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Birdwatching in Straits of Gibraltar & La Janda (1 Viewer)

Weather yesterday very poor with almost 17 hours of rain at times heavy and blustery before clearing at 19.30 so no birding. This morning though changeable with a stiff Westerly a coffee stop at the Mirador Del Estacho 09.30 hrs had 3 small kettles of Griffon Vultures totalling 76 and a single Booted. Stopped at the viewpoint on the Guadalmesi road beside the derelict army base of Cascabel, lot of Common Swifts moving through well in excess of 300 in 2 hours with a steady stream of BeeEaters. 22 Black Kites in dribs and drabs, 2 Egyptian Vultures little else then a heavy downpour around 12.30 had us heading for our lunch. Punta Canero this afternoon from 14.30 was dead, African coast masked by dense rain clouds, shortly after they cleared at 16.20 several big groups of Black Kite made landfall totalling 250-300. Called at Cazalla on way to our hostal at 17.00hrs 26 Black Kites and a stream of Swifts and BeeEaters till storm clouds closed in at 17.40hrs. The new entrance and exit roads are a vast improvement making for a much safer visit. Then onto the valley just to North of our Hostal no name on map (taking the minor road off the N340 just past the Hostal El Levante to Fascinas after about a km take the hardcore road on right eventually leads to Turbine farm) we discovered the potential of this area last year, displaying Calandra Larks, Tawny Pipits, Lesser Kestrels and good for raptors following the hill ridge from Cazalla. 7 Griffon Vulture, 3 S T Eagle, 12 Black Kite all by 19.00 as well as a plethora of passerines. Lot of Swifts moving North and BeeEaters coming into a roost.

Hopefully this changeable showery weather will settle later this week.
 
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Hi Stewart. Looks like you're having a dose of our weather at the moment.

When I saw your post the other day I thought from it that it was May you were intending to be there. I'll be out there for the last week in April and the first week in May, so the chances are we'll bump into each other.
 
Strong Westerlies persisting though sunny and warm at last. Ended the day with a Great Spotted Cuckoo in the valley just North of our Hostal this evening, a group of 90 Black Kites same location at 18.25hrs with 2 Booties and hundreds of Swifts passing through.

Our paths may cross then Alan where you staying this time?
 
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Same place Stewart, near Los Barrios, but I'll be on my own this time. The missus has decided to dip this trip, but she'll be there in the autumn as usual.
 
Eddy another question. Finally after four years I have managed to drive the Fascinas to Los Barrios road, it is superb and a lot of work has gone into repairing it. The new mini car parks and info boards are a nice touch. I am however concerned by the very very sturdy metal gates at each end and the sign posted at them saying passage for authorised vehicles only or have I misinterpreted them.
 
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You are quite correct Stuart,the Valle de Ojen road is NOT open to traffic and only authorised vehicles can use it.
The Guardia Civil have instructions to prosecute drivers who use it......Eddy
 
Another access question Eddy, earlier in week we were birding from crossroads on the Guadalmesi road (the cattle grid where road goes left down into the valley, ahead to Guadamesi and right to old army camp) A new sign has been erected as in photo at start of road down to Guadamesi, does this indicate authorised access only?

Whilst there it was quiet bird wise so we drove down to the old camp "Cascabel" I believe it was called. The bushes and trees along from the buildings can be very good for migrant passerines. After 10 mins a little old white Berlinger type van pulled up with two army guys in. One spoke a little English and very politely informed me I was on private military land and was to leave immediately. They then escorted us back to the crossroads.

Posting this for benefit of others in case access is changing or becoming more restricted.
 

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eddy the eagle said:
You are quite correct Stuart,the Valle de Ojen road is NOT open to traffic and only authorised vehicles can use it.
The Guardia Civil have instructions to prosecute drivers who use it......Eddy
Click to expand...

This is a rather worrying development as birdwatchers and others have been using the road (still marked on several published maps as a 'normal route') for decades without any problems. Some official or at least semi-official publications even suggest driving along it to reach a couple of the senderos that branch off it. This seems like a relatively recent political decision to enforce long dormant regulations .....

The nonsense at Guadalmesi sounds to me like another 'political decision' although I'm not entirely surprised that vehicular access has been denied. If you park at the top of the road you should still be able to walk down the road and then divert to the left just before the camp gates onto a rough track (not suitable for ordinary cars) that skirts the vacant old barracks.

I've emailed a contact in the Cadiz tourist board who's tasked with promoting 'green' tourism (esp. birding) to ask what's happening and why somebody seems so keen on shooting themselves in the foot ....
 
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Cannot understand the new little car parks and info boards along the Valle de Ojen then not allowing vehicles all a bit odd John.With regard to the old camp of Cascabel I notice this visit the locals out herb or snail hunting are now parking at crossroads not down at camp as in previous years.
 
Stewart J. said:
Cannot understand the new little car parks and info boards along the Valle de Ojen then not allowing vehicles all a bit odd John.With regard to the old camp of Cascabel I notice this visit the locals out herb or snail hunting are now parking at crossroads not down at camp as in previous years.
Click to expand...

It sounds very much like the left hand not knowing (or knowing and not caring) what the righthand is doing. Different political power bases behaving without regard or reference to one another. My suspicion is that, for whatever reason, some local bigwigs with influence don't want the hoi polloi using the Ojen valley track. My only surprise about the Guadalmesi situation is that the military ever relaxed their jealous hold on the area. Anyone keen to see Iberian Lynx up in Andujar better go soon as I predict they'll probably close the tracks there too if they can!
 
Funny how they've got the resources to stop folks taking this route as they've done for decades, but not stopping the blatant abuse by kite surfers at Playa de los Lances!
 
What the hell is it with these people?

One of the main things that pulls me to Spain again and again (next weekend will be my 57th visit to Spain and its islands since 1995) apart from the birds, is the feeling that if you see a track, you can follow it. A multitude of times we've been driving along a road, I've seen a turn-off that I've not noticed before and unless there's a chain, a gate or a sign saying privado, I've felt compelled to drive along it just to see what is there and I've discovered some good stuff by doing it.

I love the freedom in Spain that is so lacking in Britain, where all the roads that would otherwise be limestone tracks are tarmacked over and there are 'keep off 'signs all over the place stopping you exploring off-piste.

With the withdrawal of vehicular access in the summer to Llanos de Libar and now the effective closure of the Ojen Valley, you've got to wonder what the hell is going on in their heads.
 
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John, Alan et al, caught up with Javi (Birding the Strait) yesterday and discussed the Valle de Ojen road restrictions. It is possible to obtain a permit to travel this road but getting it is the usual beurocratic nightmare that is the Spanish system. As it's also vehicle specific so probably impossible to obtain for those visiting the area and hiring a car as how would you obtain the car registration in advance?

As a word of caution to anyone thinking of taking a chance and driving the route if caught he is saying its a 300 euro fine, an expensive car journey!

Winds still Westerly and it's turned a bit cooler this weekend hills shrouded in thick cloud this morning with forecast of showers which will hold up the migration. Levante tomorrow then back to West.
 
Did Javi have any information as to why a route open to birders for decades has suddenly be restricted? I genuinely fear that powerful vested interests may be emboldened and try to close the route across La Janda next.
 
"I genuinely fear that powerful vested interests may be emboldened and try to close the route across La Janda next."

These vested interests may well be ecologists. Have a look at the map - there is considerable interest in improving the road connections from Benalup, which is a good sized town with poor road connections.
 
occasional said:
"I genuinely fear that powerful vested interests may be emboldened and try to close the route across La Janda next."

These vested interests may well be ecologists. Have a look at the map - there is considerable interest in improving the road connections from Benalup, which is a good sized town with poor road connections.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. Unlike a few years ago there's not a lot of money washing around to develop roads. Even major infrastructure projects have stalled or cancelled altogether and it's taking longer to get local roads repaired. I know Benalup fairly well and question whether its road connections are quite as poor as you suggest. The route north to Medina & beyond to Jerez is as good or better than many UK A-roads and the link south-east to the A 381 (to Algeciras) isn't a lot worse. The road to Vejer isn't too bad either. None of the routes out of Benalup are very heavily used at the moment. A road across La Janda would only speed access to Tarifa which I cannot see having a high priority. Local ecologists, opposed by landowners, are pressing for parts of La Janda to be restored and part of their case is increasing 'eco-tourism'. Restricting access now would only play into the hands of those opposing this move. It's clear who has the balance of power in the area and it's not ecologists!
 
I’ve now heard back from a contact in the Cadiz Tourism who very kindly phoned the Guardia Civil for clarification. This is his response - The Valle de Ojén road is prohibited for cars from a certain point (there are signs informing about this matter). From this point, if you want to continue, you must go by foot or by bike. Guardia Civil surveillance is not continuous, but they’re watching from time to time. Sincerely, I don’t know which is the standard followed by Guardia Civil to do such things! Another contact tells me that until "1996 the Valle de Ojen was a real paved road. At those dates even Venta de Ojen still offered a daily menu smile emoticon. Then, the Natural Park staff decided to not encourage their public use, but only for local people, and they didn´t fix the road any more". Which rather suggests that this may be an initiative by the Natural Park although I wonder who's pulling their strings. Traffic along the track is scarcely heavy. Absurdly the route also featured in the recently published and officially sanctioned "Birds of the Trafalgar Coast'
 

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