It is always a saddening sight to see a huge waste dump, reminding us of how wasteful people are. Yet, my perspective shifted after visiting a landfill near Los Barrios, where I was astounded to encounter a vast group of one thousand White Storks and an additional thousand Black Kites, journeying back from Africa as part of their migration.
It is of course not surprising that so many birds can be found clustered around a rubbish dump: it is easy to grab something edible among the waste. For beautiful photos, it is of course better not to include the waste in your photos, then it is better to aim at a tree or at the sky.
Just like during my visit to Cañada de Los Pájaros, I was struck by what kind of fuss-makers black kites are. Ten of them will fight for a piece of food. Despite their fairly aggressive appearance, I think they are beautiful, streamlined birds. Real masters of the sky they are.
Despite their fearsome appearance, they are still somewhat shy of people. With each of my attempts to sneak a little closer to a busy tree, I was immediately spotted and the birds quickly took flight. For a dream photo of a large group of kites, gathered in the branches of a tree, with an orange glow from the setting sun, I will have to come back with my camouflage tent.
The quieter white storks were no less impressive in such large numbers. They also appeared not to be bothered by the trucks working at the dump. I noticed no fewer than three dark specimens. Not sure if they were melanistic birds or just had dark (or dirty) feathering!
Not surprisingly, this was by far the largest group of Black Kites and White Storks I have ever seen. Well worth another prepared visit before they have all migrated further up north! Each year in spring over 130,000 Black Kites fly over the south of Spain on their way back from their wintering grounds in Africa.
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