Just returned from a week based in a beautiful casita in Montejaque. Knew nothing about the place when the hol with my non-birding wife was booked, so was ecstatic on finding out the area was so special – and Montejaque was pretty near the birding epicentre. Had initially thought of wangling a trip to Gibraltar to take in some migration watching or maybe Doñana, but on finding our casita was just 100m from the start of the fabled Libar track decided to focus on more local delights.
My wish list was maybe a bit odd, being shaped by limited birding experience in Spain (Mallorca twice and the Costa Brava once) and by having lived in Gambia for 10 years. Thus I'd seen most of the raptors bar Bonelli's Eagle, Imperial Eagle and Lesser Kestrel, but hadn't seen some common species like Spotless Starling.
KEY: (L) = Lifer, (E) = European tick.
SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER – JOURNEY IN / MONTEJAQUE
Notables from the journey in from Malaga airport (in hire car) were 2 European Griffon Vultures (E) catching the thermals at 10am (surprisingly close to Malaga), and a solitary dark phase Booted Eagle.
EGVs (familiar bird from Gambia) continued to be much in evidence on arrival in Montejaque with several singles seen drifting across the sky from the town centre. Late afternoon briefly scouted the lower Libar track. Had barely started when raptor calls alerted me to a juvenile Golden Eagle being chased across the valley by a Bonelli's Eagle (L). Good start! Rock Buntings (L) were much in evidence near the start of the track, along with Black Redstart and tantalisingly unspecified starlings, and a group of >20 Black Kites were soaring over one of the crags. The hapless young Goldie was seen off again an hour or so later, with the Bonelli's patrolling back and forth along the crags opposite for a while.
SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER – MONTEJAQUE / LIBAR TRACK
Solo early morning birding trips up the Libar track – 8:00 to 10:30 - were a daily feature of the trip. Street lights were still on at eight and small bats (Pipistrelle?) were flying around the crags. At the edge of the village Crag Martins were seen in front of the cliff and 2 Blue Rock Thrush were flying around the walls of the olive grove . 2 EGVs flapped across the valley as early as 8:20. Mixed flocks of Goldfinch, Serin and Greenfinch worked the fields to the right, and along with Sardinian Warblers and Stonechats, quickly became familiar species along the track. Dartford and Spectacled Warblers (E), plus Woodchat Shrike were seen in the scrub to the left, and Corn and Rock Bunting soon added. First lifer of the day was Black Wheatear (L) in a stony, thistley field – gorgeous birds and not exactly ID challenges! 2 Thekla Larks (L) were soon added from the same field. An unID'd kestrel sp flying across the valley with a prey item. A solitary rabbit and groups of 7, 3 and 4 Ibex on both sides of the valley provided mammal interest, and also a nasty-looking 6" black and yellow centipede.
Later in the day a pair of Bonelli's Eagles were seen soaring over the entrance to the valley near the edge of the village. Starlings were eventually scoped and, happily, proved to be Spotless (L)! A single Alpine Swift was seen hawking insects over the edge of the village at 8:15pm amongst 30+ Crag Martins.
MONDAY 21st SEPTEMBER – LIBAR TRACK
2 Alpine Swifts were the first notables of the mornings – but the last of the trip. Pair of adult Spotless Starlings seen feeding a juv in a crevice in a sheer cliff just outside the village, with the juv begging calls sounding like a juv falcon. The adults calls included what is apparently a mimic of the locals' dog-calling whistle – "whee-up!". No new species this morning other than Linnet among the finch flocks, but a fantastic scope-filling view of a male Black Wheatear in the early morning light with the sun glinting off its eye! Got the camera to the scope one nanosecond after the beauty moved on…
TUESDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER – PUERTO DE LAS PALOMAS
Went to Zahara de la Sierra and then over the Puerto de las Palomas to Grazalema – highly recommended all round! Nice mixed flocks in the pine forest included Crested Tit, Willow Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Short-toed Treecreeper (L). Common Buzzard later seen near Ronda.
WEDNESDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER – LIBAR TRACK / BENAOJAN-JIMERA DE LIBAR TRACK
Took the car this morning to go much further along the Libar track. Lots of Ibex seen dramatically silhouetted along the ridge – poseurs! Cirl Bunting around the lower track. At the top of the pass a Short-toed Eagle (E) was seen perched atop a rocky pinnacle. Several Chough seen in the same area. Just before crossing the cattle grid – 2 Red Deer were briefly trapped between me and the fence only 20m or so away before bounding away - one with (half-formed?) antlers – 2 or 3 prongs. A Common Redstart in the oaks beyond. The farm at the other side of the pass proved a great area. Finally caught up with Rock Sparrow (L) here, which I'd not seen on the lower Libar track. Northern Wheatear, Common Redstart and many Thekla Lark seen in the freshly-ploughed fields, plus 2 Ravens overhead. Best bird here though was a Southern Grey Shrike (E) briefly seen sitting on the fence.
Later we took the Benaojan to Jimera de Libar walking trail. Lovely walk, mostly through oak woodland along the valley. Nothing amazing but Blackcaps (many), Grey and White Wagtails, Long-tailed Tit, Melodious Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Jay, Corn Bunting, Short-toed Treecreeper all seen. Cetti's Warbler heard at the Jimera end of the track and then seen picking among reed stems by the river.
At 8pm 39 EGVs (my high count) seen over the edge of Montejaque.
THURSDAY 24th SEPTEMBER – LLANOS DE LIBAR TRACK / RONDA
My poor wife woke with a migraine, so while she recovered I decided to drive as far along the Llanos de Libar track as I could. I was under the impression (from the map in the walking guide) that it was possible to drive all the way through to Cortes, but this was not so. The track goes over the pass, through farmland and oak woods but eventually peters out shortly after the Refugio Cortijo de Libar into a walking only track.
The hapless young Golden Eagle (presumably the same 1CY bird) appeared over the pass and was predictably shooed away by a Bonelli's (eagle not warbler). Prolonged views (and poor digiscope shots) of the Southern Grey Shrike around the farm over the pass. Over 100 Rock Sparrows on the fields here. Nuthatch and ST Treecreeper in the oak woodlands. Several Woodlark singing in the fields beyond the refugio. Black Wheatear seen where the driveable track ends and a Short-toed Eagle passed overhead. On the return trip, a Nightingale was picking around on the ground in the pig-inhabited oak woods, over 100 Yellow Wagtails attended a herd of cattle on the farm just before the pass, and a probable Lesser Kestrel (almost immaculate underwings) was patrolling the crags at the top of the pass.
Later in the day, c40 Chough seen over the gorge in Ronda.
FRIDAY 25th SEPTEMBER – LIBAR TRACK / GRAZALEMA / VILLALUENGA DEL ROSARIO
Planned to concentrate on digiscoping this morning along the lower track, but one of those Murphy's-law-days with birds not co-operating. Still eventually caught up with Rock Sparrow (2) on the lower track. Also, flock of 10 Corn Bunting, distant Black Wheatear, huge mixed hirundine flock – mostly Crag and House Martins with the odd Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, plus the omnipresent EGVs.
Later drove the circuit to Grazalema via Bosque and Villaluenga del Rosario back to Montejaque - another recommended trip. Crossbill singing in the Stone Pines at Puerto del Boyar. Two probable Lesser Kestrels on wires W of Villaluenga and another two E of village.
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Notable dip-outs I'd hoped for included Alpine Accentor, Wallcreeper, Eagle Owl, Imperial Eagle, Egyptian Vulture and Ortolan Bunting. Suppose I'll just have to come back again, won't I. All in all a really enjoyable trip, taking in the "white towns", woodland walks, hairy hair-pin drives, museums, prehistoric cave paintings and delicious tapas washed down with vino tinto, as well as some thrilling birding. I heartily recommend the Serránia de Ronda as a great birding and holiday destination.
Many thanks to John Cantelo, Peter Jones for their generous and helpful advice, and also to all those who contributed to the Serránia de Ronda thread on BirdForum.
Good stuff!
Great report, brought my memories flooding back.