Almost wrecking the car visiting La Janda

On the same day that I visited the Watchpoint in Tarifa to observe the migration of different raptor species, I decided to go to the La Janda wetlands. It is a large area where many birds stop to rest before they continue their migratory voyage before or after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

Male European Stonechat

There really were a lot of birds and a lot of different species. You can observe them from a road that has the wetlands on one side and a small canal on the other. If you are fit enough, you can do it on foot, but if you prefer the comfort of a car, make sure you choose the right road to enter or leave the area. One of the roads I used was in a terrible condition.

View from the road

A huge flock of gulls

Driving slowly along this track gave me the feeling I was on a birding safari, with so many opportunities to take photos of the birds on either side.

Two Jackdaws on the side of the road

Two White Storks resting in a field

A Cattle Egret with a caterpillar in its beak

A Swamphen in a reedbed

Glossy Ibis

The species I saw along this route were:

• Mallard

• Eurasian Moorhen

• Western Swamphen

• Black-headed Gull

• Yellow-legged Gull

• White Stork

• Grey Heron

• Little Egret

• Cattle Egret

• Glossy Ibis

• Eurasian Spoonbill

• Osprey

• Eurasian Hoopoe

• Eurasian Jackdaw

• Eurasian Blackcap

• European Stonechat

• Water Pipit

• European Greenfinch

• European Goldfinch

• Corn Bunting

Definitely a place I want to visit again in the future, for its tranquillity and great variety of species.