Featured Photograph: Western Bonelli’s Warbler
We spent one week in early May staying at the apartment and also near Cadiz. We had mixed weather with wind and rain showers later in the week. Winds were predominantly from the west for much of the time which meant that migrating raptors were mainly visible east of Algeciras and frequently visible from the balcony!
European Honey Buzzard migration was exceptional for the first few days with nearly 1,000 individuals recorded and several flying close to the apartment and up the river. A total of 142 bird species were recorded as well as a number of butterflies and orchids.
Highlights of the trip included a fantastic array of species. We saw a number of butterflies, including many Painted Ladies, Provence Orange Tips, Wall Browns, Speckled Woods, Spanish Festoons, Clouded Yellows, Meadow Browns, Bath Whites, Cleopatras, and Knapweed Fritillaries. We also recorded Yellow Bee Orchids. We recorded notable sightings such as Rufous Bushchat, 11 Marbled Ducks, White-headed Duck, Turtle Doves, and Red-necked Nightjar. Waterbirds and seabirds were well represented with Audouin’s Gull, Gull-billed Terns, Whiskered Tern, Cory’s Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwaters, Squacco Heron, and Purple Heron.
Raptors were a major feature of the week, with an incredible 969 European Honey Buzzards, 46 Booted Eagles, 7 Short-toed Snake Eagles, 3 Bonelli’s Eagles, 389 Black Kites, 13 Lesser Kestrels, and 2 Osprey. Other exciting highlights included 2 Eurasian Eagle-Owls, 40 European Bee-eaters, 2 Golden Orioles, and 8 Woodchat Shrikes.
Passerines and smaller birds were also plentiful, featuring 7 Crested Tits, 3 Thekla Larks, Western Olivaceous Warbler, 4 Western Bonelli’s Warblers, 2 Western Subalpine Warblers, 4 Blue Rock Thrushes, 2 Black Wheatears, 4 Rock Sparrows, 2 Rock Buntings, and 3 Cirl Buntings.
Curlew Sandpiper and Sanderling
Daily Sightings:
Date: Sunday, 3rd May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Balcony (late afternoon) and Alcaidesa Ridge (6:30 to 8:30 PM)
Balcony (late afternoon):
• Common Dolphin - 15
• Cory’s Shearwater - 6
• Balearic Shearwater - 12
• Common Sandpiper - 1
• Redshank - 7
• Sandwich Tern - 5
• Common Tern - 8
• Yellow-legged Gull - 40
• 200+ European Honey Buzzards
• Spotless Starling - 1
• Common Swift - 30Alcaidesa Ridge (6:30 to 8:30 PM):
• European Honey Buzzard - 350
• Black Kite - 40
• Marsh Harrier - 2
• Lesser Kestrel - 2
• Common Buzzard - 4
• Griffon Vulture - 2
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk - 2
• Short-toed Snake Eagle - 1
• European Bee-eater - 10
• Woodchat Shrike - 1
• Crested Lark - 2
• Sardinian Warbler - 2
• Common Nightingale - 6
• Zitting Cisticola - 1
Date: Monday, 4th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Balcony and Secret Plain
Balcony:
• European Honey Buzzard - 195
• Marsh Harrier - 1
• Audouin’s Gull - 19
• Sandwich Tern - 1
• Northern Gannet - 1
• Balearic Shearwater - 33Secret Plain:
• Northern Wheatear - 1
• European Bee-eater - 20
• Woodlark - 1
• Short-toed Snake Eagle - 1
• White Stork - 18Date: Tuesday, 5th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Balcony and the Reserve
Balcony:
• European Honey Buzzard - 19
• Osprey - 1
• Balearic Shearwater - 4
• Common Dolphin - 2Walk to the Reserve:
• Little Ringed Plover - 2
• Red-rumped Swallow - 1
• Marsh Harrier - 1
• Short-toed Treecreeper - 1
• Eurasian Reed Warbler - 6
• Grey Heron - 5
• Purple Heron - 1
• Glossy Ibis - 1Date: Thursday, 7th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Balcony and Punta Secretera (North of Algeciras)
Balcony:
• Balearic Shearwater - 38
• Caspian Tern - 1
• Grey Plover - 1
• Common Ringed Plover - 3
• Northern Gannet - 5Punta Secretera (North of Algeciras, 11:40 a.m.):
• Mediterranean Shag - 4
• Booted Eagle - 38
• Black Kite - 175
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk - 1
• Griffon Vulture - 61
• European Honey Buzzard - 12
• Pallid Swift - 4
• Audouin’s Gull - 7
Date: Friday, 8th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Laguna de Medina
• Red-crested Pochard - 18
• White-headed Duck - 2
• European Turtle Dove - 4
• Yellow-legged Gull - 12
• Gull-billed Tern - 5
• Black-necked Grebe - 47
• White Stork - 1
• Glossy Ibis - 3
• Great White Egret - 1
• Booted Eagle - 1
• Western Marsh Harrier - 3
• Eurasian Hoopoe - 1
• European Bee-eater - 2
• Melodious Warbler - 1
• Garden Warbler - 1
• Spotless Starling - 2
• Common Waxbill - 2Date: Saturday, 9th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Trebujena
Trebujena (first visit):
• Pallid Swift - 2
• Glossy Ibis - 1
• Black Kite - 2
• Lesser Kestrel - 1
• Woodchat Shrike - 1
• Zitting Cisticola - 3
• Red-rumped Swallow - 2
• Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin - 1Trebujena (second visit):
• Marbled Duck - 4
• Common Swift - 1
• Black-winged Stilt - 20
• Pied Avocet - 4
• Grey Plover - 61
• Common Ringed Plover - 10
• Little Stint - 3
• Little Tern - 7
• Greater Flamingo - 24
• Eurasian Spoonbill - 4
• Black Kite - 3Date: Sunday, 10th May 2026
Site(s) Visited: Desembocadura del Guadalhorce
• Marbled Duck - 7
• Red-crested Pochard - 2
• White-headed Duck - 4
• Pallid Swift - 15
• Black-winged Stilt - 19
• Pied Avocet - 11
• Common Ringed Plover - 16
• Little Ringed Plover - 2
• Kentish Plover - 2
• Common Sandpiper - 1
• Common Redshank - 3
• Sanderling - 10
• Dunlin - 2
• Little Stint - 1
• Slender-billed Gull - 17
• Little Tern - 4
• Whiskered Tern - 5
• Greater Flamingo - 18
• Black-necked Grebe - 2
• Squacco Heron - 1
• Eurasian Hoopoe - 1
• Monk Parakeet - 19
• Sand Martin - 1
• Iberian Chiffchaff - 2
• Sardinian Warbler - 5
• Common Nightingale - 4
• European Serin - 16
