Spain Special Protection Area for birds
Playa de La Cueva
117 bird species recorded; the most in July.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
46 species in January.55 species in February.59 species in March.71 species in April.68 species in May.72 species in June.86 species in July.79 species in August.76 species in September.73 species in October.66 species in November.62 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
117 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 117Speciesrecorded more than once
- 48Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 5,196Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 7Raptors
- 4Owls
- 3Waders
- 16Gulls & seabirds
- 2Ducks & geese
- 5Herons, ibises & grebes
- 65Songbirds
- 15Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 117 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
Waders3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
Gulls & seabirds16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Common MurreUria aalge
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
Ducks & geese2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
Herons, ibises & grebes5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
Songbirds65 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Great titParus major
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
Other birds15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- European SwiftApus apus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- WryneckJynx torquilla
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in July.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan11°/6°104 mm
- Feb12°/5°82 mm
- Mar14°/6°82 mm
- Apr16°/8°75 mm
- May18°/10°64 mm
- Jun21°/13°53 mm
- Jul23°/14°32 mm
- Aug24°/15°42 mm
- Sep22°/14°47 mm
- Oct19°/11°93 mm
- Nov14°/8°126 mm
- Dec12°/6°108 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Playa de La Cueva.
Playa de La Cueva is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Spain.
117 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 5,196 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Yellow-legged Gull and the European Robin.
31 species come for the summer, 16 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Balearic shearwater.
The most species are recorded in July.
Get there and watch
- Camping San Pedrocampsite · 2.1 km · 9 within 10 km
- Apartamentos El Cuetoplace to stay · 1.3 km · 40 within 10 km
- Cudilleronearest town · 8.4 km in a straight line
- Asturias Airport (OVD)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 17 km in a straight lineCar hire at OVD airport (Ranón)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 2marked trails within 4 kmCamino del Norte (Asturias)
- 15viewpoints within 5 kmFuexu, Mirador del sablón, Mirador de Cueva and 12 more
- 17car parks within 3 km
- 5restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 9campsites within 10 kmCamping San Pedro, Camping Yolimar, Los Pradones and 6 more
- 40places to stay within 10 kmApartamentos El Cueto, Cabo Vidio, Hostal Paulino and 37 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Playa de La Cueva.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas4 mountains within 25 kmLa Forada · 9.9 kmMonte Gamonedo · 10 kmPalancas · 11 kmSierra de Fontebona · 18 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmPlaya de San Pedro · 2.1 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Playa de La Cueva
Spain
- 52Birdyas Score
- 117Species
- 48Migrants
- 1Threatened
Isla La Deva y el Playón de Bayas
Spain · 17 km
- 85Birdyas Score
- 214Species
- 105Migrants
- 10Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q19678652) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 5,196 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit