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.
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| 'Very Dangerous' track!! |
Sites visited - La Janda
One of the best birding sites in Andalucia, La Janda never disappoints. Formerly much of the area was covered by a lagoon & wetlands, which was sadly drained in the 70's for agricultural land. However the rice paddies, abundant irrigation channels & diverse habitats make this a very important site for a wide range of resident species and migrant visitors.
The area is excellent for raptors at anytime of year, but particularily during passage. Black-winged kites, Bonellis Eagles, Booted Eagles, Short-toed Eagles, Osprey, Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harriers, Black Kites, red Kites, Hobbies, Peregrines, Griffon Vultures, Common & Lesser Kestrels are all possible. There are also very good chances of seeing Imperial Eagles, as this is a dispersal area for juveniles. The back road from Facinas to Benalup is generally a good bet for raptor encounters, although you are likely to come across a good cross-section anywhere in La Janda during the autumn. With large numbers of Red-legged Partridge & Common Quail in evidence, as well as many smaller birds - and large insects- it's easy to see why this site is so good for raptors.
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| White Storks |
The highlight for me is probably the large numbers of Montagues Harriers which congregate in the area at this time of year. I love watching these little harriers floating gracefully like butterflies across the grasslands and rice paddies. A specialty of La Janda are the very rare melanistic individuals - though I've yet to get the pictures I want of those. There's always next year.
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| Melanistic Monties |
Another particular attraction for me is the large population of Little Owls. I've got to know several pairs very well over the last few years, an always look forward to renewing our acquaintance. One pair in particular are especially obliging - I swear the male positively relishes any opportunity to pose for the camera.
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| Little Owl |
We've also noticed owlets with an unusual aberration in their pupils in one location over a number of years. Presumably a genetic blip from a particular pair?
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| Little Owl - Eye abberation |
La Janda is also very good for a wide range of wetland birds. This was particularly apparent this autumn, after the long hot summer left many of the smaller lakes & lagoons elsewhere in the area desiccated.There was dredging work going on along the main collector-canal during our visit, which disrupted some reed-beds which have formerly been good for purple swamphen. On the plus side however, two or three of the harvested paddies were partially flooded (apparently in error), and were teeming with some cracking species. Some young flamingos had clearly decided they weren't flying any further, although they did look rather out of place in a field, accompanied by a large flock of Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilts, Wood & Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet, several Collared Pratincoles and the ubiquitous Cattle Egrets & Little Egrets. We were even lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of a rare Spotted Crake. Spotting a juvenile Purple Heron made Louise very happy, as they are one of her favorite birds.
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| Purple Swamphen |
Large numbers of storks were also building up, with migrants joining the local breeding population in preparation crossing the Straits. It's always a joy to see huge flocks of these striking birds circling on a thermal.
In a smaller pool close to Benalup, I spent quite a while photographing Little-ringed Plover and Jack Snipe. Plovers always make me smile; they are such bossy little things.
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| Little-ringed Plover |
The praire-type grassland areas are good for Stonechats, Wheatear, Zitting Cisticola, Crested Lark and Calandra Lark, Hoopoe and increasingly scare numbers of Turtle Doves.
Around Barbate
During the autumn migration, driving any of the roads crossing the area from Barbate down to Tarifa holds the possibility of interesting bird sightings. But it's always worth trying to track down some very special residents - the reintroduced colony of Bald Ibis, which are now breeding successfully. Louise says that they remind her of the Skesis from the Dark Crystal movie, but I think they are rather lovely, in an ugly sort of way.
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| Bald Ibis in the irrigation |
I also always enjoy stopping for a quick look some of the local Dehesas (sporting estate) where they have a small population of Fallow & Red Deer. I'm always open to one more deer shot!
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| Young Fallow Deer |
We were especially privileged to spot our first ever wild Bustard - one of only a handful of sightings of the first bird recorded in the area for several years. Lou spotted her flying in & could hardly speak for jumping up & down making very silly noises of excitement. Only got record shots as she was quite distant with lots of heat haze, but still a wonderful moment. We will have to go to Extremadura sometime soon to see them properly.
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| Great Bustard |
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