I had flights left over from a failed attempt to twitch the Duncansby Head Moltoni's Warbler a few weeks earlier, so
decided to switch them to Bristol–Malaga for a short break in southern Spain instead.
A small number of target lifers and Western Pal ticks awaited, and planning was
aided mightily by John Cantelo’s excellent online guide to birding Cadiz
province and nearby areas – see https://birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/
– plus additional info from John and from Cliff Smith.
Monday 25 June
The early morning flight arrived at Malaga airport late and
picking up the hire car took ages, so it was 1130 before I started the 200km-plus
drive to Vejer de la Frontera. The journey was uneventful other than 2 Monk
Parakeets near the airport and occasional Spotless Starlings and Crested Larks.
The prime target for today was Northern Bald Ibis (or
Waldrapp) at the well-known roadside colony at Barca de Vejer, but when I
arrived mid-afternoon, no sign! Presumably they had finished breeding. No sign
either in fields between Barbate and Zahara de los Atunes, but plenty of
swifts, including several Pallids and at least one Little Swift showing close
and well. No swifts, however, near the lighthouse at Atlanterra, just good
views of 3 Red-rumped Swallows, a Sardinian Warbler, and 2 or 3 Monarch
butterflies. As I drove back out of Atlanterra, thinking that things were not
going well, a single small, attenuated swift whizzed across – White-rumped! (I later found out from John that I had been very lucky to connect here, as they are not as regular at this site as they used to be.) I
tried the famous Cuevo del Moro at Bolonia in the hope of better views, but no
joy; I did, however, add Alpine Swift, 2 Blue Rock Thrushes, and several
Griffon Vultures. Back to Barca de Vejer, hoping that the ibises would come in
to roost, and there they were – 8 of them! A contender for ugliest bird in the
world, but globally rare, and quite bizarre (and wonderful) to see them just
above a busy road.
Vejer is a classic Spanish hilltop town – white buildings
and a maze of narrow, often one-way streets. The Hostal La Posada (basic but
comfortable, and unbeatable value at €25 per night) was easily accessible from
the west, however. After checking in it was straight back out again the same
way for the short drive north-east to Cantarranas, noting an occupied White
Stork nest on the church there as I headed towards the olive groves. I didn’t
see Black-winged Kite (normally easy there, apparently, though it was close to dusk and I probably didn't go far enough to be in the best spot), but I got good views
of Iberian Green Woodpecker and then, as dusk fell, the main target –
Red-necked Nightjar (three flight views, including one virtually overhead, and I
heard several others). It turned out to be a good day after all.
Tuesday 26 June
A quick look back at Barca de Vejer at 0700 showed only one
Waldrapp left on the cliffs, though another was circling. Next stop was Laguna
de Medina, about 45 minutes’ drive north. I spent longer than planned here (c.
90 minutes), but it worked out very well, with good views of 4 Western
Olivaceous Warblers, and plenty of Reed Warblers (a recent paper assigns Iberian
birds to African Reed Warbler rather than European, so technically a Western
Pal tick for me). Nightingales, Crested Larks, Sardinian Warblers, and Zitting
Cisticolas were singing continually, and a gravelly Great Reed Warbler sang
from a reed head, though the calling Stone Curlews remained invisible. From the
hide I scoped the wildfowl on the lake, especially the coots, and was rewarded
with one that, though distant, had a squared-off shield and red bumps on the crown
– Crested Coot! (Again, a bit lucky, as they have been much scarcer at this once nailed-on site in recent years.) Several White-headed Ducks and Black-necked Grebes too, plus a
drake Ferruginous Duck, and on the walk back a male Common Waxbill showed well perched
on a reed.
It was another hour’s drive north to Los Palacios y Villafranca,
and the morning was wearing away when I arrived at Laguna de la Mejorada. The
lagoon held lots of herons (including Squacco), single Little and Whiskered
Terns, and a very close Red-rumped Swallow. My main target here, though, was
Rufous Bush Chat, and I found a pair nest-building in a bush close to the track
– sumptuous views, though I didn’t stay long for fear of causing too much disturbance.
Besides, the next stop was just west of Los Palacios at the fantastic Brazo del
Este, where I ended up spending several hours. It was an extraordinary
spectacle, with astonishing numbers of Black-winged Stilts, Glossy Ibises, and
Whiskered Terns, various herons (including several Purples and a male Little
Bittern), 2 Caspian Terns, several Collared Pratincoles hawking over nearby
fields, and many Western Swamphens. Two introduced African weavers have also established
populations here, and I got great views of several Black-headed Weavers and a
fine male Yellow-crowned Bishop.
Leaving mid-afternoon, I headed south towards Sanlucar de
Barrameda via Lebrija. It took ages to find the right way along a maze of gravel
tracks and poor tarmac roads, but at last I did it. Relief! It was already 5pm,
though, by the time I reached the Bonanza Pools. More brilliantly close
views of White-headed Ducks here, but I failed again on Marbled Duck, the last
lifer target available. One last site to try, Las Portugueses saltpans, but
time was running on and the short drive north through Algaida Pines (itself an
interesting site which I had no time to explore) seemed to take forever, not
helped by the many speed bumps. At last I got there, only to find the first
pool virtually dry! Disaster, or so I thought. Several Gull-billed Terns showed
very well by the sluice, but…
A short drive further on, the second pool had much more
water, lots of Greater Flamingos, and 20 exquisite Slender-billed Gulls. Almost
out of time, I was still determined to enjoy scoping these beauties. Then I
noticed a pale duck way over at the back - Marbled Duck! Even better, it had at
least a dozen ducklings in tow. Then I noticed another, also with a large brood
(14 this time), much closer. At 1900 I dragged myself away, arriving at my
overnight stop at Mollina just before 2200. A fantastic day’s birding,
celebrated with a cerveza grande or two.
Wednesday 27 June
I said goodbye at 0700 to the Hotel Molino de Saydo (highly
recommended – great old building, good rooms and food, and very friendly,
helpful staff). A short drive later I was at Laguna de Fuente de Piedra – the sheer
spectacle of hundreds of Greater Flamingos, Black-winged Stilts, and breeding Gull-billed
Terns is worth it in itself, and there were plenty of passerines too (Western
Olivaceous Warbler, Nightingale, ‘Iberian’ Yellow Wagtail, Corn Bunting, etc.).
The prime target here, though, was Lesser Flamingo, a Western Pal tick for me –
regular at this site now, and I knew up to 3 had been seen recently. Two good
sets of scope views, possibly of the same bird, in the near corner of the
lagoon left of the viewpoint behind the visitor centre, and thankfully no
issues with heat haze that early in the morning.
By 0900 it was time to pack up the scope, use the automatic car
wash in the nearby village of Humilladero to avoid any extra charges for ‘more
than reasonable cleaning’, then drive the hour or so back to Malaga in time for
my lunchtime flight. I arrived back at Bristol airport at c.1430, happy with a
very successful short trip, including 4 lifers, 8 other Western Pal ticks, and
a host of wonderful birding experiences.
