Andalucian adventures - watching the autumn migration part 1

Southern Spain is a great location for birdwatching at any time of year, but things get especially exciting during the peak spring & autumn migration periods. Hundreds of thousands of birds pass through to  cross the Straits of Gibraltar on their way to wintering grounds in Africa. It's a wonderful opportunity to see raptors in huge numbers - particularly if the Levante winds are blowing, keeping the birds piling up in the area, waiting for an opportunity to cross. The sunshine, beautiful scenery and delicious food & drink are an added bonus!

We generally visit for at least a week in early September each year.There is always something new to see - and the never ending quest for the perfect photos, of course! I grew up just outside Cadiz, so a visit to the area is like a trip home for me - always friends to catch up with, and favourite haunts to revisit. Every year, we plan to spend at least a day or two just relaxing on the beach, but with so many excellent wildlife spots in the area, somehow it never quite happens.

We've got a number of regular sites where we spend a lot of our time, but we are still finding new ones - with a little help from local friends.

Before I describe our trip, a word of advice if you are planning your own bird-watching visit to the area; invest in fully comprehensive insurance for your hire car! Most of the best birding sites are only accessible via very rough, unpaved tracks, to the detriment of the poor little rental cars. We've done major cosmetic damage on several previous occasions, but this year we managed to destroy the sump, necessitating a change of car. Needless to say, it didn't put us off - we were back down the same track the very next day.

'Very Dangerous' track!!