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

[rollingthunder]

Rather unkindly it's an 'unkindness'! - I must admit i've have never found this Victorian throwback aspect to birding/birds of much use. Anthropromorphism at its' worst but that's just me

Leave some stuff for us non-residents Eddy.....

Laurie:t:

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Woke up this morning to the sight of about 25 honeys flapping slowly and low over the house as I opened the window to see what kind of day it was.

I was out, as soon as I was decent, to watch more of them gathering and moving off, presumably after kipping in the cork oaks nearby. Probably over 100 passed over in the next 45 minutes while we got sorted out and into the car to escape the plume of cloud that was generated by the wind over Gibraltar and pushed directly over the top of us by the easterly.

A trip down to Trafico confirmed that Africa was out of sight because of mist on the Strait and nothing seemed to be moving in a stiff wind.

A swift relocation to check Los Lances produced a spectacle. Nothing of note on the beach, but suddenly the sky was full of black kites flying in off the sea after aborting their passage. There must have been a thousand birds in the space of half an hour, with some landing on the beach, some flying over very low and hundreds kettling overhead.

Lower winds and good visibility forecast tomorrow for Algeciras. If the birds can see Africa it'll be a scramble. Two days of birds held back, ready for the cork to pop. I think I'll start at Algarrobo.


EDIT:
Well that didn't quite go according to plan. The light wind went from easterly to west by afternoon and the overcast of the morning cleared to let the sun through after midday, but the forecast got the visibility wrong. A milky haze hung over the Strait all day, with visibility qua couple of miles at
best. Some honey buzzard passage went on this morning, but that's because honey buzzards can just get on with it.

A flock of a couple of hundred white storks milled about near Tarifa all day, turning back as soon as they crossed the coast. There were some impressive kettles of black kites, booted eagles and smaller numbers of short-toed eagles, but they drifted back the way they came.

Tomorrow will be another day.

 

[eddy the eagle]

Thank you Jane and rolling thunder an unkindness seems to fit the bill.....Eddy

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Thank you Jane and rolling thunder an unkindness seems to fit the bill.....Eddy

That was some eagle show this morning Eddy. Pity I've got to wait until I go back home to see the pics on a computer. I don't have the software on M's iPad.

If only the day had lived up to its early promise. When I opened our door at half past eight this morning and saw the first honey buzzard (at tree-top height)of over fifty that were to pass over our garden in the next ten minutes I thought we were going to be in for a cracker.

 

[eddy the eagle]

Spanish Imperial eagle

A few of my poor photos of the juvenile Spanish Imperial eagle see at Algarrobo yesterday.....Eddy

 

[rollingthunder]

Eddy - what's the local and next weeks wevver around that area, from the Horses mouth so to speak.....?

Laurie:t:

 

[eddy the eagle]

Good morning Laurie,the weather for the Tarifa area this week is fresh to strong westerlies with patchy cloud and temperatures of 24/25 C.towards the east of the straits it will be light westerlies with sun and light cloud and max.28C.At this time of the year low cloud and even fog can form over the hills between Algeciras and Tarifa and this can often take a few hours to ´burn´off resulting in the migrating birds wandering the area often quite low until conditions improve when they go for it ....Eddy.

 

[eddy the eagle]

A long day out

Yesterday I went with my friends Glyn and Val on a full day out in the campo starting at the old Valle de Ojen road,in Los Barrios and within two kilometers we saw griffon vultures,booted and short toed eagles common and honey buzzards and an nice adult Bonelli´s eagle.Also seen at this time was an eagles on a rock preening itself and as this was 500m+ from us we were unable to identify it although juvenile bonelli´s came to mind.This bird appeared to have a damaged wing but it was preening OK and as it was on private land we decided to leave it.After a little while and contacting the local rescue service I decided to return but the bird had gone.We entered the land and had a good search of the area but we could not find it and we felt it had flown away.(I returned today but no sign).A poor picture is attached.
Carrying on along this road towards Facinas more booted and short toed eagles but not many small passerines were seen.Lunch was in Facinas and then onto the Cañada between Facinas and Benalup where we expected to see good numbers of larks but there was none.Woodchat shrike little owl several Montague´s and marsh harriers and large flocks of linnets and goldfiches feeding on the now fully ripe sunflower heads.The first northern wheatear of the autumn posed for photos on a wire fence as we turned onto the tarmac and made our way up to the farm with woodpigeon collared doves and jackdaws in attendance.I expected turtle doves but none were seen although we saw lots later in the day.Several more monty´s and marsh harriers and as we left via the Vejer exit about 150 white storks were in the rice paddies and several kestrels were hunting.
We then went to Montenmedio and on the driving range saw a total of 27 bald ibis which although re-introduced are always interesting to observe probing the soft turf for leather jackets and worms.We then went to the marismas at Barbate where we saw ringed plovers,blackwinged stilts,little terns,black headed,yellow legged and audouins gulls and six stone curlews on the islands at the top of the site.
Returning to La Janda gave us large quantities of glossy ibis little and cattle egrets,grey herons kingfisher and a large number of turtle doves on the wires with beeaters and finches.More monty´s and marsh harriers and one black winged kite.As we headed out of the area a convoy of birders were entering and I trust they saw most of the birds we had seen.Although not in great numbers a total of 11 diurnal and one nocturnal raptors were see and as our target birds for the day were squacco heron and blackwinged kite we did achieve 50% so we went away very happy.Tomorrow I shall be at Algarrobo at first light and I hope to meet up with any BF members who are over here at the moment.Kind regards to all ...Eddy.

 

[eddy the eagle]

Except for looking for the eagle with the damaged wing I have not been out today but here is a list of those birds reported to me during the day.
11.12 am two rupells vultures at Cazalla
11.34 osprey at Algarrobo,
12.54 Adult bonelli´s eagle at Cazalla.
13.22 Spanish imperial eagle at Cazalla
14.28 Dark morph eleonors falcon and rupell vulture at Algarrobo
14.28 two rupells at Cazalla
1606 juvenile osprey at cerro de tambor(south of Pelayo)
plus no doubt the usual honeys,booted and short toed eagles.
regards ...Eddy

 

[Stewart J.]

Yo Eddy devouring your posts/ updates with relish thank you very much. We arrive Monday for three weeks. A BF meet up with some good birding thrown in would be good if there is any interest.

 

[eddy the eagle]

Monday is a domestic duty day but I will be at Algarrobo on Tuesday from 8.30 should any BF
members be in the area...Eddy PS I am also there this morning..

 

[Alf King]

My wife and I watched with fascination two Black-shouldered Kites "talon-grappling" and tumbling at La Janda yesterday around noon. Three Montagus Harrier and many Marsh Harriers around but we failed to connect with any Wheatears - later maybe. As Eddy commented earlier the lack of any real numbers of larks was quite noticeable.

 

[Alf King]

Eddy,

You refer to going on the Ojen valley road from Los Barrios to Facinas. Is this road now easily passable or is a 4x4 required?

Cheers,

 

[eddy the eagle]

Hi Alf just picked up your post,yes the old road is passable with care in a car just remember to always put your tyres on the high spots and drive with the tyres over any large rocks in order to protect the sump.Regrds ...Eddy

 

[Alf King]

Thanks Eddy.

I've done it a couple of times but that was many years ago then the road got washed out and was closed for a long time. Maybe in a hire car with a hefty excess I might not risk it as I don't need to come from the Algeciras direction - staying out near Vejer.

The weather might be good for Cazella tomorrow I reckon, so we'll give that a try.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Hi Alf just picked up your post,yes the old road is passable with care in a car just remember to always put your tyres on the high spots and drive with the tyres over any large rocks in order to protect the sump.Regrds ...Eddy

We tried for your Bonellis on the Ojen without any luck, but we travelled on west and as you say it's passable with care. We saw another car coming in the opposite direction making heavy weather of it by trying to drive in the tracks instead of picking a route through the pots and helping the wheels high.

The passenger looked as if she was having trouble hanging onto her fillings as they passed.

At Facinas the sun was getting out, despite the TV forecast so I headed on into La Janda.

I'd advise anyone without a 4WD or a car with particularly high clearance to avoid this access until someone has the gumption to fill in the pots at the Facinas end of the track. There are numerous holes going back several years that I've plotted a route through and they are passable with a bit of thought, but the worst of the lot was the first, on the track as it curves past the start to the wind subsidy farm.

I took to today, taking the right hand side of the track, which looked the best at the time, but even so I managed to scrape the front cross member that protected the exhaust on the Fiat.

Once you are past the subsidy bird-munchers it's better, so anyone with a normal car looking to capitalise on the Monties, I'd advise them to take the long trip and approach from the Benalup end and bite the bullet on time and fuel and double back rather than either exit or enter at Facinas.

Once I was past the worst of the pots a male Monty took off from next to the road and at the start of the holm oaks a juvenile Bonelli's performed low and close after M spotted it flying in front of the trees.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

PS. Further to the above I see that the severe rain and thunderstorms over the Pyrenees and the north of Spain are persisting and that today the weather that came in from the Atlantic brought flash floods and golfball-sized hailstones to Seville, just up the road.

An early 'gota fria'?

It's no wonder we had no new raptors worth mentioning today. They are holding themselves back for a clear run.

 

[eddy the eagle]

Weather forcast is good for today so should be good for migration watchers at Algarrobo and Cazalla....Eddy

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Weather forcast is good for today so should be good for migration watchers at Algarrobo and Cazalla....Eddy

I'll be going down shortly, but there have only been a few honey buzzards over our digs so far today. The weather's good here, but TVE 1 news this morning was talking about a inch and a half of rain at Lleida yesterday and the weather forecast for today was for thunderstorms and heavy rain right across the bottleneck between here and France and also over the whole of Catalonia and Aragon.

We might be in for a quiet spell before the dam bursts and they all arrive at once.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Car hire warning!!!!

Algarrobo was quiet and by chance I moved on to Cazalla to see if my pal was there. He was and because things were dead there too we got to chatting about general topics. He mentioned that he checked his car hire agreement before venturing onto Gib and found that he wasn't covered. I said that was normal. He replied that he was pleased he'd checked because tucked away in the small print was a condition that the car has to be returned to the airport before 2,000km was reached for replacement, otherwise a penalty of 2euros per km would be charged.

Oh dear.

I checked my policy and found the same. Never had that before.

I checked my mileage and I was already over, with a further 140km from our digs to the airport if I went back straight away. I was looking at a bill of over 600 euros so far and who knows what it would have been in 11days time at the end of the hire but for a chance conversation.

A couple of stern phone calls has got the excess waived, but I'm still faced with an unplanned drive of two hours each way to the airport this afternoon to exchange the car.

Why this wasn't pointed out to me at the desk when they were telling me about the full/empty tank return policy is a mystery. I've got to fill it when I exchange it and take the new one back empty.

If you're hiring, check the small print. I should know better, but I know now.

If I'd spotted it at the booking stage I'd have told Doyouspain to find me another company, because as far as I was concerned I was hiring unlimited mileage, without an unscheduled half day driving to the airport and back in the middle of the trip.:C:C