Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain
August 2006, Spanish Imperial Eagle - Aquila adalberti
This magnificent bird is an endangered species. Once a reasonably common sight in the Doņana and up the Guadalquivir river valley to beyond Cordoba, numbers had been dropping until the 1960's, many adults having fallen prey to poisoned meat and hunting, to such an extent they were almost extinct. Over the last ten years there has been a partial recovery and the world total is now 200 pairs, just enough to ward off extinction for a few years at least.
The good news is that 50 of those pairs are in Andalucia and the breeding pairs in the Parque de Andujar near Jaen, this year are raising 11 chicks between them. The Sierra Morena is also reported as having increased numbers of Imperial Eagles which may compensate for the reported drop in the Doņana.
Birds of course are not respectful of national or international boundaries and the Spanish Imperial Eagle is no exception. The birds breeding in Extramadura are sometimes seen down in Guadarrama and occasionally over in the Doņana, boosting the chances of seeing this bird here. The La Janda area near Cadiz report a breeding pair for the first time in fifty years, one bird being from the re-introduction programme there and the other from outside Andalucia. Unfortunately, in April this year, three Imperial Eagles were found poisoned in La Janda.
Perhaps the best place to see this bird is in the Sierra Morena north of Huelva where you may see one of the residents there or one from the nearby areas of La Janda, Doņana or Extremadura.