Our archives contain all articles written by members and friends of the Society. Most of the articles will also have been published in our member’s quarterly magazine ‘Birds of Andalucía’. The subjects are mostly related to birds, but other areas of general interest, fauna and flora are also included.
For our member’s convenience the archives have been arranged in indexes so that topics of interest can be found more easily.
Adding to our Archives
We are fortunate to have in our midst a number of members who enjoy producing articles of interest for publication. If you, like them, would care to donate an article for inclusion in our archive’s library, please send your copy by email attachment to the Society (abs.sociedad@gmail.com) clearly stating your name and contact details. We will accredit your name for any published articles on this website or our quarterly magazine. We hope all authors interested in the Society will help to create to this ever improving and growing resource.
All articles appearing on this website © Andalucía Bird Society. All rights reserved.
Helping a wild bird in need
You have found a fallen Swift. Juvenile swifts, as well as all age groups of swallows and martins found on terra firma will always need human help. Healthy adult swifts are usually able to take off from the ground, if ...
It's incredibly startling to hear that unfortunate thwack of a bird flying right into a windowpane. While these beautiful creatures have exceptional navigation systems, many migrate long distances during seasonal changes, windows create a challenging obstacle for them. So why do these seemingly ...
Handling and Care Birds will usually be more comfortable with their wings held against their bodies; feet supported. Think about the size of the bird before you attempt to handle it: Small birds: Can be firmly held in one hand, positioning ...
A wild bird’s life is full of dangers and it’s not uncommon to find an injured bird. Proceed as follows: To catch the bird, throw a towel or blanket over it so it’s easier to lift it from the floor ...
Observe the Bird Be sure that it really does require medical attention. The situation is mostly clear with visible injuries like wounds, bites, or broken bones. In general birds make a quick escape if humans come too close to them ...
About Birds
It is that time of year, my time. We each have our favourite time of year, our own favourite of all the four seasons. Talking to friends, opinions vary, and no doubt guided by their own preferences, friends who are ...
Confusing identifications and why the devil is in the detail. These days, bird identification is certainly made easier by the proliferation of excellent field guides, both in paper form and apps (my recommendation is for the Collins Bird Guide, suitable ...
Winter birding can be a cool affair as we languish in our colder months, but in January I like to set a couple of days aside to target a few of my favourite winter birds. Common Firecrest, allegedly known as ...
Birding Sites
Have you ever had that prickly feeling at the base of your neck, when your hairs stand up and you are in wonder? It is a kind of out of body experience, where your spirit dances with joy and you ...
The lagoon of Fuente de Piedra is in the north of the province of Malaga, Spain. It is 50km from the Mediterranean coast and 410m above sea level. The lagoon is a seasonal Salt Lake with high salinity in winter ...
It’s amazing just how quickly time seems to flyby. It was only yesterday when summer’s visit painted our skies in the deepest of blue and softened the rough hues of our mountains with shimmering haze. It was only yesterday when ...
Comparative Field Guide
Species: Rüppell's Vulture – Gyps rueppellii – Buitre Moteado Polytypic. Nominate rueppellii, Sahel zone south of Sahara from Sénégal east to Sudan and south to East Africa, straggler Egypt. Extralimital: erlangeri, Ethiopia and Somalia. Rare visitor to Spain. Although a ...
Crested Lark Galerida cristata Cogujada Común Possibly the most widespread and common lark species to be found in Andalucia. Most frequently encountered in lower elevations with more open habitats, often cultivated country. Very common along coastal areas. Heavy in appearance ...
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni / Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus The figure, Figure 1, to the left shows an adult male Lesser Kestrel (left) and an adult male Common Kestrel (right). Simple enough to see the difference, but in the field ...
Conservation
At the dawn of a new year, as president of the Andalucía Bird Society, I'm looking forwards, making plans and setting targets, some will be attainable but others unlikely, but it's exciting to be thinking ahead. And yet it's also ...
XVII Iberian Congress of Harriers (Iberian Congress of Aguiluchos) The Iberian Harrier Congress (Congreso Ibérico de Aguiluchos), the most renowned Iberian event dedicated to harriers, was held for the second time in Portugal, in its seventeenth edition. Organised by Palombar ...
Alianza Marismas del Guadalquivir-Doñana I am writing to let you know about a project involving the NGO www.salarte.org and it is a project I can't get enough of because of its importance for nature in the Guadalquivir and Doñana, which is none ...
Flowers
This year has been very odd for all of us due to the Covid-19 illness as we all know. Up until March 14th 2020 we were allowed to wander freely in the mountains searching for flowers. We found many Giant ...
Twelve years ago when we moved to Spain, like all good ornithologists, we set out to feed the birds and entice them within easy viewing distance. We failed miserably. Spanish birds are not attracted by peanut cages, seed feeders or ...
Back in the UK I had a great interest in the country’s wild orchids and spent quite a lot of time searching for new species and eventually managed to see and photograph all but two species found there at that ...
Insects
Over the years I have visited the Serranía de Ronda many times through the early spring and summer months in pursuit of my main interest which is butterflies. Hand in hand with this goes the wealth of bird and plant ...
Almost 80 species of Dragon-Damselfly have been recorded on the Spanish mainland and in Balearic Islands, with a further two or three which are restricted to the Canary Islands. I am going to start-off with the Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) ...
Moths? Aren’t they all brown and boring? When I first show people some of the moths I have trapped overnight, the first reaction is amazement at the colours, patterns, variety of forms and “resting” positions shown by the moths. I ...
Interviews
I would like to focus this article from the perspective that 20 years of accumulated experience of working in the Rural Tourism sector in Andalusia has provided me. My role has been to act as a link between the public ...
Celebrity interview as published in the Summer 2012 Issue of "Birds of Andalucía" PJ: Tim, amazingly we go back 37 years and in all that time I don’t think I ever asked ‘what first got you interested in birds?’ TA: ...
My Local Patch
It is that time of year, my time. We each have our favourite time of year, our own favourite of all the four seasons. Talking to friends, opinions vary, and no doubt guided by their own preferences, friends who are ...
September gently passed over my mountains, its balmy days giving leave for many of our familiar summer birds to depart on their southern passage to Africa. Only a few, foolhardy maybe, lingered and perhaps lulled into believing autumn would never ...
Have you ever had that prickly feeling at the base of your neck, when your hairs stand up and you are in wonder? It is a kind of out of body experience, where your spirit dances with joy and you ...
Photography
This contest is organized to coincide with the celebration of the “Andalucía Bird Festival”, which will take place in Montejaque (Málaga) on April 25, 26 and 27, 2025. Competition rules: Participation in the contest is open to all people over ...
The Delta Birding Festival is the most prestigious nature event in the Mediterranean and the annual meeting point for ornithologists and naturalists. A festival where you can share your passion for birds and nature, and also to promote their conservation ...
Before we dive into the complexities of correct exposure of a digital photograph it is perhaps appropriate to discuss how the images are saved in the camera. Most digital cameras offer a choice on the quality and file format to ...
Surveys
On a cold wet winter´s day, what better than to look back to those warm balmy days of summer. It was still dark when I set out on an early June morning to open the nets; Casares was just a ...
A question often asked of ornithologists is “How long do birds live?” There is no simple answer to the question as survival varies from species to species. An examination of the latest British Trust for Ornithology’s ringing report (Coiffait et ...
Help discovering the spring The Spring Alive project is a simple birdwatching survey. Thanks to children and adults all around Europe we are able to track the spring arrival every year. Participation is very simple and can be a great ...
Visit Reports
Have you ever had that prickly feeling at the base of your neck, when your hairs stand up and you are in wonder? It is a kind of out of body experience, where your spirit dances with joy and you ...
In April 2026, ABS returned to Morocco, hosting two birding tours based out of Marrakech. This year, one of the tours added several coastal stops to the itinerary, taking us from snow-capped mountain ranges and desert landscapes to Atlantic estuaries, ...
This account outlines the wildlife adventures of two visitors from Scotland as we explored the birding delights of Andalucia in mid-March 2014. My friend, Lesley Silcock and I hoped to see a wide variety of birds, mammals and other creatures ...
Various
We went to this tourist bird show ready to be disappointed, but we weren't! It is a show for the general public and for birders alike, thanks to the broad range of raptors (both native and foreign). They show off ...
I wonder how you got into birding? In my case it was through my Dad. Maybe that is how it was for many of us, especially those of my generation. I was born in 1950; my Dad in 1923. His ...
Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, located on the western tip of the continent, it’s bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and otherwise completely surrounded by Senegal. The Gambia spans an area of 11,295 square km. ...
Reviews
Review: The New Birds of the Sheffield Area by Richard Hill and David Wood
This lavish avifauna updates the landmark 1985 publication of Birds of the Sheffield Area and is a superbly produced hardback of well over 400 pages, a tour de force by not just the two editors ...
Junior Members.
An honest 4-star review: Jardín de las Águilas
We went to this tourist bird show ready to be disappointed, but we weren't! It is a show for the general public and for birders alike, thanks to the broad range of raptors (both native ...
Bonanza and a fun get together for Christmas Lunch
We spent the night before in Sanlucar de Barremeda, so we were able to get to the meeting point of Bar La Campana in Bonanza, in plenty of time to meet up with all the ...
Junior Members Article – February 2021
Junior member Stanley gives us an insight into one of his favourite birds and his photography. Our Junior Membership is only 10 euro a year and open to all those under 17 years old at ...