Inglorious Bustards

Sustainability – at the heart of what we do!

The ethos behind Inglorious Bustards´ Nature tourism has always been to use travel to bring positive outcomes for biodiversity in the places we visit and beyond. We came to the ecotourism industry from a background in sustainable agriculture, travel and conservation, full of ideas about how the market can be used to drive conservation initiatives, and determined to put these into practice across the East Atlantic Flyway.

A close-up image of a soaring bird of prey, showcasing its prominent features and wings against a blurred blue background. — Short-toed Eagle © Inglorious Bustards

Our Sustainability Journey – Latest

In 2020, Niki completed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)´s training course in Sustainable Tourism delivery. This excellent learning programme gives a full understanding of GSTC´s Sustainability Criteria and how to apply them appropriately to a tourism business or organisation of any size or scope.

It teaches the importance of having a sustainability reporting and management system in place, to make sustainability achievements measurable, and to help move towards continuous improvement. To this end, we produced a document detailing our present situation according to GSTC Criteria and also our sustainability journey from the beginning and into the future.

It´s taken some time (happily since the world reopened we´ve been a bit busy doing ecotourism things, and only just found time to write them all down!), but we´re now ready to publish the second edition of our Sustainability Management Report and Plan, covering 2021 – 2023.

A small bird perched on a branch surrounded by green leaves, showcasing its natural habitat. — Mouse-brown Sunbird © Inglorious Bustards

Here are some of the highlights!

Since 2016 we have forged partnerships with environmentally-focused charities, non-governmental organisations and businesses across the East Atlantic Flyway, through which we are able to deliver meaningful conservation work on the ground. Highlights include contribution of over 1500 volunteer hours to raptor counts and seabird monitoring programmes in The Straits of Gibraltar through Fundación Migres, and funding an ongoing mangrove forest restoration project in The Gambia through The Gambia Bird Watchers Association – totalling 35ha by the end of the reporting period and growing every year since!
Since 2016 we have sought to use sustainably-produced, culturally-relevant food to provide an engaging bridge between peoples, cultures and Nature. Highlights include meals with local families in the Rif Mountains of Morocco´s Talassemtane National Park and in The Gambia where we can share food and learn about traditional life, and visits to artisanal salt pans in Cádiz, where our guests can learn about the skills and sustainable practices around traditional salt production as well as having a try themselves.
Since 2016, we have been reinforcing the positive socio-economic impacts of caring for biodiversity by ensuring that all our regular accommodation providers and restaurateurs across the East Atlantic Flyway are owned and run by local residents and employ local people. We work with our colleagues to eliminate single-use plastic from group meal times, improve on-site recycling facilities and reduce carbon footprint through offering more high-quality vegetarian and vegan meals prepared with local, seasonal food. We also employ and train local guides across our destinations.
Since 2016 we have reduced single-use plastic waste from our picnics to practically zero.
Since 2017 we have measured, reported and audited all energy used and resulting Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) related to and resulting from our business, transport, food and hotel stays via World Land Trust carbon auditing service, and then carbon-balanced them in their entirety through the same organisation.
In 2018 we introduced the policy of having at least one meat-free day per trip, instantly reducing the carbon footprint of mealtimes by around 15%.
In 2019 we developed and launched our #FlywayPromise, our first sustainability pledge to our guests, colleagues and conservation partners that we would strive to meet the challenges of responsible ecotourism, and documenting how we would go about it.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021 we were awarded the accolade of Top Ethical Birding Ecotour by Terra Incognita.
In August 2020 we joined the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency movement, announcing our declaration of a Climate Emergency and pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) targets, and make calls to action for travellers, hoteliers, tour operators and more.
In 2021 we launched our not-for-profit arm, the Flyway Birding Association (FBA), an asociacion sin animos de lucre registered with the Junta de Andalucía. Through this organisation we identify conservation projects in our main areas of operation along the East Atlantic Flyway, and determine and record financial contributions.
Since 2022 we have led by example and brought suppliers with us on our sustainability journey. Progressive attitude changes have included a boat-trip provider who now carbon balances all CO2 emissions from excursions, the collaborative design and launch of a 100% vegetarian/vegan menu for a 7-night birding and sustainable food trip; a shift in attitude to offer a plant-based menu option to the whole group alongside the usual meat and fish options, instead of as an afterthought only available to strict vegetarians/vegans; offering iced tap water instead of bottled water at dinner as a matter of course; the removal of single-serving plastic condiment packets.
Since 2022 in The Gambia, where bottled/treated water is essential, we have supported our suppliers to source treated water in large returnable and refillable water containers, eliminating c.250 single-use plastic bottles per trip. In a country where recycling facilities are non-existent and plastic pollution is a huge problem, we consider this to be a major triumph. Our local suppliers benefit financially from this change because it is cheaper to buy water this way. As far as we know we are the first travel company to do this in The Gambia, and our suppliers can now advocate to other companies, potentially eliminating the journey to landfill – and often the ocean – of many thousands of single-use plastic bottles each year.

Two colorful birds perched on a branch, with a soft blurred background highlighting their vibrant plumage. — Red-throated Bee-eater © Inglorious Bustards

This of course brings challenges! As conservationists, we are only too aware of the environmental impact of the activities associated with tourism. We want to share the joy of watching wildlife all along the East Atlantic Flyway, but in doing so we inevitably encourage consumption of the planet´s resources.

We launched our #FlywayPromise in 2019, making a pledge to our guests, colleagues and conservation partners that we would strive to meet the challenges of responsible ecotourism. We call this concept #FlywayBirding, putting conservation action and education at the very heart of what we do, to ensure our operations benefit rather than exploit wildlife. On our trips, “eco-tourism” is a promise, not an oxymoron.

A bird perched on a slender branch, singing with an open beak, surrounded by green leaves. — Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin © Inglorious Bustards

Truly sustainable, responsible ecotourism is essential in supporting local economies and preventing the destruction of habitats that not only host much of the world´s biodiversity but provide essential ecosystem service functions such as carbon sequestration. It thereby provides overall net benefit to biodiversity conservation and the wider environment.

The criteria and themes of sustainable tourism are wide-reaching, covering cultural, socio-economic and natural heritage. As a small tour operator, it is not within our scope to change the tourism industry alone. But we can have a positive impact on our little corner of it – traveling to both experience and help nature – as well as holding up a light for others, illuminating the art of the possible.

The theme about which we are most passionate and where we are able to exert the most influence through our small conservation-based travel company is the interconnectedness of habitat and species conservation, food choice and carbon footprint. We believe a nature-watching tour can and should deliver exemplary responsible wildlife-watching and insight into local and global conservation issues. It should link local sustainably-produced food with local natural, cultural, and culinary heritage. We believe that all these things go indivisibly hand-in-hand. This is the central theme of our Sustainability Management Report and Plan, and the area in which we particularly aim to excel.

Close-up of muddy terrain with footprints and a distant person walking on a wet surface reflecting the sky.

The report follows the sustainability criteria set out for tour operators by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. They are designed to cover everything up to large tour operators with many staff and their own properties, so not all are applicable. Using guidance and training from GSTC we have used this document to demonstrate what we are doing to fulfil applicable sustainability criteria across the board, and where our journey will take us next.

We hope you like it!

The full report is available for download here:

Sustainability Management Report and Plan 2021-2023 Download

Discovering the migration magic in Ronda and The Straits

Tour report for Ronda and The Straits 27 Oct–2 Nov 2024 by Niki Williamson

Whilst the spring migration is driven primarily by lust, the late autumn migration and post-breeding dispersal of the new avian hordes are driven by hunger and the search for sheltered climes – effectively trumping reproduction on Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs!

Our Ronda and The Straits trip sits right on the cusp of two seasons, giving an uplifting opportunity to enjoy Andalucía as it journeys from late autumn into early winter. A less explored time of year, it is still right in amongst the avian movements of the area – which are both fascinating and spectacular.

It´s a time of great transience, as many breeders from higher altitudes and latitudes head downwards and southwards to find winter retreats. Mountain birds take refuge on lower slopes. We encounter the first groups of the 10,000 or so Common Cranes that will overwinter in Andalucia, arriving overhead in bedraggled V´s and announcing their own presence with soft bugling calls.

A close-up of a male Black Redstart perched on a dried plant with a blurred brown background. — Black Redstart © Inglorious Bustards

Migration just keeps giving!

Those that have bred here prepare for more lengthy migrations out of Europe altogether. For many, it will be their first time to make the treacherous survival journey to Africa, and for some it will be the only time. I´m referring to Griffon Vultures, of which Spain holds c.77% of the world´s breeding population, and for whose first-year birds the voyage to sub-Saharan Africa is an instinctive leap of faith, with no grown-ups to follow, to spend their formative years “finding themselves” in countries like The Gambia and Senegal.

This event is spectacular, and involves the movement of tens of thousands of one of Europe´s largest birds with a wingspan of up to 2.8m. Individuals who just a few weeks ago could not yet even fly build up in swirling groups around Tarifa and literally soar out across the sea – truly breath-taking!

A Griffon Vulture soaring gracefully over rocky terrain, showcasing its large wingspan and detailed feather patterns. — Adult Griffon Vulturecruising out from the colony © Inglorious Bustards

We designed the tour to coincide with the peak of this dispersal, as well as taking in the last dash of the rest of the raptors migrating The Straits. Often this can give some of the best views of Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Egyptian Vultures, Black Kites and more, and can also be the time for unusual sightings and rarities.

Two bases one mission!

As well as two seasons, we combine two bases of mountain and coast bringing so much opportunity for varied birding, not to mention two of our favourite friendliest accommodation bases with some of the best seasonal sustainable local food you could imagine!

2024 was no exception. Our merry band of bird appreciators gathered at Málaga airport and we wasted no time in whisking them away to the nearest National Park! We had climbed 1000m and were enjoying a picnic amongst the spectacular limestone scenery of Parque Nacional Sierra de la Nieves within an hour.

A small bird, the Firecrest, perched on a branch, singing amidst greenery. — Common Firecrest © Inglorious Bustards

This very first stop brought us a superb selection of mountain and high woodland birds!

In the stunted evergreen glades of Holm Oak, Crested Tit and Firecrest flitted while Eurasian Jay alarmed. A dapper endemic Iberian Grey Shrike perched up on the Hawthorns and Spanish Fir while Woodlark, Black Redstart, Rock and Cirl Bunting foraged around the boulder-strewn pastures and Dartford Warblers rasped from the scrub.

A close-up of a bird perched on a green, spiky shrub, displaying a mix of brown and gray feathers, with distinct markings on its head. — Rock Bunting © Inglorious Bustards

Overhead, Eurasian Crag Martin and our first Red-billed Chough calling, and stunning views of a Golden Eagle soaring amongst Griffon Vultures.

By the time we had reached Hotel Bandolero in the village of Júzcar, birding the precipitous mountain roads as we went, we had also added great sightings of Black Wheatear and tantalizing glimpses of Rock Petronia.

More and better views of this high-altitude assemblage of tough old birds were to follow, as we explored the surrounding beauteous landscape over the next couple of days, taking in the eerie moonscape and disconcerting rock pinnacles of nearby Los Riscos, the contrasting roaring grey rivers and tranquil azure pools of Cueva del Gato and the plunging crags and soaring Griffon Vulture colony of Montejaque Dam.

A fox standing on rocky terrain, with a focused expression and its ears perked up. — Iberian Red Fox *(Vulpes vulpes silacea)* © Inglorious Bustards

During our mountain adventures we also encountered Ring Ouzels, Hawfinch, lofty Iberian Ibex, the dusted blueberry shades of Blue Rock Thrush, dapper Black Wheatears and chough-ing great groups of everyone´s favourite exuberant red-billed corvid!

Our host David made sure we were cosy and welcome at Hotel Bandolero as we explored the quirky murals and winding streets of the blue-washed village of Júzcar. If our eyes were watering from exceptional birding then our mouths were certainly watering every evening as chef Iván treated us to some of his modern Spanish classics made from local ingredients, such as chestnut and mushroom potaje, (Simon´s favourite!) a truly wondrous fennel risotto, (Niki´s favourite!) and a stunning chocolate volcano dessert (everyone´s favourite!)

A Black Wheatear perched on a rocky surface, surrounded by green foliage. — Black Wheatear © Inglorious Bustards

At the Montejaque Griffon Vulture colony we had already seen the restlessness in the ebony eyes of this year’s itinerant teenage Griffon Vultures, many of which were already well into their journey, having stopped off at the settlement from further north in Spain or France.

From mountains to coast – The Straits

Now it was time to follow them to The Straits and wish them on their way and we descended our second base, Huerta Grande Rural Eco-lodge outside the village of El Pelayo, on the coat-tails of Parque Natural Los Alcornocales.

Here the main Griffon Vulture colony is high up in the limestone and sandstone of the Sierra de la Plata. Normally hosting around a hundred resident pairs of Griffons Vultures, as well as Egyptian Vultures and Bonelli´s Eagle, we were thrilled during our visit to get a sighting of a stunning male Rüppell´s Vulture. Smaller, darker and glamorously spangled, this Critically Endangered African species is increasingly noted in the area as their numbers dwindle on that southern continent and they head north, attaching themselves to migrating Griffons to ease their solitude.

Two Griffon Vultures perched on rocky cliffs against a clear blue sky, one taking flight while the other remains still. — Rüppell´s Vulture (tagged and right) with Griffon Vulture (left) © Inglorious Bustards

The numbers at the colony were visible augmented by tired-looking adolescents from elsewhere, provoking squabbling and irritation from the resident veteran birds. These juveniles’ antics would not be tolerated long – there´s only so much carrion to go around in this fiercely-defended territory.

So we picked our perfect weather and wind conditions to take up posts at the coast and cheer the youthful pioneers on their way to come of age in Africa.

A hawk in flight, showcasing its wings spread out against a clear sky, highlighting its distinctive plumage and sharp gaze. — Short-toed Eagle © Inglorious Bustards

In two thrilling migration watching sessions at two different watchpoints along the Tarifa coastline, we saw walnut-coloured whirls of intrepid young Griffon Vultures accumulating on shared thermal air currents, and witnessed the caramel mantles and cocoa primaries of over 400 voyagers disappear away from us, over 14km of sea and off into their unknown, to return with luck and a fair wind as adults in two or three years’ time – strong, fit, and ready to challenge for a spot in a colony.

Riding the same thermals was a delicious mixture of the season´s last Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles, White Storks, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, as well as Northern Goshawk and a wandering Spanish Imperial Eagle.

A young Rüppell's Vulture soaring in the clear blue sky, showcasing its distinct dark plumage and impressive wingspan. — Spanish imperial Eagle © Inglorious Bustards

And still there were more habitats to explore in this wondrous part of Spain. Outside of mid-autumn migration in the first half of September, the area is often overlooked by birders, much to their loss.

Wetlands and Shorebirds

Wetlands both salty and sweet are teeming with birds on the move in late autumn. At the flooded freshwater fields of La Janda, Common Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank and others had gathered on passage as well as arriving Northern Lapwing. Finding crunchy crayfish aplenty in the rich arable mud, hundreds of White Storks had decided to stay rather than chance the journey to Africa. The first of the inbound Common Cranes graced us with their elegance, while Eurasian Spoonbills, Great Egrets and Glossy Ibis also vied for attention.

A small bird with a light brown head and white body, taking off from the ground with its wings spread, in a wetland environment. — Kentish Plover © Inglorious Bustards

Our floaty breeding Montagu´s Harriers had by now been replaced by stomping wintering Hen Harriers, and we counted over forty hunting Marsh Harriers on our beat.

Huge flocks of hundreds of Spanish Sparrow fed in the ripening grain and most, but not all of the Western and Iberian Yellow Wagtails had moved on, to be replaced by flocks of their White winter counterparts. The first of the Bluethroats lit up the ditches with its shrill song and the resident Corn Buntings jangled persistently over it all.

A group of sparrows perched among green foliage, with one prominently displayed in the foreground. — Spanish Sparrow © Inglorious Bustards

At the local marismas of Barbate, had we not been scuppered by the same torrential rain event that caused the tragic events in Valencia, we would no doubt have encountered a multitude of waders streaming south, with Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers shining amongst the hordes of Sanderling, Dunlin, Common Ringed and Kentish Plover. And out to sea, both Balearic and Scopoli´s Shearwaters are streaming out to Atlantic wintering grounds, while Cory´s pour in and busy groups of Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins sneak a snack break in the sheltered Straits.

Urban Birding Straits Style

The excitement of the passerine post-breeding dispersal is also not to be underestimate! We made a beeline for the Parque Princess Sofia, an unassuming urban park with a secret – at night this dark square of miniature wilderness in the heart of the La Linea-Gibraltar-Algeciras conflagration must look like a haven of peace among the city lights to the passerines above.

Our visit yielded a host of recuperating migrants including Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Whitethroat, and almost a hundred Eurasian Blackcaps and Common Chiffchaffs. In some years this humble blob of green – now with areas managed for tired migrants – has attracted Little Bunting, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler and more!

A close-up of a bird perched on a branch, displaying its wings partially open in a natural setting. — European Pied Flycatcher © Inglorious Bustards

Vultures and MORE

Not to be outdone on the passerine stakes, our home-from-home at Huerta Grande allowed views of our resident woodland beauties. Morning-people could enjoy Hawfinch, Firecrest, Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit, Spotted Flycatcher while enjoying an excellent breakfast coffee. And Night-people, after indulging in excellent three-course traditional Andalucian fair from chef Toñi, could enjoy the hooting of a Tawny Owl while Fiery Salamanders and Horned Toads crept rustling through the Halloween leaves like zomb-phibians…

Close-up of a Crested Tit perched on a branch, showcasing its distinctive crest and feathers against a blurred green background. — Crested Tit © Inglorious Bustards

Offshore our private boat trip yielded close up spectacles with Long-finned Pilot Whales, Common, Atlantic Striped and Bottle-nosed Dolphins along with encounters with two Sperm Whales!

Long-finned Pilot Whales © Inglorious Bustards

It´s not just the Vulture Spectacle that´s waiting to be discovered in this Nature-lovers´ Autumn Paradise-come-Winter-Wonderland!

Making our #Birding count – the trip list is available via eBird: https://ebird.org/tripreport/287960

This trip was fully carbon-balanced through the wonderful World Land Trust, who use proceeds to protect threatened forest habitats around the world. It was carried out in support of the work of conservation partners Fundacíon Migres.

Find out more about this amazing ornithological wonder-world of mountains and coast here – your place is available for 2025 (and 2026!).

Bird Migration Adventure at The Straits of Gibraltar

Tour report for Bird Migration and Cetaceans 9 – 14 April 2025 by Stuart Gillies

We met up with our migration enthusiasts who had travelled here from Northern Europe, plus three transatlantic vagrants from North America! All with the one common purpose – to witness the first leg of the biannual migration spectacle afforded by the unique conditions where the landmasses of Africa and Europe almost touch – The Straits of Gibraltar.

With our migration comrades assembled, we headed to our base for the week Huerta Grande, an eco-resort in a beautiful woodland setting sandwiched between the two major reserves of the area, the Alcornocales and Estrecho Natural Parks.

In the subsequent days our group explored the major habitats of this wonderful area including venturing out into the sea on a mini-pelagic in search of seabirds and cetaceans, the magical cork oak forest, marismas and salinas teeming with birdlife and home to the one of the largest Collared Pratincole colonies in Europe, all the way up to the mountainous refuge of a Griffon Vulture colony. All within easy reach in this ever-changing and always exciting southernmost tip of continental Europe.

Wednesday 9 April

After settling in to our accommodation followed by a picnic lunch featuring local, sustainable produce, it was time for a short orientation tour of our immediate surroundings.

This afternoon stroll yielded no less than 33 species including Griffon Vulture, Short-toed and Booted Eagle, our first Black Kite, European Bee-eaters, Crested Tit, Melodious Warbler, four recently arrived Western Bonelli’s Warblers – both singing and showing well enough to note all of the salient ID features for those new to this dainty leaf warbler – four Iberian Chiffchaff singing their distinctive song, a Sardinian Warbler, Common Firecrest and Short-toed Treecreeper vying for the ‘highest pitched song’ prize, at least half a dozen Common Nightingale justifying the name and belting out their motifs amongst the wall of noise chorus we were happy to be bombarded with!

A transient Pied Flycatcher, five Hawfinch, and two European Serin completed the highlights of this incredible hour of familiar birds admixed with the flavour of extreme Southern Europe.

Thursday 10 April

The weather in The Straits is very much a preoccupation due to the unique conditions where forecasts can be extremely sketchy to say the least. One of the great skills required by a wildlife guide in this area is a combination of meteorological knowledge, experience, alchemy, and divining the short-term future!

Very high rainfall and Atlantic storms had been battering the area and this day was set for wind and rain. Simon, with over 20 years of experience of guiding in the area knew exactly where to head in order to keep everyone dry for the day. No, the answer was not staying indoors! North and East towards Jerez de la Frontera and the Laguna de Medina.

Our first stop at La Peña added some wonderful passerines to the trip list with Thekla’s Larks, a very confiding Tawny Pipit, and the gorgeous beige and bandit-masked Western Black-eared Wheatear plus the ever-popular sight and sound of Bee-eaters hurrying past on migration plus two nominate flava Yellow Wagtails also with somewhere to be.

Angry-looking skies hastened our own push northwards and our next site Vega del Puente. From our elevated position overlooking the vast reservoir and with commanding views of the surrounding area we added Eurasian Crag Martin, European Red-rumped Swallow and Osprey to our burgeoning eBird list.

Lunchtime was spent out of the wind in a secluded woodland area still within the Alcornocales Natural Park where 70 European Bee-eaters restlessly sallied over our heads in a cacophony of their distinctive warbling calls. Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Common Nightingales provided some beautiful accompaniment.

Laguna de Medina is a place with a positive story to tell. Once referred to as the lake of blood due to carnage levels of hunting, the area is now a nature reserve for everyone to enjoy rather than a miserable place used only for the perverse enjoyment of a depraved minority.

Here can be found a much-coveted and iconic species, White-headed Duck. This frankly odd-looking waterbird undoubtedly cuts a unique niche in terms of European ducks. Almost cartoonish with a squat body, big head, and swollen-based blue bill, their displays are equally as bizarre with much bill-slapping and bubble-making!

Another showy duck – Red-crested Pochard – was appreciated as were two Black-necked Grebes in breeding finery with the golden sprig of head feathers setting off the demonic red eyes.

Common Nightingales and European Serin serenaded our departure as we left for base after another fantastic day.

Friday 11 April

A highlight of any trip to the region must be a visit to the Griffon Vulture colony at La Zarga near Bolonia. While watching these magnificent masters of the sky effortlessly soaring together, it is easy to imagine their ancestors witnessing millennia of human history unfold below their lofty perches. From Neanderthal people painting the vultures´ likeness in their caves to the booming trade hub of the Roman city of Baelo Claudia, vultures have bossed the airspace of The Straits.

Awe-inspiring as our view from the bottom of the sheer rock face was, we were still to be treated to an even more remarkable spectacle as eagle- (or should that be vulture-) eyed Simon found an incredibly rare visitor in the shape of a Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture! This endangered species normally resides in sub–Saharan Africa but a few have been noted in Spain in recent years caught up in the flow of Griffons returning after spending their formative years in Africa.

Rüppell’s Griffon is about 10% smaller than its close relative and the Spanish name provides a good description – Buitre Moteado, mottled vulture. The group really appreciated this bonus sighting and were soon able to pick it out as it soared among its bigger relatives. Another indelible experience logged.

Rüppell´s Vulture (adult) © Inglorious Bustards

La Zarga is home to a very good variety of birds and in addition to the Rüppell’s excitement we were able to enjoy two Egyptian Vultures, two Common Ravens, a Mediterranean Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Crag Martin, Western Black-eared Wheatear, and Cirl Bunting as a worthy supporting cast!

Owls are always a treat to see and a short opportune stop allowed for some delightful time with two scowling Little Owls as they scoped out beetles from a roadside fence.

With winds easing slightly, the call was made to head south to La Peña as we would be better placed for any incoming migrants. This was indeed the case as the wind guru himself Simon had predicted correctly. Western Osprey, Booted Eagle, European Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike, nominate flava Yellow Wagtail all moving through.

Incoming Booted Eagle battling The Straits in front of us © Inglorious Bustards

A post-picnic stroll afforded magnificent views of the various Woodchat Shrikes present and superb intimate interrogation of the finer points of Thekla’s Lark ID.

Stopping briefly at Punta Camorro in the now freshening levante wind we were able to watch Scopoli’s and Balearic Shearwaters perfectly adapted for these conditions doing mini albatross things, expertly scooting along on stiff wings. We marveled as a Marsh Harrier struggled to make landfall in seemingly improbable winds for soaring birds to make the crossing!

After this brief baptism in the teeth of the levante we reached the sanctuary of calm that is Huerta Grande where we ended the day to the songs of Short-toed Treecreeper, abundant Eurasian Blackcaps and Common Nightingales.

Saturday 12 April

We had already alluded to the unique and difficult to read conditions in The Straits. This day the forecast was ambiguous to say the least, with Atlantic storms coming from the south and the levante blowing from the Mediterranean. Where to go?

The best-looking option was to head West and to Barbate and so we did. Once a booming tuna fishing port, the past unsustainable nature of the fishery is plain to see in the town today. Efforts are being made to encourage both tourists and locals alike to enjoy the natural attributes of the area, the big draw for us being the salinas and marismas which provide a haven for a wide variety of species.

Collared Pratincole © Inglorious Bustards

Among the first birds we encountered were Black-winged Stilts, aptly named with their impossibly long and delicate looking legs. Soon, the scurrying of busily feeding Kentish Plovers caught our eyes and a quick scan of exposed mud revealed a shorebird bonanza comprised of Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, four diminutive Little Stint, and breathtakingly, over 200 Collared Pratincoles – that achingly beautiful in the air or on the ground shorebird/tern/swallow bird! Three Eurasian Stone-curlew completed the impressive shorebird list.

Yellow-legged Gulls dominate here but a close fly by Audouin’s Gull was a bonus and hopefully proved to act as a gateway species for any gull sceptics still on the fence when it comes to appreciating this fascinating family.

The tern extremes were demonstrated too, with four Little Tern and a single Caspian Tern hunting above feeding Greater Flamingos and a lone Eurasian Spoonbill. An awesome flock of 100 Glossy Ibis passed overhead enhancing the already marvellous spectacle.

Eurasian Spoonbill © Inglorious Bustards

Songbirds were high on the agenda here too with Greater Short-toed Lark, Western Yellow Wagtail of the local race iberiae, a migrating Tree Pipit calling, and Corn Bunting jangling constantly.

Iberian Yellow Wagtail © Inglorious Bustards

Winds! A window of opportunity opened and the bold call was made to head back towards Tarifa to exploit the improving conditions for large soaring birds to cross The Straits!

It cannot be overstated how much local knowledge and experience play in being able to position ourselves under the flow of migrating birds. It is very easy to see nothing of the epic spectacle if stationed even a kilometre either side of the optimum viewpoint.

Every ounce of faith in Simon is justified as we dash to Trafico just east of Tarifa. In a magical 3 hours we are treated to 13 Black Stork, 180 White Stork, 4 Western Osprey, 23 Egyptian Vulture, numerous Griffon Vulture, 17 Short-toed Eagle, 113 Booted Eagle, 1 stunning Bonelli’s Eagle, 4 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 876 Black Kite, and 1 Atlas Long-legged (North African) Buzzard! Migration – FlywayBirding style.

As if this wasn’t enough, a diverting mix of 10 European Bee-eater, 2 Lesser Kestrel, Thekla’s Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Zitting Cisticola, Sand Martin, Sardinian Warbler, Common Nightingale, Corn and Cirl Bunting kept us thoroughly entertained during any quieter spells during the impressive stream of raptors and storks.

Sunday 13 April

Today we left dry land to explore the stretch of water separating Europe and Africa accommodating the group in two consecutive private trips in the capable hands of skipper Aurelio and marine biologist Ezekiel. We explored the Bahia de Algeciras and sailed into The Straits past Europa Point looking for cetaceans and seabirds.

Firstly, Common Dolphins delighted, bow-riding and breeching all around us when suddenly Ezekiel spotted something bigger. A Bottle-nosed Dolphin which had attached itself to the Common pod and been adopted as one of their own! This easily recognisable individual has been living with its Common family for 14 years!

Dolphins accompanied us for the majority of the trip but birdwatching wasn’t neglected. 2 Pallid Swift, Yellow-legged Gulls, 14 Sandwich Tern, 1 Scopoli’s Shearwater, 30 Great Cormorant, 1 very tired looking Booted Eagle, and Barn Swallows were noted.

The second sailing did just as well in the dolphin stakes with the Bottle-nosed again seen well. The bird list was augmented by a Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Terns with the migrating raptor seen being a Black Kite.

What a day we had on land too with the flow of migratory soaring Birds with our guests experiencing some real in-the-face #FlywayBirding

In just a few hours of observation we logged 1,481 Black Kites, 324 Booted Eagles, 126 Short-toed Eagles with Egyptian Vultures, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, Marsh and Montagu´s Harriers and Ospreys all joining the migratory party.

All the while noisy parties of European Bee-eaters, Pallid and Common Swift buzzed overhead and below are some of the amazing migratory scenes we found ourselves amongst.

Monday 14 April

The last day of the tour began with the familiar song of a Common Cuckoo at Huerta Grande before we headed to our first stop off of the day at Embalse del Celemín where the small occasional lake and adjacent picnic area boosted our day list with Common Sandpiper, Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Spoonbill, Booted Eagle, Woodchat Shrike, Zitting Cisticola, European Red-rumped Swallow, Common Nightingale, and Corn Bunting.

This was but a prelude to our visit to the most species-rich area we would explore, Río Celemín, part of the once vast wetland of La Janda.

From the quiet swishing whip of Common Quail to the purring of a Turtle Dove, this area never disappoints! Common Moorhen chipped along the reed edge as three of their bulky, prodigiously-toed relative Western Swamphen high-stepped deliberately through the aquatic vegetation. A nearby field, full of puddles attracted 20 Common and 50 Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, and four Dunlin. White Storks stalked the field and a flock of 8 Eurasian Spoonbills flew by in formation. Herons were present in the shape of a Little Egret, a non-confiding Squacco Heron, numerous Cattle Egret, a Great White Egret, and 3 Grey Heron. Raptors were represented by 14 Griffon Vulture, singles of Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, and Marsh Harrier, 7 Black Kites and 2 Common Buzzards. Three Lesser Kestrels completed the raptor list.

An ever-popular Eurasian Hoopoe put in an appearance followed by the captivating sight and sound of 70 European Bee-eaters alternately hawking for insects and sitting for beautiful scope views showing off their rainbow-coloured glory. An Iberian Green Woodpecker was heard calling and a further 3 Woodchat Shrike neatly brings us into the passerines with the highlights being the aforementioned shrikes, 2 Common Raven, 3 Crested Lark, 2 Zitting Cisticola, 1 Melodious Warbler, 1 Common Reed Warbler, 3 European Red-rumped Swallow, 2 Cetti’s Warbler, 4 Sardinian Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Common Waxbill, 2 Eurasian Tree Sparrow, 2 Western Yellow Wagtail of the nominate form flava, 2 European Serin, and 2 Corn Bunting in a total of 55 species! Testament to the ornithological richness of this area.

Greater Short-toed Lark © Inglorious Bustards

The birding never stops! Even our lunch stop at Los Tornos was accompanied by Short-toed Eagle, Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Nightingale, and Corn Bunting before heading to the Canal Principal Este at La Janda where another Common Quail, Red-legged Partridge, Greater Short-toed and Calandra Larks, iberiae Western Yellow Wagtail, and Common Linnet further boosted our species count.

A fantastic day to be rounded off in a wonderful visit to the colony of Northern Bald Ibis at Barca de Vejer. An astounding experience to see one of the rarest birds in the world at such an improbable and accessible site is just as jaw-dropping on subsequent visits as the first and a fitting finale to our wonderful week together sharing the avian wonders of The Straits.

Northern Bald Ibis © Inglorious Bustards

Tuesday 15 April

As our group dispersed on their onward migrations it is fitting to express enormous gratitude to our wonderful hosts at Huerta Grande who add so much to the overall experience. To Katrin and her team, Juan-lu, Toñi, Elena, and Antonio we say muchisimas gracias.

Lastly, thank you so much to our intrepid band of migration enthusiasts for making this such a joyful week of migration watching. ¡Muchisimas gracias y hasta pronto!

Making our #Birding count – the trip list is available via eBird: https://ebird.org/tripreport/352307

This trip was full carbon-balanced through the wonderful World Land Trust, who use proceeds to protect threatened forest habitats around the world. It was carried out in support of the work of conservation partners Fundacíon Migres.

Magical Autumn Migration in The Straits 2024

Our Autumn Migration experience in The Straits 1st – 7th September 2024 was magical as ever and here we document our #FlywayBirding adventure together. We still have places available in both spring and Autumn 2025 and 2026! Contact us for more information,

For vast numbers of migrating birds done with the arduous business of raising young in Northern Europe, the southward exodus was well underway. For raptors, prodigious travellers and seeming effortless masters of the sky, obstacles such as mountain ranges serve merely as speed bumps. However, large stretches of open water are like kryptonite.

European Honey Buzzard © Inglorious Bustards

Soaring birds track the coast until reaching the relative pinch point that is The Straits of Gibraltar. This tantalisingly narrow gap between Europe and Africa is blasted by alternating Easterly and Westerly winds making this crossing flight one of the most perilous of barriers in a journey lasting weeks.

The Rif mountains with the looming mass of Jbel Mousa, counterweight to the Rock of Gibraltar (collectively the Pillars of Hercules from antiquity), the meeting of continents, serve as the backdrop to the drama which has unfolded biannually for millennia and where we gather to immerse ourselves in the miracle of migration – this is #FlywayBirding!

In the seeming blink of an eye, our senses were assaulted by skies filled with European Honey Buzzards, the busy and insistent warbling of waves of European Bee-eaters relentlessly pouring southwards, poniente and levante winds in our hair and the tang of the littoral in our nostrils at Rio Barbate. Intimate views of Spanish Imperial Eagle, an incredibly rare visitor from Africa in the form of Rüppell’s Vulture, multiple sightings of the ravening Bonelli’s Eagle, and the joyous cetaceans of The Straits were just a taster of the many wonderful encounters during our week in the inimitable Straits.

Juvenile Bonelli´s Eagle © Inglorious Bustards

1st September

Migration never really stops in The Straits so we were straight into the action after a familiarising ourselves with our ever wonderful base at Huerta Grande – situated between the Estrecho and Los Alcornocales Natural Parks . Lunch, as would be the case for the duration of the trip, was an al fresco affair consisting of fresh, locally sourced extensively-produced and mostly organic produce.

Refreshed and fortified, no time was wasted in positioning ourselves into the flow of migrating wonders at the nearby observatory with sweeping views of Gibraltar and the Bahía de Algeciras.

Raptors, of course, featured – migratory flows of European Honey Buzzards, Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles , and Black Kites passing over joined by an Osprey, 3 Egyptian Vultures, 30 Griffon Vultures. A lone Black Stork, European Bee-eaters, and 3 species of swift (Alpine, Common, and Pallid) all contributed to the exciting atmosphere in an exhilarating first hour or so of birding!

A roadside lay-by found us gazing upon a stunning immature Rüppell’s Vulture. This African species has recently become a bit of a speciality in The Straits in recent years as small but increasing numbers are observed crossing The Straits and mingling in local Griffon Vulture colonies.

2nd September

Start the day as you mean to go on. Migration waits for nobody and we had already logged a nice list of birds from the car park before heading out for the day including 68 Black Kite and 150 Sand Martin heading south plus 30 Griffon Vulture rising on the warming air.

Reading the unpredictable winds in The Straits can seem like some sort of dark magic but thanks to the countless hours spent observing the avian conveyor belt that is migration here, experience positions us in the optimum locations to make the best of the conditions.

White Storks in active migration © Inglorious Bustards

We take the winding road up to where the rusting artillery battery betrays the recent military past. From this higher central vantage point, in the right conditions, one can seem to be in the flow of birds. We were to experience this magic when a dashing flock of around 80 wonderful Alpine Swifts, the perfect mix of grace, speed, and power seemed to engulf us for a few unforgettable seconds! The odd European Honey Buzzard and Short-toed Eagle allowed for detailed observation as they drifted close overhead making good use of impromptu raptor ageing and ID mini-clinics held on the fly. 40 Black Kites added to the raptor flight attitude familiarisation before, as is the way in this unique area, the wind subtly shifted and we repositioned ourselves to another nearby vantage point where the raptor quotient was to rise. Definitely an Alpine Swift morning too with a further 34 logged along with large numbers of Common and Pallid. Over 300 White Storks shimmered in the distance like an airborne bait ball as they whirled and twisted to best exploit the invisible thermals and escape the attentions of a Bonelli´s Eagle – one of the White Storks was not so fortunate and was taken down by this awesome flyway killer!

11 Egyptian Vultures passed by our grateful gazes as did three figure numbers of European Honey Buzzards, multiple Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Black Kites and, most spectacularly of all, no less than 4 of the bane of the smaller eagles – the much coveted Bonelli’s Eagle. We were incredibly privileged to see these magnificent raptors chase and be chased by Booted Eagles who often fall prey to the larger and more powerful Bonelli’s.

Even with the unfolding drama above us, brief quieter moments added many nice passerine birds to the daily list with Zitting Cisticola, Melodious, Western Bonelli’s and Sardinian Warbler, Western Yellow Wagtail and Cirl Bunting all gratefully observed.

A leisurely lunch stop in the Valle de Santuario de la Luz added two contrastingly beautiful birds for the day in the form of the subtly gorgeous and confiding Thekla’s Lark and the more showy species sharing this habitat, Western Black-eared Wheatear – a dainty study in ochre, black, and white, and just as engaging.

Western Black-eared Wheatear © Inglorious Bustards

The culmination of a varied days birding and unforgettable encounters are yet to come as we ascend into the realm of the vulture. The Griffon colony is, without hyperbole, a fantastic place. Imposing, sheer rock faces painted with the telltale splashes of white belying the nests and favourite roosting places of the Griffons. Turn 180 degrees and the vista opens up to reveal the Griffon’s view – woodland and rocky escarpments falling to the sweep of golden sand to the mountains of Morocco.

On the short walk to the viewpoint we come face to face with a young Egyptian Vulture feeding of carrion. We keep our distance until the bird takes to the air and treats us to an eye level flypast! Still buzzing, eyes turn skywards to the Griffons.

Watching these huge raptors with massive wingspans boss the airspace effortlessly at close quarters is undoubtedly a high point of any trip to The Straits.

3rd September

The day begins with some car park migration watching before setting out from Huerta Grande. 200 Alpine Swift, 294 European Honey Buzzard, 2 Short-toed Eagle, 21 Booted Eagle, 1 Montagu’s Harrier and 104 Black Kite logged before even setting off.

Parque natural de Los Alcornocales is an area of predominantly cork oak forest covering almost 1,700 square kilometres. We visited the area where the oaks were moving with resident breeding species admixed with migrating species. Common Redstarts were admired in the morning sunshine as were the sallying antics of no less than 9 Spotted Flycatchers. The mix of species is wondrous as Crested Tits and Common Firecrests and the loud, high-pitched calls of Short-toed Treecreepers and the rattling trill of Cirl Bunting vie for attention.

The skies are rarely quiet for long here – European Honey Buzzards, Black Kites, Short-toed and Booted Eagles continued tracking the coast with 2 migrating Eurasian Sparrowhawks along with the near ubiquitous, heard long before seen, European Bee-eaters. and ripples of delight accompanied 2 Eurasian Hoopoes, a firm favourite with the group.

Heading northwest and different habitats and avifauna in the afternoon at Barbate, a once booming tuna fishing port. Making the most of the tidal conditions stopping first at the Rio Barbate where quiet and patient observation can mean being almost surrounded by busily feeding shorebirds. 20 of the impossibly-legged Black-winged Stilt picked delicately at the exposed mud with 17 Grey Plover, 50 Common Ringed Plover, 2 Whimbrel, 5 Eurasian Curlew, 2 Common Sandpiper, 135 Common Redshank, 5 Common Greenshank, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 4 Red Knot, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 50 Sanderling, and 120 Dunlin completing an impressive shorebird haul. Gull fans couldn’t help but be satisfied with 2 Slender-billed Gulls (subtle, attenuated relatives of the familiar Black-headed Gull), 4 Mediterranean and Lesser Black-backed Gulls among the default large gull of the area, Yellow-legged. 6 Glossy Ibis, Osprey and Western Marsh Harrier were amongst other sightings of note.

Post lunch and to the marismas, this is an ornithological gem. Over 40 species logged including 11 Eurasian Thick-knees, 30 Pied Avocet, 15 Kentish Plover, 32 Black-tailed Godwit, and 7 tiny Little Stint increased the shorebird list beautifully. A further 2 Slender-billed Gulls, 4 Mediterranean, and 130 – the gorgeous, enigmatic Audouin’s Gull. A larger relative of the Mediterranean Gull, this was perhaps up there as one of the rarest Gull species in the world. Thankfully, due to conservation efforts, they are now increasing.

Slender-billed Gull © Inglorious Bustards

Patient scanning is further rewarded by the presence of the two extremes of the tern world. 9 dainty, diminutive Little Terns busily fishing over the lagoons while hulking sized Caspian Terns with carrot-coloured dagger bills loaf on nearby islands surrounded by Greater Flamingoes quietly going about their business feeding on the local brine shrimp.

4th September

Back among the migrating raptors, we alternated between two watchpoints where we were once again treated to the marvellous spectacle of mass migration in the most evocative of surroundings.

In a few short hours 2 Alpine Swift, 204 White Stork, 11 Egyptian Vulture, 23 Griffon and another of the rare Rüppell’s, 18 Short-toed Eagles, 51 Booted Eagles, a Bonelli’s Eagle, 3 Eurasian Sparrowhawks, 38 Black Kite, a Common Buzzard and 3 Lesser Kestrels. Thekla’s Lark, Tawny Pipit, and Sardinian Warblers and over 100 European Bee-eaters were also logged in this session.

Moving inland later in the day to visit the vast agricultural area of La Janda, a once mighty wetland which still provides feeding and refuge for an amazing variety of species.

A dusty drive along the elevated road provides an entirely different birding experience as wetland birds headline here. The ringing whistle of Green Sandpipers betray their presence in the ditches and a small flock of Glossy Ibis grab our attention followed by a rangy Purple Heron languidly flapping by. Eurasian Spoonbills, Cattle Egrets, and Grey Herons all make an appearance and then raptors feature again.

Three species of harrier offer an unparalleled opportunity to study the in-flight ID features when the airspace is shared by the methodical, low level quartering of Western Marsh, Hen, and Montagu’s. These buoyant, restless hunters always create an atmosphere of excitement with prolonged viewing.

Good numbers of Spanish Sparrows chirped from the roadside bushes and 9 red-bandit-masked Common Waxbill were an unexpected treat for members of the group unfamiliar with this introduced African species. Corn Buntings and Cetti’s Warbler joined in the backing track.

The only bird to rival the vivid colours of the waxbills and flock of 50 European Bee-eaters passing through was the brief fly by European Roller.

Two glorious Red-rumped Swallows spent a glorious few minutes darting over the group giving stunning views of the diagnostic features including the ‘dipped in ink’ all black tail.

5th September

This day began as all days in The Straits should, staring upwards. The Huerta Grande car park observatory yielded 34 European Honey Buzzard, 70 Black Kite, 40 European Bee-eaters and nice views of resident Hawfinch before heading to Tarifa to venture out into The Straits.

Due to the size of the group, there were two private mini pelagic trips with local, very experienced and ethical cetacean experts, while the non-sailing were stationed at a nearby watchpoint. Over the course of just a couple of hours observation the figures speak for themselves when considering the range of species and the numbers which can rack up. 271 White Stork, 2 Black Stork, 6 Egyptian Vulture, 205 European Honey Buzzard, 46 Short-toed Eagle, 93 Booted Eagle, 1 Bonelli’s Eagle, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Montagu’s Harrier, 252 Black Kite, 272 Bee-eater and this on a quiet day during a benign period of weather!

The first of the sailings delighted with a sighting of Fin whale, the second largest animal on the planet and 2 species of dolphin, Common and Striped. Cetaceans are natures happiness therapy. Joy ensues from any and all observations of sea mammals and intimate encounters with whales and dolphins create indelible memories.

Birds of note were 30 Black Terns and the stiff-winged mini-albatrosses Scopoli’s Shearwater – the Mediterranean breeding congener of Cory’s. Until recently considered to be the same species they do occur together in The Straits and are separable with experience.

6th September

Our final full day of #StraitsBirding was to prove exceptional. Excellent conditions dictated a return to raptor watching in time for us to marvel at birds, whose progress had been slowed by rain showers, resuming their journeys in numbers. 1,040 European Honey Buzzards, 112 Booted Eagle, 671 Black Kite, and 339 European Bee-eater kept the tally counters busily clicking during our watch. Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, 2 Bonelli’s Eagle, 2 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 2 Western Marsh Harrier, and 2 Montagu’s Harrier augmented the already impressive raptor flow.

Welcome avian diversions during lunchtime birding at nearby El Bujeo came in the shape of Iberian Chiffchaff, Common Firecrest, Spotted Flycatcher, and Common Redstart while raptors still passed overhead.

La Janda always merits repeat visits and this afternoon was to pay dividends.

A notorious skulker, Western Olivaceous Warbler views can be characterised as more hoped for than expected. This afternoon we were treated to delicious views of a bird sitting in the open on top of a tree. Telescope views revealed this beautiful warbler in all its subtle glory.

In complete contrast, the arguable highlight of the day for many, was an altogether different experience. A large eagle sighting always creates a buzz but none more so than the magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle, once critically endangered but now classified as vulnerable it is still in a fragile recovery.

We picked the Spanish Imperial up at some distance but it suddenly started to get nearer and nearer! We made sure the approaching eagle was kept in view and that everyone in the group was onto the bird. Amazingly, the eagle drifted even closer! We got stunning views of its frosted shoulders and golden head and then it proceeded to land on the ground right in front of us! Holy smokes!

The Spanish Imperial Eagle undoubtedly a fitting finale to our last full day of a wonderful week of flyway birding.

7th September

Our group dispersed on migrations of their own with European Honey Buzzards still making their way south as we say our goodbyes.

Thanks must go to everyone in the group for making it such an enjoyable immersive, fun #FlywayBirding adventure. We shared the magic and the awe of The Straits migration experience which is never the same from one day to the next.

Special mention to Katrin, Juan-lu, Elena, Antonio, Toñi and the team at Huerta Grande for looking after us so well and of course our lovely guests Jan and Derek, Tim and Tim, Andy and Chris, Lauren, Lee and Claire, Helen, Juni, Bob, Marianne and Vivien

Also special congratulations to Jan and Derek on the their golden wedding anniversary!

The team – hard to know where to look – raptors overhead, Common Redstarts, Common Firecrests, Crested Tits and Spotted Flycatchers everywhere!

locked-on! Lauren tunes into the migratory flow of thousands of European Honey Buzzards!

Juni contemplating which raptor ID she will master next!

Moooooochisimas gracias y hasta la próxima! 😘

Making our #Birding count – the trip list is available via eBird: https://ebird.org/tripreport/271640

The Story of the Dorsiblanco!

Having heard the news in early May that 3 White-backed Vultures with up to 20 Rüppell´s Vultures alongside young returning Griffon Vultures staging at the Jbel Moussa were possibly looking to cross The Straits into Europe, I was intent on finding a White-backed Vulture!

White-backed Vulture makes a crash-landing in Europe! © Inglorious Bustards

Since then I have logged over 60 hours watching at key positions and watchpoints along The Straits Spanish coastline, only stopped by periods of intense levante wind. I was rewarded this year alone with up to 10 different individuals of Rüppell´s Vultures but despite this rare African Vulture making the crossing, the White-backed was seemingly more reluctant.

Rüppell´s Vulture crossing The Straits © Inglorious Bustards

It took until the 14th June for me to be on point! In the morning there had been a fairly intense burst of late spring migration with Black Kites, Booted and Short-toed Eagles crossing with the odd European Honey Buzzard and a few groups of Griffon Vultures.

Black Kite in active migration © Inglorious Bustards

Then it was quiet. The thought had crossed my mind to move somewhere else, but I´m a die-hard for staying in the same spot and the wind was right for there, although nothing much was flowing.

A Peregrine-type arrived on the scene, being harassed by Lesser Kestrels. However this was an odd-looking Peregrine, even taking into account the smaller and often orange-washed look of the brookei race that occurs here. After some deliberations it seemed to fit more with a possible Barbary Falcon.

After conversations with quite a few people including Dick Forsman, Javi Elorriaga, Alejandro Onrubia, M Irvin, S Gillies and others it seemed to fit. Short wings, pattern of barred tail, that narrow-tapering moustachial and clearly a juvenile!

Juvenile ¨Peregrine¨Falcon possible intergrade with *pelegrinoides*

Of course we are here at the intergradation of Africa to Europe and as Dick Forsman points out, a possible intergrade cannot be ruled out;

¨Very difficult to say for sure, as they interbreed in your area with many intermediates. However, the head markings and the extensive pale scaling above makes me think Barbary, but IMO an intergrade of some sort can’t be eliminated¨ – Dick Forsman

It soon drifted off. I was upset it didn’t stick around for longer but as the Woodchat Shrikes began hunting right next to me I began scanning The Straits again… nothing… a few Scopoli´s Shearwaters offshore but no soaring birds taking on The Straits! So I watched the comings and goings of the now completely friendly Woodchat Shrikes between scans – after all I have spent a lot of time with them ! Likely because it´s just me and I’m quiet (apart from the odd mumble!) they were by now seemingly quite happy hunting for beetles in front of me!

…Ok back to scanning !

By then it had hit that midday lull, but I continued scanning, driven on by my tendency to have intense FOMO! I see what I think is a Griffon Vulture clearly struggling with altitude, crossing without the aid of others to show it the way or seek out easier air currents. The wind as I calculated it should bring it into the watchpoint on the hill where I´m sat! I’m willing it to make it – just imagine if that is the White-backed I think to myself… As it gets closer, it looks smaller, streaky, but not like a Rüppell´s. I spend the next eternity talking myself out of it! I clearly want to see a WBV so maybe that is influencing my identification. Now the light is good! It banks just as it makes Europe. It is CLEARLY a WHITE-BACKED VULTURE!!!!

I am shaking I can´t get a photo because I don´t know what to do but it is clearly exhausted and crash lands on the bank right in front of me! I can´t believe it!

White-backed Vulture © Inglorious Bustards

I literally hold my breath to take these pictures because if I don´t I’m going to be shaking too much …deep breath and yes!!

The increase in Eurasian Griffon Vulture numbers in Europe may be at least partly responsible for increased occurrences here of vagrant Rüppell’s Vultures and now perhaps White-backed Vultures will continue to do the same, as this leads to an increase in the number of young Griffons dispersing from and returning to Europe.

These largely sedentary critically endangered African Vulture species mix with young Griffons in The Sahel and get caught up in the return flow of these #Birds across The #Straits.

White-backed Vulture GA03 © Inglorious Bustards

Only when it took to the air once again did I notice that it had a GPS and blue ring identifying it to be one of the individuals that Rachid El Khamlichi had ringed and tagged. I quickly contacted Rachid as it drifted off to the west. Rachid confirmed this as a 3rd year (GA03) and its route across The Straits equipped with a GPS by the #Vulture rehabilitation centre of Jbel Moussa, #Morocco

The White-Backed Vulture route into Europe and Spain © CRV Jbel Moussa Centre de Réhabilitation des Vautours

Thanks to the tagging data from CRV Jbel Moussa Centre de Réhabilitation des Vautours we could see that GA03 roosted on the very northern edge of the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales and the western side of the Sierra de Grazalema, then left the roost and headed towards Jerez de la Frontera and then back towards the Sierra de Grazalema.

The White-Backed Vulture continued route in Spain © CRV Jbel Moussa Centre de Réhabilitation des Vautours

It will be very interesting to see if this bird is seen again in the field. The low detectability of this species is more so than for Rüppell´s as evidenced by the White-backed Vulture ringed and GPS-tagged in The Straits by Fundación Migres (funded by Inglorious Bustards and Viking Optical). This White-backed Vulture 799/Viking did a tour of Spain and visited some very-well watched areas, but was not detected in the field. Only when it crossed into Portugal was it detected, seemingly on its way back to The Straits. As it arrived in The Straits (and it was getting interesting!) the tag sadly failed and the fate of 799 is unclear.

Movements of 799 White-backed Vulture tagged by White-backed Vulture ringed and GPS-tagged in The Straits by Fundación Migres

A young Rüppell’s Vulture in central Portugal was taken into care for rehabilitation and subsequently released after being fitted with a GPS tracker. This Rüppell’s Vulture was named “Vouzela” and tagging was conducted in a collaboration by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF).

Vouzela represents only the third time in Europe and the first time in Portugal that a Rüppell’s Vulture has been fitted with a GPS tag. The question of whether these vagrant African Vultures return to sub-Saharan Africa was subsequently proven as Vouzela crossed The Straits of Gibraltar and on to Northern Senegal.

Did Vouzela originate from colonies in the Sahel or perhaps an unknown intra-specific breeding in Eurasian Griffon Vulture colonies in Iberia?

Map showing Rüppell’s Vulture “Vouzela’s” GPS movements since release in Portugal (credit Vulture Conservation Foundation)

Increased tagging and monitoring is essential to better understand the movements of declining African Vultures, particularly vagrant individuals, and to ensure we fully diagnose all the potential and multi-variate conservation issues critically endangered African Vultures face as their European congeners’ population continues to increase.

White-backed Vultures are usually sedentary in many areas, although in west Africa they move north between the July and September wet season to less densely vegetated areas, and then south again in the dry season.

White-backed Vultures just like Rüppell´s Vulture are critically endangered. Not considered of conservation concern until 2007, after which its threat status has been elevated, becoming Critically Endangered in 2015 following severe decline in several parts of range and likelihood of continuing decline. The commonest and most widespread Vulture in Africa is now suffering rapid declines.

One photographed near Tétouan, on the Tangier Peninsula by Rachid El Khamlichi, in late May 2014 is the first reported from Morocco but with at least 3 at the Jbel Moussa this year alone. In Spain there are just 6 records all from The Straits; 2008, 2009, 2011 and two including the tagged 799 in 2021 and now GA03 of 2024.

Magical Migration and Beyond: A #FlywayBirding Experience at The Straits of Gibraltar

Our Spring Migration Tour 2024 was truly exceptional! Incredible #FlywayBirding experiences right here in The Straits! Stuart Gillies delves into the magical migration experiences and beyond…

Migrate on over and peek at our 2025 dates! (Spring and Autumn)

The place where continents and cultures meet, and millions of birds (especially soaring raptors) converge, compelled by ancient imperatives to avoid crossing inhospitable and thermal-free wide stretches of open water.

Welcome to The Straits of Gibraltar, where Africa and Europe meet and almost touch, just 14 kilometres apart!

In a week of magical encounters and discoveries it is difficult to pick out highlights but, if forced to, in the flow of migrating soaring birds just overhead, noisy and wondrous Collared Pratincoles, splendrous Northern Bald Ibis, the sight of over 200 Griffon Vultures, with Rüppell´s and Egyptian Vultures joining the gathering to feed on a carcass and small birds resting among the cork oaks before continuing their northward migrations waiting to be discovered.

This or the complicated tangle that is Yellow Wagtail taxonomy manifest in a flock of assorted races consorting on migration before parting ways as they push northwards. Victory rolls from grateful Eagles as they cross The Straits and feel the relief of thermals under their wings again……This is #FlywayBirding!

Bienvenidos a Huerta Grande Thursday 18 April

Flyway Birders assemble! The group were soon acquainted and settled in to our incomparable home for the duration of the trip. Nestled in the national park, Huerta Grande is the ideal base from which to explore the wonders of the area. With resident delights such as Hawfinch and Common Firecrest plus the added excitement of migrants passing through, necks were certain to receive a good daily workout.

Migration waits for no one and the group were instantly initiated on a familiarity walk around the local environs with European Pied Flycatchers pausing in the cork oaks on their way north and the pulse-quickening sight of raptors including European Honey Buzzard, Short-toed and Booted Eagles, and Marsh Harrier overhead. Butterflies were very well represented with the highlights being Spanish Festoon, Monarch, African Monarch and Scarce Swallowtail. Another popular encounter was with the Spiny or Giant Toad, aptly named as this female was about 15 cms in length!

This was only the beginning of the adventure!

Serengeti de España or flava of the month? Friday 19 April

A theme which quickly becomes evident to anyone new to Straits birding is the preoccupation with the weather. Specifically, the wind. Migrating birds, especially those reliant on thermals, are not the fondest of crossing open water. The blessing of the narrow crossing in The Straits comes with a cost – the funnelling of winds alternating from East to West adding a formidable invisible obstacle to successful onward journeys.

High winds effectively close the departure gate as most large soaring birds are grounded and forced to wait for more favourable conditions. This is not to say that the flow stops entirely – the imperative to reach the breeding grounds is strong and some birds will still attempt the crossing in seemingly impossible conditions. Such is the unfolding drama we are privileged to witness.

Short-toed Eagle battling strong levante wind to make Europe © Inglorious Bustards

On a day of very strong easterly winds we headed west to Bolonia – an area steeped in millennia of history. From towering sand dunes to the rugged dominion of Vultures this was to be a memorable day.

The relative serenity of watching beautiful ginger-capped Kentish Plovers on the beach was suddenly supplanted by the high drama of willing a Marsh Harrier to make it to land as we followed its battle with the wind, barely keeping out of reach of the waves as it powered towards the sanctuary of landfall. Its fate would prove inconclusive – the harsh realities of long distance migration.

We ascended to the realm of Vultures where humans have witnessed the ebb and flow of bird migrations for millennia. Vultures rule the skies above Cueva del Moro where neanderthal paintings of birds evince the ancient connection with the natural world. Jump forward a few tens of thousand of years and from our lofty vantage point the remains of the Roman city of Baelo Claudia, a major trading point at the meeting of continents, can be seen sprawling below.

Here we have our first close encounters with Griffon Vultures bossing the airspace with their 2 ½ metre wingspan. The Griffons share the cliffs with Ravens and Blue Rock Thrush as the hardiest of Black Kites and Booted Eagles filter through, having braved the crossing.

A wonderful diversion but our next stop is the imposing Griffon Vulture colony where the sky is filled with these magnificent birds, some with young in the nest. They are joined by an incredibly rare but increasingly encountered visitor from Africa, Rüppell’s Vulture. About 10% smaller than the Griffons, the Spanish name Buitre Moteado is perhaps more apt – spotted or mottled Vulture.

Magnificent as the colony is, this spectacle was surpassed as we descended towards Bolonia by the incredible scene of around 200 Griffons joined by 2 Rüppell’s and 2 Egyptian Vultures at a sheep carcass. The view was filled with Vultures attracted to the carrion, perfectly illustrating their value as Nature´s clean up crew.

Still buzzing from the extravaganza, more delights awaited at La Peña albeit in a more diminutive and colourful form.

The Yellow Wagtail exhibits amazing phenotypical variation with many distinct geographical forms. We met with some of these engaging flavas as they sought refuge from the wind and refuelled before resuming migration. The headliners were a male and female of the Fenno-Scandinavian race thunbergi distinguished by their all dark (deep blue-grey) heads. A mixed flock of over a dozen birds of at least three distinct forms was only rivalled by the confiding Western Black-eared Wheatears flashing their black and white tails as they boulder hopped ever closer.

Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail (*thunbergi)* © Inglorious Bustards

La Janda Saturday 20 April

A migrant Eurasian Golden Oriole singing its slide whistle refrain at breakfast time proved an auspicious start to the day.

With continuing breezy conditions a return to the relative calm at La Peña welcomed some hardy arrivals including a European Honey Buzzard, 9 Short-toed Eagles, 4 Booted Eagles, 13 Black Kites and an elegant Montagu’s Harrier. European Bee-eaters, a Red-rumped Swallow and a smaller group of Yellow Wagtails including the striking thunbergi made for another excellent morning.

Afternoon was productively spent exploring the area of the once vast wetland at La Janda. Even in its extremely altered state, this area yields a quite simply stunning variety of birdlife. The Tern-like calls of Collared Pratincoles alert us to the presence of these stunning birds who share the fields with another anomalous shorebird, in the shape of 2 Stone-curlew/Eurasian Thick-knees. Green Sandpiper zip along the irrigation canal as Larks and Corn Buntings dominate the soundscape.

A riot of colour in one field of spring flowers was maxed out in terms of vividness as over 50 European Bee-eaters delighted the group. Perching on fence wires and small bushes or hawking close overhead their warbling calls seemingly surrounding us. A magical moment of excitement punctuated by the sighting of 3 European Turtle Doves – a more than welcome addition to the lists given their rapidly declining status as a breeding bird in Northern Europe.

We spotted some movement in a sand roadside paddock which, to our amazement contained no less than 16 Little Ringed Plovers! Stopping at various intervals we added Reed, Sardinian, and Melodious Warblers plus Zitting Cisticola.

The greatest excitement of the day was reserved for arguably the bird of the day – Black-winged Kite. This charismatic little raptor with its piercing red eyes was a fitting highlight to end the day.

Barbate Sunday 21 April

Once a busy town reliant on the tuna fishing industry, Barbate and its environs are an essential stop on any visit to The Straits.

Firstly, taking advantage of the state of the tide, we explored the shorebird haven that is the Rio Barbate. Ten species of shorebird including 40 Curlew Sandpiper (some showing the gorgeous brick-red breeding plumage), an actively sieving Spoonbill and 7 Little Terns gave fantastic views.

Curlew Sandpipers, Dunlins and Sanderlings © Inglorious Bustards

Next, the salinas, former salt pans now restored as a nature reserve. A truly spectacular place where the shallow pans teem with shorebirds on passage and 60 Greater Flamingos. Iberian Yellow Wagtails flit along the margins and the sky suddenly fills with Collared Pratincoles roused by the perceived threat of any aerial intruder.

Larks feature here with Crested, Greater Short-toed and Calandra all noted.

Lunch among the pines at Las Breñas produced some nice woodland species with Short-toed Treecreeper, European Pied Flycatcher, 3 Whinchat, Serin and Cirl Bunting. Much happiness ensued for the group as 2 Hoopoes decided to put in an appearance shortly before our departure quickly followed by a Two-tailed Pasha, one of the largest European butterflies.

European Pied Flycatcher © Inglorious Bustards

Our group next spent some time with one of the rarest birds in the world – the always-popular Northern Bald Ibis. Beautiful birds with their embarrassment-red, bare-skinned faces, iridescent plumage and punk crests, they cut a completely different – but equally resplendent – look than their Glossy relative!

Our visit the breeding colony coincides with there being chicks in the nest and their bickering sibling rivalry and the coming and goings of the adults provide us with a fantastic diversion before heading off to see one last surprise of the day where, from a respectful distance, we watched a sleepy young Eurasian Eagle Owl sunbathing on its lofty ledge.

Amongst migration! Monday 22 April

Without local knowledge, it is extremely easy to arrive in the vicinity of Tarifa at peak migration time and completely miss the spectacle of masses of birds making the crossing! An intimate knowledge of the area and years of experience with the unique conditions mean our group would be best placed to be in amongst the birds whatever the conditions.

In ever-changing conditions with winds difficult to predict, we made the short dash up the coast and were rewarded with hundreds of raptors passing overhead, at times close enough to not only identify but even age without the aid of binoculars! Highly coveted species came in double and treble figures during an amazing 2 hour window including almost 1,000 Black Kite, 75 Short-toed Eagles, 79 Booted Eagle, 12 European Honey Buzzard, 97 Griffon and 1 Egyptian Vulture making a stream of raptors! Other soaring birds were represented by 8 Black Stork and 4 White Storks.

A new habitat for exploration in the afternoon was the teeming waters of The Straits. Despite being one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, the narrow stretch sustains an abundance of life above and below water.

Our private excursion around Algeciras Bay and out into the open sea past Europa Point with the famous Rock of Gibraltar looming over provided us with yet another indelible memory. Pods of Common Dolphin joyously bow-riding and breeching always draw gasps of admiration – pure happiness may indeed be cetacean-shaped! Pelagic birds included Sandwich Terns using navigation buoys as loafing points and the always-exciting sight of shearwaters effortlessly cutting through the wind on stiff wings like mini albatrosses. Balearic Shearwater and several of their larger Calonectris cousins, Mediterranean breeder Scopoli’s Shearwater in the main.

European Honey Buzzard crossing The Straits © Inglorious Bustards

Parklife Tuesday 23 April

Practically in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar, Parque Princess Sofia is a haven for tired and hungry passerine migrants. European Pied Flycatchers hawk from their favoured perched as leaf warblers such as Wood, Western Bonelli’s, Willow and Iberian Chiffchaff methodically search the foliage. Garden Warbler and Whinchat are also making use of this migrant highway service area. Two roosting Tawny Owls eventually gave themselves up despite being supremely camouflaged.

Another relaxing yet productive lunch at La Peña was rewarded with yet more migrating goodness, this time with the background of Los Lances sands stretching south to Tarifa. An Osprey powered northwards along with 2 Egyptian Vultures, 2 European Honey Buzzards, a Short-toed Eagle, 6 Booted Eagles, a Western Marsh Harrier, and 112 Black Kite.

Booted Eagle in active migration © Inglorious Bustards

This raptor feast punctuated by more European Bee-eaters, Tawny Pipit, Serin and great views of singing Cirl Bunting. An ice-cream stop at el Mirador once again had us surrounded by Vultures which passed overhead and at eye level with the stunning vista of Jbel Mousa, part of the Rif mountain range and the monumental southern pillar of Hercules from legend.

Golden Farewell 24 April

A fluty fanfare and a splash of colour to say goodbye as a transient Eurasian Golden Oriole serenaded our departure.

During the week we visited varied habitats and shared the wonderful nature, life and drama on the flyway-highway here in The Straits

We parted with the lasting memories of being immersed in one the natural world´s greatest wonders – migration.

Special thanks to our excellent hosts and partners at Huerta Grande and to our enthusiastic group for sharing this #FlywayBirding experience!

Trip report list via eBird:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/223872

Our delightful very international and friendly group of Flyway Birders with representations from France, Spain, Australia, England and Scotland to witness the miracle of #FlywayBirding

Migrate on over and peek at our 2025 dates! (Spring and Autumn)

Doñana National Park – Paradise Parched

This article was first published in Birdwatch magazine in September 2023.

As northern Europe feasts on Huelva province´s “Drought Strawberries”, Spain´s iconic Doñana National Park is dying of thirst, writes Niki Williamson.

Magical Marshes

If you have to get up at dawn on a chilly January morning, then El Rocío, in Andalucía´s Huelva province, is a magical place to do it.

As usual we visit this year, and awake to the fabulous sounds of dozens of gently-honking Greater Flamingoes and the delicate “kyik-kyik” of Black-winged Stilts. Pink light from the rising sun glints off the pretty white village, and gives an ethereal glow to the lake by which it sits. A pleasing selection of waders feed busily in the still waters, amongst Eurasian Spoonbills, Western Swamphens, Glossy Ibis and White Storks. Here and nearby, we often enjoy views of White-headed Duck, Red-knobbed Coot and the Critically Endangered Marbled Duck.

In the reed fringes, we pick out Penduline Tits, Bluethroat and literally thousands of wintering Common Chiffchaffs, glittering like motes of gold dust as they flit fly-catching from stem to stem. Across the lake we see Red Deer and Wild Boar warily coming to the water’s edge to drink.

The effect is nothing short of enchanting. You might expect the town´s famous Lady of Rocina to emerge from the woodlands at any second.

This fertile haven is the gateway to Doñana National Park, Spain´s most iconic protected area. It is formed from a springhead where the Doñana aquifer meets the surface at neighbouring La Rocina. Fittingly known as the Madre de las Marismas or “Mother of the Marshes” – it is from here, and other springheads like it, that the park´s vast complex of freshwater pools are born.

And although the madre looks beyond splendid on this January day, we soon see that she is no longer nourishing the marshes. In fact, just a few thirsty weeks later, she will herself be completely dry.

All is Not Well

As we draw ourselves away from the spell-binding watercolours of El Rocío, we soon understand that some things are amiss. In areas that should teem with Internationally Important numbers of wintering Greylag Geese and Common Cranes, we see a handful of Cranes and a lot of parched land. The lagoon at the famous Jose Valverde Visitor Centre looks fantastic, but is being artificially maintained and is already the only pool around.

We are visiting after the devastating drought year of 2022, which saw the Santa Olalla lagoon, the largest of Doñana´s permanent waterbodies, dry up for only the third time in recorded history.

Speaking in September of that year, biologist Carmen Díaz, a researcher at the Doñana Biological Research Station (EBD), said “It is assumed that there is no water at all in the entire park. I have seen the deterioration over two months. The birds were gathering, and the lagoon was full of Flamingoes, until suddenly they all disappeared,”.

In its heyday, Santa Olalla was the size of 360 Olympic swimming pools. “Today there is a puddle of one metre by two metres,” she said.

Red Gold

But blaming the drought – and by inference the ravages of our global Climate Emergency – is only half the story, and for once an all-too-convenient cover. According to scientists, it is merely exacerbating the fallout from unsustainable irrigation of strawberry greenhouses bordering the park, through both legal and illegal boreholes.

Known locally as oro rojo – red gold – industrial berries mean big business in Huelva province. The area produces 98% of Spain´s strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, the vast majority of which are destined for Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.

According to Interfresa, the Andalucian berry-growers association, the industry is worth between €5-800 million euros annually, representing 11% of Huelva´s GDP. It´s hardly surprising that politically, in an area with high unemployment and low average income, red fruits are a hot potato.

Berry-growing in the province, covered by huge plastic greenhouses and their associated processing facilities, now officially occupies 11,000 hectares (ha), an area the size of Liverpool. Between 60 and 90 billion litres of water are pumped onto it every year. According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), three-quarters of this area poses a direct threat to Doñana through groundwater abstraction. On top of this, they recently calculated that a further 1,400-1,700 ha are illegally irrigated from hundreds of illicit wells bored into the aquifer.

Intensive strawberry production bordering Doñana © SEO/Birdlife

There are other culprits too; the coastal tourist resort of Matalascañas, where 150,000 visitors spend their vacations in swimming pools amidst irrigated lawns, is just half a mile from the closest lagoons. Water is also poured into a nearby golf course, keeping the greens green while Doñana turns steadily brown. But groundwater abstraction for Matalascañas tourism equates to just two billion litres per year, a literal drop in the ocean compared to the precious liquid that is pumped into strawberries and sent out of the country.

This massive theft of groundwater has been allowed to happen over a period of decades, and Doñana´s plenteous aquifers are being sucked dry. The vast underground reservoir of 2,409 square kilometers now has large empty areas. The lagoons are shrinking away even when rainfall meets annual averages.

Green Gem

The ecological value of Doñana National Park cannot be understated. It is widely regarded to be the most important protected area in Europe, for its unique combination and great diversity of habitats, and for the presence of Critically Endangered Iberian endemics like Iberian Lynx and Spanish Imperial Eagle.

Located at the southern tip of Spain, at the crossroads of bird migratory routes between Europe and Africa, its rivers, lagoons, lakes, streams, marshes, estuaries, deltas, and salt pans are of vital importance for nomadic wildfowl and waders to feed, rest and recuperate during their long journeys. In good years, it is a wintering site for hundreds of thousands of birds and a breeding site for tens of thousands. Amidst the sweeping degradation of Europe´s vital wetlands, soon there will be nowhere else for these birds to go.

Originally created in 1969, the park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. It is also a Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Site, “Special Protection Area” under the EU Birds Directive, and part of the Natura 2000 Network established by the EU Birds and Habitat Directives.

But even with so much international recognition and legal protection, the wholesale destruction of this irreplaceable green gem continues.

Plundered Treasure

Half of Doñana’s 3,000 natural lagoons have been obliterated. Now covered with vegetation, many have probably disappeared for good. Only 10% are now in decent condition. “The unique ecosystem that serves as a habitat for migratory birds is disappearing,” said Felipe Fuentelsaz, a local spokesman for the WWF, in April 2022.

In May of this year, Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO) declared that Doñana currently does not fulfill its ecological functions for the reproduction and wintering of migratory birds, due to the degradation of their aquatic habitats. Compiling 20 years of data from Doñana´s research station, the Spanish Birdife partner´s “Report on the State of Conservation of Aquatic Birds of Doñana” shows that most of the waterbird species are in an extremely worrying situation. It shows negative population trends across the board, both for threatened species and for the masses of common waterfowl that make Doñana their home.

The situation for many birds is dire. Only two pairs of Red-knobbed Coot bred during 2022, where as recently as the early noughties there were years with over a hundred pairs. Ferruginous Duck have disappeared as a breeding bird, and the Squacco Heron and Purple Heron have worsened their conservation status. The Critically Endangered Marbled Duck, once so ubiquitous in Doñana it was known as the Queen of the Marsh, was down to 13 breeding pairs in 2022.

The queen of the marsh – Marbled Duck © Inglorious Bustards

Tern populations are plummeting. Black Tern no longer breeds, and Whiskered Tern numbers have dropped from over 1000 pairs to less than 20 pairs in 2022. Gull-billed Terns, once numerous, have only reproduced two years out of the last nine.

Wintering numbers of birds that arrive at the Guadalquivir Marshes from all over central and northern Europe are also showing devastating declines. Last winter, barely 90,000 birds were counted, compared to an average of 470,000 – the lowest number in 40 years. The Greylag Goose, one of the most emblematic and abundant wintering species in Doñana, has gone from regularly exceeding 40,000 birds to the lowest records in history, with 9,591 birds last winter.

It´s not just the bird populations but the whole aquatic ecosystem that is crumbling. Doñana is home to 11 of the 13 species of amphibians in southwestern Spain but populations of toads, newts and frogs are dwindling, their habitat reduced to a handful of unreliable lagoons and small trenches hand-dug by park rangers in a desperate attempt to ensure water in the summer. Forty-two dragonfly species have been recorded since 1959 but over half of these have been lost.

Perhaps most worrying of all are the apparent effects on the park´s two most iconic and endangered animals – Spanish Imperial Eagle and Iberian Lynx. Both are normally highly-specialised rabbit-eaters, but in Doñana they have adapted to supplementing their diets with waterfowl prey when rabbit numbers are low.

For Spanish Imperial Eagle, the fact that duck is now off the menu is thought to have contributed to the worst breeding season since 2005. In 2022, the park´s eight breeding pairs managed to fledge only five chicks between them, which according to Carlos Davila – head of the SEO/BirdLife Technical Office at Doñana – is below what´s needed to ensure a viable population. Doñana´s 90 Iberian Lynx – representing almost 10% of the world´s population – are seriously threatened by critically low rabbit numbers and habitat fragmentation, and can no longer find their traditional replacement prey in waterfowl.

Carmen Diaz says: “The park is at a very critical moment, and the only chance to improve the dreadful situation is … the reduction of underground water abstraction. Any slight possibility that [the level of abstraction] will be maintained or increased is completely negative for the park, and it would only make the current situation worse.”

Drought Strawberries

Biologists and hydrologists first spoke out in 1988, condemning the Andalucian authorities for the “conspiracy of silence” around the over-exploitation of Doñana´s aquifers for commercial purposes. Since then, Spain has been taken to the European Court of Justice twice for not doing enough to protect the park.

In 2014, the then-Socialist Andalucian government finally took action by declassifying a swath of agricultural land and removing abstraction rights, with the result that wells subsequently created on this land are illegal.

In March 2023, in a breath-takingly retrograde step, Andalucía revived plans to approve an amnesty on these illegal wells, effectively reversing the 2014 law. The regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno of the right-wing Partido Popular, said the new law addressed the legitimate economic concerns of the producers involved. Showing almost Franco-esque disdain for environmental protection and sustainability, he said “Doñana cannot be a concrete fish tank, it has to be an element of economic revitalization,”.

This move, just weeks after the ecologically disastrous loss of the Santa Olalla lagoon, catapulted Doñana into the international news. In May of 2023, German consumer campaign group, Campact, launched a petition for supermarket giants like Aldi and Lidl to boycott Huelva´s “drought strawberries”. The petition gained 160,000 signatures in just 5 days. And in July, a group of NGOs including SEO/Birdlife and WWF handed the European Commission a petition with more than 260,000 signatures to protect the National Park.

Interfresa remain taciturn on the matter, making no attempt to address sustainability or water issues on their website. There was no response from the association to requests for comment for this article.

Salvation in the balance

With mounting international pressure, there is hope for Doñana.

Last November Spanish Environment Minister, Teresa Ribera announced the Framework of Actions for Doñana, with €360 million allotted to save the park. Measures include the closure of illegal wells by 2025, better planning and management of legal irrigation, and improvements to surface water storage infrastructure, to lessen the exploitation of underground reserves. There´s also €100 million allocated for purchase and rewilding of land that currently prevents the Guadiamar river joining with the marshes.

According to SEO/Birdlife, the holistic nature of the framework – which includes courageous commitments from a political and social perspective – is valuable. In particularly the well closures, restoration of marsh areas and the recovery of river dynamics are of great importance and urgency. However, they say, the park´s aquatic ecosystems are in a critical situation as long as the inertia in water supply policies is maintained despite the climatic reality. “Irrigated crops should only exist in the environs of the National Park if they do not generate any impact on the protected area, [and are] a paradigm of sustainability,”.

Ribera has said that if her party is re-elected, they will seek to overturn the proposed Andalucian illegal well amnesty at the Constitutional Court. As I write in July 2023, Spain waits for the political dance of realignments, allegiances and coalitions to play out after an inconclusive general election. This may well be the arena in which the future of Doñana National Park is saved or lost.

On our January trip, we explored the gorgeous diversity of habitats of Doñana. We were blown away by views of two Iberian Lynx, and escorted round the woodlands and heaths by Iberian Magpies, Eurasian Hoopoes, Iberian Grey Shrikes, Hen Harriers and Short-eared Owls. We ended in the company of royalty as we shared time with the oldest Spanish Imperial Eagle in the world.

Thirsty as she is, Doñana is still magical. Whichever way you hold it to the light, this precious, irreplaceable ecological gem is worth more than all the Red Gold in the world.

Sources:

Pers comm Carmen Diaz Paniagua, Doñana Biological Research Station

Pers comm Carlos Davila, head of the SEO/BirdLife Technical Office at Doñana

Asociacion Interprofesional de la Fresa Andaluza – “Interfresa” website

Hydrodynamic numerical modelling of the water level decline in four temporary ponds of the Doñana National Park (SW Spain) – Journal of Arid Environments, 2017

Informe Sobre el Estado de Conservacion de las Aves Acuaticas en Doñana – SEO/Birdlife, April 2023

Marco de Actuaciones para Doñana, November 2022. Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

Despite all the challenges it faces, a visit to Doñana in winter when the rains have replenished the lagoons is still magical! You can help show the value of natural Doñana by joining our tour

Delights from the Eastern Side of Coto Doñana | Birding Tour

Sometimes – albeit rarely! – we do go birding outside The Straits, and one of our favourite areas to take our guests to is the eastern side of Coto Doñana. Only an hour and a half away from The Straits area, it offers some fabulous southern Iberian birding!

All the things! Delights from the eastern side of Doñana

1st Stop!

After an early start, we arrive at dawn to a private site among extensively-managed organic vineyards, where the mosaic of habitats and low-intensity management gives the perfect breeding site for our first magical target species. As we get out of the minibus it is the first bird we hear, and the increasing light soon reveals them! The magical Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin! Their glorious song fills the air and we are delighted with the views as they sing from the vines and forage among the rows.

The Spanish name Alzacola – meaning “lift-tail” – is arguably more descriptive than the plethora of available English names! The dazzling, distinctive pattern of this bird’s frequently-displayed tail is a large part of what gives it its charm. Studies show that those with larger tail-end markings have elevated breeding success and lower rates of nest predation. The size of the white terminal patches positively affects reproductive success – the larger the white bits, the more desirable the bird! Conversely, the size of the black sub-terminal patches has a negative relationship with nest predation – the larger the black bits, the more successful the bird is in drawing predators away from the nest.

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin © Inglorious Bustards

As the breeding season wears on, the delicate white end of the tail wears off, becoming abraded and eventually disappearing. The black patches, strengthened by melanin, do not wear so easily and effectively form the new terminal part of the tail. Mind-blowingly, it’s thought they delineate the perfect aero-dynamic shape for a long-distance traveller, a shape which is reached just as the bird is ready to leave on its migratory journey, crossing the Sahara to winter in the Sahelian belt.

Red-listed in Spain, these birds are doing really well here thanks to a locally-managed project, retaining sensitive management and artisanal farming methods in the vineyards to produce nature-friendly sherry.

2nd Stop!

Our second stop is timed to perfection. As the day heats up, gorgeous Little Swifts increase their forays from their nesting and roosting site. This colony is the most stable and accessible in the Iberian peninsula and this recent colonist from Africa is seemingly doing well!

As we arrive we are surrounded by low-flying giggling Little Swifts with Common Swifts zooming past at even higher speed! It really is a site to behold and you don’t even need binoculars! People walking through the area are interested and often come and share in the magic of the Swift mayhem!

We normally have to calm down at this point so we have a coffee whilst still watching the Swifts as they disperse further from the nest and roosting site and the mayhem subsides. We have a second breakfast hobbit-style of tostada con tomate – which normally ends up partly in my binoculars!

3rd Stop!

Nearby we visit Las Salinas de Bonanza – where famously Bill Nighy virtually visited with us in the TV series Worlds Most Scenic River Journeys! This end-point of the splendid Rio Guadalquivir is a treasure trove of ornithological wonder and could be even better if converted to traditional sustainable salt production – in the future that may be possible.

For now we are already viewing a myriad of shorebirds – Red Knot, Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers and more – as Pied Avocets and Black-winged Stilts attack any fly-overs including Little, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns! Gorgeous Slender-billed Gulls paddle the shallows as rows of Glossy Ibis fly over.

It is easy to just look at the waders between their legs, but the Greater Flamingoes are worthy of scope time too!

Scanning the water reveals Black-necked Grebes, Eurasian Spoonbills, masses of migratory shorebirds and then some nervous-looking Marbled Ducks! With good reason as there is an Osprey sitting right above them!

The Marbled Duck is a super-rare species and many visiting birders want to get this one on their lists! It was an abundant species in the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, but due to habitat destruction, intensive irrigation for agriculture and polluted wetlands, populations crashed. Thankfully intensive conservation measures have prevented the species from disappearing in Spain but more work needs to be done on the source reasons for decline.

We end up finding 14 of these gorgeous ducks so we are all super-happy ! As a partially migratory species, it is adapted to spatiotemporal fluctuations in the availability of flooded wetlands, and moves nomadically before and after breeding to make the most of available ephemeral habitats.

4th Stop!

Now we find ourselves travelling through back streets and narrow roads to a little known area which we affectionately nickname ¨Las Lagunas de los Suenos¨

Here we find another rare duck and one that many people will be familiar with, given the risk to already declining populations from introduced Ruddy Duck. The drakes look absolutely stunning, their white heads contrasting with their bright blue waxy bills (shoes should come in this colour!) and their gorgeous chestnut brown muscular bodies! They charge at each other and splash about the water competing for females by sorting out their positions of dominance.

Considered globally Endangered, the White-headed Ducks which we are enjoying here are extinct as a breeding species in Europe ,with the exception of Spain. For such a well known species there are quite a lot of gaps in our knowledge of this species including breeding success and paternity of males, mate selection by females, dispersal, adult survival and further data on population sizes.

Among the reeds and scrub, an Isabelline Warbler creeps out into full view (one of six we saw and heard). This species that winters in The Sahel is an incredibly-range restricted breeding species in Europe and another much sort-after species.

We also gaze upon Black-crowned Night Herons, Red-crested Pochards, Western Swamphen and a Black-headed Weaver – a species introduced and now naturalised in this area.

Suddenly a Little Bittern barks then flys out across the pool to disappear in the reeds.

Our final species target for the day reveals itself calling from the pool edge but out of view and then it swims out right in front of us – the very cool Red-knobbed Coot! We can see well its blue-white bill looking like it has been sucking on a leaky biro, those comical red adornments on top of the shield, different shield pattern and subtly different posture to Common Coot.

In Sub-Saharan Africa it is a relatively abundant and common species but here in Europe and North Africa it is close to extirpation with both range and populations decreasing alarmingly. Again, agricultural pollution, water abstraction and habitat degradation are to blame and sadly the decline of this species is representative of some of the biggest problems we see from unsuitable unsustainable agriculture bordering Doñana National and Natural Park.

Would you like a days #birding like this? Join us on our Swift Weekender tour and experience this and a whole lot more excellent birding!

Serrania de Ronda 2024

Serrania de Ronda – 1 – 7 February 2024

Leaving the bustling Costa del Sol far behind, we spent the week on a literal avian high, exploring the wide-ranging and varied habitats of the Natural and National Parks of the Serrania de Ronda.

It´s always hard to pick the best highlights from such an action-packed trip – there were certainly many!

Dramatic limestone crags, softened by a haze of almond blossom, yielded Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Petronia, Black Redstart, Red-billed Chough, Golden and Bonelli´s Eagle, and the hulking form of a Eurasian Black Vulture among dozens of swirling Griffon Vultures.

On spring-fed freshwater ponds, whose contents read like a most-wanted of Spanish wildfowl, we delighted in some glorious views of White-headed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested Pochard, Critically Endangered Marbled Ducks and more!

A duck with outstretched wings standing in water, displaying intricate feather patterns under sunlight. — Marbled Duck © Inglorious Bustards

On areas of sensitively-managed farmland, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Little Bustards and a whopping 79 Great Bustards shone out against a delightful backdrop of farmland goodies including Iberian Grey Shrike, Calandra, Thekla´s and Crested Lark, Zitting Cisticola, gorgeous Black-winged Kites and flocks of hundreds of Common Cranes.

Many calories were burnt in excitement, but it was sure nobody would go hungry on this trip, with cordon bleu-trained chef Iván on the case providing stunning 3-course meals every evening in our charming characterful hotel, and the “picnic fairies” busy each day sourcing and preparing sustainable local produce and freshly-baked bread for our sustenance!

Great memories, great laughs and EPIC birding!

A bird perched on a branch with red berries, surrounded by green leaves. — Black Redstart © Inglorious Bustards

Day 1 Thursday 1 February

Simon picked the group up from Málaga airport and we were soon heading out of the city, away from the bustling Costa del Sol and up into the mountains of the Serranía de Ronda. Climbing over 1000m, ears were soon popping as spectacular views down towards The Straits of Gibraltar unfolded before us!

We met with Niki at the Sierra de las Nieves – Spain´s newest National Park, featuring outstanding limestone geology and a unique high-altitude Mediterranean flora community. Here we enjoyed our welcome picnic together, today as every day tucking into fresh local bread, olives and salads, as well as delicious local cheeses, specially selected for their conservation value. It was so good a Rock Bunting came to check it out from a nearby endemic Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo) tree!

A small bird with a striped head and a mix of gray and brown feathers perched on green spiky foliage. — Rock Bunting © Inglorious Bustards

We headed out on a stroll to explore the area, immediately spotting an Iberian Grey Shrike perched high on a hawthorn bush. Amongst a group of a couple of dozen Griffon Vultures, we picked out a Golden Eagle soaring! Among shrubby stunted growth of Holm and Gall Oaks, we picked out several Woodlarks, Mistle Thrush and more Rock Buntings. Common Firecrest and Short-toed Treecreeper sang.

A small bird perched on a branch, singing. The bird has a yellow and gray plumage with distinct markings on its head and wings. — Common Firecrest © Inglorious Bustards

Next we headed on through the craggy moonscape towards our accommodation, making birding stops along the way of course! On the road through the Genal Valley, which would be our local patch, we were thrilled to pick up our first Black Wheatears! A Thekla´s Lark showed well, as did one of several Dartford Warblers – with some patience!

A Rock Sparrow perched briefly on a boulder and we could see Red-billed Choughs swooping around a distant crag. Another Golden Eagle put in a spectacular appearance sweeping past us!

Then it was on to our base at Hotel Bandolero in the quirky pueblo azul of Júzcar. We were a bit sad to find that the Smurf statues had all been confiscated due a copyright infringement! But quirky as ever, the village was still adorned with eclectic murals and street ornaments and the overlook to the wooded valley remained stunning as ever! Simon and Niki delivered the group into the excellent hospitable hands of hotel owners David and Iván. While David provided the entertaining banter, cordon bleu-trained chef would certainly make sure nobody went hungry this week!

Day 2 Friday 2 February

Today we set out to explore more of the area´s glorious limestone habitat, beginning just up the road at Los Riscos crags. We immediately came upon a small flock of Rock Petronias. Several Crag Martins flitted around the sheer rock face, while Blue Rock Thrushes perched on the pinnacles. We caught up with another Black Wheatear, showing well.

We took a stroll out among the crags, the pathway lined with pretty Narcissus baeticus (endemic to Andalucía´s Baetic mountain range) and Broad-leaved Iris. Among the many European Serins, Eurasian Chaffinches and European Greenfinches singing in the valley, we picked out a couple of Cirl Buntings.

As numerous Griffon Vultures began to leave roosts around us, we took our cue from them to move on to our next stop!

And a very pretty one it was too! As the ´picnic fairies´ began their daily magic, the group walked down to the crystal waters of the Cueva del Gato, where a torrent emerges from the end of an 8km cave system to form a mesmerizing aquamarine pool, before joining the Rio Guadiaro. Here we connected with Grey Wagtails and a White-throated Dipper, as well as Black Redstart, Cetti´s and Sardinian Warbler, and wintering Common Chiffchaff and Eurasian Blackcap.

A grey and yellow bird standing on a rock near the water, surrounded by autumn leaves floating on the surface. — Grey Wagtail © Inglorious Bustards

At the picnic spot Crag Martins zoomed around, Griffon Vultures soared overhead, and we were thrilled to be joined by a Bonelli´s Eagle!

We finished the day at the other end of the same cave system, at Cuevo del Hundidero, a massive sinkhole on the mountains above Montejaque, enjoying Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting and more. A Eurasian Black Vulture was picked out among the resident Griffon Vultures of the colony. As the afternoon wore on, we were treated to a spectacular Red-billed Chough-nado of over 90 birds!

A vulture soaring gracefully in the sky over a forested area, showcasing its wingspan against a blurred natural background. — Griffon Vulture © Inglorious Bustards

Day 3 Saturday 3 February

Today, after collecting the usual freshly-baked loaf from the hotel oven, we headed north east through the Cordilleras Beticas and began by getting acquainted with some of the sensitively-managed arable farmland around the Campillos area. At the Laguna Dulce, we enjoyed 80 wintering Common Cranes flying by, as well as Iberian Grey Shrike, Calandra Larks, Eurasian Skylark and many Crested Larks. Mixed flocks of farmland birds included Common Linnets, European Goldfinch, European Serin, Eurasian Siskin, Corn Bunting and European Greenfinch.

Next, on to another nearby area, which was also full of great stuff, including Northern Lapwing, Iberian Grey Shrike, Eurasian Skylark, Crested Lark, Zitting Cisticola, and Black Redstart. We also had fantastic views of a gorgeous Black-winged Kite. But the stars of the show, wandering through a cereal field, heads poking out of the crop, were seven Little Bustards!! It´s always a joy to encounter this fast-declining bird, miraculously clinging on in arable farmland that used to be its preferred steppe habitat.

A group of birds standing in a grassy field, partially camouflaged among the dry vegetation. — Little Bustards © Inglorious Bustards

Next, on to the main event – the freshwater and saline pools of Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, one of the area´s prime wetland reserves. We started by making a patrol of the spring-fed freshwater ponds, whose contents read like a most-wanted of Spanish wildfowl! We enjoyed White-headed Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested Pochard and some glorious views of Marbled Ducks among Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal, Common Pochard, Little Grebe and more!

As we watched a Water Pipit patrolling the shoreline, we got a fly-by from 200 Common Cranes. Waders included Black-Winged Stilts, Little Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe and Dunlin. We also enjoyed the spectacle of over 2000 wintering Lesser Black-backed Gulls swirling overhead!

After picnic lunch near the visitor centre, we headed to a nearby high point from where we could view down onto the main lagoon. This spring fed lake has no exit point for the water, so it evaporates leaving a saline lagoon behind. Today we could look down on a pink haze created by hundreds of promenading Greater Flamingoes!

A group of flamingos wading in shallow water, with one flamingo displaying vibrant red and black coloring among the mostly white birds. — Greater Flamingoes © Inglorious Bustards

Nearby, two stunning Black-winged Kites were mobbing a Common Buzzard, clearly defending a nest site. In a nearby field, over 800 Common Cranes were grazing and emitting their gentle bugling sound. We enjoyed sightings of Little Owl, Western Marsh Harrier and Iberian Grey Shrike in the area.

We headed home and rolled straight into dinner after an action-packed and thoroughly awesome day´s birding!We certainly replaced any lost calories, feasting on chef Iván´s twist on tomates a la abuela – “grannies tomatoes” – and a delicately-flavoured Thai-style curry from partner David! And the delicious melt-in-the-mouth strawberry-glazed mousse put us at a loss for words!

Day 4 Sunday 4 February

Known as the “Osuna Triangle”, this area of arable land is renowned for its populations of steppe birds, clinging on in this largely unfavourable landscape thanks to areas of sensitively farmed land. The plan is to explore the area, making stops and scanning the landscape in favourable areas, seeing what we can find. But straight out of the van on the first stop, we found ourselves looking at 48 Great Bustards! Utterly thrilled, we spent some time observing these enormous yet strangely elegant birds.

We enjoyed Red Kites and Calandra Larks, and before too long found ourselves looking at another 21 Great Bustards!

A brown and white bird walking through a green field with patches of dried grass in the background. — Great Bustard © Inglorious Bustards

Above us, 13 White Storks, Red Kites and a handful of early-returning migratory Black Kites, already heading back to European breeding grounds.

Our engaging picnic spot was by a freshwater pool where we could enjoy lunch and a show, with Greater Flamingoes, Common Cranes, Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Little Stint, Spanish Sparrow and 940 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on view.

We had one final stop before heading back – and to our delight we found our prize in the form of a flock of 17 Black-bellied Sandgrouse!!

Chef Iván surpassed himself tonight, serving up giant portobello mushrooms stuffed with rich ratatouille-style pisto and topped with crisp shredded potato fries and a hearty poached egg!

Day 5 Monday 5 February

A change of pace today with a morning visit to the historic city of Ronda. We walked through the scenic Alameda Gardens and along the promenade overlooking the precipitous drop to the west of the city. Across the plains way below, we could see back across to the impressive crags of Montejaque. We continued around the walkway, looking down into the Tajo Gorge which splits the city in two parts, bound together by three historic bridges, one 18th century, one Moorish, and one dating right back to Roman times. In the canyon below us, two Blue Rock Thrush and many Crag Martins.

A black bird, possibly a chough, flying with its wings spread wide against a blurred green background. — Red-billed Chough © Inglorious Bustards

The group had time to wander in this enjoyable place – and maybe buy some of the excellent local cheese! – before heading back out into the Sierra de las Nieves National Park for picnic in our local patch! We refamiliarized ourselves with its residents, including over sixty Griffon Vultures, three Golden Eagles, Iberian Grey Shrike, Dartford Warbler, Woodlark, Siskin, Rock Bunting and more!

We spent the rest of this relaxed day exploring locally in various nooks and crannies of the Genal Valley, including the rather spellbinding birthplace of the river itself, where the first hints of a spring seep out of the limestone. Here we enjoyed Grey Wagtails and a host of wintering warblers. In the surrounding woodlands, featuring Sweet Chestnut, and various oak species, we enjoyed a suite of woodland goodies including Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, Crested and Long-tailed Tits, Eurasian Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper and Hawfinch.

Day 6 Tuesday 6 February

The last full day of our trip was already upon us – time for the grande finale, visiting arguably the most spectacular landscape of the area in the Parque Natural de Sierra de Grazalema. As we emerged from the enjoyable drive through Cork Oak dehesa, the view opened out before us.

We spent the morning exploring a valley floor alongside a meandering stream, where soft almond blossom contrasted against the harsh crags behind. Red-billed Choughs called from nests on the cliffs. Hawfinches, Corn and Cirl Buntings Grey and White Wagtails and Meadow Pipit frequented the pastures. Violet Carpenter Bees drifted past in the mild spring sun. A Peregrine Falcon swooped stunningly low over us. Overhead, Griffon Vultures were on the move and among them a Eurasian Black Vulture!

Continuing down the valley, streamside scrub held Cetti´s Warblers and wintering Eurasian Blackcaps. At our scenic picnic spot at the hub of the valley, Short-toed Treecreeper, Song and Mistle Thrush added to the soundtrack and we enjoyed Eurasian Jays, Griffon Vultures and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk overhead. A Eurasian Nuthatch frequented its nest hole, complete with mud porch.

We ended our Grazalema experience literally on a high, heading up to the mountain pass of Puerto de las Palomas at 1357m above sea level – that´s 12m higher than the summit of Ben Nevis! We took a path up a rocky outcrop and enjoyed time looking down on dozens of soaring Griffon Vultures, Common Ravens and Crag Martins, while Blue Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting frequented the nearby boulders.

A small black bird perched on a rocky surface, surrounded by green foliage. — Black Wheatear © Inglorious Bustards

We headed home, but not without enjoying a couple more treats that our local patch had in store! We finished the birding day watching flitting Dartford Warblers and a high-drama Black Wheatear turf war!

Day 7 Wednesday 7 February

The team went our separate ways with some great memories of mountains, plains, woodlands, wetlands, delicious dinners and picnics, fascinating information, great banter, and of course epic birding!

A vulture soaring gracefully in the sky with its wings spread wide. — Griffon Vulture © Inglorious Bustards

Trip list available via e Bird here – making our #Birding count!

First White-backed Vulture tagged in Europe – implications for African Vulture conservation

A version of this blog was originally published online on the Birdguides website (02/01/2022).

Summary

On 3rd December 2021, Fundación Migres ringed and GPS-tagged a White-backed Vulture, a vagrant to Europe and the first one to be ringed and tagged in Europe.

The occurrence of this species here – alongside the increased incidence of Rüppell’s Vulture in The Straits – is extremely interesting. Both species are Critically Endangered in their usual sub-Saharan range. It is hypothesised that the increase in Eurasian Griffon Vulture numbers in Europe may be at least partly responsible as this leads to an increase in the number of young Griffons dispersing from and returning to Europe. The largely sedentary African Vulture species mix with young Griffons in The Sahel and get caught up in the return flow of these birds.

Rüppell’s and White-backed Vulture are on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species considered to be Critically Endangered, which is the last category before global extinction.

Satellite tagging these vagrant birds will give us new insights into these Critically Endangered species and aid our conservation knowledge for African Vultures.

The project team decided to name the White-backed Vulture “Viking” in thanks and reference to project partners and funders Viking Optical.

The project

Originally, following presentations and findings at the IUCN Rüppell’s Vulture symposium and given the increasing occurrence of Rüppell’s Vultures in both Southern Europe and North Africa (in particular either North or South sides of The Straits of Gibraltar), the project team had aimed to ring and GPS tag this species at a feeding station.

Since the early nineties, Rüppell’s Vultures have been encountered in the Iberian Peninsula particularly in The Straits of Gibraltar.

The occurrence of normally largely sedentary African Vultures in The Straits is likely to be linked to an increase in Eurasian Griffon Vulture numbers (thanks in no small part to Spanish conservation efforts). The resulting increase of Eurasian Griffon Vultures migrating to the Sahel and mixing with the declining African Vulture populations has meant that when the two species encounter each other, some Rüppell’s or White-backed Vultures get caught up in the “conveyor belt” of the pre-nuptial Griffon Vulture migration and make their way into North Africa and sometimes on to Europe.

We know from existing telemetry data that some of the birds that have made it as far as Morocco have even returned to the Sahel.

One possible future issue for the critically endangered African Vulture population could be hybridisation. At the moment there are only records of copulation between Rüppell´s and Eurasian Griffon Vultures without any evidence of viable offspring. However, Rüppell’s Vulture has been recorded producing viable offspring with Cape Vulture in South Africa.

“Viking” takes flight what secrets will this White-backed Vulture tell us about the movements, interactions and conservation issues of African Vultures? © Inglorious Bustards

We speculate that there is an increased chance of hybridisation in the future as Eurasian Griffon Vulture numbers continue to increase and, if carrying capacity is reached in Iberia, begin to recolonise former breeding areas in Morocco. This effect could produce reverse gene flow issues into the Sahelian populations of critically endangered African Vultures.

Here in The Straits the Rüppell’s Vulture is still considered a rare occurrence, but is encountered with increasing frequency. It has been recorded frequently at feeding stations set up by Fundacíon Migres for Egyptian Vulture conservation projects. This provides a unique opportunity to tag and study the movements of these vagrants and the possibility of reverse gene flow back into African Vulture populations in the Sahel.

On 3rd December 2021 a White-backed Vulture was trapped and it was decided that the concept of understanding the wider conservation issues for declining and critically endangered African Vultures moving through The Straits still holds true for this species. Just as we have seen increases in the occurrence of Rüppell’s Vulture so too could this White-backed Vulture be the forerunner to increased occurrences in North Africa and Southern Europe.

GPS transmitter and high frequency radio tag fitted to “Viking” the White-backed Vulture © Inglorious Bustards

After studying photographs of a White-backed Vulture recently observed and photographed by Javier Elorriaga and Sergio Briones in Tarifa and Los Barrios, we can see that this now-marked bird is not the same individual. This means there are at least two White-backed Vultures on Spanish side of The Straits this year alone with a further two trapped and marked on the Moroccan side this year too.

Understanding these vagrancy patterns potentially linked to declining populations of largely sedentary African Vultures and increases in youth dispersal of Eurasian Griffon Vultures is key to a wider diagnosis of the plight of Africa’s declining Vulture populations.

A field readable colour ring will additionally allow for field ornithologists / observers to quickly identify “Viking”, especially as we now know of additional White-backed Vultures occurring in the vicinity of The Straits © Inglorious Bustards

Implications for conservation

We have considered the implications of this project across our project team and using the framework of spatial targeting for single-species conservation planning (“the Species Recovery Curve”) concluded that more data-gathering was needed to understand the patterns of vagrancy of sub-Saharan African Vulture populations and the subsequent implications for conservation.

Therefore we score the project at Diagnosis 2/3 on the Recovery Curve. This is because whilst we know many of the reasons for decline across the normal range, we still don’t know the full status nor the reasons for their now regular vagrancy into Europe.

Nor do we fully understand vagrant African Vultures interactions with breeding colonies of Eurasian Griffon Vultures once in Europe. There have been observations of Rüppell’s Vultures copulating with Eurasian Griffon Vultures but as yet there is no evidence of viable offspring being produced.

Griffon Vulture returning to Europe at The Straits of Gibraltar © Inglorious Bustards

McCarthy (2006) reports numerous instances of White-backed Vulture hybridisation with Rüppell’s Vulture in captivity and unpublished reports of hybridisation with Cape Vulture too. It would therefore seem likely that hybridisation between White-backed and Eurasian Griffon Vultures could be possible.

McCarthy also reports on multiple instances of Rüppell’s Vulture hybridising with Eurasian Griffon Vulture in captivity. An adult specimen in the Natural History Museum, Tring, taken from a nest in Algeria, is considered to be a naturally-occurring wild hybrid between Rüppell’s Vulture and Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Davies & Clark 2018).

Additionally if the occurrence of African Vultures in Southern Europe continues to increase, it is also feasible that they could eventually set up a new intra-specific breeding population.

Main threats to African Vultures

Both primary and secondary poisoning are thought to be key drivers of the rapid decline of African Vultures (including the use of diclofenac in cattle and direct poisoning by poachers using carbofuran). Evidence from wing-tagging and telemetry studies already suggests that annual mortality of present species, principally from incidental poisoning, is perhaps as high as 25%.

Trapping and killing for “traditional voodoo practices” and national and international illegal trade are also threats. African Vulture species are also affected by collisions with power infrastructure, particularly power cables. Longer dry seasons are leading to changes in habitat mosaic and possible lack of food. The loss or felling of nesting trees, and disturbance of nesting trees in particular for White-backed Vultures and at cliff nesting sites for Rüppell’s Vultures also pose problems.

Nesting tree loss and disturbance in places across the Western Sahel is of particular note as there are very few suitable cliff nesting sites for Rüppell’s Vultures (none at all in The Gambia for instance).

As the populations of African Vultures decline further due to these multivariate issues, the motivation towards vagrancy increases, as does the potential for hybridisation and reverse gene flow back to the sub-Saharan African Vulture population.

Hybridisation could therefore emerge as a symptom of overall decline and a new threat to African Vulture populations.

Progress and future work

With the support of IUCN-Med, GREPOM-BirdLife Morocco and the Moroccan Department of Waters and Forests, experts from Spain and Morocco have joined forces to tag vultures with GPS and satellite transmitters.

In northern Morocco, near The Straits of Gibraltar the team worked with Rüppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) from the Jbel Moussa Vulture Recovery Centre (CRV). 12 birds were tagged with GPS during 2020 (26 trapped and marked with wingtags, 12 of them marked with GPS), and another 12 birds with GPS during 2021 (devices provided by Junta de Andalucía, Fundación Migres, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), GREFA (Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat) and Wilder South. Additionally a further two Rüppell’s Vultures have been ringed in Malaga by the University of Malaga.

In early September a young Rüppell’s Vulture in central Portugal was taken into care for rehabilitation and subsequently released after being fitted with a GPS tracker. This Rüppell’s Vulture was named “Vouzela” and tagging was conducted in a collaboration by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF).

Vouzela represents only the third time in Europe and the first time in Portugal that a Rüppell’s Vulture has been fitted with a GPS tag. The question of whether these vagrant African Vultures return to sub-Saharan Africa was subsequently proven this year as Vouzela crossed The Straits of Gibraltar and is now in Northern Senegal.

Did Vouzela originate from colonies in the Sahel or perhaps an unknown intra-specific breeding in Eurasian Griffon Vulture colonies in Iberia?

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the team involved in the projects and collaborations across organisations, we have been able to deploy expertise and resources rapidly, demonstrating the benefits of working collaboratively internationally and at a cross-organisational scale.

“Viking” with some of the project team before release © Fundación Migres

This project would not be possible without the financial help kindly received from project sponsors Viking Optical and Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC).

This work would not be possible without the tireless expertise and work of Fundacíon Migres, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), GREPOM / Birdlife Morocco, IUCN-Med, Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF), The Flyway Birding Association / Inglorious Bustards and the Junta de Andalucia.

Simon Tonkin (Inglorious Bustards / Flyway Birding), Carlos Torralvo, Alejandro Onrubia, Cristina Gonzalez (Fundacíon Migres) and Stuart Gillies (Viking Optical)

References

Davies. R., Clark. B. – African Raptors (2018).

Garrido, J.R., Martín J. and Clavero H. (2020). An overview of the first international symposium on the Rüppell’s Vulture in the Mediterranean region, 24th March 2021. Vulture News, 79: 38-44.

McCarthy. E.M. (2006) – Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World.

Onrubia, A., Torralvo, C., González, C. and Ferrer, M. (2020). Informe de evaluación de la población del buitre moteado o de Ruppell (Gyps rueppelli) en Andalucía. Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, Junta de Andalucía: Sevilla. (Unpublished report)

UICN (2021). Recomendaciones para la elaboración de un Plan de acción para la conservación del buitre de Rüppell (Gyps rueppelli) en el mediterráneo occidental. Málaga, España: UICN.