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Tarifa Raptor Migration Spectacular August 2022 Part II
Wed 9th Nov, 2022
White Storks are iconic birds and the centre of many stories of migration. Its wonderful to see them gathering in fields and feasting on invertebrates prior to leaving their breeding grounds but its even better to see them crossing The Straits. As the ground heated up and the thermals rose, so did the storks in their hundreds, many drifting over the town of Tarifa below us.
White Storks Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
Some groups powered across the sea whilst others turned back to the hills, there is always jeopardy in their crossings. I watched a group of several hundred struggling to gain height over the beach, from our view point looking across Tarifa it looked like they would be forced down onto the towels and sun-bathing tourists! Thankfully they finally found an updraft and headed back inland for a later crossing attempt.
White Stork Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
As the storks stole the show, I suddenly got worried I was missing some great raptors and wished I was born with two sets of optics! That’s why its so important to watch this migration in a small group with many eyes.
Too many raptors for one set of optics! 2022 © Richard Baines
European Honey-buzzards were still giving great views but we had to be really quick with the cameras to get the close birds. Before we knew it they would pass beneath us at top speed. For a raptor with a specialised diet of small prey such as wasp larvae and amphibians they certainly have scary eyes.
European Honey-buzzard Tarifa August 2022 2022 © Richard Baines
Spending time in one well-chosen place always works as a birding strategy, I remember the late Ian Wallace telling me to “let the birds come to you”. Scrubby fields, broken fences and dry grassland close to our watchpoint attracted small numbers of passerines. Woodchat Shrike, Tawny Pipit and the local Sardinian Warblers would occasionally appear. The best bird I saw here was an elusive Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. It gave brief views on the ground before darting into the bottom of a bush in exactly the same way a mega rare bird would on the Yorkshire coast! Later in the afternoon we visited a Griffon Vulture breeding colony, this felt like a truly wild experience on our own with these massive birds.
Griffon Vultures Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
After several days of full-on raptor and stork migration, I was ready to get out on the waves for some fin action. After many years of leading seabird and whale trips on the Yorkshire coast I knew I had to keep my expectations under control. No polishing my camera lens just yet, keep it chilled and just be happy with whatever we see I told myself. We were only twenty minutes out of the harbour when not one but two huge Fin Whales appeared within 100m of the boat. Wow!
Fin Whale Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
We kept on traveling on the same route at the same speed not wanting to disturb their behaviour but it soon became clear we were all heading in the same direction although the whales were far too crafty and fast to bother about us. After some amazing views they vanished into the deep and as quickly as they appeared. This was my first Fin Whale experience; I was really impressed at how distinctive their dorsal fin is. Small, sharp and sleek, such a great shape.
Short-beaked Common Dolphin Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
A couple of Cory’s Shearwaters came close to check us out, then it was time for some mega splash action as several hundred Striped and Short-beaked Common Dolphins surrounded us. Riding the waves by the side of the boat allowed fantastic views but we had to be really quick to get any photos they were so fast!
Long-finned Pilot Whale Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
On the way back to port, two Long-finned Pilot Whales appeared up close. This really was the icing on the cake, a wonderful boat trip way beyond my expectations.
Alpine Swift Tarifa August 2022 2022 © Richard Baines
An afternoon jaunt to find more songbirds produced a pair of Black-eared Wheatears and overhead Alpine Swifts. The local wetlands produced even more new species with Greater Flamingo’s, Audouin's Gulls and migrating waders.
Greater Flamingo's Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
The wild hills of Tarifa August 2022 © Richard Baines
The numbers of migrating birds in this area really are amazing. In 2021 between the 5th May and the 5th December a locally based team of ornithologists under the auspices of Fundación Migres counted 521,000 soaring migratory birds which included 151,300 White and Black Storks and 369,700 raptors of 37 different species. And it’s not only the big birds they log. In the same year 443,300 passerine migrants were counted, including 197,000 Finches, 87,500 hirundines, 83,000 Pallid, Common and Alpine Swifts, 32,000 European Bee-eaters, 15,000 Spotless Starlings and 14,000 House and Spanish Sparrows, all over The Straits of Gibraltar. That’s almost one million birds ignoring political borders and following an incredible migration thousands of years old between continents. I can’t wait to get back!
To see our Tarifa 2023 birding tour CLICK HERE
Many thanks to Yasin at Indus Experiences for supporting this trip. Huge thanks to Simon and Niki for hosting me and help and references from their blog. To see more amazing blogs from Tarifa on their Inglorious Bustards site CLICK HERE
Yorkshire Coast Nature Director