[Charlie Rowney]

I am interested in any information about seawatching from North West Spain. It looks like it ought to be good for stuff coming out of Biscay. Any ideas anyone?

[Allen S. Moore]

Originally Posted by Charlie Rowney

I am interested in any information about seawatching from North West Spain. It looks like it ought to be good for stuff coming out of Biscay. Any ideas anyone?

I've never been to Galicia, but am keen to go in 2-3 years. I have Laurence Rose's Where to Watch Birds in Spain and Portugal, a Hamlyn Birdwatching Guide (1995). Under the heading
Rias and Headlands of North-east Galicia 43 40N 07 52W
it mentions that several of the rocky capes are good sea-watching and migration landfall points. Estaca de Bares, east of the Ortigueira estuary, has a bird observatory where up to 100,000 passing seabirds are noted Aug. to Nov. It is good for passing gannet, razorbill, common scoter, divers, and manx, yelkouan, cory's and sooty shearwaters, the author writes.
One thing that would make me nervous of seawatching from the west coast of Galicia is its use by cocaine smugglers from Columbia. I don't think that they would bother to ask "Anything about?" if they found someone looking out to sea with powerful optics when a boat was due. There was an article about the problem in one of the UK papers about 3 weeks
Allen Moore

[Allen S. Moore]

There's also some good information in John Cantelo's posting entitled
Gallumphing around Galicia
from 28 Aug. 2004.

[Edward woodwood]

Hi Allan

i gues it could be very good

I've seen Wilson's Petrel fairly close to shore off Northern Spain and given the proximity of Biscay you could certainly hope for a few suprises, big shears, maybe even a Little or a Bulwer's, White-faced, etc if conditions are right...

might be worth finding somewhere close-ish to continental shelf if poss? I wouldn't worry about trouble there... anyone doing anything THAT dodgy will steer well clear of people

Tim

[John Cantelo]

I suspect that almost any headland in the area could be superb
goven strong onshore winds. Finisterre isn't a noted site but I had plenty of Corys & Balearic Shearwtaers in a brief seawatch there,
John