SeasonalAlpine SwiftApus melbaPhoto: Paul F Donald, CC BY-SA
Places › Northern shore · Plain
La Janda
Vejer de la Frontera · 36.24° N, 5.87° W
The former drained lagoon, now rice fields and crops, north-west of Tarifa. Gatherings of soaring birds waiting to cross on easterlies, cranes in winter, raptors all year. Public farm tracks; respect farms and gates.
- 265
- bird species
- 1969–2026
- first and last open record
within about 5.5 km · Natural Earth cartography, public domain
90 % of the records are from 2014 onwards.
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.
- SeasonalAlpine SwiftApus melba
64% of its observations here fall in these weeks
MigrantEuropean Honey BuzzardPernis apivorusPhoto: Alidz31, CC BY
54% of its observations here fall in these weeks
MigrantEuropean Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleucaPhoto: ViiruPesonen, CC BY-SA
49% of its observations here fall in these weeks
MigrantWillow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusPhoto: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5
45% of its observations here fall in these weeks
SeasonalGreylag GooseAnser anserPhoto: Imran Shah, CC BY-SA
42% of its observations here fall in these weeks
MigrantGarden WarblerSylvia borinPhoto: Ani Sarkisyan, CC BY
40% of its observations here fall in these weeks
SeasonalLesser KestrelFalco naumanniPhoto: Lip Kee, CC BY-SA
39% of its observations here fall in these weeks
MigrantNorthern WheatearOenanthe oenanthePhoto: Mario Bassini, CC BY
39% of its observations here fall in these weeks
Where to watch today
Forecast wind at La Janda, 10:00–16:00
10km/h from the SW
Gusts
24 km/h
Light wind from a variable direction
With no clear easterly or westerly regime, the crossing point is decided hour by hour. It pays to watch how the day develops before choosing where to be.
Watchpoint: Cazalla, for its view over the whole front
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.
Lesser Black-backed Gull5,490
European Goldfinch2,129
Cattle Egret2,004- Common Stonechat1,908
Common Kestrel1,775
Zitting Cisticola1,751
Little Egret1,731
White Stork1,702
Each species' line is its weekly distribution here; the vertical tick is the current week.
The place's calendar
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
17 %
SO
N
D
Protection
Important Bird Area (IBA)
- La Jandaterrestrial · 21,456 ha · ES250
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 former drained lagoon, now rice fields and crops, north-west of Tarifa. Gatherings of soaring birds waiting to cross on easterlies, cranes in winter, raptors all year. Public farm tracks; respect farms and gates.
- 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
- Punta Cires
- Jbel Musa
- Ceuta
- Cabo Espartel
CC0 and CC BY records from GBIF and OBIS in the own database, deduplicated, within about 5.5 km of the point. Natura 2000 sites from the European Environment Agency. Protection designations as currently in force; no legal value. 8 September 2026.