As a follow-up to yesterday's blog - Niki details the issue of completely unsustainable agriculture bordering both the Natural & National Parks of Doñana.

First published in the September 2023 issue of
Birdwatch

ingloriousbustards.com/2024/05/30/don…

We do go Birding somewhere other than The Straits....sometimes!

ingloriousbustards.com/2024/05/29/wha…

What a day y’day ! - in the company of singing Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins, the busy colony of Little Swifts, onto #Salinas with a gorgeous array of #Shorebirds , pools of Marbled and White-headed Ducks, Red-knobbed Coot, Isabelline Warblers and more ! - magical dream #Birding !

Y’day we found this gorgeous adult Rüppell’s Vulture at the nearby Vulture colony !

The increase in Eurasian Griffon #Vulture numbers in Europe may be at least partly responsible for increased occurrences here of vagrant Rüppell’s Vultures.

#FlywayBirding

Another great day of #FlywayBirding here today as immature #Birds made up the vast majority of those crossing the #14km divide !

European Honey #Buzzards , Black #Kites , Booted and Short-toed #Eagles , Marsh Harrier and Griffon #Vultures flowing over our heads ! 😊

It is NOT over yet!

#FlywayBirding continued here in The #Straits y´day

203 European Honey Buzzard, 559 Black Kite, 36 Booted Eagles, 18 Short-toed Eagles, 3 Egyptian Vultures, 241 returning Griffon Vultures and a (2º) Rüppell´s Vulture!

A lush day in Las Marismas de #Barbate for our guests y´day !

The charming Collared #Pratincoles with other trans-Saharan migrants among them - Iberian Yellow Wagtails, Tawny Pipits and Greater Short-toed Larks.

To the colony of Northern Bald Ibis and the fast growing juvs!

Wintering mainly in sub-Saharan West Africa, another species now with young here in The #Straits is the Iberian Yellow #Wagtail - 1st broods have already fledged.

#FlywayBirding

Wintering in the Sahelian savannahs the return to the breeding colony here of Collared #Pratincoles is joyous!

Now busy feeding the first newly hatched chicks the colony is alive with the sound of these amazing #Shorebirds .

Here are a few of those amazing ¨Prats¨ from today! 📷

This one of 2 (immature / 2º) Rüppell´s Vultures crossing The #Straits this week!

At this minute over 250 Griffon Vultures are staging to cross The #Straits from the Jbel Moussa ! Alongside them 4 Rüppell´s and a White-backed Vulture!

#FlywayBirding

A great day of #FlywayBirding !

758 Black Kite, 467 European Honey Buzzards, 70 Booted Eagles, 64 Short-toed Eagles, 2 Egyptian Vultures crossing and 386 returning Griffon Vultures!

+ Red-footed Falcon & European Roller bursting on the scene and this 1 of 2 Rüppell´s Vultures

The inland mountain areas offer some brilliant #Birding at the moment and our guests have been able to enjoy in-the-face views of trans-Saharan migrants like this Western Orphean #Warbler yesterday 😊

#FlywayBirding

Continued strong #levante making the #14km crossing even more treacherous for these migratory #WindWarriors the drive to defiantly get to the breeding grounds continues !

The flow of European Honey #Buzzards attracting their own dedicated admirers, we are of course among them!

The flow of migrating European Honey Buzzards was 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 y´day !

𝟏,𝟖𝟑𝟔 European Honey #Buzzards from our watchpoints with guests from Naturetrek

+ 184 Black #Kites , 28 Short-toed #Eagles , 36 Booted Eagles, 2 Black Stork and 46 returning Griffon #Vultures !

The passage of European Honey Buzzards flowed over our guests from Naturetrek y´day!

389 of these returned from their African moist forest wintering grounds in our faces!

Joining the mig-party Booted and Short-toed #Eagles , Black and White #Storks and Egyptian #Vulture

Y’ we were among the marismas of the western side of The #Straits with guests from Naturetrek

Here Slender-billed #Gulls in full glory, Tawny #Pipits , Iberian Yellow #Wagtails & Greater Short-toed #Larks and the bustling colony of Collared Pratincoles !

#FlywayBirding

A great day y´day of #FlywayBirding for guests from Naturetrek

167 European Honey Buzzards, 421 Black Kite, 40 Booted Eagles, 26 Short-toed Eagles, 2 Egyptian Vultures, Eurasian Hobby, Western Osprey crossing The #Straits and this Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail (thunbergi)

440 Black #Kites , 105 European Honey #Buzzards , 34 Booted & 23 Short-toed #Eagles , Egyptian Vulture, Black and White Storks and 71 returning Griffon #Vultures as European Bee-eaters piled in y´day!

This Short-toed Eagle got a customary Yellow-legged Gull welcome to Europe!