Places › Southern shore · Mountains
Jbel Musa
Belyounech (Marruecos) · 35.91° N, 5.42° W
The mountain that closes the Strait to the south, Gibraltar's twin in the legend of the Pillars. Soaring birds on passage and cliff-nesting raptors; the southern-shore watchpoint most like Cazalla.
- 150
- bird species
- 1976–2025
- first and last open record
90 % of the records are from 2003 onwards.
Few open observations: the southern shore has fewer observers, not less life. The figures here describe what has been published, not what is there.
September
What to watch this week
The species with the largest share of their open observations in these weeks of the year, here (week 37 and its two neighbours). A likelihood, not a promise: observations measure effort as well as presence.
Too few open observations in these weeks to single out species.
Where to watch today
Forecast wind at Jbel Musa, 10:00–16:00
8km/h from the W
Gusts
35 km/h
Light poniente: crossing in the east
A westerly shifts the passage east. Soaring birds approach the sea between Algeciras, Punta Carnero and Gibraltar, and cross towards Ceuta and Jbel Musa.
Watchpoint: Algarrobo and Punta Carnero
Forecast for Tuesday 8 September, Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). A reading, not a prediction of passage.
The ones that define the place
Species more concentrated here than in the rest of the Strait: their share of observations at the place divided by their share across the whole area. An index of 3 means three times more frequent here than expected.
Most observed birds
Birds with 30 or more open records within the site radius. It measures observation effort as well as presence.
Each species' line is its weekly distribution here; the vertical tick is the current week.
The place's calendar
Protection
- SIBE Jbel Moussa
- Reserva de la Biosfera Intercontinental del Mediterráneo
Important Bird Area (IBA)
The IBA inventory covers Spain. The Moroccan shore has its own, which this atlas does not use yet.
Inventory kept by SEO/BirdLife within BirdLife International's IBA programme. It is not a legal protection status, but it carries weight in impact assessments and in court.
Natura 2000 network
The point is not inside any Natura 2000 site.
How to watch
The mountain that closes the Strait to the south, Gibraltar's twin in the legend of the Pillars. Soaring birds on passage and cliff-nesting raptors; the southern-shore watchpoint most like Cazalla.
- The colonies on Isla Verde and Isla de las Palomas are watched from a distance. Binoculars and telescope, no approach.
- No drones over islands, breakwaters or docks: they flush the birds and are forbidden in the port domain without authorisation.
Other places
- Cazalla
- Isla de las Palomas
- Los Lances
- Punta Carnero
- Algarrobo
- Palmones
- Isla Verde
- Getares
- Flysch
- Sierra de la Plata
- La Janda
- Punta Cires
- Ceuta
- Cabo Espartel
CC0 and CC BY records from GBIF and OBIS in the own database, deduplicated, within about 2.5 km of the point. Natura 2000 sites from the European Environment Agency. Protection designations as currently in force; no legal value. 8 September 2026.