Last April and May we were fortunate to run a tailor-made trip throughout Spain. We covered emblematic areas, such as Sierra de Gredos, Monfragüe and Doñana National Park, among others. This was, admittedly, a beautiful and fun trip, specially because the scenery looked spectacular after the copious rains in March and April. We designed this…

Under suboptimal weather conditions, like strong crosswind and rain showers, the narrow sea crossing that separates Africa from Europe at the Strait of Gibraltar may present a major obstacle to migrating raptors. This is particularly true for the Eurasian Griffon, the largest soaring migrant in the area. In fact, the mere 14.5 Km that separate…

In early May the Honey Buzzard play the leading role in the raptor migration in the Strait of Gibraltar. This is, no doubt, among the most celebrated and awaited periods for international birders and nature enthusiast visiting Tarifa. Thousands of this otherwise rather secretive and forest-dwelling raptors will cross the ocean between Africa and Europe…

Spring has just begun! On this post we will tell you about 6 great birding hotspots when visiting Tarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar in this great season. To give you an idea of what’s possible we list some suggestions about what to do in a day, and what you should expect to see. 6 Birding…

MIGBird Tarifa 2018 “Welcome to migratory birds” starts tomorrow, March 19th, at the Cazalla Bird Observatory! Birding The Strait will be opening the event with the first presentation at 10:00. Tarifa Town Hall, in collaboration with local companies and NGOs, has arranged an extensive program of activities. These include excursions, educational activities for children, photo…

The fur of the Iberian Lynx shows a striking variation. It ranges from thickly spotted orangey phenotypes to rather stripped greyish individuals. There are also a wide range of intermediates. As a result of the dramatic decline that the species suffered during the previous century, some variations disappeared from certain populations. In Doñana, for instance,…

The Booted Eagle is one of the most representative raptor species in the Strait of Gibraltar. It is a medium sized raptor of powerful flight whose migration has received low attention by the scientific community. However, this has changed with the recent publication of a comprehensive monograph: “Migration and spatial ecology of the Spanish population…

During the third week of January we organized a scouting trip to Sierra Morena (Córdoba, Andalusia) with our friend and raptor identification authority Dick Forsman. Our main target was to observe large eagles. Also, to get a first-hand experience on the performance of especially dedicated wildlife photography hides. Photographing from hides in Sierra Morena Working…

Birding in late Autumn in Tarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar can be quite amazing. In fact, late October and November are arguably the most complete birding months. Griffon Vulture Migration It is in this time of the year when the Griffon Vulture migration is at its best, with over 900 Griffons (including one Rüppell´s) thermalling together this morning in…