, in 2010 the tide seems to have turned. A quick look at Zahara that May netted hour long close range views of 5-6 White-rumps. We also had both Pallid and Common Swift over the village. Nipping round to the Bolonia side of the Sierra de la Plata, I managed distant views of Little Swift over the crags. Result! Naturally, though, Alpine Swift still didn’t show! However, I later enjoyed some guilty schadenfreude when some friends went to the W-r site a few days later, at the same time of day, and saw no trace of the birds! I now have a better site to see Little Swift, but it still rankles that I’ve not seen all five species at the same site!
There are a lot of other reasons to visit the Bolonia area though. It has a good mix of birds since it has a good range of habitats including shoreline, woodland, old olive groves, scrub, poor agricultural land, rocky crags. Not only that, but it is also on a migration route for raptors and has Rufous Bushchat locally. Rufous Bushchat has declined sharply in southern Spain and can now be very hard to locate. Familiarising yourself with the song can help enormously. Exploring this area on foot is made easier by a number of good footpaths. The local information centre (near La Pena on the Tarifa road has excellent leaflets and many are shown on notice boards. Many are detailed on an excellent new leaflet (see - http://adsise.com/).
However, in 2010 the tide seems to have turned. A quick look at Zahara that May netted hour long close range views of 5-6 White-rumps. We also had both Pallid and Common Swift over the village. Nipping round to the Bolonia side of the Sierra de la Plata, I managed distant views of Little Swift over the crags. Result! Naturally, though, Alpine Swift still didn’t show! However, I later enjoyed some guilty schadenfreude when some friends went to the W-r site a few days later, at the same time of day, and saw no trace of the birds! I now have a better site to see Little Swift, but it still rankles that I’ve not seen all five species at the same site!
There are a lot of other reasons to visit the Bolonia area though. It has a good mix of birds since it has a good range of habitats including shoreline, woodland, old olive groves, scrub, poor agricultural land, rocky crags. Not only that, but it is also on a migration route for raptors and has Rufous Bushchat locally. Rufous Bushchat has declined sharply in southern Spain and can now be very hard to locate. Familiarising yourself with the song can help enormously. Exploring this area on foot is made easier by a number of good footpaths. The local information centre (near La Pena on the Tarifa road has excellent leaflets and many are shown on notice boards. Many are detailed on an excellent new leaflet (see - http://adsise.com/).
Black-eared Wheatear in the Roman ruins
At the top the hill from the main road is “Puerto de Bolonia” (c) where there’s an ‘official’ raptor watchpoint. In stronger easterly winds, there can be a good passage of raptors (Black Kite, Booted & Short-toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Griffon Vulture, etc.) and storks. Swifts and hirundines also hawk along this ridge. The track running NW along the ridge is worth exploring – for birds such as Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear, Rufous Bushchat . A sendero (footpath) branches off this track and loops round back to the road – a good walk for the more energetic (but note that the footpaths leaflet warns you to check locally to see if this route is open). Two roads run SE from here – one to Betis and another to El Chaparral. These allow access, via several footpaths (d) to the slopes of the crags (San Bartolome) south of the watchpoint. The slopes of this rocky hill look well worth a careful exploration. Storks and raptors tend to drift along this ridge and the woods can hold migrants – once again keep a sharp eye open for Rufous Bushchat . This species is in decline and has vanished from several former strongholds. The road here drops down back to the N 340 (Note some roads in this area are marked as restricted military roads)
Hotel San Jose del Valle - a must-stop site for tapas
The small beach resort of El Lentiscal (Bolonia) offers a variety of fast food outlets and bars – from many of which raptor migration or seabird passage (Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters, Gannets, etc) can be watched in comfort. Footpaths also fan out along the coast and mat repay investigation. A small stream flows into the sea here and the scrub along its banks can be worth a careful look as can the muddy foreshore (e.g. for Kentish Plover). Entry into the Roman ruins (e) is free for EU passport holders and even if you have no interest in history is a good diversion since the grounds have obliging Black-eared Wheatear, Sardinian Warbler and Stonechat. Once again look out for Rufous Bushchat along this road, but also check any low flying swifts with care …..
Continuing up the road you reach the Sierra de la Plata where, along the road a little further, there’s a small pull-in opposite a craggy cliff face pierced by a small cave (g). This is a classic site for White-rumped Swift and, in recent years, Little Swift. Mornings and late evenings are usually best for these rare swifts, but the truth is that they can be very elusive and you need luck to get them on your first visit. (That said, some people have seen them easily here as well along the small stream the discharges into the bay). However, your wait can be enlivened by Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture (which nest on the rock face above the road), Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Golden Oriole and, in season, passing raptors (Lanner have been seen here). Further up the road the woods can be worth investigating for butterflies (e.g. Two-tailed Pasha).
For more details of this area see 'MyTop Five Sites' and my site notes ..... but this blog has the photos!
Continuing up the road you reach the Sierra de la Plata where, along the road a little further, there’s a small pull-in opposite a craggy cliff face pierced by a small cave (g). This is a classic site for White-rumped Swift and, in recent years, Little Swift. Mornings and late evenings are usually best for these rare swifts, but the truth is that they can be very elusive and you need luck to get them on your first visit. (That said, some people have seen them easily here as well along the small stream the discharges into the bay). However, your wait can be enlivened by Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture (which nest on the rock face above the road), Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Golden Oriole and, in season, passing raptors (Lanner have been seen here). Further up the road the woods can be worth investigating for butterflies (e.g. Two-tailed Pasha).
For more details of this area see 'MyTop Five Sites' and my site notes ..... but this blog has the photos!
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