Filming Location
Flushing the Birds at the Beach

Henry flushes birds at the beach with his umbrella, a tactic that consequently causes a pursuing plane to crash. This iconic scene from a legendary movie was filmed at Andalusia, Spain. To find the exact filming location, read on, or click on the map pointer in the navigation section.

“I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne. Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky.”

Henry Jones, Sr.

Where did they film the “Flushing the Birds at the Beach” scene?

The unforgettable scene in which Henry Jones, Sr. takes an umbrella to flush a flock of birds into the sky, leading to the destruction of a plane, was filmed at Playa de Mónsul (Mónsul Beach), located in Andalusia, Spain.

The Mónsul beach is part of the Cabo de Gata–Nijar Natural Park. Situated in a rather secluded spot, it’s about 3 miles (5 km) away from the nearest village, San José. With a big lonely rock in the middle, a sandy beach, clear water, and the scenic location, Mónsul Bay is something special, worth visiting. A 50-minute drive away is the town of Almeria, which has its airport, making the region easily accessible.

Hints: There are no facilities at the beach, so be sure to take everything you need with you when you visit. During high season, you might encounter a parking fee. You can avoid this by taking a shuttle bus, which stops at all beaches at Cabo de Gata.

The scene filmed at the Mónsul beach

While Indiana (Harrison Ford) and Henry (Sean Connery) are chased by German planes, their car gets hit. Forced to flee by foot, they come to a beach. As the plane is turning and getting into position, Henry devises a plan. He takes his umbrella and moves towards a flock of gulls on the beach, making funny noises while opening and closing the umbrella, and scaring the gulls. Some of the rising birds hit the incoming plane, causing it to lose control and crash into a stony hill.