Autumn migration at the Strait of Gibraltar, Andalusia (Spain) is always spectacular, but this season has been truly historic. The Birding The Strait team has recorded an incredible run of rare birds, starting with the first-ever record of Levant Sparrowhawk for Spain, right here in Tarifa, followed soon after by a Cape Verde Shearwater off the Gulf of Cádiz—only the third record ever for continental Europe! Add sightings of Sperm Whales, an Elegant Tern, and even a Lesser Yellowlegs, and you get one of the most remarkable migration periods we’ve ever experienced in southern Spain.
We’ve been out almost every day, running birding day trips, tours for international operators, and private tailor-made tours, including one that crossed the Strait into Northern Morocco. The result? A season full of unforgettable wildlife encounters and world-class birding experiences.
A historic sighting in Tarifa: Levant Sparrowhawk, a first for spain
The excitement really peaked on 30 September, when our international birding group—joining the Raptor Migration and Cetaceans Tour led by Yeray Seminario—had the once-in-a-lifetime luck of spotting a Levant Sparrowhawk in Tarifa! This raptor is usually confined to Eastern Europe and the Balkans, with only a handful of records further west. The bird, most likely a second-year male, was photographed during one of the most impressive migration mornings of the season. You can see photos and details here: eBird checklist S276530738.
And as if that weren’t enough, the same group also had breathtaking views of three Sperm Whales right in the middle of the Strait—between two continents! Meanwhile, our team was busy across the region: Javi Elorriaga finished a week-long tour with a group of Danish birders, Nacho Barrionuevo wrapped up a 17-day cross-border trip in Northern Morocco with UK guests, and Fernando Gross, our youngest guide, made headlines of his own by finding a Lesser Yellowlegs in Barbate on 14 September—a rarity for Spain and an exciting addition to this already remarkable autumn.
Another rarity: Cape Verde Shearwater in the Gulf of Cádiz
Only 3 days later, on October 3, the excitement continued at sea. With calm conditions and golden light, Javi Elorriaga, Nacho Barrionuevo and Fernando Gross, set off on one of our pelagic birding trips in the Gulf of Cádiz, which we’ve been running since 2018, with a group of enthusiastic birders.
Not long after leaving the harbour, we spotted an Elegant Tern, a rare but increasingly regular visitor to the Andalusian coast. Then came the real highlight: our friend José Manuel Reyes found a Cape Verde Shearwater (Calonectris edwardsii) right beside the boat—only the third record for Spain and Europe (excluding the Canary Islands)! Even more impressively, José Manuel had also discovered the second record just weeks earlier in the nearby province of Huelva.
The Cape Verde Shearwater was soon joined by a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, another exceptional bird for southern Spain. The sea around us came alive with European and Wilson’s Storm-petrels, Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, Audouin’s Gulls, Common Terns, and several Great and Arctic Skuas.
You can read the full illustrated trip report here: eBird TripReport 417537.
Birding the Strait this autumn
With the first autumn rains falling in Tarifa and migration still in full swing, we’re continuing our daily birding trips and special tours through the Gulf of Cádiz, Doñana, and beyond. The Strait of Gibraltar remains one of the best places in Europe to experience the power of migration—where rare raptors, seabirds, and even whales cross paths between two continents.
— The Birding The Strait Team