andujar and tarifa - Speyside Wildlife

ANDUJAR AND TARIFA
“This is a fabulous week,
stacked with birds, mammals
and butterflies. It is one of
those holidays where something
unexpected could easily turn
up, from Lesser Crested Tern
or Bonelli’s Eagle, to Egyptian
Mongoose or European Chameleon!”
Julian Sykes
Dates
Sat 30 Sep - Sat 7 Oct 2017
Price
£1,695
Deposit £300
Single Supp £150
Two-centre holiday, with a fabulous selection of Spain’s
special birds, plus an excellent mammal list including Ibex,
Mouflon, dolphins and Iberian Lynx
Iberian Lynx - the world’s most endangered cat
Boat trip for shearwaters, dolphins and perhaps Pilot Whale
Spanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Black-shouldered Kite
Excellent two centre accommodation in very different areas
Azure-winged Magpie, Bald Ibis, White-rumped Swift
Otter, Spanish Ibex, Wild Boar, Mouflon
Beautiful rugged scenery in unspoiled Spain
Leaders Julian Sykes and Duncan Macdonald
Flights Easyjet, scheduled. Speedy boarding
and extra legroom included
Outbound: Morning, Gatwick-Malaga
Inbound: Afternoon, Malaga-Gatwick
Weather Probably a mixture of sun and showers
(10°-30°C), warmer in lowland areas, but can be cool in the mountains
Walking There will be some short easy walks on level paths, slightly rockier in the mountains
Meals All included from dinner on Day 1
to lunch on Day 8
Insects Biting insects are rarely a problem,
but repellant may be useful
Accom Double, twin & single rooms all ensuite
Group 7
Just some of what we hope to see:
Iberian Lynx
Wild Boar
Fallow Deer
European Otter
Mouflon
Greater Mouse-eared Bat
Bottlenose Dolphin
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Cory’s Shearwater
Black-necked Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Squacco Heron
Black Stork
Northern Bald Ibis
White-headed Duck
Black Vulture
Ruppell’s Vulture
Golden Eagle
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Short-toed Eagle
Black Kite
Lesser Kestrel
Black-winged Kite
Stone Curlew
Audouin’s Gull
Caspian Tern
Hoopoe
Red-necked Nightjar
White-rumped Swift
Southern Grey Shrike
Blue Rock Thrush
1
Arriving at Malaga Airport, we drive west to our
first hotel near Tarifa, one of the main staging
posts for migration across the Mediterranean.
2-3
The first half of the day will be spent at one
of the raptor watch points overlooking
the Straits of Gibraltar. Residual numbers of birds are
still passing through, with Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture
Short-toed and Booted Eagle, Sparrowhawk and
Honey Buzzard being a distinct possibility. We shall
also keep a careful eye on the local Griffon Vultures
as we could be lucky to find one of the much
rarer Ruppell’s amongst them. After lunch we take
a boat cruise for cetaceans and seabirds. We have
excellent opportunities for Bottlenose and Common
Dolphins, plus a chance of Long-finned Pilot Whale,
which occur on an annual basis. Shearwaters such as
Cory’s (Scopoli’s) and Balearic should be still passing
through the straits, along with Great and Arctic Skuas,
which can seen harrying the gulls and terns for food.
Once we are back on land, we shall spend the final
part of the afternoon at Los Lances Beach. This is
fantastic salt-marsh, where many waders, gulls and
terns congregate, along with a chance of Whinchat,
Northern Wheatear and Tawny Pipit just inland.
A day will be spent visiting La Janda - a vast expanse
of waterways and flooded paddyfields that holds
hundreds of White Storks, with smaller numbers
of Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill and an outside chance of
Great White Egret. Raptors include the beautiful
Black-shouldered Kite, which can be seen in small
parties hunting over the fields. There are plenty of
Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, (including the rare
melanistic form), as well as the occasional eagle,
with both Bonelli’s and Spanish Imperial Eagles seen
Short-toed Treecreeper
Sardinian Warbler
Azure-winged Magpie
Spanish Sparrow
Hawfinch
Rock Bunting
Two-tailed Pasha
enquiries@speysidewildlife.co.uk | 01479 812498
www.speysidewildlife.co.uk
“Raptor migration, cetaceans and seabirds alongside the boat, wetlands full of waterbirds such as
herons, egrets, ibis and flamingos, the last remnants of true Mediterranean forest and a chance of
the rarest cat in the world - Iberian Lynx!” Julian Sykes
here previously. In the afternoon we shall drive the
short distance to the Barbate Estuary. There may
be a Caspian Tern standing amongst the many
Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed
Gulls, Common and Sandwich Terns. The pools hold
good numbers of returning waders such as Curlew,
Wood and Green Sandpipers, Little Stints, Ruff,
Spotted Redshanks and a Spanish scarcity, Red Knot.
The grassy coast holds Spain’s only colony of Bald Ibis,
which were re-introduced a few years ago.
4
Today we travel to the Sierra de Andujar –
a complete contrast to the first half of the
week. After breakfast we set off over the Montes
de Malaga to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra and
Laguna Dulce. Here we may see large numbers of
Greater Flamingo, along with a selection of wildfowl,
waders, herons and egrets. The surrounding olive
groves and cultivated fields hold Stone Curlew, larks,
pipits and occasionally Little Bustard if we’re lucky.
Late afternoon we shall arrive at our hotel in this unique
habitat of Stone Pine, Mastic, Cork and Holm Oak.
Our rooms have balconies or terraces overlooking
deciduous woodland, with the mountains towering
beyond. Birds around the hotel gardens include
Azure-winged Magpies, Short-toed Treecreeper,
Firecrest and Nuthatch. Once we have settled in, we
shall make our first visit to one of the several viewing
areas, in the hope of finding an Iberian Lynx.
5-7
Three full days will be spent in the Sierra
de Andujar, a contrasting region with
some of the best representations of Mediterranean
Forest still surviving in Europe. The area forms
part of the Sierra Morena Mountains and has a
landscape of hills and mountains formed from
granite, quartz and slate, which is bordered by two
rivers - the Jandula and the Yeguas. Yet another of
Andalusia’s hidden treasures of a Natural Park; it is
home to the elusive and highly endangered Iberian
Lynx, of which only 150 or so remain in the wild.
We shall spend every early morning and late afternoon
searching for this secretive animal, from strategic
points around the Sierra. The rest of the time will be
spent walking and driving the roads and tracks within
the Reserve, along with time to relax in the afternoon
around the hotel complex before our evening vigil.
This Natural Park is also home to the magnificent
Spanish Imperial Eagle and many other soughtafter raptors including Golden Eagle, Black Vulture,
Goshawk and Peregrine. The tranquil rivers,
separating a series of reservoirs, with dramatic dam
walls that attract Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and
Crag Martin, with Otters fishing the river below, will
be in marked contrast to the lush vegetation of the
rest of the trip. Everywhere we look there will be
Azure-winged Magpies, Short toed Treecreepers,
Firecrests, Nuthatches and Crested Tits.
8
After breakfast we shall set off for Malaga
Airport and if there is time, will visit the nearby
Rio Guadalhorce Nature Reserve, which can be an
excellent coastal migrant trap, as well as home to
many waterbirds, with Black-necked Grebe, Purple
Heron and White-headed Duck all possible. We shall
then head to the airport, just 10 minutes away, for our
flight home.
Outline Itinerary
Day 1 Fly to Malaga and transfer to our first base in Tarifa
3 nights Meson de Sancho
Days 2-3 Birdwatching and wildlife
exploration in the marshes, coastline and other habitats around Tarifa,
including a cetacean boat trip
in the Straits of Gibraltar
Day 4 Drive overland to Sierra de Andujar Natural Park, stopping enroute at the Lagunas Dulce and Fuente
de Piedras
4 nights at Los Pinos Apartments
Days 5-7 Birdwatching and wildlife exploration of Sierra de Andujar with a focus on finding the incredibly rare
Iberian Lynx
Day 8 Transfer to Malaga for return flight
to Gatwick, stopping enroute for birding at Rio Guadalhorce Nature Reserve if time allows
Julian Sykes: Iberian Lynx, Spanish Imperial Eagle,
Bald Ibis, Simon Eaves: Greater Flamingo
Mary Braddock: Azure-winged Magpies
Mike Hems: Jandula Reservoir
www.speysidewildlife.co.uk
01479 812498 | enquiries@speysidewildlife.co.uk