Tarifa 6th - 12th September

We had no plans to return to Tarifa this year but checking flights at the end of August there were some good Ryanair deals to Malaga (return flights for the two of us at £213) so we decided to go at fairly short notice. I thought the car hire was too good to be true with Goldcar at £50 for the week, and it was, as we had to take their insurance at £147 when we picked up the car at Malaga Airport. We booked accommodation in Tarifa at the Hostal Tarifa close to the centre which was a great location for the town, beach and the Cazalla and Trafico watchpoints. The hotel was exceptionally clean, did a basic continental breakfast from 08:00 but no other meals which suited us.
First morning we headed up to Cazalla, a fly-by Golden Oriole was a good start and we soon started to see the first birds of prey with small groups of Honey Buzzard, Short-toed and Booted Eagles. Numbers of Griffon Vultures started to appear as the air warmed and we learned of a cow carcass below the watch point which had attracted large numbers of Griffon Vultures yesterday as well as at least 3 Ruppell's Vultures Griffons. I met fellow British birders Steve Duffield and Paul Eele and after Paul and his partner had moved on Steve and I were scrutinising all the Griffons .By mid-morning the Griffons were drifting closer, showing some interest in yesterdays carcass location although they never landed. Eventually we picked up an approaching dark bird which turned, showing the pale patagial line and pale tipped body feathers with underwing coverts and body as dark as the flight feathers, clearly Ruppell's Vulture. From the photos the serrated edge to the hindwing were clearly juvenile feathers with some fresh looking inner primaries suggesting it's probably a second calendar year.

Ruppell's Vulture - probably second calendar year

As we continued to check the vultures another dark bird passed overhead. Initially I thought that this was probably a Ruppell's also but on checking the photos it lacks the distinct pale patagial line and the body and underwing coverts don't have the pale edges of the classic Ruppell's. Could this be a hybrid Ruppell's x Griffon Vulture? I did find a photo of one in Israel in July/Aug 2014 but that would presumably be the east African race of Ruppell's, erlangeri, which is a much paler bird in any case.

Possible hybrid Griffon x Ruppell's Vulture

Still looking closely at the vultures, a wing tagged Griffon came by then another darkish Griffon so perhaps the bird above is just a dark Griffon?

Griffon Vulture wing-tagged

Griffon Vulture - a dark probably second calendar year

Mick Cunningham, a friend from the UK who had been out for a week already, arrived a little later but the Griffons were then distant dots over the hillside. Small numbers of raptors continued to pass including at least 3 juvenile Montagu's Harriers and a single Black Stork plus several parties of Bee-eater and Pallid Swift. Mick had mentioned a spot with several Black-eared Wheatear on the outskirts of town so I went looking for that them in the afternoon, stopping at the start of the Santuario de la Luz road on the way. I had nice views of a juvenile Woodchat Shrike here and less good views of a Melodious Warbler but couldn't find the wheatear spot.

Woodchat Shrike - juvenile moulting to 1st winter

The following morning I started at the fields bordering the beach at Los Lances.

Short-toed Lark - juvenile

Tawny Pipit - moulting adult

At least 8 Short-toed Larks were feeding in the fields plus 4 Tawny Pipits and several dozen 'flava' wagtails which were presumably Iberian Yellow Wagtails but none came close enough to confirm. There were a few waders; single Bar-tailed Godwit and small flocks of Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin with a scattering of Kentish Plover on the beach.
I finally found Mick's La Pena area which was at km 78.5 not km 76.5 as I had thought. I think the area is actually Valle del Santuario. Whatever its called it was good for wheatears with at least 5 Black-eared and two Northern Wheatears during several visits during the week. The group included 2 dark throated and a pale throated adult males, a 1st winter male pale throated and 1st winter female. So provided a great opportunity for a close look at this difficult to identify species and western race.

Black-eared Wheatear - adult male pale throated form

Black-eared Wheatear - adult male dark throated form

Black-eared Wheatear - 1st winter male pale throated form

Black-eared Wheatear - female, difficult to age (also two photos below of same bird)

The wind stayed in the west for the next 5 days until the 10th when it shifted 180º overnight to a force 5 easterly with low cloud over the hills. Until the wind shifted there had been a steady migration of raptors; Honey Buzzards, Black Kites and Short-toed and Booted Eagles numbering several hundred of each per day plus a handful of Montagu's Harriers and other migrants like Black and White Storks and Bee-eaters. On the 9th a distant imm Bonelli's Eagle was seen to stoop at a Black Stork and then follow a flock of White Storks but without further action.

Bonelli's Eagle, probably 2cy below a flock of White Stork

On the morning of the 10th the wind moved round to a force 5 easterly with low cloud over the mountains and raptors appeared to be circling along the coast with no clear destination. Several hundred Black Kite were blogging around the Trafico watchpoint with more visible to the east all remaining close to the coast. In strong winds I decided to have a look in the sheltered trees by the nearby Migres offices. I soon found Bonelli's Warbler and several Garden Warblers and Blackcap with single Common Redstart and an Iberian Chiffchaff that sang briefly.

Coastal path below Trafico with Morocco in the distance

The following morning in what was perhaps a gusting force 6 easterly the coast was fairly cloud free but there was heavy cloud immediately inland. There were perhaps 500 Black Kite attempting to fly east but many were landing on the hillside close to Trafico presumably waiting for the wind to subside.

Black Kites resting from the strong easterly wind

Many birds continued to move slowly east, some coming very close to the watchpoint.

Black Kite adult left foreground with juv inset to right

After a couple of hours at Trafico we drove inland to Facinas and then drove down the Santuario de la Luz road. Large groups of raptors were following the line of the road heading towards the coast. Several hundred Honey Buzzard were counted but there must have been several times this number across the valley, and I only watched for about 45 mins so it could have been thousands during the day. There were also Short-toed and Booted Eagles but fewer Black Kites here.

Honey Buzzard - male

Short-toed Eagle at eye level

The following morning was our last in Tarifa, the wind was still strongly in the east but there was a dense cloud cover with low cloud over the mountains. I counted at least 200 Short-toed Eagles in 2 hours ( I understand the count for the 12th at Cazalla was 2000 Short-toed!) along with 100 Booted Eagles, at least 500 Black Kite, several hundred Honey Buzzard, 20 close Black Stork and 50 Egyptian Vulture. It was an amazing sight to see clouds of raptors circling low over Tarifa, a spectacular end to a great week at Tarifa.

Black Stork juvenile

Ronda to Motril

I left Ronda with the temperature at 3 degrees and arrived at the Charca de Suarez reserve near Motril at 24 degrees and a howling gale. On the way I stopped a couple of times in the mountains at Sierra de les Nieves for Southern Grey Shrike and a beautiful black-throated form of the hispanica race of Black-eared Wheatear, I had more Thekla Larks at the same spot.

Southern Grey Shrike

Black-eared Wheatear - dark throated form of Spanish race

Arriving at Charca de Suarez at mid-day I found the reserve closed, with some help from the local camping site I established that it opened at 17:30 for guided tours, it's otherwise closed on week days during March to May. Undeterred I decided to visit the Las Norias pools, which were about 70Km to the north. I could barely stand up with the wind and pulled on to some rough ground when I arrived only to find my parking spot was shared with a pair of Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover and a dozen Meadow Pipit. It looked like a wet area on the dried ground had dried up recently.

Little Stints - still in mainly winter plumage

The pools themselves didn't add much; a dozen Great-crested Grebe, several Red-crested Pochard and Shoveler and a few Black-headed Gulls - still no 'marsh' terns in sight.
I retuned to Charco  de Suarez. My primary reason for visiting this small reserve was to see Crested Coot, I had not found them at Huelva or La Rocio so this was my last chance. I was fairly confident of at least seeing them. In 2012 300 birds were released at various locations in Andalusia to support a dwindling population, 2 pairs were released at Charco and they had faired reasonably well raising young in the subsequent years.

Arriving at 17:30 I was joined by an enthusiastic Spaniard from the Basque country to the north a dutch pair, a couple from the UK and a mixed German/British pair. Only the UK couple appeared to be specifically interested in birds. Our guide was a local council official but fortunately, after a few minutes of background information on the reserve, we were released to explore as we pleased until 19:00. I dashed off for the hide which I thought had the best chance of Crested Coot, saw they could be seen closer from another hide and dashed round there. The other visitors were looking a bit bemused as they started there leisurely exploration of the reserve.
Never the less my luck was in. I saw three birds sporting fine neck collars indicating they were part of the release programme, another bird that did not which was presumably an off spring of the collared birds and two fluffy youngsters from this years brood. Can I count the un-collared bird as wild? Not too fussed, they gave great views and looked in fine condition.

Crested Coot

Whilst watching one bird I saw a Night Heron catch a large frog which it took about 10 minutes to finally swallow. 

Night Heron with frog

Nearby a Purple Gallinule was preening on the edge of the reeds and as it neared 19:00 several parties of Purple Heron, totalling about 30 birds dropped in to the reedbed, what a great little reserve this is. 

Purple Gallinule

Purple Heron - amazing markings!

If it had been open the following morning I would have been tempted to stay, since it wasn't I will be making a long drive up to the River Ebro delta south of Barcelona - home to around 70% of the World's Audouin's Gulls!