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Costa de la Luz & Doñana |
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10 - 20 April 2007 |
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Observers: F. Simpson |
INTRODUCTION
This was my fourth trip on a university field course based around Zahara de los Atunes on the Costa de la Luz in southern Spain. Much of the time was spent around Zahara, Barbate and the Valle de Ojén in the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales. This report documents some of the northward spring migration of birds from North Africa into the European continent as well as the early butterflies and other rich wildlife of the area. Highlight was a day trip to the edge of the Northern Marismas in Doñana National Park. Previous Trip Reports: 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003
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HIGHLIGHTS
Lesser Crested Tern, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Black Stork, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Red-crested Pochard, Eurasian Black Vulture, Bonelli's Eagle, Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, Purple Swamp-hen, Little Bustard, Audouin's Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark, Azure-winged Magpie
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LITERATURE, REFERENCES & SITE GUIDES USED 1. Garcia, E. & Paterson, A. 1994. Where To Watch Birds in Southern Spain. Helm.
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ITINERARY
Day 01 10/04/07 London
Gatwick > Malaga > Algeciras > Tarifa > Zahara de los Atunes Day 11 20/04/07 Zahara
de los Atunes > Malaga > London
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Day
1
MALAGA
> ALGECIRAS > TARIFA > ZAHARA-DE-LOS-ATUNES VENTA
DEL RETIN - ZAHARA ROAD HOTEL
GRAN SOL, ZAHARA-DE-LOS-ATUNES
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Day
2
PLAYA
DE ZAHARA SMALL
ESTUARY ON THE EDGE OF ZAHARA (Km-9 on the Barbate > Zahara
road) SIERRA
DE RETIN (Military zone hillside viewed from roadside around
km-9 on the Barbate > Zahara road) BARBATE
> ZAHARA (Km-6) BARBATE
> ZAHARA (marsh near entrance to Ministero de Defensa) EL
ALMARCHAL
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Day
3
ZAHARA
DE LOS ATUNES > CONIL DE LA FRONTERA CORTIJO
LOS VILLARES, CONIL DE LA FRONTERA FARO
DE TRAFALGAR PINAR
DE LA BREÑA, PARQUE NATURAL ACANTILADO PINAR DE BARBATE
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Day
4
ZAHARA
> VALLE DE OJÉN ARROYO
DEL TIRADERO, VALLE DE OJÉN, PARQUE NATURAL DE LOS
ALCORNOCALES
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Day
5
PLAYA
DE ZAHARA ATLANTERRA
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Day
6
ZAHARA
> SEVILLA > EL ROCÍO, DOÑANA EL
ROCÍO, PARQUE NACIONAL DE DOÑANA LA
ROCINA
DRIVE
TO THE EDGE OF THE NORTHERN MARISMAS 1. Head out of El Rocio towards Almonte.
9.8 km Azure-winged Magpie 10.6 km Black-eared Wheatear 13.5 km Azure-winged Magpie (7), Woodchat Shrike. Wood Pigeon (2) over Stone Pine woodland 18.9 km Black Kite 20.0 km White Stork (6) 20.8 km Woodchat Shrike 21.6 km Tawny Pipit, Crested Lark 24.9 km Collared Pratincole flew over the road, White Stork nest
Gravel tracks to the Northern Marismas (odometer zeroed) Took the second track right (south toward the Valverde centre) before turning right and arriving at the ibis/heron/egret rookery from the east. 1.0 km Black Kite (7), Kestrel (3) 1.3 km Bee-eater (5+), Woodchat Shrike, White Stork (5 nests on farm buildings) 1.8 km Spoonbill, Little Egret 2.4 km White Stork (2) 4.9 km Quail calling 5.0 km Quail calling, first of many Blue-headed Wagtails 5.2 km Spoonbill, Grey Heron 5.4 km First of many Greater Short-toed Larks, Woodchat Shrike 6.1 km Woodchat Shrike 6.5 km Marsh Harrier 7.1 km Marsh Harrier (2) 7.6 km Swift sp. o/h, Woodchat Shrike 8.3 km Woodchat Shrike 8.8 km Woodchat Shrike 11.2 km Lesser Short-toed Lark 12.0 km Hoopoe 13.1 km Black Kite (2) 14.9 km Quail calling 15.2 km White Stork (31) soaring, Quail calling 16.0 km Woodchat Shrike 17.2 km Turtle Dove (2)
Lagoon at 17.5 km Black-winged Stilt (65+), Avocet (30+), Gull-billed Tern (10), Montagu's Harrier, Spoonbill, Quail, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, White Stork (57+), Zitting Cisticola, Corn Bunting, Redshank and Crested Lark.
Lagoon at 20.4 km Glossy Ibis (3), dozens of Black-winged Stilts and Avocets, Gull-billed Tern (2), White Stork (19), several Cattle and Little Egrets, Meadow Pipits passing overhead.
Lagoon at 22.5 km Greater Flamingo (32), Glossy Ibis (7), Slender-billed Gull (2 x 1st-cy), and Whiskered Tern (50+).
23.1 km Golden Oriole (m) resting on a fence in this wide-open treeless landscape 23.2 km Great Crested Grebe (3+ prs) 23.4 km Slender-billed Gull (3), Black-headed Gull (ad in breeding plumage) 23.5 km Greater Flamingo (120+) 24.0 km Raven, Griffon Vulture, Black Kite, Spoonbill 24.7 km Garganey (pr)
CENTRO
DE INTERPRETACION JOSE ANTONIO VALVERDE (CENTRO CERRADO GARRIDO) Gravel tracks to El Rocío (odometer zeroed at the Valverde visitor centre) Took the western track back, heading north. 0.5 km Gadwall (pr) 0.6 km Red-crested Pochard (5), Little Grebe (pr) 0.9 km Red-knobbed Coot (1), Marbled Duck (pr) 2.4 km Little Owl on the derelict building 2.7 km Marsh Harrier, Black Kite 3.5 km Gadwall (m) 4.1 km Woodchat Shrike 4.5 km Greater Flamingo (c200), Marsh Harrier 6.9 km Woodchat Shrike 8.2 km Bee-eater (6), Marsh Harrier, Common Sandpiper (2) 9.6 km Short-toed Eagle 10.6 km Black Stork at the roadside 12.1 km Spoonbill (4) feeding on roadside ditch 13.7 km Spoonbill, Little Egret 13.8 km Great Reed Warbler (several in phragmites strip), Black Kite, Mallard (pr) 15.7 km Black-winged Stilts nesting in dry scrape, Mallard (f + b/13) 15.8 km Kentish Plover in roadside scrape 17.5 km Greater Short-toed Lark (3) 19.0 km Lesser Short-toed Lark Bee-eater (10), Short-toed Eagle, Common Buzzard, Turtle Dove at the end of the gravel track.
Villamanrique to El Rocío Common Buzzard at Km-9, Black Kite at the El Rocío junction EL
ACEBUCHE Walked out to the hides: Red-crested Pochard (3), Eurasian Coot, Cetti's Warbler, Little Egret, Great Reed Warbler, Little Grebe, Mallard, Spoonbill, Great Tit, Spotless Starling, Azure-winged Magpie, White Stork, barn Swallow, Serin, Blackbird, Hoopoe singing, Bee-eater (10+), Southern Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Common Buzzard, EL
ROCÍO EL
ROCÍO > ALMONTE
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Day
7
ARROYO
DEL TIRADERO, VALLE DE OJÉN, PARQUE NATURAL DE LOS
ALCORNOCALES
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Day 8
LA
JANDA Further along the track: Short-toed Eagle, Black Kite (2), White Stork (10+), Grey Heron, Cetti's Warblers singing, Great Reed Warbler singing, Moorhens in the canal.
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Day 9
ZAHARA
DE LOS ATUNES PINAR
DE LA BREÑA, PARQUE NATURAL ACANTILADO PINAR DE BARBATE
Montagu's Harrier (2) flew in off the sea, Kestrel (pr), Nightingale and Wren singing from scrub at the base of the cliff, Serin (2 overhead), Blackbird, Crested Tit, Yellow-legged Gulls passing, another Montagu's Harrier overhead, Sardinian Warbler and Great Tit singing, Greenfinch (o/h), Barn Swallow (o/h). Torre del Tajo: Jackdaw (50+), Yellow-legged Gull (20+), Peregrine, Kestrel, Sardinian Warbler (2-3 singing mm), and Nightingale singing. CABO
TRAFALGAR MARISMAS
DE BARBATE
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Day
10
ZAHARA
DE LOS ATUNES > BARBATE PINAR
DE LA BREÑA: SENDERO TORRE DEL TAJO Trail to base of cliff (from road to Caños de Meca, take the 2nd car park on left, walk out towards cliff, turn right after c70m then take trail down, much gorse, broom, juniper): Nightingale, Sardinian Warbler and Wren singing, Kestrel, Yellow-legged Gulls passing, Moorish Geckos in abandoned building, Bee-eater, Jackdaw, Greenfinch, Blackbird, Turtle Dove, Painted Lady, Large White, Clouded Yellow, Spanish Festoon and Iberian Wall Lizard. MARISMAS
DE BARBATE
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Day
11
DRIVE
BACK TO MALAGA
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SPECIES LIST - COSTA DE LA LUZ 10-24 April 2007
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All photographs © 2007 F. S. Simpson Previous Trip Reports: 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003 Fraser's Birding Website · fssbirding.org.uk |