Lake Garda

Nicholas Turner
Jun 11, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Jan 31

30th May - 9th June 2024

Tarifa is one of the hotspots for raptor migration in Europe. In the autumn, large numbers of birds of prey funnel down through south west Spain to make the 14 Km crossing across the Straits of Gibraltar over to Tangiers in North Africa. Along with the raptors there a White & Black Storks as well as large numbers of passerines.

Saturday 7th September: We took an early from Manchester to Malaga, arriving mid-morning, and decided to stop of at the Guadalhorce estuary before driving to Tarifa. Here we saw a number of different waders including Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Greenshank, Dunlin and Sanderling as well as a Booted Eagle and Spotted Flycatcher. We then joined the motorway for the 2 hour drive to our accommodation in La Pena a few kilometres north of Tarifa.

Sunday 8th September: We decided to spend the first morning exploring the area around La Pena, especially a place known as Observatorio de La Pena. Here we found a single Cirl Bunting and a small flock of Spotless Starlings and Cattle Egrets. However, the highlights were a stunning male Western Black-eared Wheatear, a small flock of Tawny Pipits and Theklas Larks and a very obliging Zitting Cisticola.

We then walked down the hillside and along the long beach that runs into the town of Tarifa. Between the sand dunes and the sea there were several Common Ringed Plovers, Black-winged Stilts, Yellow Wagtails and a single Audouins’s Gull. Crested Larks and Sardinian Warblers frequented the dunes and there were a few Common Swifts. On the way back to La Pena we found singles of Melodious Stonechat Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.

Monday 9th September: The next morning we drove we drove north to the large area of wetland known as La Janda. This expansive area used to be a series of interconnected farms growing rice and other crops. Now it is an excellent place to see a variety of birds including raptors on migration. Upon arrival we found a group of White Storks in a field together with some Glossy Ibis. Corn Buntings and Cettis Warblers were both seen and heard followed by a flock of Greater Short-toed Lark. Further on a Montagu’s Harrier quartered along a dyke and a Purple Heron flew and landed in a field. Bee Eaters were seen and heard at various points and also a single Spoonbill. Further along we saw a single Turtle Dove, a male Marsh Harrier and a group of Cattle Egret. We returned to the car feeling pretty satisfied and then to our delight as we drove along the track we noticed a European Roller sitting on a telegraph wire. As we were preparing to leave a Short-toed Eagle and Griffon Vulture soared overhead.

Tuesday 10th September: As we left the airBnB a Monarch butterfly landed on a tree illuminated early morning sun. The morning was spent on a whale-watching trip where we had distant views of a Gannet, Cory’s Shearwater and two Honey Buzzards making the 14Km trip south across the Straits.

Wednesday 11th September: Today we figured we would spend the morning watching raptor migration and so set off for the well-known site called El Estrecho PNat-El Trafico just south east of Tarifa. We arrived at 9.00 a.m. and after a slowish start with singles of Montagu’s Harrier, Hoopoe and a few Booted Eagles and Black Kites the numbers started to increase around 11.00 a.m. For the next 2 hours we were treated to the spectacle of several hundred Booted Eagles and Black Kites with smaller numbers of Short-toed Eagles, Honey Buzzards and Egyptian Vultures, all soaring above the cliffs before heading out to sea. Each species seemed to come through in discrete waves.

In the afternoon we dropped down onto Tarifa Beach where we saw 6 Tawny Pipits, a flock of Sandwich Terns, a Spoonbill and a Northern Wheatear.

Thursday 12th September: Today we decided upon an all-day circular walk around La Pena, climbing to the top of the Sierra de Enmedio and back down again. The morning started with a Blue Rock Thrush close to our accommodation followed by Western Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Thekla’s Lark, Turtle Dove and Spotless Starling at Obervatorio de la Pena. As we climbed through the woods we found a Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher and a few low flying Griffon Vulture. On the descent we saw a Short-toed eagle, Booted eagle, Sparrowhawk, Raven, Spanish Sparrow and a few Bee-Eaters.

Friday 13th September: Our final full day was spent at the wetlands at Barbate, about 1 hour north of Tarifa. In the pools by the salt-pans near the road we found a good variety of waders including Greater Flamingo, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Dunlin, Little Stint and Ruff. In the shrubs and trees there were plenty of passerines including Woodchat Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Crested Lark, a female Western Black-eared Wheater, Zitting Cisticola, Corn Bunting and Willow Warbler. A single Marsh Harrier hunted low over the adjoining fields. In the farm adjacent to the wetlands were a group of the rare Northern Bald Ibis. Further north in the pine woods we found both Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Flycatcher and Sardinian Warblers.