John Cantelo

Posting about football won't become a habit, but I couldn't allow the 30th anniversary of the Saints walloping Man United 6-3 pass without acknowledgement!

I rarely post about football, not least because I'm from Southampton 🙂 (& I know relatively little about the game). However, I was very pleased to see the Saints beat West Ham away this PM. 🤞 that they end the season in an automatic promotion spot. Despite the scandal last year, they deserve it.

Double vaxxed COVID/flu y'day; poorly overnight - aching, headache, slight nausea &.sore throat & didn't sleep until 4:30. Knackered. Worse than last year but better than the year before. Still much better than getting either, I'll be OK by afternoon, but I'll spread the jabs over a week next year.

Has anyone had the October edition of British Birds (Rarities Report)? I'm told it's out, but I haven't had a copy yet.

I recommend watching this excellent short video on the work of Salarte in the Bahaib de Cadiz. Salarte's record of working with local commutes to protect wildly from is second to none. www.facebook.com/share/p/19jh...

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Apologies for the typos - Bahai not Bahaib & wildlife not wildly!

birdingcadizprovince.weebly.comUpdates August-September 2026I spent this autumn in Alcalá de los Gazules from 25/08 to 25/09 . I didn’t have a hire car until 04/09 , but luckily, just before I arrived, two newly retired birding friends, Phil and Julian ,...

I've posted updates to my Birding Cadiz guide & details of my last visit on my blog birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birdin... I've also posted a brief historical account of the "Casas Viejas Incident - a prelude to the Spanish Civil War". birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birdin...

Since returning from Spain in late Sept, I've been dreadfully lackadaisical about birding in Kent. But nipped down to Bockhill this AM where, thanks to @nigej.bsky.social, I had Y-b Warbler. Autumn isn't really autumn without one! No photo but it was in the tree with red berries!

I've posted many sunset photos from my terrace in Alcalá de los Gazules, but few sunrises, as a tree blocks the view. This photo was taken 100m up the road, looking across the Alcornocales. Liz & I were lucky to have found Alcala, but it's a constant regret she's no longer here to enjoy it with me.

Reprising my talk on "Birds in history, myth & legend" tonight for Sevenoaks RSPB Group. They meet in Otford so I got here early to look at the Archbishop's palace. Not a lot left of it but worth seeing

A trip to the SWLA exhibition in London has long been an annual fixture on my calendar. This year, I attended the opening day. A bonus was picking up a copy of their book, "This Healing Heath", about the society's Massingham Heath Project, which my old friend Tim Baldwin organised (with others) 1/2

Another bonus was having a quick chat with Sam West (who opened the exhibition), where I tried to persuade him to visit Cadiz & the Strait of Gibraltar (he's never been!).

At Jerez Airport where an indifferent ☕ was €4.25 (vs €1.25/1.50, max €2 elsewhere), making a 🍊 juice, ☕ & 🌯 more expensive than Monday's 3 course meal & 🍺 in a venta. Moral have a ☕ & snack before you get here!

The sunset behind Medina Sidonia from Alcala de los Gazules this evening. Back to the UK tomorrow. A great few weeks here - Spanish, B'ted, Bonelli's & S-t Eagles, Griffon & Egyptian Vultures, Bee-eaters, R-k Coot, Marbled Duck, Great Bustard, Elegant Tern,Wilson's Petrel etc. What a great place!

I finally managed to visit the small museum in Benalup (Casas Viejas) that tells the tragic story of the uprising & subsequent massacre there in 1933. It was closed when we arrived, but fortunately my friend Claire called the tourismo office who came opened it for us. 1/2

20+ villagers, several of whom had nothing at all to do with the up Insurrection, were shot in cold blood. It destabilised the govt & was one of the events that led up to the bloody Civil War. The pueblo is close to the former Laguna de La Janda which was a source for thatching, etc 2/2

19 Sept

A sudden reoccurrence of my occasional back problem last night meant getting up & dressed was something of a pantomime this AM. Now dosed up with painkillers but birding 🪶 for the next few days will be restricted to the terrace ☹️. It could be worse though ...

eveningnews24.co.ukAcclaimed author who once worked with Chris Packham found dead in Norfolk woodlandInquest opened at Norfolk Coroner's Court into the death of acclaimed author and mental health campaigner.

18 Sept

Very sad & distressing news. I never met Joe Harkness so only knew him through his books. That, though, was enough to know that he was one of the best of us. www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/2655882...

18 Sept

FB reminds me that I had this handsome Red-necked Nightjar on La Janda 12 years ago today. Sadly the roost site where they could easily be seen is no more after trees were cut & a new crash barrier installed ☹️🪶

18 Sept

I stayed local today looking for birds around Alcala de los Gazules & the Alcornocales. I found a fair mix of migrant passerines (Redstart, Spotify, warblers etc.) Good news: I had a Spanish tick. Less good news: it was Egyptian Goose. As in the UK the species is spreading rapidly in Andalucia 🪶

Down to Tarifa today for some raptor passage. Cazalla was murky with poor visibility first thing. Late morning I moved to Trafico on the coast where it was better. Hundreds of birds moving inc Booted & Sh-t Eagles, Black Kites, HBs, C Buzzards, Egyptian Vs, Marsh H, Spr'awks plus W-r Swift 1/3

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Then as a finale I popped to La Pena & discovered where most of the Griffons had been hiding today! Some were on the deck feeding on some carrion (see mobile image) but many more were aloft. Prob. better earlier. Sadly I couldn't find the Ruppell's. Video in next post ..

A small part of the Griffon flock

Good to meet up with friends old & new. On my left 3 friendly Catalan birders I met in my recent pelagic & on my left Juan Martin Bermudez ( of Salarte). The latter told me Marbled Ducks had 100 ducklings on the private part of the new reserve at Trebujena! Fantastic. 2/3

13 Sept

Photos apparently confirm that one of the shearwaters on yesterday's trip was a Yelkuan. A good bird to get despite being (rightly) relegated to a subspecies of Balearic. (Photo: Manuel Barcena of Oxyura Birding who organised the trip). 🪶

A weak (2.5%) German grapefruit infused wheat beer. My beer aficionado friends will be appalled (I'm looking at you Craig @eastkentbirder.bsky.social) but it's delicious and ideal after a hot day birding in Spain😁

Today's pelagic out from Chipiona started very slowly. We struggled to see any Gannets, shearwaters, petrels or skuas. Happily, they finally obliged so we had good views of Cory's & Balearic Shearwaters, European & Wilson's Petrels, Arctic & Great Skuas. One of the best birds was a flying fish! 1/2🪶

The Wilson's bounced & pattered over the waves flaunting it's yellow webs - brilliant! We 'lost' Spain over the horizon but I'm not sure how far out we went although I had a "Welcome to Portugal on my phone 2/2🪶

Another pelagic out of Chipiona underway! Everyone else onboard is, understandably, Spanish. Time that I learnt Spanish bird names!

11 Sept

My second (failed) attempt to see a Mediterranean Chameleon in the Jardin de Celestino Mutis - said to be the best site for them in Andalucia. Sadly, gone are the days when the gardener here, Andrea, would drop everything to show you 'her' Chameleons ☹️

11 Sept

Good to catch up with Elegant Tern this morning at Playa de Montijo (Chipiona, Cadiz) today. Distant digiscoped images. Also Roseate Tern present 🪶

7 Sept

Overnight in Osuna, my favourite small town in Andalucia. It's an architectural gem. Late afternoon trawl around the Osuna triangle netted 13 Great Bustard, 6 B-w Kite, c200 Short-toed Lark, etc 42+° during the day & still 30+° at 22.40🪶

7 Sept

A pleasingly wet Brazo del Este (Seville) today produced mind-boggling numbers of Glossy Ibis, a huge flock of Pratincoles, Black Stork, Purple Swamphen, B-h Weaver, Golden Bishop, etc. Now in a hotel in Osuna waiting for cooler temperatures (currently c40°C) before looking for bustards🪶

6 Sept

Another good day around Tarifa with oodles of raptors; HBs, Booted & Sh-t Eagles, Egyptian Vultures, etc. but the star turn was a nice cirtensis Long-legged Buzzard (Photos again courtesy of Phil Chantler)🪶

6 Sept

Raptor watching at Punta Camorro (Tarifa) today:good nos of Short-toed & Booted Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzards, fewer Black Kites, fewer still Marsh Harrier and a close cirtensis Long-legged Buzzard.

5 Sept

Good views of Western Olivaceous Warbler today by the service road at Junction 24 on the A381 near Medina Sidonia (Photo: Phil Chantler). A typical & surprisingly common bird of tamarisk stands in Cadiz Province 🪶

4 Sept

Good to see Laguna de Medina so full this month, in recent years it's had little water come autumn. Good birding too with Red-knobbed Coot, Whiskered Tern, W-h Duck & much else. A pre-dawn start netted a R-n Nightjar near Alcala, also Iberian Green 'pecker at Cetina (but I dipped Med. Lark) 🪶 1/2

4 Sept

Dipped Western Olivaceous at Laguna de Medina, but a hunch that I'd find one by driving back to Alcala along the service road proved successful. Despite the early afternoon heat, a large stand of tamarisk (their preferred habitat here) by Exit 24 on the A381 soon delivered 😀🪶

2 Sept

Up to Trebujena early this morning to look for Rufous Bushchat with three Kent birding friends. Happily we soon had three birds at my favourite location. Fabulous birds! 🙂🪶

1 Sept

Good news/bad news Cadiz Birding. Good news: The track across La Janda is no longer impassable having been fully repaired and in very good condition. Bad news: The track at Bolonia to the famous Cueva del Moro is currently blocked at the Mirador del Camarinal (c2km) from the cave.

1 Sept

I loathe birding in crowded built up areas, but if you want to see House Buntings in Spain you have no other option than traipsing around the less salubrious parts of Algeciras (mobile phone shot)🪶

29 Aug

The obligatory photo of the sunset from my terrace in Alcala de los Gazules ...

28 Aug

Good to see & hear that there are still hundreds of House Sparrows (never any Spanish Sparrows as far as I can see) roosting in the small park in the middle of Alcala de los Gazules. Carmona (Seville) used have one numbering thousands in a similar situation but they cut down the trees ☹️

28 Aug

Chilly gusting northerlies this AM in Alcala so not ideal - 50+ Alpine Swifts, 3 Lesser Kestrels, 1 Short-toed & 3 Booted Eagles, a ringtail Montagu's Harrier (infrequent over the terrace) and 250+ Griffon Vultures (inc. an interesting looking dark bird l lost swapping between bins & 'scope🤦🏼) 🪶

27 Aug

Supper on the terrace in Alcala this evening with uninvited (but welcome) guests - 20+ Griffons low over the terrace, 10+ Lesser Kestrels & Booted Eagles (mobile phone shots only). But best news today is that equipped with new hearing aids I can hear Bee-eaters for the first time in years!😄 🪶

27 Aug

Back in Alcala de los Gazules (Cadiz). For once Andalucia looked greener than the UK I left. Unexpected rain overnight. A Bee-eater, a few Booted Eagles, Griffons & Lesser Kestrels overhead. Count of 21 Lks over the village last night higher than usual here in late August.

16 Aug

Helping at a "Meet the KOS" event at Dungeness RSPB this AM when a juv WWB Tern turned up; detoured en route to home via Stodmarsh for a 2nd WWB Tern (adult)!

30 July

I couldn't get to Oare (Kent) y'day for the W-r Sandpiper as I had a fitting for new hearing aids (& other things to sort out). Happily, I saw the W-r Sand today, but the highlight was hearing Bearded Tit & Whimbrel for the first time in years! Perhaps the new hearing aids are worth all that money🪶

27 July

Millions remember Bill Oddie as a musician, comedic genius and populariser of birdwatching (via his TV series); I remember him as the man whose programmes got my elderly mother to join the RSPB, where I'd failed! I remember too his "Little Black Bird Book" - a hilarious & astute book about birding