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

[Jon Turner]

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 rerun 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

Oops! Can you name and shame the Company so we can all avoid it? I use Malagacar.com

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Oops! Can you name and shame the Company so we can all avoid it? I use Malagacar.com

You're not with them Jon.

I'd rather not name them for the time being. In the meantime I'd advise anyone hiring to check the small print under '5. vehicle service'.

Edit. See post below.

 

[Alf King]

Clearly I missed out on an impressive passage yesterday when 1100+ Honey Buzzards were counted at Algarrobo.

Cazella was interesting today if not so busy, although there were plenty of birders there. The wind is due to shift in the next two days so maybe more action to come.

 

[Alf King]

You're not with them Jon.

I'd rather not name them for the time being. In the meantime I'd advise anyone hiring to check the small print under '5. vehicle service'.

Thanks for the warning BW. Just checked mine (Centauro) and it confirms that all hires are unlimited mileage.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Thanks for the warning BW. Just checked mine (Centauro) and it confirms that all hires are unlimited mileage.

The young lady at the Recordgo desk was very helpful in pointing out the starting mileage on the exchange car and wrote 2000 km in red pen on the revised contact.

I'll be keeping an eye on that now and in future it'll be a case of 'Record? Don't Go' on any hire, especially if it's for any period longer than a week. The change over has cost me a half a day and a quarter of a tank of diesel in travelling to Malaga and back, plus a load of aggro I could have done without.

Never had any problem with Centauro.

 

[Simon Elliott]

Hi,

Don't know if anyone can help with this but I'm planning a (mainly birding) trip to Spain for a week in January, either to the El Hondo area in Costa Blanca or more likely to the area in this thread. I'd like to watch and hopefully photograph mainly the raptors and other birds that overwinter in the area.

My wife is coming with me, and I don't want her to be bored, so can you recommend a place/area to stay that is close enough to the birds but also has restaurants etc? I will be hiring a car, and would like to be near(ish) to La Janda which looks to have the best birds in winter.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Simon

 

[Birdman7]

Ruppell's Vulture

Had 2 magnificent and close Ruppell's Vultures close to Cazalla last Saturday. Lo & behold, my camera & lenses were still in my camera bag, bummer! The numbers of Egyptian Vultures was quite impressive with over 30 individuals in 10 mins. Raptor passage is always a magnificent spectacle.

 

[Stewart J.]

Just back from 2 hours at Cazalla very quiet with only light passage.

 

[occasional]

My wife is coming with me, and I don't want her to be bored, so can you recommend a place/area to stay that is close enough to the birds but also has restaurants etc?

Tarifa is pleasant and interesting with plenty of accomodation.

 

[rollingthunder]

Mate - there's a lot of accommodation in Tarifa, to suit all budgets. I arrived ystda, paying about 30 quid a nite. Tarifa is nice and relaxing imo, there's all the surfies and kiters:C but hey i was young once

Birdwise it's very, very, very quiet!

I was out on Los Lances this morning and altho it was very pleasant from 0730 onwards passage comprised of small parties of Swallows - i flushed a Wryneck which was a very pleasant surprise.....

I left the cafe where we had breakfast @ 1030 and had'nt seen a single bird overhead. 3 and a 1/2 hours later i had mustered a list of 4 Booted Eagles and single Short-Toed as far as large BOP's are concerned.

I met a lovely couple from that Scotland place who are here on their, wait for it, 33rd consecutive year!!!:eek!::eek!::eek!: and they informed me that this was the quietest 7-day period they had ever known and today was the quietest day...................................lucky me:t:

Here for 2 more nights then off on the piss to Seville but will return towards the latter part of the holiday for 3/4 nights - let's hope things get better.

Laurie:t:

 

[Alf King]

Yet yesterday (9th) there were 2000+ Honey Buzzards over Algorrobo and today whilst I was there for a couple of hours 100+ over Cazella as well as Black Storks (7), Egyptian Vulture (14) and the other usual BoPs.

It is extremely quiet on the passerine front and the cause, according to many, is the incredibly dry and hot summer forcing the migrants to depart early. I have to say that we have been struggling to find any larks as well as any other passage birds besides chats, and even they are few and far between.

That's what we get for chasing the sun (and birds) I guess.

 

[rollingthunder]

That's interesting, Alf, Algaborro is 'over the hill' so to speak and thus out of sight from Tarifa..........I can assure you there was nothing like that today in the Tarifa area. The skies were clear, Blue and uncluttered by large birds, Oh i wish it was otherwise........

Laurie:t:

 

[Stewart J.]

Yet yesterday (9th) there were 2000+ Honey Buzzards over Algorrobo and today whilst I was there for a couple of hours 100+ over Cazella as well as Black Storks (7), Egyptian Vulture (14) and the other usual BoPs.

It is extremely quiet on the passerine front and the cause, according to many, is the incredibly dry and hot summer forcing the migrants to depart early. I have to say that we have been struggling to find any larks as well as any other passage birds besides chats, and even they are few and far between.

That's what we get for chasing the sun (and birds) I guess.

You must have been at Cazalla when I was this morning Alf from 10.30 till 12.45.

Stewart

 

[eddy the eagle]

I am told that the recent bad weather over the north of Spain and the Pyrenees in particular is the reason why we see no birds for a few days and then 1000´s through the next Also with the light winds we have at the moment a lot of birds get so high they are out of sight with the naked eye and sometimes with bins....EddyPS I have not been out and about lately due to a crocked knee and the need for physio but hope to be back soon.

 

[Alf King]

That's interesting, Alf, Algaborro is 'over the hill' so to speak and thus out of sight from Tarifa..........I can assure you there was nothing like that today in the Tarifa area. The skies were clear, Blue and uncluttered by large birds, Oh i wish it was otherwise........

Laurie:t:

Actually BW I was at Cazella, so there were. :eat: (Poor grammatical structure on my part I'm afraid.)

All of the raptors were very high indeed though and difficult to spot with the naked eye. If the Migres guy hadn't been calling them out then I think most of us would have missed them.

Good luck for the rest of your trip - maybe the flood of birds will commence soon.

 

[Alf King]

You must have been at Cazalla when I was this morning Alf from 10.30 till 12.45.

Stewart

Indeed Stewart, from 10.15 until 12.15 in fact. It got really quiet by then and when I saw the Migres chap start to eat his lunch I decided that it was time to leave.

Later on we had low down views of Booted Eagles, Buzzards and ST Eagles over our accommodation.

I'm giving Sanlucar the once-over today in the hope that waders will make up for the missing passerines. Barbate turned up very little the other day other than about 15 Stone Curlew. I was hoping for Curlew Sands through by now.

It's still a lot better than my local patch though, and I'm certainly not complaining.

:t:

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Indeed Stewart, from 10.15 until 12.15 in fact. It got really quiet by then and when I saw the Migres chap start to eat his lunch I decided that it was time to leave.

Later on we had low down views of Booted Eagles, Buzzards and ST Eagles over our accommodation.

I'm giving Sanlucar the once-over today in the hope that waders will make up for the missing passerines. Barbate turned up very little the other day other than about 15 Stone Curlew. I was hoping for Curlew Sands through by now.

It's still a lot better than my local patch though, and I'm certainly not complaining.

:t:

Check out the salt pans on the right of the t junction at Bonanza salinas really closely. We had two red-necked phalaropes on the second pool yesterday. They took a bit of finding, but it was worth it. A new one on my Spanish list.

The large lagoon at the pumping station at the end of the right hand track was very good. Three, possibly five caspian terns, an osprey taking a mullet, slender-billed gulls, two great white egrets, four or five black storks and a red kite.

Laguna Tarela had about 20 marbled ducks on the far bank.

 

[Simon Elliott]

Thanks Laurie and Occasional for the replies

 

[rollingthunder]

The RNPhal's sound good but i am on foot so it's a few Klicks from Tarifa for me.....

Much better today 400+ Booties, 150+ Black Kites, a few Reds, 75+ Short Toeds, 10+ Griffons, 6+ Gyppos and what looked like a very raggedy./moulting SpanishImp.

Passerines apart from Swallows and Bee Eaters in short supply. Another bash tmrw and then off for Tapas and Sherberts in Seville but back for the latter half of the holiday for 4 nights!

Laurie:t:

 

[Alf King]

Check out the salt pans on the right of the t junction at Bonanza salinas really closely. We had two red-necked phalaropes on the second pool yesterday. They took a bit of finding, but it was worth it. A new one on my Spanish list.

The large lagoon at the pumping station at the end of the right hand track was very good. Three, possibly five caspian terns, an osprey taking a mullet, slender-billed gulls, two great white egrets, four or five black storks and a red kite.

Laguna Tarela had about 20 marbled ducks on the far bank.

Good sightings BW. We were there yesterday but missed the RNP's I actually couldn't believe how quiet it was compared with previous years as there have been literally thousands of gulls, terns, waders crowing the berms. I'll give it another try next week when the tides are more favourable and when movement is hopefully more evident.

One WH Duck (male) on Tarela too. 10 Caspians feeding as well as plenty of SB Gulls and 300+ Greater Flamingo.

Still hardly any passerines though with wagtails being particularly noticeable by their absence.