Spain: autumn tour Saturday 13 September to Friday 19 September 2008 Saturday 19 September to Friday 25 September 2009
Cost: £1490 (2008) Single room supplement: £130 Maximum group size: 14 with 2 leaders. |
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| The Straits of Gibraltar may be the gateway to the Mediterranean but for the vast number of migrating raptors, storks and passerines moving south every autumn, the Straits are also the gateway to Africa and their winter home. This migration is easily visible, and from cliff top vantage points at Europe's southern tip we’ll enjoy eye-level views of some of Europe’s most exciting species as they gain altitude in preparation for the sea crossing. Nearby we will enjoy migrant gulls, terns and waders against a backdrop of Atlantic rollers and distant Moroccan mountains. We'll be based near the old town of Tarifa, with its ancient castle overlooking a bustling harbour and with much of the old town still intact, a maze of narrow passgaeways opening up into small squares lines with tapas bars. Day 1: Our tour starts with a morning flight to Malaga from where we will journey to our hotel at Tarifa. Approaching the town in the late afternoon we should see some raptors which have just reached the southern tip of Europe, coming in low, looking for a place to roost for the night before the big push the following day, and the sight of a few Black Kites or maybe a Montagu’s Harrier flapping south will whet the appetite for the coming days. Night at Tarifa. Days 2-7: Raptor passage across the Straits of Gibraltar can be dependant on the weather, and wind direction often affects the line many birds take. This means we’ll be flexible in our itinerary, going to different viewpoints based on wherever the winds and the birds take us. Watching raptors on migration is an exciting pastime as we never know just what is going to come along next. One minute we might be noticing the difference between a Black Kite and a Marsh Harrier, the next moment there maybe the dark form of Booted Eagle thrown into the equation and seconds later a pale one for comparison. This area holds good numbers of vultures and as well as the comparatively smaller Egyptian Vultures we’ll need to check all the Griffons that sail overhead as the last few years have seen a rise in the number of Rüppell’s Vultures seen here, visitors from sub-Saharan Africa. Another bird from across the Straits that can turn up is Lanner Falcon, a species more regular in Morocco but one that has turned up in southern Spain annually recently. In addition to all the raptors we should see both White and Black Storks, also opting for the shortest crossing possible from Europe to Africa. Raptor migration often peaks between late morning and early afternoon and we will arrange our days accordingly but even on some mornings there may be the chance to see raptors leaving their nights roost, or again in the evening as they opt not to cross the water until the next day. With our heads pointing skywards for long periods we’ll have to remember to keep checking the bushes and scrub around us, where migrant warblers and chats such as Blackcap, Redstart and Nightingale may mix with the resident Cetti’s Warblers or a stripey Cirl Bunting. Bee-eaters, Swallows, martins and Swifts could well be on the move and at one site we will check for another African visitor, White-rumped Swift. This species utilises the old nests of Red-rumped Swallows and has to wait for that species’ young to fledge before it can start breeding so they are usually around this late in the season. Little Swift is also possible at the same site. Just a short distance from our hotel is a superb beach which usually holds reasonable flocks of gulls, and we should see many Audouin’s Gulls among all the Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls. This is also a great site for terns and we’ll check the flocks carefully just in case there is a migrant Lesser Crested hiding away. Waders on the beach are ever changing and a small lagoon may hold Grey and Kentish Plovers one minute and then a scurrying party of Sanderling or some plump Red Knot the next. On a couple of mornings there will be an option for a seawatch before breakfast where we hope to see both Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters, and a strong onshore wind may push a Great or Arctic Skua close in. Nearby we will explore coastal marshes and wetlands where we should see a good selection of herons, egrets and waders including Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper. The beauty of our location, in the fascinating old town of Tarifa, is that whatever the weather there should always be something to look for, be it a small flock of Short-toed Larks in the dunes, a kettle of raptors overhead or a juvenile Woodchat Shrike pondering its first migration south. Nights at Tarifa. Day 8: If time allows we will take the opportunity to enjoy more birding close to our hotel, and we may use this last morning to search for any species that have eluded us so far, or perhaps take the time to wander the narrow passages of Tarifa’s old centre. We’ll then return to Malaga in time to catch our flight to London where the tour concludes.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated June 2008. |
Nearby we will search for the very rare White-rumped Swift...
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