Trip Report: Costa Almeria (Spain), April 15-22, 1997

Dear friends,

Being back from guiding a birding-trip (15.04-22.04.97) to Costa Almeria - Andalusia - Spain, I would like to give you some information on this very good birding place. This birding-trip for the Ornithological Society De Wielewaal was organised by the travel-agency Ro-Travel (ro.travel.twk@ping.be) located in Sint Genesius Rode (Belgium).

An ideal place to stay is Hotel Sabinal / Urb. Roquetas de Mar. You can contact the reception (Kazimiero or Paco) or the direction (Antonio Magan) on tel. (9) 50.33.36.00 or fax (9) 50.33.35.33. These people are very helpful. I gave the director a Spanish birdbook. He promised to learn 10 birds daily :-)

The hotel is situated in the center, although you can find Hoopoe (U. epops) early in the morning around the swimming-pool. Just go out by the garden and do some sea-watching. This resulted for us in several Cory's Shearwater (C. diomedea) and Mediterranean Shearwater (P. yelkouan). Every day we saw also see Northern Gannet (M. bassanus), Little Tern (S. albifrons), Common Tern (S. hirundo), Sandwich Tern (S. sandvicensis). Special was on 21.04 the Razorbill (A. torda). Walking around in the center you can find easy Sardinian Warbler (S. melanocephala), even already with young birds, Hoopoe (U. epops) and passing over groups of Little Egret (E. garzetta). We saw on 16.04 a group of 36!

Hereby some of the most 'special' observations during the excursions made to:

• Paraje Natural de Roquetas - Punta Entinas - Sabinar: only 20 min. from the hotel and good birding areas (desert-like places, some water and reed, salinas, dunes, beach,...). To be short: a place to go for several days.

  Night Heron (N. nycticorax), Little Egret (E. garzetta), Grey Heron (A. cinerea), Purple Heron (A. purpurea), Greater Flamingo (P. ruber), Shelduck (T. tadorna), Red-crested Pochard (N. rufina), White-headed Duck (O. leucocephala) several also with young, Marsh Harrier (C. aeruginosus), Kentish Plover (C. alexandrinus), Little Stint (C. minuta), Dunlin (C. alpina), Ruff (P. pugnax), Spotted Redshank (T. erythropus), Redshank (T. totanus), Greenshank (T. nebularia), Wood Sandpiper (T. glareola), Black-winged Stilt (H. himantopus), Avocet (R. avosetta), Stone Curlew (B. oedicnemus), Pratincole (G. pratincola), Mediterranean Gull (L. melanocephalus), Little Gull (L. minutus), Black-headed Gull (L. ridibundus), Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus), Yellow-legged Gull (L. cachinnans), Audouin's Gull (L. audouinii) even four colour-ringed, Black Tern (C. niger), Bee-eater (M. apiaster), Short-eared Owl (A. flammeus), Hoopoe (U. epops), Short-toed Lark (C. brachydactyla), Lesser Short-toed Lark (C. rufescens), Calandra Lark (M. calandra), Crested Lark (G. cristata), Thekla Lark (G. theklae), Woodchat Shrike (L. senator), Great Grey Shrike (L. excubitor), Sardinian Warbler (S. melanocephala), Subalpine Warbler (S. cantillans), Fan-tailed Warbler or Zitting Cisticola (C. juncidis), Black-eared Wheatear (O. hispanica), Black Wheatear (O. leucura), Spanish Sparrow (P. hispaniolensis), Spotless Starling (S. unicolor), Golden Oriole (O. oriolus).

Several other excursions have been made - in target of specific birds:

• Las Amoladeras (from Almeria, take the road to Cabo de Gata, after Retamar, along the road you will see Mirador and Centro Visitantes, follow the track).

  Most of the already mentioned Larks and Warblers. Additional: Peregrine (F. peregrinus), Black-bellied Sandgrouse (P. orientalis), Great Spotted Cuckoo (C. glandarius), Bee-eater (M. apiaster), Hoopoe (U. epops), Woodchat Shrike (L. senator), (Mediterranean) Great Grey Shrike (L. e. meridionalis), Pied Flycatcher (F. hypoleuca), Spotted Flycatcher (M. striata), Whinchat (S. rubetra), Black-eared Wheatear (O. hispanica).

• Paraje Natural Cabo de Gata - Nijar (the same as above, just continue towards Punta Cabo de Gata and Punta Negra). We saw over the sea several Cory's Shearwater (C. diomedea) and Mediterranean Shearwater (P. yelkouan). This rocky area, the driest place of Spain (150 mm. rain/year), just raises out of the sea. Several Black-eared Wheatear (O. hispanica) and even more Black Wheatear (O. leucura). The best was a Rufous Bush Chat (C. galactotes) at about 30m. Also very good were two Scorpions !

  In the afternoon we visited the Salinas Cabo de Gata: the same birds as in the Salinas close to Roquetas were found but as extra Roller (C. garrulus) and very good sightings of Stone Curlew (B. oedicnemus).

• Paraje El Desierto, near to Tabernas (take the parking from Mini-Hollywood, but go left up to Cerro del Orro (1197m.). Very desert-like area (some spaghetti-movies like Once upon the time in the West have been made here).

  Birding-result: Golden Eagle (A. chrysaetos), Rock Dove (C. livia), Red-rumped Swallow (H. daurica), Blue Rock Trush (M. solitarius), Crag Martin (H. rupestris).

  We had some time left to go to the Ramblas (dry riverbed) of Tabernas.

• Sierra Alhamilla (6 km. east from Nijar) and the NW-surroundings Nijar-village.

  Some of our observations: Red-legged Partridge (A. rufa), Nightingale (L. megarhynchos), Sardinian Warbler (S. melanocephala), Subalpine Warbler (S. cantillans), Woodchat Shrike (L. senator) and incoming migration from Bee-eater (M. apiaster).

• Paraje Natural Cabo de Gata - Nijar (the same as above, only just out of Retamar turn right direction Ermitage de Torregarcia).

  Along the beach some migration of Turnstone (A. interpres), Sanderling (C. alba), Curlew (M. arquata), Whimbrel (N. phaeopus). Due to the rainy weather Swift (A. apus) was flying very low. This gave us the occasion to observe several Pallid Swift (A. pallidus). In the afternoon we made a visit of the Alcazba, a high situated fortress. Worth to visit as a cultural aspect, for the birders we had very good (being higher) view of Pallid Swift (A. pallidus) and a male Subalpine Warbler (S. cantillans).

If you want to visit this area - just do it - , you can always mail raes.dirk@pi.be for more info.

Return to trip reports.