Raptor migration at Tarifa

Spent last week in Tarifa, Spain watching migrants crossing the Straits of Gibraltar. My first visit here. Excellent birding but you can't stop wherever you like along the road like you can in Extremadura, the traffic is terrible. Nice weather although the wind was a bit strong at times. Three afternoons with westerlies at Punta Carnero was magical at times, as birds were coming in low over the sea and gliding low overhead as they gained altitude along the cliffs. The migration in late March/early April is dominated by Booted Eagle, Black Kite and Short-toed Snake Eagle. I've made a quick selection of mostly booted eagles and Short-toed Snake Eagles as a first entry to this brand new blog!

 

 Booted eagle, adult pale phase

 Booted eagle, adult pale phase

Booted eagle, adult pale phase

 Booted eagle, adult dark phase underside.

   

  Booted eagle, adult dark phase upperside. same as above. Punta Carnero March 27th.

Booted eagles and black kites are often seen migrating in mixed flocks and soaring together.

Two days with "Levante" (strong wind from the east) made raptor watching challenging and probably slowed the migration, but also provided opportunities for close encounters with booted eagles flying very low against the wind. 

Raptor watching at Tarifa doesn't have to be hard work. This booted eagle was photograped from my hotell-room while enjoying a well deserved cold beer in the afternoon. Adult, pale phase.

Griffon Vultures are not hard to find in Tarifa, and a small number was also seen crossing the strait from Morocco.

Short-toed Snake Eagles are not as easy to photograph as Booteds, but a few magical minutes at Punta Carnero on March 31st produced 5 rather close ones as they came in low over the sea and gained altitude along the cliffs right in front of the migration watchpoint. A typical well-marked adult. 

 

Short-toed Snake Eagle arriving at eye-level past Punta Carnero. Sub-adult, probably 3cy?

 

This pale Short-toed Snake Eagle with largely unmarked juvenile (?) secondaries seems to have moulted a few inner primaries, and should be a good candidate for a 2cy. It seems to have a growing p8 though, so perhaps I'll do some more research on this one.

Short-toed Snake Eagle, adult.