8 September 2024: Day 2, birding near Chipiona, WINGS Spain in Autumn. Pelagic eBird Hotspot = Salida Pelágica desde Chipiona Click here to see (generally) where I am today.
This morning we’re at the coast in lovely weather. But out to sea, beyond the continental shelf, the wind is blowing hard and the sea is too rough for our planned pelagic birding tour in the Gulf of Cadiz in a boat that comfortably holds 12 people.
No problem. There are plenty of birds to see from land, some of which we would have seen on the boat and I’m willing to pass up an opportunity to learn about seasickness.
One of birds we cannot see from here is the critically endangered Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus).
The Balearic Shearwater is one of the rarest birds in Europe, being one of just two species there to be listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its successful conservation will require considerable effort, across country borders. As its name implies, as a breeder this shearwater is confined to the Spanish-owned Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean, where its population is usually estimated at just 1,800–2,500 breeding pairs (of which about 50% nest on Mallorca).
… Counts at sea (especially through the Strait of Gibraltar) suggest it is possibly more numerous, which has led to a revised estimate of 24,000–26,500 individuals.
— Birds of the World: Balearic shearwater account
This bird might be really rare. Or there might be 10 times as many as we thought.
Balearic shearwaters are regularly seen in autumn in the Gulf of Cadiz as they leave their breeding grounds on the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean …
… and move to the Atlantic and the North Sea for the winter.
To me shearwaters all look the same so I would never have known I was looking at a Balearic shearwater without a guide. They’re a little like confusing fall warblers. 😉
UPDATE on 24 Sept 2024: In Tarifa on 11 September we did a seawatch at Isla de las Palomas where we saw Baelaric shearwaters flying close to shore … and flamingos!