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The project, carried out in the framework of the monitoring of the migration of gliders, seabirds, shorebirds and passerines through the Strait of Gibraltar (
Migres Program
), has carried out the assessment of the populations of two threatened seabirds through shore-based surveys during migration: the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) and the Cory’s shearwater(Calonectris diomedea). This information, according to the Migres Foundation, is essential to estimate the status and population trends of these two species, and is also useful for the designation of a Special Protection Area for Birds in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The overall objective of the project has been to assess the status and population trends of two threatened seabird species, the Balearic shearwater and the Cory’s shearwater.

The specific objectives were as follows:

• Conduct a coastal census of migratory populations of endangered shearwaters.
• Analyze the status and evaluation of population trends.
• Disseminate the results obtained.

• Planning of the census and volunteer program and development of daily shore-based seabird censuses. In total, 52 monitoring days were carried out during the period of maximum passage of shearwater species from the Punta Marroquí observatory (Isla de las Palomas, Tarifa).
• Analysis of the information collected in the census and preparation of the report of results.
• Dissemination of results at different scales depending on the target audience (general public, technicians and scientists).

The “Pardelas del Estrecho” project, carried out within the framework of the Migres Program, launched in 1997, has been aimed at to estimate the passage and trends of two endangered seabird species, the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory’s shearwater(Calonectris diomedea), based on censuses of their migratory passage through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Thus, during the campaign, daily censuses have been carried out from the observatory of Punta Marroquí (Isla de las Palomas in Tarifa) by a team of expert ornithologists supported by volunteers. As a result, 323,348 seabirds belonging to 45 species have been recorded, the most abundant being the Cory’s shearwater, the Atlantic gannet, the Balearic shearwater and the black-footed tern.

With respect to the species under study in this research, we have estimated an overall pass of 17,000 Balearic shearwaters in passage to the Mediterranean and 301,570 Cory’s shearwaters the Atlantic, which is evidence, according to the Migres Foundation, of the importance of the Strait of Gibraltar for the migration of these two threatened seabirds. In addition, according to the entity, it provides useful information for its possible designation as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), within the framework of the project
LIFE INTEMARES
.