Spain - Galicia 2026

Logistics and accommodations

We rented a Škoda Octavia station wagon through Sunny Cars (supplied by Union Cars) to accommodate our luggage and photo equipment bags, the latter sponsored by Mr. Jan Gear.

We booked an additional stay at Apartamentos Pilucha in Muxía to avoid a 6-hour round-trip drive from the other side of the bay. This positioned us close to Camariñas for an 08:00 departure with Costa de la Vida.

The original accommodation, The Cliffs—where Remco and Paul stayed for the first two nights—is highly recommended, as it is only a twenty-minute drive to Estaca de Bares.

Because of our early flight from Porto on Wednesday, we booked an apartment near the airport. Unfortunately, double beds were provided instead of single beds.

Saturday 5th of September 2026

We woke early, eager to head out to sea. A hearty breakfast featuring Ben's famous fried eggs kept us fueled. Setting sail at 08:00 as the sun rose, the captain laid a chum trail of bread, biscuits, and popcorn, attracting hundreds of Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, alongside several Mediterranean Gulls.

In open water, European Shags flew past, followed by the first Northern Gannets and tubenoses—Cory's and Balearic Shearwaters glided alongside us in calm conditions with minimal swell. A Great Skua arrived to inspect the wake, and further out we crossed a stream of Manx Shearwaters. White specks in the distance turned out to be Red Phalaropes, though they took flight before we could approach.

When we got out to open water some Shags came flying by and soon the first Gannets appeared and the first tubenose. Kuhl’s and Balearic Shearwaters were gliding by. We had calm conditions with hardly any swell. A Great Skua came to check out the commotion. Further out we passed through a Manx Shearwater highway. Some white pingpong balls in the distance turned out to be Red Phalaropes but they took flight before we got close.

Our first Pomarine Skua appeared with its tail spoons intact, followed closely by a Great Shearwater. Distant Wilson's Storm-petrels passed periodically. About 30 kilometers offshore, we deployed chum in a calm area where deep-sea currents upwelled. Within 15 minutes, a flock of Wilson's and European Storm-petrels gathered, pattering across the surface to feed. A Sooty Shearwater also dived beneath the feeding gulls to catch sunken scraps.

Flocks of Sabine's Gulls passed northward without approaching the boat, and another Great Shearwater continued past. Ocean Sunfish began appearing, basking near the surface. On the return trip, we logged several more Pomarine, Great, and Arctic Skuas, last in various plumages. Near shore, passage of Manx Shearwaters reached a peak. The captain positioned the vessel amid the stream, though tracking and framing the birds from a rolling boat proved challenging. 

We returned to the harbor with around 7,000 photos. After a rest at the apartment, we explored the local area. A walk toward the lighthouse yielded four Red-billed Choughs overhead, a few Zitting Cisticolas, multiple Willow Warblers in the trees, and Black Redstarts active along the buildings and cliffs. Three Red-rumped Swallows rested on nearby utility lines.

We checked the dunes along a neighboring bay, again finding abundant juvenile Willow Warblers and a few Cirl Buntings before returning for dinner—enjoying Arroz Negro (black rice) and draft beer to close the day.

Sunday 6th of September 2026

After a good night's sleep, a fresh shower, and a filling breakfast, we packed the car with our luggage and headed back to Camariñas for another day at sea. The previous day, two Polish and three Spanish birdwatchers had joined us, but today it was just our group and one other Spanish birder. It was a more overcast day with a bit more wind.

Just as we passed the mouth of the bay, the first Cory's Shearwater flew by, quickly followed by a European Storm-petrel. The wind clearly made the seabirds more active, as many more were about. In the first mile alone, we saw significantly more Cory's, Balearic, and Manx Shearwaters than the day before. Another "Bonxie" passed by in the stream of Gannets.

Thanks to the calm waters, we spotted a distant "blow" that we initially thought was a Fin Whale, but when it reappeared closer, we identified it as a Minke Whale. This wasn't our only cetacean of the day—within a few minutes, four Common Dolphins approached the boat and bow-ride for a few minutes. We saw several more pods, mainly at a distance, traveling fast with big leaps out of the water. Towards the end of the morning, we also passed a small pod of Bottlenose Dolphins.

Unlike the previous day, when we didn't see any Long-tailed Skuas, today we had a light-morph juvenile and two adults pass by. Pomarine, Great, and Arctic Skuas passed in similar numbers to yesterday. Although we logged fewer Sabine's Gulls, we had closer views, including two adults that remained on the water while we drifted in a calm area where we chummed for petrels.

The chumming was more productive, attracting good numbers of Wilson's and European Storm-petrels; a single Band-rumped Storm-petrel was later identified from photos. Beside these tubenoses, a Northern Fulmar (a rare sight in these waters) circled the boat a couple of times.

Sooty and Manx Shearwaters were present in higher numbers and were less shy, frequently coming close and swimming among the gulls. As with the previous day, three Great Shearwaters passed by.

On the way back, we approached a flock of Red Phalaropes, but only after they flushed did we notice a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope among them. After returning to the harbor and thanking the captain, we headed north toward our accommodation—stopping first to retrieve Bouke's trousers, which he had forgotten at the previous lodging.

After a three-hour drive, we arrived at our accommodation near Porto de Bares. Hans and Bouke decided to stay behind, but Ben and I wanted to use the remaining daylight to visit Estaca de Bares and get a feel for the site. We had an hour and a half of light left, which turned out to be the peak of the day, with several flocks of Sabine's Gulls passing by alongside a constant stream of terns and the occasional Pomarine and Arctic Skua.

Monday, 7 September 2026

The birders got up early to secure a spot at Estaca de Bares, arriving half an hour before sunrise. The photographers started later due to the overcast weather and spent the morning exploring the surrounding area.

We visited Ría de Ortigueira, where Otters had been reported around the harbor. Although we couldn't find them, a flock of Cattle Egrets roosting on a sailboat made for a nice sight. We scanned the mudflats for waders and found a single Grey Plover, dozens of Green Sandpipers, hundreds of Whimbrels, Eurasian Curlews, and Eurasian Oystercatchers, as well as 24 Eurasian Spoonbills. An Osprey surveyed the area from a post in the middle of the mudflats. We checked a few other spots nearby, but none produced anything significant.

After picking up supplies, we headed to Estaca de Bares. I joined Ben, Remco, and Paul, while Bouke and Hans continued searching for local birds such as Dartford Warbler and European Stonechat and tried to relocate a Eurasian Wryneck that had been seen earlier along the track.

The morning had been slow, with a few skuas and dolphins providing the main highlights, so I hadn't missed much and seemed to have timed my arrival perfectly. Following a light drizzle, the skies began to clear, triggering an increase in bird movement.

More skuas started passing, including several small groups. Initially, these were mainly Arctic and Pomarine Skuas, but before long Long-tailed Skuas began appearing in increasing numbers.

Then someone shouted, "Pterodroma!" A Fea's/Zino's-type Petrel flew past and even began chasing a Cory's Shearwater. We managed to track the bird, although it remained at considerable distance, and noted its all-dark underwings.

We continued tallying the passing skuas, and one Long-tailed Skua began chasing a smaller gull in the distance. The gull proved to be a juvenile Sabine's Gull—only our second of the day, following an adult that had passed earlier.

Towards the end of the morning, another key target appeared: a South Polar Skua passed at a reasonable distance, allowing us to obtain a few record shots. In total, we logged four. The prediction shared by the Polish birder on the boat—that skua passage peaks late in the day—proved to be spot on.

When a flock of terns passed, I remembered the previous day's lesson to inspect these flocks carefully. I picked out a pale individual that we identified as an adult Roseate Tern.

Among the steady passage of Cory's Shearwaters, we picked out two Scopoli's Shearwaters and noted three Great Shearwaters, all flying farther out than the continuous stream of Manx and Sooty Shearwaters.

We had planned to leave at 21:00, but just as we began packing up, someone called out, "Barolo's Shearwater!" We managed to locate it, and although it was too far away to discern fine details, it displayed its characteristic flight style: rapid, continuous wingbeats alternating with horizontal glides on slightly bowed wings.

It was a fantastic target bird with which to close out the day, after which we headed to the restaurant to celebrate.