Cortijo el Peso, Gaucin, Andalucia. (Holiday rental accomodation) Cortijo El Peso is a wonderful 20 acre country estate in a magical, unspoilt setting, in the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía, south western Spain. The bird life is exceptional in this area and includes, amongst many, Griffon Vultures, Bonelli's and Booted Eagles, Buzzards, Kites and many migratory species such as the Golden Oriel, Beeater and Hoopoes.There is a large 20 metre pool surrounded by a terrace which is partly shaded and partly sunny. This is an ideal location for anyone interestd in hiking, bird watching and wild life in general. The spring wild flowers are spectacular. (More details)

Southern Andalucia Autumn 2004– (A Duck, two Swifts and a Baby)

• After my successful trip to Andalucia in April where my WP list went through the 600 barrier, I had missed one important target bird – White-rumped Swift....Andy Hall reports.

Andalucia 14th -23rd September 2004

• There were plenty of highlights in a very enjoyable ten day trip. Raptor watching was more exciting than ever at Tarifa, pick of the bunch being Ruppell’s Vulture and juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle. Finding a Lesser Crested Tern at Los Lances also came high on the list.....Ian Kinley reports.

Andalucia 1st to 14th October 2003

• There were many highlights in two bird-filled weeks but perhaps the abiding memory will be of a spectacular concentration of thousands of Glossy Ibis, storks, egrets, waders and gulls packed into one wet rice field at Isla Menor...Ian Kinley reports.

Andalucia, Spain. 26/04/03 – 10/05/03

• At the lake there were approx 8,000 Greater Flamingos, we also saw Gull Billed Terns, Whiskered Terns, B H Gulls, BlackT.Godwits, L.R.Plovers, Kentish Plovers, B.W. Stilts, Avocets, Lapwings and Marsh Harriers were hunting around the lake fringes. At the small laguna adjacent to the visitor centre there were C.Sandpiper, W.Sandpiper, Little Egret, Redshank, Gadwall, Coot and Moorhens....Steve and Sue Wilce report.

Southern Spain April 2003

• At Ronda village we parked in the tourist car park and joined the masses as they walked to the bridge here we saw red-billed choughs, lesser kestrels, alpine swifts, blue rock thrush and crag martins flying around the valley and through the bridge itself...Philip Stidwell reports.

Andalucia 5th to 13th Oct 2002

• There were many highlights - including Andalucian specialities such as Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck and Crested Coot; flocks of Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gulls; stunning views of Bluethroats and Penduline Tits as well as finding our own rarities in the form of Western Reef Heron, African Spoonbill, Long-legged Buzzard and Temminck’s Stint.... Ian Kinley reports.

South West Spain, Sierra De Grazalema Natural Park 22/9/02 – 2/10/02

• Apart from the variety and special species of the area, the sheer abundance of birds was a delight to experience. Wherever we were even when it was comparatively ‘quiet’ there were always birds present. At times particularly in the lower more open areas (farmland, fields, scrub etc.) there were very big flocks of finches and sparrows, together with large numbers of larks, chats, and buntings....Brian Russell reports

Favourite birds, Flamencos and Flying Rainbows April 2001

• I planned to watch birds and wildlife whenever I could. My major ambition was to see Bee-eaters, which I had missed all over the place for many years and had become my bogey bird...Mike King "the Gloster Birder" reports.

Malaga and Cadiz Provinces April 2000

• Take a guided tour and slide show through Malaga and Cadiz Provinces. Lots of site and bird information. The "slides" download very quickly, just click on the in text links. John Girdley reports.

Malaga Province May 2000

• In spectacular surroundings, I saw some great birds at Ronda, including excellent views of the Lesser Kestrels, both sitting on the cliff face and flying around the gorge. Possibly the most pleasing view was a male Blue Rock Thrush which I saw in perfect light, for a couple of minutes, and at close range. Not bad for a species that I normally only see in silhouette...Colin Davies reports

Estepona area, Southern Spain May 2000

• This report covers the period May 15^th-20^th when I spent a week based in Estepona on the Costa del Sol, about 20 minutes’ drive west of Marbella. This was something of a family holiday and not all birding, however we did see some interesting birds and the following report details these....Gareth Watkins reports

Costa del Sol (Based at Fuengirola.) Easter '99

• What follows is an account of a trip that I made to the Costa del Sol during Easter 1999. Given the time of year I was unsure about which species would be present and so I was pleasantly surprised at the number of summer visitors that had arrived. In addition to these, the nearby Sierras held a good variety of mountain species, especially birds of prey...John Girdley reports

Costa del Sol (based at Estepona.) 20th-27thAug. '99

• Thick morning mists, a broken telescope and one of the most degraded habitats in Southern Spain, what else could go wrong? Sites in the Estepona / Gibraltar area are visited with lots of images of the area...John Girdley reports

Costa del Sol (based at Estepona) July '99

• Alf King stayed near Estepona in late July 1999 and had a good time birding. He highlights birds seen at La Janda, the Luguna de Medina and in and around Estepona.

Birdwatching on Spains Southern Coast John R. Butler: Buy from Amazon.co.uk Written by local expert and guide, John Butler, "Birdwatching on Spain's Southern Coast", is the ideal accompaniment for the holidaying birder on Spain's Southern Coast. The real strength of this guide over similar books is the information about the lesser known sites close the resorts of the Costa's. Great if you only want a quick hours early morning jaunt before the heat of the Summer sun becomes unbearable. Also covered in good detail are Doñana and the main Almeria sites...Recommended.

The Complete Guide to the Birdlife of Britain & Europe Rob Hume, Peter Hayman (Illustrator): Buy from Amazon.co.uk This is quite simply the best illustrated guide to Europe's birds that I have seen. Every bird is pictured at least five times (and sometimes twenty times) in varying poses within its habitat. Seeing the birds in context, really gives this book the edge. The text, written by an expert, is concise, thorough and up to date. Many of the recent splits are included. The likes of Yelkouan Shearwater and Southern Grey Shrike are illustrated superbly for perhaps the first time in any recent guide. More than a field guide, the book is coffee table size, and certainly deserves to be in the collection of every serious bird watcher.

Collins Bird Guide Lars Svensson: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk "Well, it has been much hyped but it is all true. This beats most other European guides by a significant margin. The songs and calls are extremely well notated, even though the pronunciation takes some getting used too. Many pictures for each species. Very information dense. Buy it. The best available bird identification book for Spain

Where to Watch Birds in North and East Spain Michael Rebane, Stephen Message: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk North and east Spain embraces an impressive range of habitats from the Pyrenees to the sun-drenched Catalan coast. As a consequence the area is rich in birdlife and full of potential for visiting birders. The 189 sites are described in terms of habitat, access and the species to be seen. The 104 major sites are accompanied by a map as well as maps of the region to show the location of each site.

Birds of the Strait of Gibraltar
Clive Finlayson: Buy from Amazon.com

• The Strait of Gibraltar is famous as a major point of passage for Palaearctic birds migrating between their European breeding grounds and their winter quarters in Africa. The author, a native of the Rock, presents an account of the region and its resident and transitory bird life

Recommended travel books for Spain:

The Rough Guide to Spain Mark Ellingham: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Published Jan. 2002, "The Rough Guide to Spain" is thoroughly up to date (all the prices are in Euro's!) and of the usual high standard that we have come to expect from Rough Guides. This is an excellent guide to my favourite place in Europe for a bird watching holiday. Over a thousand fact filled pages entice the reader to visit the towns, castles and Moorish villages, so full of character and history. For the birder, there is a very useful section on wildlife that gives an overview of the birds to be seen and the main regions to see them.

The Rough Guide to The Pyrenees Marc Dubin: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Anyone could find their perfect retreat in the Pyrenees, a range that encompasses in its four-hundred-kilometre length a diversity of landscapes rarely equalled in Europe. Between the balmy beaches of the Mediterranean and the more turbulent Atlantic coast lie regions of lush meadowland, peaks permanently clad in ice, sun-beaten canyons of sinuously sculpted rock, swathes of dense broadleaf forest, weirdly eroded limestone pinnacles and valleys so sheer and overgrown that scarcely a ray of light penetrates them.

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