Spain offers two of the most compelling pelagic birding experiences in Europe. The Gulf of Cádiz, at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the world's most important post-breeding foraging grounds for the Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater, alongside Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Wilson's and European Storm-Petrels, and all four skua species during autumn migration. In the Canary Islands, overnight expeditions to the seamount of Banco de la Concepción target White-faced Storm-Petrel — breeding on the nearby Chinijo Archipelago — Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Bulwer's Petrel, and thousands of Cory's Shearwaters, with Black-bellied Storm-Petrel recorded as a recurring vagrant.
Birding the Strait
A seasonal guide to Spain's pelagic calendar: peak Balearic Shearwater months in the Gulf of Cádiz, the four-skua September window, and the narrow August–September overnight expedition to Banco de la Concepción for White-faced Storm-Petrel.
Read article →A guide to Spain's top pelagic trips: the Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater spectacle in the Gulf of Cádiz and the storm-petrel-rich overnight expeditions to Banco de la Concepción in the Canary Islands.
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