Barbate Marshes etc
September 10th Day 3 - Afternoon
This was to be another good venue, not a classic Marsh as the name suggests but a great site producing no less than 6 new trip list ticks.
It was quite teeming with birds, on arrival, we checked the cattle pens for Northern Bald Ibis, the info was that 2 had been seen amongst the cattle quite recently. This proved negative so we turned our attention to the ‘marsh’, after scanning we picked up a Wagtail, this provided some photo taking and consideration as it didn’t look like the usual Yellow/Grey we see in the UK.
I had noticed over here that with the heat, everything seems to be taller/longer, this was a well marked Wagtail that was eventually decided on as a Yellow.
Moving we drove round and scanned the islands, no less than 14 Stone Curlews were seen along with around 50 odd Audouins Gulls.
Plenty of birds on show, all the normal waders, Greater Flamingo etc and we added Stone Curlew, Montagu’s Harrier, Shelduck, Little Owl, Red Legged Partridge and Audouins Gull to the trip list, bringing us up to a nice 122 species.
Other birds seen was a flock of around 40+ Calandra Larks, Crested and Thekla as well along with Woodchat Shrike, 2 Short Toed Eagles and a couple of Waxbills. A very good site again and we left here to go in search of Northern Bald Ibis.
Calandra Larks
Pablo had a site up his sleeve, the worm farm at Vejerde Frontera and this proved positive for the big Ibis, in fact there was around 11 of them.
We watched these for a good while, not the most attractive of birds I have to say, but a tick for most of us none the less and another addition to the trip list – we were now on 123.
Northern Bald Ibis
Obsevatorio Del Estrecho Watchpoint
We were here from 3.35 – 4.10pm, it is a Raptor Coastal Watchpoint that offers fantastic views across to Africa, very windy but for the 35 minutes we were here, we had some good birds and quite a lot of activity.
To be honest, this late in the day I wasn’t expecting mass Raptor/Stork migration but was pleasantly surprised in what we saw.
First up was a very high flock of around 350 White Storks heading over to Africa, not one of them flapping, all on glide mode having gained the height for the crossing. I must admit it was quite an impressive sight even that high, we searched the flock for Black’s, but none present.
We gained an unexpected tick in the shape of White Rumped Swift (124 for the trip list) it was also a lifer for us and a bit of a surprise.2 were seen, and I managed to get a couple of snaps as they headed along the coastline.
We also saw a couple of Gannets out at sea which provided the final addition to the trip list with 2 individuals seen.
Other birds of note were Black Kite (2), Booted Eagle (5), Short Toed Eagle (4), Red Rumped Swallow (8), Pallid/Common Swift and 52 Bee Eaters.
White Rumped Swift
Not a flapper amongst them - White Storks gliding to Africa
Booted Eagle
Pallid Swift
Bee Eaters powering across to Africa
Short Toed Eagle
With the Gannet we finished the day on 125 species for the trip, Pablo and Birding the Strait had given us a great few days and were worth every penny, highly recommended.
I know we all found Pablo an excellent guide, but also a very nice approachable chap, his patience was endless.
Next day was to be our first day of Raptor watching at the watchpoints, more to come.
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