The entrance to Tarifa harbour (click on the photo to open the full panorama) - always a sheltered spot when there is a bit of wind blowing from the Mediterranean Sea. The official dividing line between the Med and the Atlantic Ocean is the the island that lies off the town called Isla Paloma. It's a Military base and access to the public is denied. (Just out of shot to the right of the picture)

A mighty Griffon Vulture comes in to land

I got back from Munich on Wednesday evening and spent much of the morning catching up on mail, accounts, invoices and all the hidden work that goes with any business. The kids got back from school in the early afternoon and after lunch we cooled down in the pool. Peter, my mate from Putney is down in Spain with his camper van and we all had quite a relaxing time in the sun. I have a couple of day tours today and tomorrow and hopefully can catch up on what movement there has been in and around The Strair of Gibraltar during my absence leading the Limosa Holidays/Travelling Naturalist Bavarian Tour (I'll post some photos from the tour on this site soon).

A tanker heads East into the Mediterranean just West of Tarifa

A juvenile Marsh Harrier hunts at La Janda - The 'custard'-coloured slpodge on the head is characteristic of juv's and this often spills don over the shoulder. A good ID tip for distant Harriers

Often mis-identified as a Marsh Harrier, this is the Melanistic or dark race of Montagu's Harrier.

Tawny Pipit

An Ospey flies over Barbate. Another pair of Osperys have bred near the border with POrtugal. Both are re-itnroduced birds from the on-going 'hacking' programme in Spain and linked to the Barbate Reservoir project. The birds have been identified and are from Scotland and Germany.

Insects are always fascinating and it's a real joy to have Preying Mantis in your garden

Red Kites are also great to see and the ongoing population rise in the UK is good news inded. Let's hope that more people report those who shoot, trap and poison any Brids of Prey in the UK can see successful prosecutions in the courts.

Here are a few images of our Short-toed Eagles


Young birds can look very pale indeed!

Some European Terrapins bask in the summer sun

Turtle Dove

Booted Eagles are the smallest of our European Eagles with fairlt broad wings and a definite 'eagle look' about them in flight. The commonest form is the ligher birds that have a diagnostic whitish underwing with dark trailing edge. Dark forms have variable patterned underwing and often cause confusing ID.

Another good ID tip which will confirm that your raptor is a Booted Eagle, is the two white points located just where the wind meets the body. You can see them when Booted's turn towards you as they stand out against the darker wing and back colours. Some people refer to therse white marks as the 'headlights' or 'landing lights'. It's an easy term to remember and one that will definitely help identify those distant birds as they turn in your bins or scope!


Juvenile or sub-adult Egyptian Vultures can also prove tricky for some birders at a distance or during high migration flight.

As the weather heats up and the land dries quickly, the fire fighters have their work cut out guarding against forest and other fires. This 'chopper' was photographed going to the Barbate River to scoop up water on our hillside last year, fighting a small baze which fortunately was caught in time!