“It seems now we are all in a war zone, we are fighting on so many fronts to conserve and preserve what we have left, and yet this story of the Glossy Ibis should give us all hope that things can change for the better”. … Continue readingThe Rise of the Glossy Ibis
I am often asked what my favourite time of year is for birds. It is a difficult question and one that I am at odds with. Is it springtime when our summer birds return promising longer and warmer days or is it the autumn when … Continue readingAndalucía Birding in May
The Common Nightingale – Luscinia megarhynchos What is your favourite bird that you most look forward to seeing return to us this spring and stay for our summer? If you are like me, then it is a hard choice with so many I love seeing … Continue readingBird of the Month – March 2022
Standing at up to 4 feet tall (1.22m) the Common Crane is one of our largest birds and really a spectacular sight for anyone interested in the wonders of our local wildlife. They are a winter visitor here in our region and can gather in … Continue readingBird of the Month – December 2021
The Iberian Magpie aka Azure-winged Magpie. Look through your guidebooks as long as you like, but you’ll never find an entry for Widdrington’s Magpie. This isn’t surprising, as it doesn’t exist! But for a quirk of timing and history, though, that’s what we might now … Continue readingBird of the Month – November 2021
Unless they’re very fortunate and live near a ‘hotspot’, birders often tend to neglect their immediate surroundings in favour of heading off to a more distant locality where a good range of species can be more reliably found. With various constraints on our time this … Continue readingBirding Sites – Vejer de la Frontera a place to explore
The Dehesa is often mentioned by birders and contributors to the ABS website and Facebook pages, but for those who are not sure what is, I’ve written this short piece by way of an introduction. Dehesa (or Montado) as it’s called in Portugal is one … Continue readingThe Dehesa – A Jewel in Iberia’s Crown
Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata Bonelli’s Eagle can be found in southern Europe, Africa, across the Indian Subcontinent to Indonesia. It currently enjoys a status classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN. Despite this classification, there is evidence to suggest it has declined … Continue readingBird of the Month – October 2021
I fell in love with Andalucia way back in 1965 when as a young back packer I spent eight weeks bumming around the Spanish coast from Gibraltar to Barcelona. I recall TorremoIinos was a quiet fishing village with two quaint double storey hotels. I did … Continue readingAn Optimistic Birder – A member’s article
Great-spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major hispanicus. A common resident in our part of Spain and largely sedentary, but young birds are known to disperse considerable distances and some adult individuals can have a tendency to wander, which has led to the recent colonisation of Ireland, whilst … Continue readingBird of the Month – September 2021
