From reports drifting back to me it looks as if most have seen some wonderful birds down at Tarifa/La Janda including a Long-legged Buzzard spotted by Peter Jones - or was it a Steppe Buzzard? Similarly, Steve Powell went down with his new camera and he has some wonderful shots on the Facebook page so give it a visit. Once again, my sincere thanks to my friends for sharing their birding experience with us.
Tarifa Group day 3rd September 2016
Another very blustery day 31km winds
As we drove down from Algeciras to Lidl's meeting point we pulled into the new SEO viewpoint - just prior to the Tarifa turn and saw Black Kites, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, good numbers of Barn Swallows and House Martins, Jackdaws and a Collard Dove.
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| Distant Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright) |
At the car park we located a male and female Montagu´s Harrier quartering the waste ground to the left of Lidls, Bee-eaters, more Black Kites and Booted Eagles were noted in the distance, while in the foreground a pair of Stonechats and a group of House Sparrows were feeding.
After meeting up we returned to the new SEO viewpoint, whereupon we saw more of the previous mentioned birds plus very good views of Honey Buzzards as they flew no more than a hundred yards away from us in the small valley below, also a couple of Egyptian Vultures used the same route as well as across the other side of the valley some 500 yards away.
A nice surprise was - courtesy of Peter Jones who watched the bird land - a Long-legged Buzzard, which I believe every one in the party saw.
Hundreds of Black Kites, Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzards and Egyptian Vultures passed by us during our stay, as well as three Sparrowhawks and a few Short-toed Eagles. In the distance well beyond the wind turbines we located a few Griffon Vultures which come a tad closer before we left.
Then off to the cafe for coffee and while the group went to La Janda, Jenny and I went back to the marshes close to Barbate. Here we found one Bald Ibis on perched on a telegraph pole, while on the islands Audouin´s, Black-headed, Yellow-legged, Herring and one Lesser Black-backed Gull, a single Sanderling and a Kentish Plover. A few Bee-eaters were noted here also.
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| Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright) |
From here we went down to the Barbate roundabout and under the road bridge, where we located Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstones, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers. Further out on the mud flats we spotted Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls and in a small pool, a lone Slender-billed Gull. A few Common Swifts were about as well as Red-rumped and Barn Swallows, also two House Martins.
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| Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright) |
We decided to call it a day and headed for home.
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| Slender-billed Gull Larius genel (PHOTO: Jenny Wainwright) |
Thanks John; a great report and especially jealous re the Long-legged Buzzard.
There is no SEO viewing point at Tarifa. The remodelled entry and exit to the Cazalla watch point, to which I presume you refer, is used by Cigüeña Negra and Migres.
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