Dates: 13-19 September 2023
Price: £1,695 including estimated international flights £250 (single room supplement £200)
Deposit: £250
A relaxed trip to southern Spain to find exciting local specialties and see the spectacle of autumn migration in full swing. Our days will be kept flexible as the best sites for watching migrating raptors will vary depending on the weather conditions. We will spend time at the excellent raptor watching viewpoints and will also explore a nice range of habitats and sites in the area to ensure that we pick up a good selection of the bird life that this fascinating area has to offer.
The coast around Tarifa is a major flyway in the autumn for raptors and storks, as they funnel down to cross the Strait of Gibraltar at its narrowest point to the African continent. Thousands of birds can be on the move and we will visit a number of the manned watch points dotted along the coast, where it is often a case of where to look first! Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Booted Eagle and Short-toed Snake Eagle, European Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Western Marsh Harrier and Eurasian Sparrowhawk can all pass in very large numbers and Rüppell's Vulture is a possibility.
Of course, small birds are also on the move at this time of year and potentially anything could turn up along the coastal scrub and headlands. We will be on the lookout for Pallid Swift amongst the Common, and both White-rumped and Little have been recorded in the area. Visiting a range of habitats including freshwater lagoons, shallow estuary and salt pans, and the local rolling Cork Oak forests should help us to find the local sought-after species.
Highlights should include Black-winged Kite, Bonelli's Eagle, Greater Flamingo, White-headed Duck and Red-knobbed Coot. We should also see Mediterranean staples including European Bee-eater, Red-rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Audouin's Gull, Firecrest and Cirl Bunting. The temperature should be pleasantly warm at this time of year and the pace easy.
This tour is operated for Birdwatch and BirdGuides by Birdfinders who are fully compliant with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. Price includes economy flights between London and Malaga, all ground transport within Spain, accommodation in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities in a local hotel, a buffet breakfast, a packed lunch, dinner in local restaurants and services of the leader throughout. Excluded are alcoholic drinks, gratuities, insurance and items of a purely personal nature.
For more information or to make a reservation:
- Web: www.birdfinders.co.uk/tours/spain-tarifa.html
- Phone: +44 (0)1258 839066
- Email: birdfinders@aol.co.uk
