No.15 - Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society

calandra), Thekla Larks (Galerida theklae) and
Calandra Larks (Melanocorypha calanda) are
all numerous and their calls and songs are
loud and distinctive. Tawny Pipits (Anthus
campestris) and Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla
flava iberiae) also breed, as do small numbers
of Black-eared Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe)
and Woodchat Shrikes (Lanius senator).
Melodious Warblers (Hippolais polyglotta) and
Nightingales (Luscinia megarrhynchos) move in
during the spring from their African wintering
grounds to breed in thicker vegetation
bordering streams. A permanent feature of
the Santuario are the Griffon Vultures (Gyps
fulvus) which circle slowly over these fields in
search of carrion, breeding on crags and cliffs
in the nearby hills. A dead calf or cow will
sometimes attract two or three hundred
vultures. Occasionally, these are joined by
one or two Black or Cinereous Vultures
(Aegypius monachus) wintering in the area or
Santuario landscape
on passage, as well as Rüppell’s Vultures
(Gyps rueppelli), a sub-Saharan species that
has become regular in the Strait area. Flocks
of Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) can also be
seen flying and hovering over these fields,
which are part of the foraging grounds of the
colony that breeds in the old walls at Tarifa.
The Santuario is not just important for
migrating and nesting birds. The area is rich
in invertebrates. It has a very diverse and
interesting fauna of ground beetles (family
Carabidae) and is one of the sites where
Anochetus ghilianii, an ant species that is
almost endemic to the area of the Strait, can
be found. The richness in large invertebrates
and nesting birds makes the site ideal for the
Mandragora autumnalis
Nightingale
largest lizard in Europe, the Ocellated Lizard
(Timon lepidus). Individuals can frequently be
seen sitting on rocks during the spring and
summer months, basking in the sun. Once
alerted to the presence of humans or predators,
they very quickly slip under the large rocks on
which they sit. Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus
gallicus), which feed mainly on reptiles (earning
them the alternative name of Snake Eagle)
frequently hawk over the fields at the Santuario
and include Ocellated Lizards among their
prey. These birds of prey nest on trees in the
hills that surround the Santuario.
Much of the countryside surrounding Tarifa
remains unprotected. This is unfortunate given
that most of it is important for wildlife, most
particularly birds. The
hundreds of wind turbines
that line hilltops certainly
pose a hazard to birds of
prey, migrant and resident.
However, a much more
serious threat is posed by
recurring plans for
development of parts of
this countryside, most
notable some of the fields
of the Santuario de la Luz.
notes & neWs
the ruBBLe mountAin
A botanical survey of the rubble mountain between
Eastern Beach and Catalan Bay was carried out on
13th May this year. Despite the composition of the
mound which contains all sorts of construction
material and rubbish of all descriptions, the whole
site was ablaze with colour from the flowers growing
on it. A total of 111 species were recorded on
the site, including a number of Gibraltar candytuft,
Iberis gibraltarica; wild parsley, Petroselinum
crispum; and Succowia balearica, all of which are
protected under Schedule 3 of the Nature Protection
Act 1991! Other interesting species found here
were a large number of white buttons, Anacyclus
clavatus, a rare species on the rock; a single plant
of the rare small-flowered bugloss, Echium parviflorum;
a small stand of the Italian sainfoin, Hedysarum
coronarium, which is otherwise only found on
Windmill Hill Flats; and a couple of castor oil
plants, Ricinus communis, which are rare on the
Rock.
If the mound is not removed soon, it could well
become a protected habitat!!!
toiLets for the uPPer rocK
The Tourist Board is in the process of constructing
much needed public toilets in the Upper Rock
Nature Reserve. One of these will be situated by the
Moorish Castle ticket office and another by the car
park at the bottom of the hill leading to The Great
Siege Tunnels. In connection with these works, new
sewage pipes have had to be laid from the car park
all the way down to Hay’s Level and on to the
Moorish Castle ticket office.
Representatives from GONHS attended to a site
meeting at Moorish Castle to discuss the environmental
impact of the construction at this site. The
structure will result in the loss of habitat in the form
of a clearing, which contained a community of
fairly common species of plants, including the giant
Tangier fennel, Ferula tingitana. This species is in
Schedule 3 of the Nature Protection Act, and therefore
a protected species and their removal will
require a licence. In compensation for this loss of
habitat, the representatives from the Tourist Board
agreed to re-locate plants to the slopes below the
ticket office where the habitat can be re-constructed.
No such consultation was held with respect to the
other toilet site. Here the first GONHS heard of
these works was when the contractors were already
digging away at the site. A site meeting was
requested and at this meeting it was discovered that
there were plans to lay the pipe in a trench to be
dug along the top of the ancient wall which runs
down Willis’s Road from Princess Caroline’s Battery
to the Lime Kiln. GONHS presented strong objections
to any tampering with this wall, especially
since there are protected species growing on it, in
particular three stands of the rare brown bee
orchid, Ophrys fusca, and one stand of the Gibraltar
saxifrage, Saxifraga globulifera subsp gibraltarica.
Following our representations, it was decided that
the trench would be dug along the road itself and
the wall left untouched. However, as can be seen
on the photos, not much care was taken to respect
the wall. Barriers, pipes, and even diesel oil containers
can be seen littering the top of the wall!
GIBRALTAR NATURE NEWS
11