[John Cantelo]

DAY 1 - Thursday 12th February
Since the arrival of our flight coincided more or less with dusk we only to saw a handful of species including Spotless Starlings, White Storks and Yellow-legged Gulls en route plus Tawny and Little Owl calling near the house. My pleas of checking Los Barrios rubbish tip for Eagle Owl being unreasonably rejected in favour of something to eat!

DAY 2 - Friday 13th FebruaryUp and out at a reasonable hour today although not before the Lesser Kestrels were awake and chattering round the house.
Bonanza Pools This was our first stop since we hoped to get good views of White-headed Ducks here which we did (and although the light was “wrong”, our team photographer still managed to get some excellent shots of the species). Also present were the first of many Common Chiffchaffs and a Purple Gallinule. Returning to the main Bonanza – Algaida road we quickly encountered a group of 30+ Slender-billed Gulls on the saltpans beside the road.
Bonanza Saltpans Turning into the salt pans themselves it quickly became apparent that the pans were very flooded with relatively little exposed mud – which doubtless accounts for the poor numbers of waders here; c150 Black-winged Stilts, 3 Snipe, 1 Little Stint, 3 Sanderlings, 2 Dunlins, 1 Greenshank, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 6 Common Sandpipers & a Curlew. This was by far my lowest total at Bonanza, but at least we saw the site’s No1 speciality – Shelduck! Also of note were a single Great White Egret, a couple of Caspian Terns, two each of Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Short-toed Eagle plus a single Booted Eagle. Most unexpected, and seemingly entirely out-of-place, were 3 Kittiwakes – Mediterranean salt pans hardly being typical habitat for this largely marine gull (but see anon!)
Laguna de Tarelo & Pinar de Algaida A quick check of Laguna de Tarelo produced a further 49 White-headed Ducks plus a Purple Gallinule, Red-crested Pochards, Common Pochards, Gadwalls, 6 Black-necked Grebes, 48 Night Herons (but not Squaccos which are often present even in February), 3 Little Gulls, a single Penduline Tit and 4 Common Waxbills (the latter two being my first sightings here). Despite extensive searching the pines successfully concealed Azure-winged Magpie although not Crested Tits and Short-toed Treecreepers nor a party of 26 ‘fly-over’ Gloss Ibis. Views across the marshes also produced more Lesser Kestrels and 4 Common Cranes.
Salinas de Monte Algaida -Trebujena Marshes Heading out towards the Guadalquivir we headed south along the river towards the Salinas de Monte Algaida (i.e. the‘back’ of Bonanza saltpans). As expected we quickly picked up several Lesser Short-toed Larks here plus another Booted Eagle and an Osprey. Heading back north towards Trebujena at the flooded salt pans about a kilometre beyond the sluice we found a large flock of waterbirds which included 250+ Pochards, c30 Red-crested Pochards and at least 10 Marbled Ducks. Although this was the site where I first saw this species in August 2006, this species can be very elusive so it was excellent to catch up with them in winter. More raptors followed with two Booted Eagles, a single Griffon Vulture, a fine adult male Hen Harrier and a good number of Marsh Harriers. But with such high waters waders remained scarce with only Greenshanks and Black-winged Stilts being noted. As usual, despite careful scanning and this being a ‘known’ site’, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse remained elusive to the point of invisibility here. However, one stop proved very worthwhile as a couple of Bluethroats – one a fine white-spotted adult male – showed very well in a drainage ditch.
Laguna de Medina At the end of the day we called in at Laguna de Medina which harboured c50 White-headed Ducks plus 10+ Black-necked Grebes plus all the usual waterfowl. However, numbers of Coots were well down on last autumn (and no Red-knobbed Coot were seen in their favoured spot) which may reflect the very high water level here. A Sedge Warbler was singing in the reeds and, as usual, the scrub held many small passerines – predominantly Blackcaps.

NB for photos of what we saw, see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymor...7614157792303/ and for full details of all sites PM for my birding notes on this fabulous area!

[John Cantelo]

DAY 3 - Saturday 14th February

As usual Lesser Kestrels were in evidence first thing - awake and chattering as we left the house. Since we left early every morning and returned after dusk, we didn’t spend enough time watching these fabulous little falcons which can be very obliging here.
Embalse de Barbate A short detour on our way to La Janda took in the Embalse de Barbate – no Spanish Imperial Eagles showed (for which this site can be excellent), but another Osprey flew over and 28 Common Cranes were found feeding in nearby fields.

La Janda Unfortunately, most of the wetter fields here were well out of sight of the main track so relatively few waders (particularly the smaller ones) were seen; many Lapwings, 200+ Golden Plovers, 2 Green Sandpipers and 2 Snipe. However, larger “wading” birds – egrets (including another Great White Egret), a Black Stork, Common Cranes (150+) and Spoonbills (50+) - were less elusive. Raptors seen included Griffon Vulture (7), Black Kite (c10), Hen Harriers (c20) and numerous Marsh Harriers but, disappointingly, no Black-shouldered Kites. Larks included Woodlarks (5), Crested Larks (of course!) and Calandra Larks.
Pinos de Barbate A drive along the beach road near Barbate failed to produced the hoped for Bald Ibis (again!) and none of us fancied a drive round the local golf courses (evidently a favoured retreat). However, the woods along the coastal road north of the town had a fine display of Sawfly Orchids and a fly-over Crossbill.

Los Naveros Our planned visit to Trafalgar was aborted as it was packed with wind surfers – we’d forgotten it was Saturday! From Vejer we drove along the Medina Sidonia road turning off left towards Los Naveros and then, after several kilometres, left along a well marked track. Here we found at least 2 Black-shouldered Kites, 20 Buzzards and 2 Short-toed Eagles. Our only Barn Owl of the trip was fortuitously flushed from its roost here and soon thereafter we had a Quail calling. Here too was our first Hoopoe and only Common Starlings of the trip (but we didn’t look too hard!).

Los Molinos Valley (Alcala) Since the valley is right next to the village this seemed to be a good place to close the day – the expected Blue Rock Thrush finally appeared as did a meagre number of Griffons (c20). A big bonus here came in the form of five Egyptian Vultures drifting high over the Griffon roost.

DAY 4 - Sunday 15th February

About 10 Lesser Kestrels were around the village at the start of the day when we headed into the Alcornocales. However, we quickly discovered that the wind had built up to near gale force and therefore abandoned our intention to spend some time in the mountains and headed elsewhere.

Lagunas de Espera By cutting across to Algar and bypassing Arcos, we quickly reached the Lagunas de Espera. Fortunately, unlike my last few visits, the three lagoons all held plenty of water. The first laguna (Laguna de Hondilla) held little (but had another singing Sedge Warbler and a Fan-lipped Orchid). The main lake (Laguna de Zorilla) held more birds including White-headed Duck, Gadwall, R-c Pochard, Pochard, Shoveler & Teal). The final laguna (Laguna Dulce de Zorilla) however, came up trumps with two Red-knobbed Coots – the first I’d seen on this particular lagoon and only the second I’d seen on Espera lagoons (although these were two necked collared birds on Laguna de Hondilla). Although not close they permitted good views with all salient features duly noted; two prominent “strawberries” above a narrow slightly Y-shaped frontal shield, a more ‘gentle’ face, a bluish bill, scrawny neck and a rear ended hump! Typically the nearest bird hugged the reedbeds, but the more distant one ventured well away from the species normal reed bound ‘comfort zone’.

Trebujena Marshes Exiting from Espera lagoons by the “back way” I found, for the first time in my experience, that the Laguna de Pilon next to the road here actually contained water! In truth it only held a few Coots and Black-winged Stilts, but some of the other small lakes in the area clearly need investigation this year after the winter’s rains. After a pleasant coffee break at a nearby venta watching Crested Larks, we cut across towards Lebrija and on towards Trebujena, heading for the eponymously named marshes nearby. Turning northwards off A471 (c4 km west of the turning for Trebujena village near a small fenced off area) we first came across, rather surprisingly, a flock of 21 Kittiwakes – I later learnt that there has been something of an influx of this species this winter. Exploring the track as it headed north-westwards, we came across a superb wetland area that had 4 Wood and 15+ Green Sandpipers, a Spotted Redshank, 3 (or more) Ruff and a handful of Greenshank. Also in this area were two handsome Spanish ‘Yellow’ Wagtails. Also on view was a fine adult male Hen Harrier (the first of 6 Hen Harriers in the area), numerous Marsh Harriers, a couple of Buzzards, 4 Red Kites and a Merlin. A couple of kilometres further along the track a stately Black Stork was quietly feeding. After running parallel to the main road (which lay hidden behind the distant low hills) the track swung back towards the A471 (and linking to the route described in Chiclana & Garzon). Here a large, very wet (paddy?) field harboured more Greenshank, a couple of Dunlin, 120+ Kentish Plover, c50 Little Stint, c600 Golden Plover, c220 Glossy Ibis , numerous Cattle Egrets , fewer Little Egrets, a single Great White Egret and hundreds of White Wagtails.

More to come ....

[robinm]

Hi John,

Interesting to read of your exploits with Jack and Tony. Some great shots on Tony's Flickr site.

[John Cantelo]

DAY 5 - Monday 16th February

About 20 Lesser Kestrels around the village this morning - probably as much due to a later start than an actual increase in numbers! Our target today was an exploration of the Grazalema area. En route we had an Ibex and a Gennet – the former very much alive, but the latter unfortunately a long dead and very squashed! Also en route and at a regular site – at the venta above Ubrique – we found our first Thekla Lark. Interestingly, each of us focussed on a different feature of this species to clinch the identification; one of us went for bill shape, another zeroed in on the birds ‘spiky’ crest and the third noted the more crisply marked chest pattern. We all got the ID right, but took different routes to get there!

Grazalema National Park - Llanos de Libar Unfortunately, we found that the road was closed just short of Montejaque which meant an unexpected 45 minute detour via Ronda; in hindsight it would have been better to come via Ubrique. Happily, once we got there, the Llanos de Libar came up to expectations. Amongst the rocks we had at least 6 Black Wheatears, 2 Alpine Accentors, a minimum of 15 Rock Buntings, 2 Dartford Warblers and around a dozen Blue Rock Thrush. As expected the rocky limestone ‘pass’ a third of the way along the valley was the best section holding the accentors and most of the Black Wheatears and Rock Buntings. From here we eventually sighted a couple of Bonelli’s Eagles soaring over the start of the valley. Unfortunately, neither the expected Cirl Buntings nor the Rock Sparrows – so easy in April 2008 – were present in the area we searched.
Grazalema area Driving back via Grazalema proved to be a good move since just outside the village we had two Southern Grey Shrike. In fact, no sooner had I said we ought to look out for the species here than the driver spotted one on a telegraph wire! This was a species our team photographer particularly wanted to see and so it was particularly pleasing to obtain such good views and note the diagnostic features; narrow white supercilium running across the forehead, restricted white wing flash and dull greyish-pink underparts contrasting with white cheeks. As we rolled to a stop to look at the shrike, an Iberian Green Woodpecker landed on the telegraph pole next to the car! In the event we heard several more and saw at least two birds. The best view was obtained of a greyish faced black moustachioed female. Further along at the hairpin bend just before Benaocaz we had two more Black Wheatears and another Bonelli’s Eagle.

DAY 6 - Tuesday 17th February

After opting out of looking at Trafalgar at the weekend we decided to head over there today for a quick seawatch.

Trafalgar The shallow tidal pool here had a small flock of Audouin’s Gull (39), a four Mediterranean Gulls, a small group of Sandwich Terns, Sanderling (c30) and a few Kentish Plover. Seawatching here was a novel experience since amongst the passing Gannets, Cory’s Shearwaters (10+), Sandwich Terns and Great Skuas (2) were the odd raptor (Marsh Harrier and Lesser Kestrels) and a single Black Stork! A careful scan of the rocks here also turned up three Turnstone. Two Hoopoes were flushed from the dunes here.

Los Naveros Since it was not far off the route to the next site, we decided to detour to Los Naveros again to search for bustards and Stone Curlews. Happily after a brief search we found three Stone Curlew which, whilst not the hoped for bustards, were an excellent addition to the list. Another Hoopoe here allowed the other to catch up on a species they’d missed earlier that day. Instead of returning the way we’d come, we pushed on along the track which, it transpired, came out on the new main road near Conil de la Frontera passing some more excellent habitat en route.

Laguna de Taraje (Lagunas de Puerto Real) Having seen them here last February, I was hopeful about seeing Spanish Sparrow along the rough track to the laguna. Although the first sighting of a dust bathing bird didn’t entirely convince everyone when we drove up to the farm beyond the laguna, we had excellent views of winter plumaged Spanish Sparrows (c20). On our return along the track we had more birds at the first location. Although not as well marked as they are in mid-summer due to the dull sandy fringing to the black feathers, there were still some well marked birds here; a rich chestnut crown, white cheeks and narrow eyebrow, a large ‘bib’ (albeit obscured by that pale fringing) and obvious flank streaks. On the laguna itself there were 140+ Red-crested Pochard and 18 Shoveler. Also seen here were 2 Ospreys, 2 Little Ringed Plover, c80 Golden Plover and single Stone Curlew (for which this is an excellent site). Driving back to the main road a very obliging Hoopoe fed besides the track.

Sancti Petri Despite my personal distaste for the urban sprawl that surrounds Cadiz Bay, I was out voted so our next stop was Sancti Petri. The road into the old village is flanked by muddy lagoons and ends in a narrow spit overlooking the marshes. This rich habitat held numerous Kentish Plovers, Knots, Grey Plovers, 30+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 10+ Whimbrel and two each of Curlew and Oystercatcher. The lagoons beside the road held 400+ Dunlins, 50+ Little Stints and 30+ Redshanks. Returning towards the motorway we passed more interesting habitats where we had a Great White Heron feeding in somewhat atypical habitat - a flooded pine woodland.

[John Cantelo]

DAY 7 - Wednesday 18th February

As usual the Lesser Kestrels (15+) above the village provided the first excitement of the day.

Mouth of the Guadalquivir We arrived a little later, at 10:10 or so, than intended, but within minutes we found Little Swift - first one, then another and another until we had eleven birds weaving around above us. Yet within ten minutes all vanished with extraordinary speed; moral get here as early as possible! In the bright sunlight the birds showed extremely well; dark plumage, ‘wrap round’ white rump, prominent white chin, narrow white forehead and distinctive wingshape. Checking the small harbour for any odd gulls we had a dozen Kittiwake, but none of the white-winged gulls we’d hoped for (there having been an unprecedented invasion of these birds in Spain this winter).

Algaida Pine Woods Hoping to pick up some more species (notably a certain elusive magpie!) we headed straight back to the Algaida area. Pausing en route by the road near Bonanza, we had 4 (or more) Booted Eagles and c50 Slender-billed Gulls. On Laguna de Tarelo we had both pochards, more White-headed Ducks, Night Herons and, above the marshes beyond the lagoon, 3 Little Gull and 500+ Black-tailed Godwit.
Salinas de Monte Algaida Turning back towards the river we explored the ‘back’ of Bonanza where we had 4 Common Cranes, c100 Lesser Short-toed Larks, a handful of Calandra Larks, 5 Spanish ‘Yellow’ Wagtails, a Great White Egret, a fly-over flock of 150+ Red-crested Pochards and the inevitable noisy gaggles of Flamingos.

Trebujena Marshes Instead of heading back along the river we opted for exploring the track running south to the east of Algaida. Above the woodlands we had a Short-toed Eagle, 10+ Booted Eagles, 3 Red Kites and c20 Lesser Kestrels. Also present on the flooded ‘polders’ were c20 Glossy Ibis and another Great White Egret. Closer to Sanlucar the rough track gave way to a new metalled road (and evidence of future building developments). Here a couple of ‘settling pans’ provided excellent feeding for a flock of Little Gulls and Kittiwakes. A speculative stop here revealed that there were c100 of the former and c10 of the latter, but I was surprised to find a winter plumaged Whiskered Tern lurking amongst them. (In fact, on checking references back in the UK it transpired that Whiskered Tern winters in small numbers on the Coto). Also present on these pools were c10 Black-necked Grebe and many Pochards and Coots. The flooded field adjacent to the ‘settling pans’ provided a productive feeding ground for c100 Glossy Ibis, 50 Black-winged Stilt and a lone Greenshank. This looked a superb habitat to explore later in the year (esp. for pratincoles).

Presa de Embalse de Barbate Foregoing a second visit to Laguna de Medina, we headed for the dam at Embalse de Barbate in the hope of a Spanish Imperial Eagle. Although this hope proved false, we did find the flock of Common Cranes (34) we’d seen on the 14th, a distant Bonelli’s Eagle and c30 Griffon Vultures. Amongst the latter was an individual that, although it was a typical Griffon on plumage grounds, consistently soared with drooping wings; an instructive lesson either in the variability of birds’ habits or the fact that they don’t read the same field guides!

La Janda Before dusk fell we made a quick dash to La Janda - here we had a Hen Harrier, numerous Golden Plovers and Lapwings, 43 Purple Gallinules and, as dusk finally fell, 111 Black Kite slipping into roost!
DAY 8 - Thursday 19th February

Naturally the local Lesser Kestrels serenaded our departure from the village this morning. Since we had get to Gibraltar before 10:00 for our flight we had little time for birding today. A quick investigation of the Valdeinfierno produced Raven, but little else.

A great trip bettering the total attained in February 2007 by 22 species (135 vs 157 - although we did have two more whole days birding this year). Yet we still managed to miss ten species seen on the earlier trip - some of which we saw several times in 2007 (i.e. Squacco Heron, Peregrine, Long-tailed Tit & Cirl Bunting). The higher figure is also partly due to better weather (hence no time lost to rain!), a good winter rainfall providing excellent habitat (cf Red-knobbed Coot) and improved ‘local’ knowledge (c.f. Alpine Accentor). Had we not opted for a fairly leisurely start each morning then a target of c170 would have been quite feasible. Had we not opted for a fairly leisurely start each morning then a target of c170 would have been quite feasible.

Birding highlights included a superb male white-spotted Bluethroat on Trebujena Marshes, an obliging Alpine Accentor at Llanos de Libar, finally nailing two un-neck collared Red-knobbed Coot at Espera and, above all, some superb views of Little Swift at Chipiona (at last!). Also very pleasing was the sense that I’m finally getting to know some of the sites. Finding an additional route into and around the Trebujena marshes and discovering the ‘settling pans’ near Sanlucar was also a big plus. It was also evident that Great White Egret has increased markedly in recent years (although the extensive flooding may have brought more birds out into the open). Glossy Ibis also seem to be doing very well. On the downside I was surprised to see no Black-shouldered Kite on La Janda although having seen them elsewhere we didn’t look very hard.

NB for photos of what we saw, see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymor...7614157792303/ and for general notes on birding sites in Cadiz province contact me by PM

[John Cantelo]

Originally Posted by robinm

Hi John,

Interesting to read of your exploits with Jack and Tony. Some great shots on Tony's Flickr site.

Yes, it was great fun and excellent birding with those two miscreants. Tony got some good shots too. I'm hopeful that, when we go out in May some of the fabulous little pools we found will still retain some water. Although we'll miss some of the wintering species (Alpine Accentor & Crane for example), all of the summer visitors should be present by then and some migrant waders should be lingering. It should be warmer, though - it was really rather chilly at nights this February,

[Jon Turner]

John
Sorry I didn't get in touch while I was out in Spain, it looks as if you had a great trip.
I've seen Red-knobbed Coot at Espera several times, there were a few collared birds on the first lagoon a few years ago, but I have seen 'real' birds on the third lagoon a few times since. Stone Curlew can be found by the approach track to these Lagunas too!
We saw a summer plumage Bluethroat at La Janda in January, I think they are more common than we may think. Tchagra catches a few over on the Guadiaro, but I've never seen one there. (He also retrapped a Wryneck there in Feb - sadly on one of the days I was in Morocco).
Eagle Owl is interesting - they are seen at Casares, I have a friend who lives there and they occasionally see one in their garden! I found a feather from one in the woods above Jimena last year, but haven't found a bird - yet.
Kittiwakes - see my post on the Morocco forum - I think there's a bit of a problem with them - Saw a few off Carbis bay earlier this week, looking healthy!
I'm hoping to be out again in May - and I intend to take a day or two up by THE river this time!

Jon

[Andrew]

Enjoyed that John, plenty of White-headed Ducks for sure!

Good one on the Little Swift too.

[John Cantelo]

I'm glad someone's reading this stuff! It seems to me that if you put 'Extremadura' or 'Coto Donana' into the heading you get plenty of attention whereas many folks don;t appreciate just how fantastic Cadiz province is as a birding destinantion! You've still got time to re-schedule your trip Andrew! WHD are a doddle at my little site near Bonanza (it's not in the books!) and can be seen MUCH closer than other widely touted sites. Little Swift were terrific - I blush to tell you how many times I've missed them there! God knows why - I've been at exactly the same site early morning and at dusk and seen no bloomin swifts at all!

Jon, no problems about not contacting me - my Spanish mobile was playing up so I was not contactable anyhow. I agree with you regaring Bluethroat - I suspect any well vegetated ditch or damp tangle could (and probably does) hold them. I'll be out again in April, May & for much of August,

[Andrew]

I now have an open mind regards Donana. I shall probably arrive and take the place in the first two days and see if I am up to a trip round the other side of the river. I think I probably will succumb!

[Jon Turner]

Originally Posted by Andrew

I now have an open mind regards Donana. I shall probably arrive and take the place in the first two days and see if I am up to a trip round the other side of the river. I think I probably will succumb!

Andrew, if you want any further persuasion, try this:
The little Laguna Mejorada. It's a few kilometers east of Los Palacios on the old road from Jerez to Sevilla. Actually between this road and the motorway (turn off the M'way at Los Palacios turning, there are only a few exits from this motorway). Look out for a track to the south just before a canal bridge.
I was there on 25th May 07. There are:
Dozens of Olivaceous Warblers.
Thousands of breeding Cattle Egrets.
Scores of breeding Night Herons.
Many breeding Little Egrets.
Breeding Rufous Bush Robin
Waxbills
Little Bittern
Golden Oriole
I also flushed (accidentally) a Red-necked Nightjar.
Penduline Tits are alleged to breed, but I didn't see or hear any.
The surrounding fields are great for Larks, Hoopoes, and probably lots of other goodies. Strangely there were no waterbirds there, the lake may be a bit sterile.
Best,
Jon

[John Cantelo]

Originally Posted by Andrew

I now have an open mind regards Donana. I shall probably arrive and take the place in the first two days and see if I am up to a trip round the other side of the river. I think I probably will succumb!

You'd be very welcome to join me for a jaunt out-and-about in the area if our dates co-incide. If you contact me (via a PM) nearer the time I'll give you my Spanish mobile number (assuming I can get the thing topped up which I couldn't last time!). If you're camping I can recommend a convenient campsite a lttle way out of Alcala too.

[Andrew]

Thanks for that Jon and John.

I have copied and printed that set of info to look at the maps with.

[John Cantelo]

Jon - Laguna Mejorada is a great site, but one I've not seriously had a look at since I have all the species closer at hand near Alcala!
Andrew - I'll doubtless be posting a report on my trip in April on my return ... watch this space!

[Jon Turner]

Just read on the Jimena blog that an Eagle Owl was rescued from the bell tower on the main square today (or yesterday perhaps) they were doing some cleaning out and found the bird which was taken into care. I thought there was one locally, but that's about 100 yards from our house!

Jon

[John Cantelo]

Hi all,

Having now cleaned out my mail box, I discover that I've deleted a message from "Rhys" who, subsequent to reading my account, PM'd me for further information. I'm sure I PM'd him back with details, but not having heard from him I'm concerned that ny response went astray somehow. Eitherway can you PM me again with your email, Rhys, so I can send the details I promised,

[Rhys]

Just pmd you John
cheers
Rhys

[Jon Turner]

Of interest just outside the area, Rare Birds in Spain reports 4 Lesser Flamingo at Fuente de Piedra.

jon

[John Cantelo]

Yes, Jon somewhat annoying since had we known that they were there we'd probably gone for them last month - a longish drive but not absurdly so. Not sure if the friend with whom I'll be out there in April will be so keen,

[Ruby]

Very good report John - thanks..... I've STILL never been to the Cadiz area - one day!

Nice one re: the Little Swift. I recall that some time back this was a particular target - so was this the first time that you'd managed to connect? If so, then double congrats!!


All the best... Ray

[John Cantelo]

Originally Posted by Ruby

Very good report John - thanks..... I've STILL never been to the Cadiz area - one day!

Nice one re: the Little Swift. I recall that some time back this was a particular target - so was this the first time that you'd managed to connect? If so, then double congrats!!


All the best... Ray

Hi Ray, good to hear from you. (In fact I thought you'd respond to my account of my jaunt over to Calais since we had a good trip there a few years back - didn't we do well with Black 'pecker & Snowy Owl?) With regard to Cadiz area I'm glad you enjoyed my report. I caught up with Little Swift last May - one bird at dusk so these were by far the best views. A shame you've not got out there yet although, as it happens, I'm now one short for a week's birding trip out to my place this May ......

[Ruby]

Originally Posted by John Cantelo

Hi Ray, good to hear from you. (In fact I thought you'd respond to my account of my jaunt over to Calais since we had a good trip there a few years back - didn't we do well with Black 'pecker & Snowy Owl?) With regard to Cadiz area I'm glad you enjoyed my report. I caught up with Little Swift last May - one bird at dusk so these were by far the best views. A shame you've not got out there yet although, as it happens, I'm now one short for a week's birding trip out to my place this May ......

Sorry John, I've only just got around to seeing this (although I did see the PM!) plus I've not read the report of your Calais trip either - although I can feel the green-eyed monster creeping up on me already!!

I MUST get on the forum more often!


All the best... Ray

[John Cantelo]

You'd be more than welcome!

I'll almost certainly be going out again on purely birding trips in October 09, Feb '10 and May '10 (i.e. school half terms when Mrs C. can't make it) ........