Trip Reports

Coto Donana & Tarifa May 2012

left Gaucin at 6am to collect Kenneth & Katherine from the 
centre of Granada; they are from Toronto and will be joining us for a week. We then drove 
to Malaga Airport to meet Ken & Margaret arriving from the UK, they are also staying for a 
week. 
We all then set off for a quick look at the Desembocadura at the Rio Guadalhorce, It was 
clear but a cold wind was blowing quite strongly. We limited our visit to viewing from the 
embankment where we saw Kentish Plover, Common Sandpiper, Yellow-legged Gull, 
Goldfinch, Spotless Starling, Serin, Zitting Cisticola, Barn Swallow, House Martin and 
Pallid Swift. 
We made the usually stop at Sierra Crestellina on the way up to Gaucin from the coast, 
there, despite the windy conditions, we found several Griffon Vultures, Corn Bunting, 
Stonechat and we had great views of a Bonelli's Eagle which eventually, after flying 
around the mountain for a while, flew down to its nest (eyrie?). We noticed a group of 
vultures landing on the hillside behind us, so we turned the bus around and headed off to 
see them, unfortunately they all flew off as we approached. There was a carcass of a sheep 
left lying there. 
We then spent a little time at the Rio Genal where we found Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Cirl 
Bunting, Wren, Robin and we heard a Cetti's Warbler. Rain drove us off; we ended up at 
Gaucin at 4pm and called it a day. 
We were joined by Ivan and Muriel as we all assembled at 7:30pm for one of Dawn's 
delicious dinners. We now had a full group of 6 all eager to start a 7-day tour of Andalucia. 
The official start of the tour is tomorrow morning - watch this space.