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Just some of what we hope to see:

Iberian LynxWild Boar Fallow Deer European Otter MouflonGreater Mouse-eared BatBottlenose DolphinLong-finned Pilot WhaleCory’s Shearwater Black-necked Grebe Greater Flamingo Squacco HeronBlack Stork Northern Bald Ibis White-headed DuckBlack Vulture Ruppell’s VultureGolden Eagle Spanish Imperial Eagle

Short-toed EagleBlack KiteLesser KestrelBlack-winged KiteStone CurlewAudouin’s Gull Caspian TernHoopoe Red-necked NightjarWhite-rumped SwiftSouthern Grey ShrikeBlue Rock Thrush Short-toed Treecreeper Sardinian Warbler Azure-winged Magpie Spanish SparrowHawfinchRock BuntingTwo-tailed Pasha

ANDUJAR AND TARIFA

1 Arriving at Malaga Airport, we drive west to our first hotel near Tarifa, one of the main staging

posts for migration across the Mediterranean.

2-3 The first half of the day will be spent at one of the raptor watch points overlooking

the Straits of Gibraltar. Residual numbers of birds are still passing through, with Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture Short-toed and Booted Eagle, Sparrowhawk and Honey Buzzard being a distinct possibility. We shall also keep a careful eye on the local Griffon Vultures as we could be lucky to find one of the much rarer Ruppell’s amongst them. After lunch we take a boat cruise for cetaceans and seabirds. We have excellent opportunities for Bottlenose and Common Dolphins, plus a chance of Long-finned Pilot Whale, which occur on an annual basis. Shearwaters such as Cory’s (Scopoli’s) and Balearic should be still passing

Iberian Lynx - the world’s most endangered catBoat trip for shearwaters, dolphins and perhaps Pilot WhaleSpanish Imperial Eagle, Black Vulture, Black-shouldered KiteExcellent two centre accommodation in very different areasAzure-winged Magpie, Bald Ibis, White-rumped SwiftOtter, Spanish Ibex, Wild Boar, MouflonBeautiful rugged scenery in unspoiled Spain

Two-centre holiday, with a fabulous selection of Spain’s special birds, plus an excellent mammal list including Ibex, Mouflon, dolphins and Iberian Lynx

through the straits, along with Great and Arctic Skuas, which can seen harrying the gulls and terns for food. Once we are back on land, we shall spend the final part of the afternoon at Los Lances Beach. This is fantastic salt-marsh, where many waders, gulls and terns congregate, along with a chance of Whinchat, Northern Wheatear and Tawny Pipit just inland. A day will be spent visiting La Janda - a vast expanse of waterways and flooded paddyfields that holds hundreds of White Storks, with smaller numbers of Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill and an outside chance of Great White Egret. Raptors include the beautiful Black-shouldered Kite, which can be seen in small parties hunting over the fields. There are plenty of Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, (including the rare melanistic form), as well as the occasional eagle, with both Bonelli’s and Spanish Imperial Eagles seen

Dates Sat 30 Sep - Sat 7 Oct 2017

Price £1,695

Deposit £300 Single Supp £150

Leaders Julian Sykes and Duncan Macdonald

Flights Easyjet, scheduled. Speedy boarding and extra legroom included Outbound: Morning, Gatwick-Malaga Inbound: Afternoon, Malaga-Gatwick

Weather Probably a mixture of sun and showers (10°-30°C), warmer in lowland areas, but can be cool in the mountains

Walking There will be some short easy walks on level paths, slightly rockier in the mountains

Meals All included from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 8

Insects Biting insects are rarely a problem, but repellant may be useful

Accom Double, twin & single rooms all ensuite

Group 7

“This is a fabulous week, stacked with birds, mammals and butterflies. It is one of

those holidays where something unexpected could easily turn

up, from Lesser Crested Tern or Bonelli’s Eagle, to Egyptian

Mongoose or European Chameleon!” Julian Sykes

01479 812498 | enquiries@speysidewildlife.co.ukwww.speysidewildlife.co.uk

here previously. In the afternoon we shall drive the short distance to the Barbate Estuary. There may be a Caspian Tern standing amongst the many Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls, Common and Sandwich Terns. The pools hold good numbers of returning waders such as Curlew, Wood and Green Sandpipers, Little Stints, Ruff, Spotted Redshanks and a Spanish scarcity, Red Knot. The grassy coast holds Spain’s only colony of Bald Ibis, which were re-introduced a few years ago.

4 Today we travel to the Sierra de Andujar – a complete contrast to the first half of the

week. After breakfast we set off over the Montes de Malaga to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra and Laguna Dulce. Here we may see large numbers of Greater Flamingo, along with a selection of wildfowl, waders, herons and egrets. The surrounding olive groves and cultivated fields hold Stone Curlew, larks, pipits and occasionally Little Bustard if we’re lucky. Late afternoon we shall arrive at our hotel in this unique habitat of Stone Pine, Mastic, Cork and Holm Oak. Our rooms have balconies or terraces overlooking deciduous woodland, with the mountains towering beyond. Birds around the hotel gardens include Azure-winged Magpies, Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest and Nuthatch. Once we have settled in, we shall make our first visit to one of the several viewing areas, in the hope of finding an Iberian Lynx.

5-7 Three full days will be spent in the Sierra de Andujar, a contrasting region with

some of the best representations of Mediterranean Forest still surviving in Europe. The area forms part of the Sierra Morena Mountains and has a

landscape of hills and mountains formed from granite, quartz and slate, which is bordered by two rivers - the Jandula and the Yeguas. Yet another of Andalusia’s hidden treasures of a Natural Park; it is home to the elusive and highly endangered Iberian Lynx, of which only 150 or so remain in the wild. We shall spend every early morning and late afternoon searching for this secretive animal, from strategic points around the Sierra. The rest of the time will be spent walking and driving the roads and tracks within the Reserve, along with time to relax in the afternoon around the hotel complex before our evening vigil. This Natural Park is also home to the magnificent Spanish Imperial Eagle and many other sought-after raptors including Golden Eagle, Black Vulture, Goshawk and Peregrine. The tranquil rivers, separating a series of reservoirs, with dramatic dam walls that attract Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and Crag Martin, with Otters fishing the river below, will be in marked contrast to the lush vegetation of the rest of the trip. Everywhere we look there will be Azure-winged Magpies, Short toed Treecreepers, Firecrests, Nuthatches and Crested Tits.

8 After breakfast we shall set off for Malaga Airport and if there is time, will visit the nearby

Rio Guadalhorce Nature Reserve, which can be an excellent coastal migrant trap, as well as home to many waterbirds, with Black-necked Grebe, Purple Heron and White-headed Duck all possible. We shall then head to the airport, just 10 minutes away, for our flight home.

Day 1 Fly to Malaga and transfer to our first base in Tarifa 3 nights Meson de Sancho

Days 2-3 Birdwatching and wildlife exploration in the marshes, coastline and other habitats around Tarifa, including a cetacean boat trip in the Straits of Gibraltar

Day 4 Drive overland to Sierra de Andujar Natural Park, stopping enroute at the Lagunas Dulce and Fuente de Piedras 4 nights at Los Pinos Apartments

Days 5-7 Birdwatching and wildlife exploration of Sierra de Andujar with a focus on finding the incredibly rare Iberian Lynx

Day 8 Transfer to Malaga for return flight to Gatwick, stopping enroute for birding at Rio Guadalhorce Nature Reserve if time allows

Julian Sykes: Iberian Lynx, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bald Ibis, Simon Eaves: Greater Flamingo Mary Braddock: Azure-winged Magpies Mike Hems: Jandula Reservoir

Outline Itinerary

“Raptor migration, cetaceans and seabirds alongside the boat, wetlands full of waterbirds such as herons, egrets, ibis and flamingos, the last remnants of true Mediterranean forest and a chance of the rarest cat in the world - Iberian Lynx!” Julian Sykes