Birding from the apartment

The apartment overlooks the first freshwater reedbeds and estuary on the Mediterranean coast north of Gibraltar. Being on a major migration path it is possible to see an amazing range of species throughout the year. The balcony looks south to Gibraltar and Morocco and allows views of the river mouth, shoreline, mountains, and sea.

Apart from a number of rarities including Royal Tern, Lesser Crested Terns, and Franklin’s Gull, species of interest include: Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Night Heron, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Garganey, Osprey, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Marsh, Hen and Montagu’s Harrier, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzard, Collared Pratincole, a wide variety of Waders, 3 Skua species, Slender-billed and Audoin’s Gull (regular on sand spit), Gull-billed, Caspian, Whiskered and Black Terns, Auks including Puffin on passage, Red- necked Nightjar, Bee- Eater, Hoopoe, White-rumped Swift,Short-toed Lark, Red- rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Woodchat Shrike, Black- eared Wheatear, Rufous Bushchat, Nightingale, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Great Reed Warbler, Bluethroat, Penduline Tit, Subalpine and Dartford Warblers, and Wryneck.

With a telescope, it is often possible to get good views from the balcony of Shearwaters on migration as well as Dolphins and the occasional Whale. There are Logbooks in the apartment.