Birdwatching in Barbate and surroundings, Spain

In October, the region around Barbate in Andalusia offers fantastic opportunities for birdwatching. In this blog post about birdwatching in Barbate, I share the various bird species I encountered in this part of Spain. Anyone interested in discovering bird species in Spain will find many fascinating encounters here.

European stonechats in the El Estrecho Natural Park, flamingos on Playa de los Lances, and countless spotless starlings in the centre of Tarifa – this small town, the southernmost point of the European mainland, is a unique place for birdwatching. Here, not only do the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet, providing a rich food source for many marine mammals, but from Tarifa, it’s only 14 km across the water to the African continent.

However, one day I felt drawn away from Tarifa to do birdwatching in Barbate, hoping to spot a very special species: the northern bald ibis. To get it out of the way immediately: unfortunately, I had no luck. While northern bald ibises do stay around Barbate in Andalusia during autumn and winter, none of them appeared that day.

Instead, I encountered numerous other bird species. First, under a bridge on a busy road in Barbate, I spotted many yellow-legged gulls.

The area around Barbate is characterized by long sandy beaches, rocky coves, as well as marshlands and pine forests – ideal spots for enjoyable hikes and birdwatching. Particularly interesting is the area where the Barbate River flows into the sea: here, different habitats converge, and many bird species use the coastal areas as feeding grounds or resting spots.

That morning, I spotted a black-winged stilt gracefully moving through the shallow water. Its delicate gait and quick movements as it picked food from the water made it a real eye-catcher.

A little further away, a common ringed plover darted past. These birds are truly fascinating – although I have to admit that I often can only identify plovers from this family afterward, as I rarely see them and don’t want to confuse them with other plovers.

Interestingly, I’ve already encountered common ringed plovers in Iceland and on Borkum. These plover species can therefore be observed in quite different locations. Later, I also spotted a few around Lisbon, which shows how widespread yet oddly scattered these birds are.

At several locations, I came across spotless starlings. In Spain and Portugal, their numbers clearly exceed those of common starlings. While the ranges of the two species overlap on the Iberian Peninsula, in northern Europe only common starlings are found. Since in Barbate I only observed uniformly black starlings, I could count exclusively spotless starlings in my observations there.

Of course, many European stonechats could also be seen in Barbate. While there weren’t as many as in Tarifa, one would appear in front of me from time to time. Since I had already seen many of them by that point, I didn’t linger too long – beautiful as they were.

I decided to cross the bridge – perhaps there was a spot on the other side from which I could also get a good view of birds in Barbate.

The area around Barbate is characterized by marshlands stretching along the coast. Between the waterways and salt meadows, many bird species can be observed using the wetlands as feeding grounds or resting places.

Then I saw a cattle egret flying overhead. Eventually, it landed on the bridge railing, from where it seemed to survey the surroundings. With its watchful gaze, it looked as if it were carefully assessing where to search for food next.

I continued walking. From the bridge in Barbate, I spotted a gull – could it possibly be a lesser black-backed gull?

Not far away, I spotted another bird: a European golden plover. Like the common ringed plover, I was already familiar with European golden plovers from the island of Grímsey in Iceland. And now I spotted one in Barbate.

Another bird that felt familiar to me from Grímsey was the whimbrel – though ‘familiar’ isn’t quite accurate, as I usually rarely see these birds and was only able to identify it afterward. It would also be more correct to say that I observed the whimbrel in Dalvík, not on Grímsey – from Dalvík, I later took a boat to Grímsey.

Nevertheless, I encountered a whimbrel again in Barbate, which delighted me. There, I was even able to observe it more closely than before in Dalvík.

A bird that is truly familiar to me – after all, it even lives in a big city like Berlin – is the grey heron. I can recognize it immediately.

The day was actually pleasantly warm, but on the bridge in Barbate, amid the road traffic, it felt more like a hot day. From time to time, someone rode past me on a bicycle, but most people were travelling by car. On the other side of the bridge, I watched people walking toward the beach.

That afternoon, my main focus was on the birds, yet the area around Barbate shows that it’s also a wonderful place to enjoy the coast and the marshlands – a spot where nature observation and the tranquility of the landscape blend beautifully.

From a distance, I spotted another familiar bird species: the ruddy turnstone. In Germany, I had already seen it on Heligoland and Borkum, and later also in northern Lisbon. Like the whimbrels, ruddy turnstones belong to the family Scolopacidae. What made this observation in Barbate particularly special was that I was able to see so many of them at once.

Alongside the ruddy turnstone and the whimbrel, the common redshank also belongs to that bird family. With its striking red legs and slender, slightly curved bill, it is easy to distinguish from other waders. Redshanks are often found in wet coastal areas, marshlands, or river mouths, where they search for small invertebrates in the mud.

At the spot where I observed the redshank, I also came across a common ringed plover again.

And suddenly, a European golden plover appeared again. But that wasn’t all – standing next to it was a dunlin. I had also seen this bird, from the family Scolopacidae (unlike the European golden plover, which belongs to the family Charadriidae), in Iceland. It was fascinating to observe how many of the birds I had encountered in Iceland could now also be seen in Spain – an interesting insight into their wide distribution.

As mentioned earlier, I often can only identify certain birds, like the common ringed plover, afterward. The next bird is a perfect example: the Kentish plover. To reliably distinguish between common ringed plovers and Kentish plovers, one needs to best observe them regularly. In Barbate, this was the very first Kentish plover I had ever seen – a special moment that further fueled my enthusiasm for these waders.

Finally, I spotted a little egret. I’ve encountered these elegant birds several times in Spain and Portugal – including in Málaga, Tarifa, and northern Lisbon. Their striking snow-white plumage and long, slender neck, which they use skillfully to search for food in the water, make them particularly remarkable. It was a lovely way to end the day, observing this graceful bird before sunset.

I didn’t explore the town of Barbate itself, as I still planned to search for northern bald ibises. Since I didn’t spot any in the area around Barbate, I left the town and headed to a nearby finca to look for them. Unfortunately, it was in vain. Therefore, I can only share a few impressions of Barbate itself.

Before I wrap up, it’s worth mentioning that I also drove through Vejer de la Frontera. Allegedly, northern bald ibises have been seen there as well, but I didn’t spot any. What I did enjoy, however, were the beautiful views of the surrounding area. I think both Barbate – especially for birdwatching – and Vejer de la Frontera are wonderful destinations in Andalusia, perfect for nature observation and relaxing walks.

Have you ever gone birdwatching in Barbate? If so, which birds did you see there? Let us know in the comments!