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As the Strait of Gibraltar is the narrowest crossing point for birds migrating to and from Europe and Africa, the Rock offers unrivalled bird watching opportunities. Gibraltar also has its permanent residents such as the Barbary Partridge, which originally was only to be found in North Africa. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded, many of which are migratory.

Birdwatching

Zoe
2005-12-15 21:37:05

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18000 years ago, the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkans become refuges for birds which could not survive the rigours of the climate further north. During this period much of Iberia was covered in deciduous and coniferous forests of a similar type to those nowadays found in central and northern Europe. With the retreat of the glaciers and the return to more temperate environments all over Europe, many species of birds began to re-colonise these areas. Birds from Iberia advanced over much of Western Europe and those from the Balkans moved into Eastern Europe. In winter, as the climate deteriorated, these birds would return to their southern homes. The migratory patterns of many birds were thus established with West European birds migrating south-west in autumn and East European birds flying southeast. Other factors have modified this basic pattern in the case of a number of species of birds but the trend still holds true for a large number of species of land birds.

Tropical Africa is the major wintering zone for thousands of millions of European migratory birds. Many of these birds are reluctant to fly over the sea on migration and the Mediterranean Sea presents itself as a formidable barrier. For this reason vast numbers of West European birds congregate to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in autumn and return across in the spring.

Gibraltar, at the head of the Strait, is a prominent headland which accumulates migrants during the passage periods. The vegetation of the Rock, unique in southern Iberia, is temporary home for many species of migratory birds which stop there to rest and feed before continuing the migration.

Gibraltar’s proximity to the sea and to another major hurdle in the migration, the Sahara Desert, makes it an essential landfall. In autumn migrants from the north feed on the Rock and deposit large layers of fat which may double their body weights. This fat is used during the migratory flight over the sea and desert (during which the birds do not feed) to provide energy and water. In spring the migrants have finished the desert crossing and stop at Gibraltar to replenish reserves of fat before continuing towards Western Europe. This journey may take them as far as Greenland or Russia.

Gibraltar is the winter home for other migratory birds from Western Europe which find food and protection on the Rock. Ringing research has shown that many individuals return to winter on the Rock in successive winters having performed many journeys north and south in the intervening periods. In the case of the Crag Martin, a species of swallow which only weighs around 22 grammes, individuals have returned to winter on the Rock for seven years.

The Rock of Gibraltar is therefore a stop-over for migrating birds of many species and a winter quarter for others. These species are protected in their breeding areas. Transit points and winter quarters must also offer protection if international conservation is to have any real meaning.

All birds in Gibraltar are protected by law which means that they cannot be hunted. It is equally important that the habitats which they utilise for feeding and shelter are protected from urban development and therefore destruction. The loss of vegetation from the Rock or the progressive fragmentation of vegetated areas on the Upper Rock would reduce the sizes of the birds populations living there, whether as residents or in transit, to unacceptable levels. The protection of the Rock’s habitats is a commitment which goes beyond Gibraltar, it is an international commitment which forms part of a global strategy for the protection of birds with more than one home.