The observation points above Tarifa — Cazalla and Algarrobo among them — are the established watchpoints, staffed by migration counters through the season. On a good day you watch continuous streams of honey buzzards, black kites, short-toed and booted eagles and Egyptian vultures gaining height on thermals and setting off across the water.

The white storks are the other spectacle, crossing in flocks of hundreds, circling up over the hills before committing to the strait.

La Janda, a drained agricultural plain inland, is the complementary site: harriers, black-winged kites, cranes and enormous numbers of migrants feeding and roosting.

The strait itself holds resident pilot whales and bottlenose and common dolphins year-round, with orca in summer following the bluefin tuna, and sperm and fin whales passing through — boat trips from Tarifa are short and productive.

The beaches and marshes around Los Lances hold waders and gulls, and are the fallback when the wind kills the raptor passage.

Late August to early October is the southbound peak; late February to May is the northbound one, which brings different species and is generally quieter.

Practicalities

Tarifa is around an hour from Gibraltar or two from Málaga. The town is a windsurfing centre and busy in summer, so book ahead.

The migration counters at the watchpoints are generous with information and worth talking to — they know what is moving and where. Wind here is relentless: bring something to keep a telescope steady and expect days when nothing flies at all.