Spain: Birding Andalusia in Fall Trip Report, September 2022

Go to Spain bird tour page | European bird tours | European trip reports | All our birding tours

DOWNLOAD TRIP REPORT

26 AUGUST – 5 SEPTEMBER 2022

Birding Andalusia in Fall Raptor migration was one of the highlights of this tour – with Short-toed Snake Eagle seen overhead near Tarifa.

 

Overview

Our 11-day tour of southern Spain began on the 26th of August 2022 in the ancient city of Seville and concluded on the 5th of September in Malaga. During the tour we visited many wonderful birding locations including Brazo del Este, Bonanza Saltpans, La Janda, Barbate Marshes, Migration Observatories in the Strait of Gibraltar, Sierra de la Plata, Los Alcornocales Natural Park, Grazalema Natural Park, and the charming town of Ronda. We also took a pelagic trip in the Gulf of Cadiz and a whale watching trip off Tarifa.

Our trip around the southern part of the country gave us a list of 184 species, all of them seen and most of them seen well. The list included some sought-after birds like Northern Bald Ibis, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck, Balearic Shearwater, Audouin’s Gull, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Grey Shrike, Mediterranean Short-toed Lark, Iberian Chiffchaff, Black Wheatear, and Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. We also saw 19 species of raptors, some of them in high or very high numbers. These included Egyptian Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, and Lanner Falcon. We also enjoyed species that are of interest to Western Palearctic listers because they are regionally localized, such as Black-winged Kite, Red-knobbed Coot, Laughing Dove and Little Swift. We had mixed feelings about finding Europe’s last individual Common Bulbul.  We did love being in the range of some of Europe’s most gorgeous birds such as European Roller, European Bee-eater and Eurasian Hoopoe. The full species lists are at the end of this report.

This was a very enjoyable tour, with fantastic weather, many highlights, beautiful moments, and splendid birds!

One of the places we got to visit during the tour was the famous town of Ronda (photo Yeray Seminario).

 

 

Detailed Report


Day 1, 26th August 2022.
Arrival in Seville

This was the arrival day for the small group of tour participants. We went over the fundamentals of our trip during dinner at our hotel in Seville and answered any questions the participants had.

Day 2, 27th August 2022. Birding Brazo del Este, Los Palacios, and around Jerez

During our first day of birding, we visited some of the best bird-watching sites in Seville province: El Pantano and Brazo del Este. El Pantano was good for a general introduction to the birds of southern Spain. We had our first European Turtle Dove, Pallid Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe and European Bee-eater, for instance. However, the main reason for visiting this site was to look for Laughing Dove, a bird almost absent in Europe but that has been present here for the last few years. The presence of young birds accompanied by adults indicated breeding. After some short searching in the area, we had a fast view of a flying bird, and shortly afterwards we could see one more, perching briefly on a fence. Other nice birds in the area were Eurasian Penduline-Tit, Red-rumped Swallow, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and European Pied Flycatcher.

Birding Andalusia in Fall Eurasian Hoopoe, one of Europe’s most striking birds, was a pleasure to see.

 

Next, we visited Brazo del Este, a great birding location, which normally brings good numbers of species as well as abundance of each species. It didn’t disappoint! We had our first Greater Flamingo of the trip, together with a good variety of shorebirds: Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper among them. We were also happy to see some Collared Pratincole, as they are less predictable during this time of the year while they are on migration or preparing to head to Africa. Even more exciting was to find Marbled Teal, a species that is on the Critically Endangered bird list for Spain and is Near Threatened with extinction globally (Birdlife International). In total we spotted 15 birds, including some ducklings. With less than 100 pairs in the country, this was quite an amazing total.

Birding Andalusia in Fall Greater Flamingo was one of the birds we definitely had to see in southern Spain!

 

Other favorites included some of the introduced birds in the country, like Yellow-crowned Bishop, which, despite being a non-native bird, is appealing due to its spectacular bright black and yellow plumage. Other naturalized species here were Black-headed Weaver and Common Waxbill.

It’s worth mentioning that despite the high temperatures that were suffocating southern Europe during those days, and how hot this region can be, we had a soft breeze from the west that cooled the air and made our morning quite pleasant.

After our first intensive, bird-rich morning, we had a good lunch in a local restaurant before driving to Jerez where we would be staying for the following two nights. After some rest at the hotel, we visited some fields near Jerez with one main target, Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin. The end of August can be a difficult time to find these birds, as the young are already dispersing, and some individuals could have started their migration. Nevertheless, we made our attempt and succeeded! First, we heard one distant bird calling, and after some persistence got to see not one but two birds, an adult and a juvenile. We had some more birds here, including our first Woodchat Shrike and a good number of Red-legged Partridge.

Day 3, 28th August 2022. Chipiona and Sanlucar de Barrameda

In the early morning we visited Playa de Montijo, where we took a nice walk along the beach and across the shallows. This area was packed with shorebirds (waders), including Eurasian Oystercatcher, Kentish Plover, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, and many others. Also present were a good number of terns, including Little Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Tern, Common Tern, and Sandwich Tern. Here we also had our first Slender-billed Gull of the day together with Mediterranean Gull. We then continued with a visit to Europe’s only Little Swift breeding colony. We enjoyed amazing views of these stunning birds while we refueled with some good coffee!

After this nice morning we headed north to the Lagunas de Camino Colorado. This proved fruitful with great views of White-headed Duck, more Marbled Teal, an unexpected Tufted Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, two Temminck’s Stint, and up to three Squacco Heron. All in all, a good stop. Next we headed to a nice picnic area where we saw our first Short-toed Treecreeper and some Black Kite flying overhead. Next, we went to the nearby Bonanza saltpans, where aside from some more shorebirds (waders), we had great views of Mediterranean Short-toed Lark, our main target at this site.

Later in the afternoon we visited some open fields in search of Spanish Imperial Eagle. We didn’t find any, but in exchange we got our first Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier and Lesser Kestrel. Then it was time to call it a day and we headed to the hotel just in time to prepare for dinner and then rest for our next day.

Birding Andalusia in Fall A real highlight on this trip was visiting the only known colony of Little Swift in continental Europe.

 

Day 4, 29th August 2022. Pelagic trip in the Gulf of Cadiz and drive to Tarifa

Today was to be a truly special day. We started by joining a pelagic trip in the Gulf of Cadiz with ten other birders. It was not long before we had our first Arctic Skua (Parasitic Jaeger) and a few Balearic Shearwater, a species that is globally Critically Endangered (Birdlife International). Some other species seen on this trip were Great Skua, Audouin’s Gull, Black Tern, Cory’s Shearwater, Manx Shearwater (very uncommon in these waters) and Northern Gannet. Our six hours spent on the boat really flew by.

Following the pelagic we had one of the best meals of the trip, consisting of a fantastic paella and fresh fish. We then went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and started driving to Tarifa. We had time to stop on the way and try for White-rumped Swift. We spent a bit of time at a strategic location in the Cork Forest of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park but alas the swift didn’t show. However, we did bag ourselves a stunning European Roller which perched on a wire for us to see comfortably with the scope. European Roller can be very unpredictable on migration, so this was a nice addition to our list. We also enjoyed our first Alpine Swift of the trip as well as some European Honey-Buzzard, Griffon Vulture, and Booted Eagle. After this brief, but productive stop we continued to our hotel near Tarifa where we would stay for the next four days.

We enjoyed great views of the Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater during our pelagic trip in the Gulf of Cadiz (photo Yeray Seminario).

 

Day 5, 30th August 2022. Los Lances, Migration Observatory and Sierra de la Plata

Our first day in Tarifa started with a bang. After breakfast we observed hundreds of Black Kite sitting on the ground and in nearby trees. These birds had spent the night roosting here and were waiting for the heat of the day to build which would allow them to cross to Africa. This amazing roosting spot was less than ten minutes from our hotel and made for a great way to start the day. The first European Bee-eater were also calling insistently on their way south.

Next we decided to take a walk through Los Lances Nature Reserve. Here, good numbers of shorebirds (waders) roamed the coastal lagoon, mostly Dunlin and Sanderling. We also had the first sign of active migration, with a few European Honey-buzzard, Short-toed Snake-Eagle and Eurasian Sparrowhawk flying low above the beach, and more passing European Bee-eater too.

We had several flocks of White Stork flying overhead (photo by tour participant Barbara Coll).

 

Our final bird here was the diminutive Greater Short-toed Lark, which gave great scope views. We decided it was time to head to one of the migration observatories, the prime location for amazing views of the Strait and the Moroccan coast on the other side.

It was a phenomenal experience with more than a thousand White Stork, hundreds of Short-toed Snake-Eagle, Black Kite and Booted Eagle, dozens of European Honey-Buzzard, and about twenty Egyptian Vulture, among other birds. They put on quite the show as they flew above us. Not only raptors were seen here, but nice passerines like Western Black-eared Wheatear and Tawny Pipit were also seen well. Moreover, while watching raptors flying above the Strait, a blow was seen out in the open waters: a Sperm Whale! The shape and direction of the blow was unmistakable, as well as the absence of a dorsal fin but a hump instead. These two hours were some of the best of the whole trip and things didn’t stop there. After this excellent migration session, we headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch, and a silhouette sitting on a power pylon caught our attention. Initially thought to be a Peregrine Falcon, good scope views gave us the clear features of a Lanner Falcon, a rare bird in Spain! Even though Lanner Falcon are occasionally glimpsed near Tarifa, having them sitting in one spot is an unlikely event.

After lunch we went to another striking area, Sierra de la Plata. Our first target here was Thekla’s Lark and we saw four almost immediately, spending some time comparing its features to the more commonly seen Crested Lark. We then continued to the low mountains, where we had close views of Griffon Vulture, including an adult feeding a juvenile, and some other migrating raptors like Osprey, Western Marsh Harrier, and Montagu’s Harrier.

Here we also heard our first Iberian Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker plus a stunning male Blue Rock Thrush was our first of the trip. However, we had to work a bit harder to see Dartford Warblerand with a bit of persistence we got to see them well, although briefly. It had been another great day and we started to head back to our hotel where we had time to freshen up before dinner.

Day 6, 31st August 2022. La Janda and Barbate marshes

Today we would dedicate our time to explore the famous area of La Janda and the Barbate Marshes. We started the morning in one of the easternmost sections of La Janda, which can be particularly good for raptors. Here we found several roosting European Honey-buzzard, a couple of Short-toed Snake-Eagle plus both Western Marsh Harrier and Montagu’s Harrier. Some new birds for us consisted of Calandra Lark and a nice late observation of Common Nightingale (a species which is difficult to see in late August). A bit further along the track we looked for Spanish Imperial Eagle and, just as we were about to leave, a juvenile showed up and could be seen flying both with binoculars and the scope. Shortly after that, an immature Bonelli’s Eagle was seen, although briefly. We then ended the morning with a roosting Red-necked Nightjar.

We got to see up to 15 Northern Bald Ibis while they were feeding in a field near the coast – a great opportunity to see this rare bird (photo by tour participant Barbara Coll).

After a nice lunch we drove west in search of Northern Bald Ibis. These big birds can be a bit difficult to find out of the breeding season as they move throughout an extensive area. Indeed, we drove for quite some time around the pine forest and the marshes of Barbate with no sign of them.

However, in the very last spot we looked, we found them! Up to 15 birds were feeding and resting and could be seen at close range. Later in the marshes we added more species: Black-tailed Godwit, Gull-billed Tern, and a nice small flock of Eurasian Stone Curlew. On the way back to the hotel, we tried for Little Owl at a known spot. It took us just a bit of time before three birds made an appearance, giving us close and prolonged views.

Day 7, 1st September 2022. Benalup and whale watching trip

We had another full day in the surroundings of Tarifa, including a whale watching trip in the afternoon, so we dedicated a very still and peaceful morning to look for some birds that we were missing, like Little Bustard and Black-winged Kite.

While looking for the kite, we had a fantastic encounter with an adult Spanish Imperial Eagle, sitting on a pylon at a relatively close distance and we enjoyed prolonged views in the scope. We then continued and, after a few kilometers of driving along a dirt track, found a hunting Black-winged Kite. We were able to enjoy watching it successfully catch its prey and start to feed in front of us, giving excellent scope views.

Unfortunately, we weren’t so successful with the Little Bustard. This species is suffering a steep decline in the Iberian Peninsula, and it seems that the Strait of Gibraltar is no exception as they are becoming more and more difficult to find. In exchange we had even more raptors, including an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle, several Booted and Short-toed Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, a new one for the trip, Red Kite. We also saw some Northern Wheatear on migration.

After a brief stop back at the hotel to get ready for the whale watching trip, we drove to the port of Tarifa and boarded the boat. We had two hours at sea, again in very good conditions. One of the highlights was being able to compare, close-up and with photos we were able to get, two “sister” species, the extremely similar Cory’s, and Scopoli’s Shearwaters. (We also enjoyed seeing Balearic Shearwater.)

In terms of sea mammals, we had excellent views of Long-finned Pilot Whale, with a large pod surrounding our boat and posing for pictures and videos, and a small group of Bottlenose Dolphin. Other remarkable observations were of Oceanic Sunfish and Bluefin Tuna.

After the whale watching trip we took a short walk around the old town of Tarifa and its castle. Here we saw a male Lesser Kestrel and, after some searching, got a good view of the only Common Bulbul in Tarifa – and probably in continental Europe! This is the last individual, as far as we know, of the offspring of a pair that bred for two consecutive years in 2014 and 2015.

We ended this long, productive day with a superb meal in the old town of Tarifa accompanied by an equally excellent wine.

This was how close we were to Bottlenose Dolphin during our whale watching trip off Tarifa (photo by tour participant Aileen).

Day 8, 2nd September 2022. Migration observatories: Algarrobo & Cazalla and La Janda

This day was spent visiting the migration observatories and unexplored parts of La Janda. We started in Huerta Grande where we added a good number of forest species, including Iberian Chiffchaff, and Common Firecrest, of which we got great views. We then went to Algarrobo Migration Observatory and spent some time enjoying raptor migration. We had an opportunity to watch close passing European Honey-buzzard and spent some time learning how to separate males from females as well as juveniles. With a wide variety of plumages, European Honey-Buzzard are a lot of fun to watch! There were other good raptors of course, including a good number of Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Booted Eagle and Black Kite.

We then moved to Cazalla Migration Observatory, probably the most popular raptor migration watchpoint in Western Europe. Aside from the regular migrating raptors we were able to enjoy a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle in the scope. It was another good migration session in the Strait of Gibraltar.

We had our picnic lunch in a pine forest near La Janda and took a walk with a main target in mind, the Iberian Green Woodpecker. It took some time but after some persistence, we got several views of a flying bird coming and going a certain area. Here we also had good views of Eurasian Hoopoe and Spotted Flycatcher.  

In the afternoon we went to the main canal at La Janda. It was rather slow at La Janda, but even so we had a good time seeing some birds we had seen before. The standout was a big flock of more than one thousand Spanish Sparrow, which we could see from the vehicle and pay attention to the features that differentiate them from House Sparrow, which were also present. It was a good way to end our last day in the Strait of Gibraltar before driving up to the Ronda Mountains.

Birding Andalusia in Fall On our last day in the Strait of Gibraltar we had superb views of the African coast (photo Werner Wilmes, Wikimedia Commons).

 

Day 9, 3rd September 2022. Alcornocales Natural Park and drive to Ronda

We left our hotel in Tarifa after a very pleasant stay and headed north towards Ronda. We took a nice detour to explore some of the nicest locations in Los Alcornocales Nature Reserve, one of the largest natural parks in Spain. Right at the gate of the reserve we had a flying Eurasian Golden Oriole. We stopped and looked for it to get better views and after a couple of minutes this beautiful bird flew right above us.

Once inside the reserve, the scenery gradually changed until we were in a fantastic patch of Cork and Algerian Oak. Here not only did we get to see some nice forest birds, but we had some good migration above as well. In the forest we had Eurasian Jay, European Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, and Western Bonelli’s Warbler, among others. Overhead, up to eight Black Stork were seen together with more raptors, including Egyptian Vulture, Western Marsh Harrier, and Common Buzzard.

We had a picnic lunch in a nice recreational area of the natural park, where we added Eurasian Nuthatch to our list. The rest of the afternoon was mainly spent doing a scenic drive up to the Ronda Mountains, with several stops at different lookouts to enjoy the view of the famous “Pueblos Blancos” (White Villages) in the province of Malaga. At the end of the day, we checked into our fantastic hotel in a great spot in the Ronda Mountains.

Birding Andalusia in Fall Eurasian Golden Oriole was seen around the Los Alcornocales Nature Reserve.

 

Day 10, 4th September 2022. Llanos de Libar and Ronda

On our last full day of the tour, we had the opportunity to explore a completely different environment, the limestone outcrops of the Ronda Mountains inside Grazalema Nature Reserve.

We started close to our accommodation, in “El Hundidero”, where we took a short walk and had great views of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Alpine Swift, as well as our first Black Wheatear of the trip. Next we headed to Llanos de Libar, not far from the charming town of Montejaque, where we spent most of our day. There was a fantastic dirt track that allowed us to bird at leisure, frequently stopping the vehicle and walking for short distances.

The first highlight was a close encounter with a group of Iberian Ibex. They spectacularly climbed some steep slopes, and we enjoyed fantastic views of these curious-looking animals. A bit later we saw Black Wheatear exceptionally well and enjoyed a close flight of a Eurasian Sparrowhawk that was roosting near the road. A small patch of bushes held Western Subalpine Warbler together with at least three Dartford Warbler and one Greater Whitethroat. Other nice birds here were Rock Bunting and Cirl Bunting. Surprisingly, this was also the first occasion where we found Eurasian Wren!

After a nice picnic lunch in the shade, we continued our drive up on the dirt track to reach a nice patch of Holm Oak. Here we had good views of forest birds, particularly in a certain spot where there was water, and the birds were coming down to bathe and drink. Species seen here included European Bee-eater, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, Willow Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, Rock Bunting, and Cirl Bunting. However, some of the best birds were on the farmland surrounding the forest, including Iberian Grey Shrike, Western Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, and Rock Sparrow. A great selection of birds to add to our list!

We drove back to our accommodation for a break, a dip in the pool for some, and got ready for a short drive to the lovely town of Ronda. Here we took a walk along the famous Tajo de Ronda, with phenomenal views of the surrounding peaks. We had a playful flock of Red-billed Chough entertaining us through the walk and all the way to the restaurant, where we had our last dinner of the tour with splendid views to the setting sun against the mountains.

Birding Andalusia in Fall Cirl Bunting was one of the iconic species of the mountains around Ronda (photo Paco Gómez, Wikimedia Commons).

 

Day 11, 5th September 2022. Drive to Málaga

We started our drive back to Malaga and made a final stop amongst some cliffs along the way, hoping to catch a view of Bonelli’s Eagle. We unfortunately struck out on this species but added, unexpectedly, Great Crested Grebe in a nearby reservoir and enjoyed a nice flying Osprey.

We reached the city of Malaga where we offloaded all participants at their respective hotels and said our goodbyes. All in all, this was a successful trip which focused on the raptor migration in the Strait of Gibraltar, but also offered much more, being a nice, extended view of what southern Spain has to offer in the fall.

Bird ListFollowing IOC (12.1)

 The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: CR= Critically Endangered, EN= Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened

 

Common Name

Scientific Name

Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae)

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Marbled Duck – VU

Marmaronetta angustirostris

Common Pochard – VU

Aythya ferina

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

White-headed Duck – EN

Oxyura leucocephala

 

Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae)

Ring-necked Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Red-legged Partridge

Alectoris rufa

 

Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

Red-necked Nightjar

Caprimulgus ruficollis

 

Swifts (Apodidae)

Alpine Swift

Apus melba

Common Swift

Apus apus

Pallid Swift

Apus pallidus

Little Swift

Apus affinis

 

Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)

Rock Dove

Columba livia

Common Wood Pigeon

Columba palumbus

European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Laughing Dove

Spilopelia senegalensis

 

Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae)

Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Eurasian Coot

Fulica atra

Red-knobbed Coot

Fulice cristata

Western Swamphen

Porphyrio porphyrio

 

Grebes (Podicipedidae)

Little Grebe

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Great Crested Grebe

Podiceps cristatus

 

Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

 

Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae)

Eurasian Stone-curlew

Burhinus oedicnemus

 

Stilts, Avocets (Recurvirostridae)

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Pied Avocet

Recurvirostra avosetta

 

Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

 

Plovers (Charadriidae)

Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Northern Lapwing

Vanellus vanellus

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubius

Kentish Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus

 

Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Ruff

Calidris pugnax

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Temminck’s Stint

Calidris temminckii

Sanderling

Calidris alba

Dunlin

Calidris alpina

Little Stint

Calidris minuta

Common Snipe

Gallinago gallinago

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

Common Redshank

Tringa totanus

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

 

Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae)

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola

 

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Audouin’s Gull – VU

Ichthyaetus audouinii

Mediterranean Gull

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscus

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Little Tern

Sternula albifrons

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

 

Skuas (Stercorariidae)

Great Skua

Stercorarius skua

Pomarine Jaeger (Pomarine Skua)

Stercorarius pomarinus

Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua)

Stercorarius parasiticus

 

Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels (Procellariidae)

Cory’s Shearwater

Calonectris borealis

Scopoli’s Shearwater

Calonectris diomedea

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Balearic Shearwater – CR

Puffinus mauretanicus

 

Storks (Ciconiidae)

Black Stork

Ciconia nigra

White Stork

Ciconia ciconia

 

Gannets, Boobies (Sulidae)

Northern Gannet

Morus bassanus

 

Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae)

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

 

Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)

Glossy Ibis

Plegadis falcinellus

Northern Bald Ibis – EN

Geronticus eremita

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

 

Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Squacco Heron

Ardeola ralloides

Western Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

Purple Heron

Ardea purpurea

Great Egret

Ardea alba

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

 

Ospreys (Pandionidae)

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

 

Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae)

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus

European Honey-buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Griffon Vulture

Gyps fulvus

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

Booted Eagle

Hieraaetus pennatus

Spanish Imperial Eagle – VU

Aquila adalberti

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Benelli’s Eagle

Aquila fasciata

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Accipiter nisus

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Montagu’s Harrier

Circus pygargus

Red Kite

Milvus milvus

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

 

Owls (Strigidae)

Little Owl

Athene noctua

 

Hoopoes (Upupidae)

Eurasian Hoopoe

Upupa epops

 

Rollers (Coraciidae)

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

 

 

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

 

Bee-eaters (Meropidae)

European Bee-eater

Merops apiaster

 

Woodpeckers (Picidae)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopous major

Iberian Green Woodpecker

Picus sharpei

 

Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae)

Lesser Kestrel

Falco naumanni

Common Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

Lanner Falcon

Falco biarmicus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

 

 

African & New World Parrots (Psittacidae)

Monk Parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

 

Shrikes (Laniidae)

Iberian Grey Shrike

Lanius meridionalis

Woodchat Shrike

Lanius senator

 

Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra (Oriolidae)

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Oriolus oriolus

 

Crows, Jays (Corvidae)

Eurasian Jay

Garrulus glandarius

Eurasian Magpie

Pica pica

Red-billed Chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Western Jackdaw

Coloeus monedula

Northern Raven

Corvus corax

 

Tits, Chickadees (Paridae)

European Crested Tit

Lophophanes cristatus

Eurasian Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

Great Tit

Parus major

 

Penduline Tits (Remizidae)

Eurasian Penduline Tit

Remiz pendulinus

 

Larks (Alaudidae)

Thekla’s Lark

Galerida theklae

Crested Lark

Galerida cristata

Greater Short-toed Lark

Calandrella brachydactyla

Calandra Lark

Melanocorypha calandra

Mediterranean Short-toed Lark

Alaudala rufescens

 

Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae)

Sand Martin

Riparia riparia

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Common House Martin

Delichon urbicum

Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis daurica

 

Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae)

Common Bulbul

Pycnonotus barbatus

 

Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies (Cettiidae)

Cetti’s Warbler

Cettia cetti

 

 

Leaf Warblers & Allies (Phylloscopidae)

Western Bonelli’s Warbler

Phylloscopus bonelli

Willow Warbler

Phylloscopus trochilus

Iberian Chiffchaff

Phylloscopus ibericus

 

Reed Warblers & Allies (Acrocephalidae)

Eurasian Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Melodious Warbler

Hippolais polyglotta

 

Cisticolas & Allies (Cisticolidae)

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

 

Sylviid Babblers (Sylviidae)

Eurasian Blackcap

Sylvia atricapilla

Sardinian Warbler

Curruca melanocephala

Western Subalpine Warbler

Curruca hortensis

Common Whitethroat

Curruca communis

Dartford Warbler

Curruca undata

 

Goldcrests, Kinglets (Regulidae)

Common Firecrest

Regulus ignicapilla

 

Wrens (Troglodytidae)

Eurasian Wren

Troglodytes troglodytes

 

Nuthatches (Sittidae)

Eurasian Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

 

Treecreepers (Certhiidae)

Short-toed Treecreeper

Certhia brachydactyla

 

Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae)

Spotless Starling

Sturnus unicolor

 

Thrushes (Turdidae)

Common Blackbird

Turdus merula

 

Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)

Spotted Flycatcher

Muscicapa striata

Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin

Cercotrichas galactotes

European Robin

Erithacus rubecula

Common Nightingale

Luscinia megarhynchos

European Pied Flycatcher

Ficedula hypoleuca

Black Redstart

Phoenicurus ochruros

Common Redstart

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Blue Rock Thrush

Monticola solitarius

Whinchat

Saxicola rubetra

European Stonechat

Saxicola rubicola

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Western Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica

Black Wheatear

Oenanthe leucura

 

Dippers (Cinclidae)

White-throated Dipper

Cinclus cinclus

 

Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae)

Rock Sparrow

Petronia petronia

Spanish Sparrow

Passer hispaniolensis

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

 

Weavers, Widowbirds (Ploceidae)

Black-headed Weaver

Ploceus melanocephalus

Yellow-crowned Bishop

Euplectes afer

 

Waxbills, Munias & Allies (Estrildidae)

Common Waxbill

Estrilda astrild

 

Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae)

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

Tawny Pipit

Anthus campestris

 

Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae)

Common Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs

European Greenfinch

Chloris chloris

Common Linnet

Linaria cannabina

European Goldfinch

Carduelis carduelis

European Serin

Serinus serinus

 

Buntings (Emberizidae)

Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra

Rock Bunting

Emberiza cia

Cirl Bunting

Emberiza cirlus

 

Total recorded

184

 

Mammal List

Common Name

Scientific Name

Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

 

Bovids (Bovidae)

Iberian Ibex

Capra pyrenaica

 

Deer (Cervidae)

Fallow Deer

Dama dama

 

Oceanic Dolphins (Delphinidae)

Long-finned Pilot Whale

Globicephala melas

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

 

Sperm Whales (Physeteridae)

Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

Total

6

 

Reptile List

Common Name

Scientific Name

Colubrid Snakes (Colubridae)

Horseshoe Whip Snake

Hemorrhois hippocrepis

 

Pond Turtles (Emydidae)

Spanish Pond Turtle

Mauremys leprosa

 

Total

2

 

Fish List

Common Name

Scientific Name

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Thunnus thynnus

Ocean Sunfish

Mola mola

 

Total

2

 DOWNLOAD TRIP REPORT

This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.

Birding Ecotours

Join our newsletter for exclusive discounts and great birding information!

 

Thank you!