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Spain - Almeria May 1995,

Sources of information

Where to watch birds in Southern and Western Spain Ernest Garcia and Andrew Paterson: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk The reprint and update of this excellent book have been long awaited. I have birded in this region of Spain many times and yet I still have much to learn, Garcia and Paterson are the experts. Where else in Europe can you see five species of swift in one day? Did you know that Ruppel's Griffon Vulture is now regular in part of the region? New sites have been added and access details thoroughly updated. Areas covered include birding hotspots such as Extremadura, Gibraltar and Ronda. A "must buy" if you are traveling to Southern Spain.

2. Almeria May 1988 12/5/88 to 26/5/88 by Robert Grimmond

This report was obtained from Steve Whitehouse prior to my visit, and proved very useful, with very detailed descriptions of sites and species seen. It scored over the previous book in that it was nice to read about the experiences of another birder on a family holiday, but it lacked one or two of the main sites, especially Canada de Las Norias. I have roughly followed the format in producing this report.

Maps

A wide selection of maps are available for the area, but the ones I used most where 1:50 000 of Roquetas de Mar (22-44) and Almeria (23-43) and also 1:300 000 Euro map of Costa del sol and Andalucia.

Site information

1. Salinas Viejas - Roquetas de Mar (Nature reserve)

This superb site consists of a large area of saltpans and scrubby ground about half a mile south west of Roquetas resort. The saltpans nearest the resort (i.e at the eastern end) held most water at the time of my visit and seemed quite deep. From reading other reports about the site, it appears that they were drier than usual at the time of my visit, and the amount of water present probably varies greatly. The site can be viewed quite well from the main road to the north, but to see it well it is necessary to take the track that runs along the southern edge of the salinas from Roquetas. There is also a small reedy pool at the side of this track which is well worth checking.

It is a good site for many species, but the star is probably Lesser short toed lark, which is a very common and easy to see species at this site. Most reports I have read state that they are seen well on the track, but I saw them best on the scrubby area between the salinas and the sea, where they often came within 10 feet or less and seemed quite unperturbed by my presence.

Most of my birdwatching on the holiday was in this area.

Birds seen(all birds seen at eastern end unless otherwise stated)

2. Canada de Las Norias (Nature reserve)

Another outstanding site, an absolute must for any visitor to the area, easy to find and easily accessible. From Roquetas, make your way to La Mojonera, a town about 7km to the north west, and then take the road which goes almost directly west to Las Norias about 6km from La Mojonera. About 1km from the town of Las Norias, a large area of reeds and pools is easily visible on the right hand side of the road. There are many places to park along the road and most of the pools can be viewed from here. There are a series of tracks in the reeds that you can drive around, but I would advise caution, since it is quite difficult to get back onto the road, even in dry conditions, and in wet I would imagine it's impossible, although the car makes an excellent hide. I visited the site on 2 occasions.

3. Las Cuevas del Mojon

I got this site from Robert Grimmond's report. He saw Red necked Nightjar here, a bird I didn't even look for since I had previously seen several in Portugal, and I had no chance of being at this site at the correct time. However, it was still well worth a visit. To get to the site, head west from Roquetas along the road that is north of salinas Viejas (site 1). About 1 km outside Roquetas, half way past the large reed bed, turn right onto the road to La Mojonar. After about 1 km, turn left at a crossroads and continue along this road for about 2 km when you will arrive at a T junction. Turn right at this T junction and proceed for about another 1 km until you see a largish stand of prickly pear cactii. I hired a bicycle for half a day on the 30th to get to this site. The star was a Rufous Bush Robin seen very well, singing from the tops of the prickly pears, but there was also a good selection of larks.

4. Roquetas de Mar town (including beach)

I saw a good selection of birds in the gardens, on the roofs, in the air and from the beach at Roquetas !

5. Sierra de Alhamilla

A very dry sierra to the north east of Almeria, good for many desert species. Take the main road from Almeria to Murcia (heading east) and after about 12km from Almeria turn left onto a minor road signposted Cuevas de los Ubedas. After about 1km you will pass a prison and anywhere from about 1km past the prison to the town of Cuevas de los Ubedas is worth a stop, especially the higher up the road you get. This is apparently a good site for Dupont's Lark and Trumpeter finch, but I didn't see any. To have any chance with Dupont's Lark it is essential to be at this site at dawn, although even then they are very difficult. Unfortunately, the day I chose to visit was a day of strong winds (quite common in Almeria), which made bird watching even more difficult. I visited this site on 22nd May

6. Cabo de Gata area (Nature reserve)

This is a huge area, and is really 3 sites, Las Amoladeras (a desert region), Cabo de Gata salinas and Sierra de Gata. It is one of the main sites in Almeria, and deserving of at least 2 days birding. Unfortunately, I am only able to provide very brief details, because my visit was wrecked by the same gale force winds that spoilt my visit to the previous site. On a better day the bird lists would have been considerably better. I visited this site on 22nd

a) Las Amoladeras

This is a superb desert region between Retmar and Cabo de Gata, good for sandgrouse and apparently Dupont's Lark and Trumpeter finch. Head east from Almeria towards Murcia and after about 13km take the road on the right signposted Cabo de Gata. After a further 2km there is roundabout and you should continue following the Cabo de Gata signs. About 6km from the roundabout there is a buildng on the right with some big trees and opposite a tarmac road leads off over the hillside. Take this road for about 1km, until you come to a track with a parking space on the right. Park here and walk down the track. Remember to keep looking overhead as well as on the ground since sandgrouse are often seen flying overhead.

b) Cabo de Gata salinas

Another very good site, spoilt again by the wind. After leaving the previous site, return to the Cabo de gata road and continue south. The salinas are visible just before entering the town of Cabo de Gata. Just as you enter the town, you will need to take a road to the left, which takes you alongside the salinas and towards the headland. Continue along this road and you will see two tall white life-guard towers on the right (about 2km between them). The entrance to the salinas is on the left, opposite the second tower and there is a car park and hide.

c) Sierra de Gata

I did not visit this site, but it apparently has many species already mentioned at other desert regions.

Species information

Conclusions

This was an excellent holiday for birds with Roquetas de mar a great base. I disappointingly missed out on one or two species, (e.g. Dupont's lark) but I still managed 11 new species for me on my sixth visit to the Mediterranean and my third to Iberia. Considering my lack of transport for most of the holiday and the fact that I rarely bird watched for more than 3 hours a day, I consider 11 new species to be a remarkable achievement.

The secret with a family is to get up early, before dawn, bird watch for a couple of hours and then forget birding for the rest of the day, unless perhaps you can manage an hour or so in the evening. This rule actually still applies even without a family, since in Almeria it can be so hot that if you miss the first 2 hours of the day, then you have missed by far the best time for birds.

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