WEDNESDAY 29TH DECEMBER - CAMPILLOS, MONTEJAQUE

59 LITTLE BUSTARDS!

We picked a lovely day to make our last outing for the year, after a misty start the sun broke through and warmed us up for the rest of the day.

Myself and Tony (a local birder also from Gaucin) left the village at 8am and headed northward to towards Ronda. We stopped just passed Atajate to look for Ring Ouzel but only found Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow, Blue Rock Thrush and Common Kestrel.

After making a short stop between Ronda and Campillos we finally arrived at Laguna Dulce which was covered with birds. The light was now very good so we drove to the far side of the laguna to scope the open flat fields, what a good decision it turned out to be. First we found 9 Common Cranes, then a fantastic count of 59 Little Bustards appeared in the distance. many of them were males and were practicing their display jumping which looked quite commical. In the large flat fields we also found 100+lapwings, Golden Plover 7, Calandra Lark, Meadow Pipit, Corn Buntings 50+ and a Marsh Harrier.

At the waters edge we found Black Winged stilts, Greater Flamingo, Common Teal and many black headed Gulls. We then drove around to the hide at the south side of the laguna and from there we had a good hour watching many species. Common Coot numbered over 200 whilst Black necked Grebe 15, Northern Shoveler, White headed Duck 3, Common Pochard, Red crested Pochard 1 fem; Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall and Mallard.

A nice surprise was a Purple Swamphen which flew from a distant patch of reed to a tiny clump right in front of the hide! The bird looked splendid in the afternoon sunshine (shown below).




From Campillos we drove to Canete de Real where a vulture feeding station is supposed to be situated, however, there were many Griffon Vultures and Ravens loafing about but nothing was on offer for them. I thought about staking Tony out - but he was driving!

Our last stop was the lovely limestone mountains just above Montejaque, one of my favourite places. There was a surprising amount of water behind the "dam that doesn't work" at Tabniza with many Mallards sitting on the temporary laguna. In the bushes on the slopes of mountains we found Black Redstarts, Blackcap, Blackbirds, Stonechats, Black Wheatears, Rock Bunting, Chaffinch, goldfinch and Robins.

As the light began to fade we realised that it was 4:30pm so we set off back to Gaucin well satisfied with the birds we had seen.

Saturday 18 December: Been busy this week so not much chance to do any serious birding...there are a few Crag martin around the village, small flocks of Spotless starling and a few mixed finch flocks in the cork woods. The Southern grey shrike was still showing well around the small pool by the entrance to Las Encinas Borrachas just off the road between Atajate and Ronda. It's forecast to rain heavily this weekend, and has started already, so I'll have to wait a bit to get out again!

Sunday 12 December, gardens between Calle Convento and Calle de Pino, 1500hrs, mostly cloudy: Armchair birdwatching...great views of a Hawfinch in the top branches of a walnut tree. It was virtually in full summer plumage, too, wonderful sight!

Saturday 11 December, a couple of quick stops near the Encinas borrachas on the way back from Ronda produced a Southern grey shrike, Thekla lark and Black wheatear.

Friday 10 December, track opposite the school in Algatocin, 0830-1000hrs, mostly cloudy, fresh E/SE wind: I don't know if it was the earlier start or the change in weather but today there was only a fraction of the birdlife that was around yesterday morning, even the Crag martins had disappeared! 'Highlights' were 3x Raven, a Siskin, a large flock of Goldfinch, several Griffon vulture, Kestrel, Black redstart, Meadow pipit, Song thrush and Chiffchaff. I'll give it another chance in the next few days!

Thursday 09 December, track behind Venta Solera between Benarraba and Algatocin, 1030-1130hrs, mostly sunny: went for a nice walk on a wonderful warm day, reaching 21C; saw plenty of Griffon vultures, Black redstart, Stonechat, Crag martin, Goldfinch but the best sighting was a Rock sparrow. Hope to go again early tomorrow morning as it's a great birding location, easily accessible and with a good variety of habitats.

Wednesday 08 December, La Umbria and Camino de Avedin, Gaucin, 1600-1730hrs, partly cloudy: After two more days of rain, including a monumental electrical storm last night, I managed to get out for a quick look around...nothing very exciting showed itself but had great views of Short-toed treecreeper, also saw Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, Great-spotted woodpecker, Song thrush and the usual array of Blackcaps.

Saturday 04 December, Camino de Gibraltar, 1530-1700hrs, mostly sunny, light SE wind: Usual array of Black redstart, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, also singing Serin, Sparrowhawk, Jay and a couple of Griffon vulture. The Common buzzard was still there in the valley and flew off in the direction of El Hacho to be joined by a second from the woods below the old convent. I've attached a couple of digiscoped photos of the Common buzzard but unfortunately I can't get closer than about 150m!

Saturday 04 December, slopes of El Hacho above Gaucin, 1030-1130hrs, mostly sunny: Small mixed flocks of Siskin, Linnet (see photo) and Chaffinch, also Cirl bunting, Common buzzard, Black redstart. A flock of about 25 Griffon vulture flew South from the direction of Cortes de la Frontera and later a flock of 80+ were seen behind finca El Peso.

Thursday 02 December, Camino de Gibraltar, 1030-1230hrs, partly cloudy: After two more days of persistent rain, finally got out of the house! The Common buzzard was still around in the valley, generally perched in one of the three large Almond trees, also several Serin in full song, Cirl bunting, Siskin, Chaffinch, small flocks of Goldfinch, Meadow pipit, Kestrel, Chiffchaff, Sardinian warbler, Pied wagtail, lots of Black redstart (mostly female), Blackcap, Song thrush.

Sunday 28 November, small wooded area alongside Camino de Gibraltar, 1630-1730hrs, partly cloudy, cold: Finally managed to get out after being busy with other things (dentist again!) and then two days of rain....Plenty of Blackcap, also Chiffchaff sp., Sardinian warbler, Chaffinch, Song thrush, Great tit, Blue tit, Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Stonechat, Black redstart, 20+ Griffon vulture between Gaucin and Sierra Crestellina, Spotless starling, Goldfinch, Linnet. The Common buzzard was stll around in the fields to the East of the track.

Monday 22 November, Track from San Pablo de Buceite to Marchenilla, 1530-1700hrs, partly cloudy: Lots of Common buzzard around, at least 6 along the 1km stretch I was watching, including two being mobbed by a couple of Raven. Also seen were Cattle egret, Griffon vulture, Common kestrel, Crag martin, Serin (still singing), Spotless starling, Corn bunting, Cirl bunting, Stonechat, Meadow pipit, mixed flocks of 100+ Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Linnet and in a newly ploughed field a flock of more than 50 White/Pied wagtail. Bird of the day was a Golden plover flying low overhead just as I was about to leave.

Thursday 18 November, Camino de Gibraltar, 1530-1630hrs, partly cloudy: A quick check of the area below the water treatment works yielded the following: Common buzzard (Juvenile, see photos), Sparrowhawk, Griffon vulture, Black redstart, Blackcap (one small almond tree had at least 5 chasing around it!), Chiffchaff sp., Grey wagtail, Cetti's warbler, Stonechat, Goldfinch, Greenfinch.

Tuesday 16 November, 12:30hrs: 2x Common buzzard, both very striking pale individuals, over the Gaucin-Manilva road about 2k outside Gaucin village. 1630hrs - (one of the above?) Common buzzard over Calle Convento, Gaucin. Also, our annual ventrilloquist Starling has returned to the Calle Convento gardens and so far it's managed good renditions of Blackbird, Golden oriole, Common buzzard and a snippet of Bee-eater!

Sunday 14 November: 0900hrs, Little owl on a telegraph pole on the edge of Gaucin alongside the Algeciras road. 1130hrs, Hawfinch spotted briefly in an Almond tree 200m down the Camino de Gibraltar - a first for the village for me! Also lots of Black redstart, a female pictured.

Saturday 13 November, La Umbria, Gaucin, 0930-1100hrs, cool, clear skies: 3x Great-spotted woodpecker drumming, several Chiffchaff sp., Firecrest, Common buzzard heard calling, 6x Griffon vulture also Robin, Blackbird, Blackcap, Sardinian warbler, Song thrush, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Nuthatch, Jay, Blue tit, Wren, Meadow pipit.

Wednesday 10 November, Camino de Gibraltar, Gaucin, 1700-1800hrs, partly cloudy, cold wind: Lots of Black redstart, Blackcap (their harsh 'teck, teck' call seemed to be heard at every turn!), a few Chiffchaff sp., Griffon vulture, small flocks of Goldfinch, also Greenfinch, Song thrush, Great spotted woodpecker, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Cetti's warbler and Sardinian warbler.

Friday 05 November: Report of a flock of around 100 Griffon vulture feeding on a dead horse just below the school in Gaucin (per Alma van doorn). Unfortunately I was in Ronda, so missed it!

Thursday 04 November: The young Griffon vulture, pictured above, was found exhausted just below Gaucin castle. From the rings on it's feet we were able to find out that it was born in France in Grands Causses (Cévennes) and was ringed in the nest on 25 May 2010 in Tarn Gorge, Municipality "les Vignes", Département "Lozère" in the "Languedoc Roussillon" region. This was the first time it had been recorded since it left the nest. Based on this information it seems likely that it was migrating south when, for some reason, it lost contact with the rest of it's flock. The Environment Agency were contacted and they collected the bird and took it to a rescue centre near Malaga where it will be allowed to recuperate before being released into the local population.

Wednesday 03 November, sunny, calm, warm: A dreaded visit to the dentist provided an opportunity to drop in to Laguna de Torreguadiaro, just next to Puerto Sotogrande....a 15min stay produced a Purple swamphen, one Little bittern; a brief glimpse as it was flushed by a Moorhen, 4x Little egret, several Little grebe, Coot, Moorhen, one Great cormorant, Black redstart, Cetti's warbler, Willow warbler, Crag martin and Barn swallow. Just a note...if you are thinking of visiting the reserve the hide was locked today....

Wednesday 03 November:
The weather remains glorious, clear sky, no wind, unbroken sunshine. From our top terrace this afternoon we sat in lovely afternoon temperatures reading and sipping cool drinks.




The local palm trees are laden with fruit, Blackcaps are eating the berries whilst Chiffchaffs are feeding on the insects around them. Griffon Vultures drift over now and then and Black Redstarts are becoming increasingly more common. the local Blue Rock Thrushes are in fine song.

Tuesday 02 November, Encinas Borrachas between Atajate and Ronda, 1000-1230hrs, sunny but a strong, cold NW wind! Woodlark, Meadow pipit, flocks of 100+ of both Goldfinch and Linnet, 20 Griffon vulture, Kestrel, Blue rock thrush, Mistle thrush, Thekla lark, great views of Southern grey shrike eating a huge black beetle, Red-billed chough, Sardinian warbler, Willow warbler, Pied wagtail. Had hoped to see Ring ouzel, what with the abundance of berries this year, but no luck.

Monday 01 November: Hearing lots of lovely Blackcap subsongs at the moment - the woods are wonderful places!

Saturday 30 October, 1200hrs: One very tame male Blue rock thrush on a wall below Gaucin castle in Calle Arrabalete. I was able to get within 4m and he was still happily sitting there calling!

OCTOBER 25TH - SERRANIA DE RONDA (am) - SIERRA CRESTELLINA & SOTO GRANDE (pm)

After a day off following the 7-day tour of Coto Donana & Extremadura I was back at 'work' leading a day tour locally to our home base here in Gaucin.




It was quite cloudy to start with and quite chilly but by lunch time it was hot with a clear blue sky. David & Olga & I set off at 9am after breakfast at our home in Gaucin, we drove directly northward towards Ronda. We picked up Rock Sparrow, Griffon Vulture, Sparrowhawk & Blue Rock Thrush before stopping at a roadside pull-in just north of Atajate. We walked along a walled section of the road which overlooked a valley of scrub and rugged-rocky outcrops. There were many birds flitting around which included; Black Wheatear, Black Redstart (7), Chiffchaff, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-legged Partridge, our first Ring Ouzel of the winter, Rock Sparrow & Red-billed Chough.

Next we stopped at the Dolmen's Encinas de la Borrachas where a track leads across a large open valley. the whole area is strewn with rocks, scrub and a couple of man-made pools. It was full of birds, large flocks of Linnets, Goldfinches and Corn Buntings were joined by Meadow Pipits and Stonechats.

Further down the track we watched Thekla Larks, a Little Owl and we heard a Woodlark singing in the morning sunshine. Scanning the high limestone ridges we found Peregrine Falcon, Griffon Vulture (5), Blue Rock Thrush & Black Wheatear.

We spent the next two hours walking the streets of Ronda doing the tourist bit (finding Red-billed Chough, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin and Common Kestrel). By 2 pm we were back in Gaucin enjoying a tapas lunch.

For the afternoon I took Pam out, she is also staying with us at Gaucin and wanted to visit a couple of coastal sites. We stopped at Sierra Crestellina on the way down to the coast. Up to 40 Griffon Vultures were in the sky as were Crag Martins, Kestrels and small flocks of Goldfinch & Corn Buntings. We failed to find Bonelli's Eagle or Cirl Bunting both of which were on our target list.

At the coat we spent a couple of hours walking around the reserve at Torreguadiaro. It was a lovely time, many Crag martins and Barn swallows were hunting insects over the water as Little Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Little Egret. Kingfisher, Mallard and a single Teal messed about near the water. Two good sightings were of a Purple Swamphen and a Little Bittern, it will be interesting to see if the bittern decides to spend the winter here?

Walking around the boardwalk to the beach we found Stonechat, Crested Lark, Chiffchaff, Spotless Starling, a flock of Monk Parakeets flew over us whilst we were watching Northern Gannets diving for fish and Balearic Shearwaters shearing the water just offshore.

On the return journey we stopped to scan a gull flock on the beach which contained 500+ birds, mainly Yellow-legged but also Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. Another stop at Crestellina on the way up to Gaucin gave us a very brief view of Bonelli's Eagle but it disappeared over the ridge and failed to return. It was now 7pm, the sun was still warm and bright but we had to get back to join the others for dinner.

THIS DAY TOUR CONCLUDED THE 'WINGSPAN' 2010 SEASON IN SPAIN (UNLESS NEW WORK COMES IN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS). WE ARE TRAVELING BACK TO THE UK ON 6TH NOVEMBER IN PREPARATION FOR THE TWO TOURS TO THE GAMBIA COMMENCING ON 16TH NOVEMBER.

Sunday 24 October, below El Hacho on the road to Estacion Gaucin, 1030-1200hrs, sunny and warm: Good numbers of Black redstart, also Rock bunting, Willow warbler, Blackcap, Sardinian warbler, Great-spotted woodpecker, Robin, Stonechat, Song thrush, Raven and 14 Griffon vulture. Down by the river Genal, 1430-1600: Little egret, wonderful views of a Kingfisher hovering over the water for a good 10 seconds, Cetti's warbler, Blackcap, Grey wagtail, Meadow pipit, Stonechat, more Black redstart, 10 Griffon vulture.

Saturday 23 October, Gaucin: Autumn is officially here with the first Black redstart turning up in the village; two females seen during the morning on the roofs in Calle Convento.

Friday 22 October, behind Gaucin castle, 1100-1200hrs, partly cloudy: Not a great deal happening, a couple of Blue rock thrush feeding off the big rocks, lots of Robin, Blackcap, Sardinian warbler, a Willow warbler, Booted eagle and one or two Griffon vulture. Flocks of 10+ Crag martin and a single House martin.

Monday 18 October, Gaucin, 1400hrs: Flock of 37 Griffon vulture flying west over the village.

Sunday 17 October, Sierra de Espartina (Smuggler's trail) just outside Gaucin, 1300hrs: First time I've seen a Woodlark here....possibly due to the improved habitat since the ground was cleared earlier in the year. A great number of singing Robin around as the local population is augmented by autumn arrivals.

Friday 15 October: Back in Gaucin...have all the Swifts gone? Willow warbler and Grey wagtail spotted in the gardens between Calle Convento and Calle del Pino this morning.

October 7th - recent sightings

With Paul away in the Uk fior 2 weeks and myself out of town birding not much has been recorded over Gaucin for several days. The weather has been superb with clear skies, light winds and great light. I have visited the coast several times since our last report and also I have taken a few jaunts inland towards Ronda.


I have made many good sightings during the last week and full details can be seen on:
http://www.wingspan2010news.blogspot.com

listed below are highlights of birds seen within 100km of Gaucin since Sept. 26th

17 Black Storks flew over San Enrique,

Lesser Crested Tern was at Palmones beach 2nd Oct, 4 Ospreys, A flock 99 White Storks at Palmones Salt Marsh on 2nd. October. 2 Marsh harriers have taken up winter residence there.

Little Bittern (2) and a Water Rail are still at laguna Camelias, Torreguadiaro, 5th October

many Whinchats and Northern Wheatears can be seen at many coastal locations.


Short-toed Eagles and Booted Eagles are still trickling through in ones and twos on migration, large numbers of House Martins and swallows with the odd Alpine Swift and also passing over daily.

Pied Flycatchers, Spotted Flycatchers and Common Redstart are seen daily in the area. More and more White Wagtails, Common Starlings, Song Thrushes, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are moving in for the winter.

Garden Warblers and Blackcaps can be seen on all the fig trees devouring figs as fast as they can.

Bonelli's Eagles can be seen most days up the Guadiaro valley and a long Sierra Crstellina.

It won't be too long before the Black Redstarts start to appear and Ring Ouzels will be turning up to eat the abundance of berries that can be found this year.

In this nice hot spell many butterflies are on the wing: Swallowtail, Two-tailed Pasha, Cardinal, Cleopatra, Long-tailed Blue, Saffron Skipper, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral have been seen in the last few days.

September 26th - Sierra Crestellina

I spent 2 hours looking at Crestellina from the roadside this morning whilst Dawn, my wife, went to the market in Sabinillas. It was dull and overcast, 18C with bouts of light rain. Not ideal conditions for raptor watching! My observations were as follows:

Griffon Vulture 20, many of them perched, looking miserable in the rain
Sparrowhawk 4 sightings
Common Kestrel 2
Short-toed Eagle 2,
Booted Eagle 4, both of these last two species were seen in the Genal Valley away from Crestellina
Blue Rock Thrush 2

There was no sign of the pair of Bonelli's Eagles but I did locate their eyrie for future reference!

September 21st - mid-afternon 2-3pm

An hour spent on my top terrace produced the following:

Booted Eagle 19
Short-toed Eagle 2
Honey Buzzard 6
Griffon Vulture 8

I haven't seen or heard a Bee-eater for the last week, so alas, it looks as though they have all gone, bring on the spring!


360 view from my terrace is shown in the video below

Monday 20 September, 1915hrs: 3 White stork flying fairly low over Gaucin castle. Not an unusual bird for the general area but we don't see many over the village.

Saturday 18 September, 1930hrs: Large flock of House martin, 150+, above the southern edge of the village. Also several Common swift and one Alpine swift.

Friday 17 September, Gaucin, 1815hrs: After a night and day of thunderstorms and heavy rain showers with little birding opportunities I glanced up above Calle Convento to see 5 Egyptian vulture heading South over the village (1 adult and 3 juveniles, plus a fifth that was too far away to get a clear view). 1930hrs: a group of 30 Bee-eater flying around south of the village - as we've seen with evening flocks before they then headed further inland presumably to roost for the night.

Wednesday 15 September: Didn't see much in the way of migration today, in fact just one Black kite! However, an early evening walk (18:30) on the SW edge of the village produced superb views of a juvenile Egyptian vulture; watched for several minutes it was at times at a height of no more than 10m directly overhead. Also a dark morph Booted eagle, a female Sparrowhawk and two Chiffchaff sp..

Wingspan Bird Tours - down by the river

September 14th - Rio Genal

Just a short, early evening, visit to the river below Gaucin produced a good mix of resident and migrant birds. You could be excused for mistaking this for an English list and it seemed just like any English babbling brook except for the good weather and a Griffon Vulture passing overhead.

Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Blackcap, Robin, Long-tailed Tit (4), Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Serin, Cetti's Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Great spotted Woodpecker & Blackbird.

Tuesday 14 September, 1400-1430hrs, light SE wind. Good numbers of migrant raptors passing over Gaucin village: 102 Honey buzzard, 26 Black kite, 1 Red kite, 6 Common buzzard, 6 Booted eagle and 5 Short-toed eagle, also seen were a female Sparrowhawk, a group of four Common kestrel and several Common swift.

Monday 13 September, 1400hrs: 20 Honey buzzard over village.

Saturday 11 September, Gaucin - Rio Genal 1400-1700hrs. Several migrant warblers were seen feeding in the scrub along the river bank upriver from the bridge on the Casares road.
Common Redstart (male) bathing
Garden Warbler (2)
Chiffchaff (5)
Willow warbler (1)
Blackcap (6)
Spotted Flycatcher (3).

also, for all you dragonfly enthusiasts a 'Ringed Cascader' (Zygonyx torridus)


Spotted Flycatcher & Zygonyx torridus

Friday 10 September: Haven't seen much migration the past couple of days, perhaps due to the fresh westerly winds. Prepared to be proved wrong by other posters, though!

September 6th - late afternoon

Cloudless sky, light SE wind.

Not many migrants over today - at least not whilst I was watching. A short break from DIY at 3:15pm - 3:45pm found me on the terrace watching ..........you guessed.........Honey Buzzards (21)and a great sighting of 2 Red Kites my first from the village and an unusual bird for the area. There was also Booted Eagle 2, Griffon Vulture 4, Barn Swallow 1, Common Swift 2.

Sunday 05 September - afternoon update. Light SE wind.
Not much birding done today but..........whilst painting a door in my courtyard I heard Bee-eaters flying over, I looked skyward and saw a spiralling flock some 44 Honey Buzzards! This led to an unscheduled break from painting and from 1:30 to 3:30 this is what went over:

Honey Buzzard 331
Griffon Vulture 8
Egyptian Vulture 1
Marsh harrier 4
Common Buzzard 2
Booted Eagle 2 (probably locals and not passing migrants)

2 groups of Bee-eaters neither of which could I locate in the hazy sky.
Ah well back to painting!!!!

Also seen....
1800hrs: 81 Honey buzzard passing over centre of Gaucin (Paul)
1930hrs: 15 Black kite over village (Paul).

Saturday 04 September. Late afternoon, light wind from SE. An hour spent on my top terrace (eastern Gaucin) from 5pm - 6pm produced the following:

Honey Buzzard 125
Common Buzzard 4
Black Kite 1
Booted Eagle 4
Short-toed Eagle 1
Egyptian Vulture (ad) 1
Marsh Harrier 1
Griffon Vulture 6
Common Swift 2
Bee-eater 109 (flocks of 42 + 67) plus another 92 at 8:30am

Friday 03 September: six species of raptor seen above Calle Convento, Gaucin between 1600-1800hrs; Booted eagle (2), Short-toed eagle (4), Honey buzzard (40), Black kite (25), Sparrowhawk (1 female), Griffon vulture (group of 35 to SE of village). Steady passage of Bee-eaters including a group of 25 and, at 2030hrs a group of 65 heading North back over the village presumably looking for a roost for the night.

Thursday 02 September: Early passage of 25 Honey buzzards over Gaucin, 0900hrs.

Wednesday 01 September:

Guadalhorce nature reserve, Malaga, mostly sunny after early cloud, warm. 0800-1330hrs: Grey heron, Little egret, Cory's shearwater, Balearic shearwater, Yellow-legged gull, Lesser black-backed gull, Mediterranean gull, Audouin's gull (Juvenile), Little tern, Sandwich tern, Whimbrel, Common sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, Curlew sandpiper, Spoonbill, Avocet, Black-winged stilt, Black-tailed godwit, Greenshank, Dunlin, Turnstone, Sanderling, Ringed plover, Little-ringed plover, Kentish plover, Little stint, Booted eagle, Marsh harrier, Kingfisher, Hoopoe, Woodchat shrike, Reed warbler, Crested lark, Red-rumped swallow, Yellow wagtail, White-headed duck, Teal, Shoveler, Pochard, Little grebe, Great-crested grebe.

Montes de Malaga: 1500-1630. Booted eagle, Redstart (male), Pied flycatcher (female), Great-spotted woodpecker, Garden warbler, Serin, Coal tit, Chiffchaff sp., Blue rock thrush (juvenile, female).
Contributed by Paul and Wingspanner. Photos of Audouin's gull, Avocet and Blue rock thrush by Wingspanner.

ps Large migration movements reported over Gaucin today, no numbers or details!

Sunday 29 August: Migrants over Gaucin dwindled to nothing over the last 3 days despite identical weather conditions, although perhaps the 40C+ temperatures put them off! Friday saw a morning passage of a dozen Honey Buzzards and 4 Booted Eagles. Saturday no raptors were recorded at all but 3 parties of Bee-eaters passed in the afternoon, 10, 12 and 26 were noted. Today, Sunday, after a cloudy start, produced nothing at all at my end of the village!! Funny old world - because Paul reported many raptors drifting south, very high up in the afternoon. Just shows you the length people go to find birds...I heard that Paul was lying prostrate on the terrace with his binnoculars, I don't know how many glasses of wine he had had! Yes, it's true, the terrace bit, not the wine! From 1730-1800 there were 75 Honey buzzard and 25 Black kite and from 1830-1900 there were 65 Black kite with a handful of Honey buzzards mixed in. Interestingly, in the earlier passage the Honey buzzards seemed to be heading South-West and the Black kites more due South. Also seen were a Booted eagle, Sparrowhawk and a single Alpine swift.

Thursday 26 August - late afternoon update. An incredible number of Honey Buzzards drifted over the village during late afternoon. Paul reported over 120 at his end of the village and I saw 257 in 30mins (17:30 - 18:00). They were joined by 19 Common Buzzards, 45 Black Kites, 5 Booted Eagles and a small flock of Bee-eaters.
Southerly migration is starting to get exciting, watch this space!!!!

More on this....another 110 Honey buzzard plus 35 Black kite from 18:30, the last going over at approx. 19:30 (Paul).

Thursday 26 August, Rio Palmones, Los Barrios, 0800-1100hrs, mostly clear and very warm. A morning visit to the estuary at Palmones, (just behind the Los Barrios shopping complex!) brought a good list of waders: Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed plover, Kentish plover, Grey plover, Common sandpiper, Green sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, Knot, Little stint, Turnstone, Whimbrel. As well as the waders other birds seen included: White stork, Grey heron, Common tern, Sandwich tern, Little tern, Kingfisher, Montagu's harrier (juvenile). Flying towards the coast from Los Barrios direction were two groups of Honey buzzard, totalling approx. 25. It's quite early for their return migration to be underway but it was confirmed by a flock of 50 seen near Jimera de la Frontera on the way home. Here we also saw 40+ Griffon vulture, several Black kite amongst the buzzards, Montagu's harrier (1cy male?), Common buzzard, several Booted eagle, a couple of Short-toed eagle, Little owl, Red-rumped swallow and a Lesser kestrel. There were still a few Swift around but numbers are dwindling rapidly. Photos of Whimbrel, Turnstone and Knot by Wingspanner.

Monday 23 August: Several small flocks of Bee-eaters and a count of 5 Booted and 4 Short-toed Eagles over the village between 3 & 4pm this afternoon in bright, clear sky.

Sunday 22 August, Calle Convento, 1500hrs, mostly sunny, light wind from SE: more than 100 Black kite passed over the village in 1 minute, heading SW.

Sunday 22 August, Upper section of Camino de Gibraltar, 1100-1200, mostly sunny, warm: Booted eagle, Cetti's warbler, Spotted flycatcher, Grey wagtail, Chiffchaff sp., Sardinian warbler.

Saturday 21 August, Rio Guadario - Estacion de Cortes 11am -1pm

A bright sunny morning but quite windy. Sitting riverside for a relaxing couple of hours I notched the usual river suspects: Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Serin, Cetti's Warbler & lots of finches coming to drink. Pallid and Common Swifts were conspicuous by their absence and the number of swallows and House Martins was well down, a sure sign that migration is well under way. Several Griffon Vultures drifted over and a trickle of Black Kites passed overhead, a Sparrowhawk dashed through the tree line and a couple of Bee-eaters completed the list.

Thursday 19 August, partly cloudy, 1600-1800hrs: Small groups (5-10) of Black kite passing southwards over the village; most of them very high in the sky and not visible to the naked eye.

Wednesday 18 August, warm, mostly sunny. San Pablo track, 0800-1030: Coming from Gaucin on A-405 go through San Pablo de Buceite, turn left approx. 300m after petrol station, go past garden centre and carry on for approx. 6km then turn right at Venta del Fuente onto rough track. Birds included: 110 Bee-eaters perched on two telephone wires, Montagu's harrier x3, Black kite, Common buzzard, Little owl, Woodchat shrike, Southern grey shrike, Tawny pipit, Melodious warbler, Crested lark, Black-eared wheatear, Common kestrel, Lesser kestrel, Raven, Hoopoe, Serin, Turtle dove, Collared dove,
Jimena track, 1100-1200: Coming from Gaucin, take the right turn, C-3331, before Jimena de la Frontera, after approx. 300m take right turn up track signed Parque Natural, park here. Birds included: Egyptian vulture (1adult 1juvenile) great to see these birds so close to Gaucin, Tawny pipit, Crested lark, Short-toed eagle x6 (several were perched in trees, presumably waiting to start their migration flight), Booted eagle x3. Observations by Paul and Wingspanner. Tawny pipit photo by Wingspanner.

Tuesday 17 August, Cork oak wood just off road to El Colmenar (Gaucin station) opposite the track to El Peso, 1100-1200hrs, cloudy with occasional light rain: Despite the unseasonal weather there were great views of a very smart Bonelli's warbler, with an almost pure white belly and prominent yellow wing flashes, also Firecrest, Cirl bunting, families of Woodchat shrike, Spotted flycatcher and Stonechat, Chiffchaff, a flock of 20+ Goldfinches, flock of 35+ Bee-eaters, Short-toed treecreeper and European nuthatch.

Monday 16 August: The last couple of days has seen a handful of Black kite passing over the village. Today there were two heading slowly south-west as they battled against a strong headwind!

Friday 13 August, partly cloudy, warm: 1830hrs, juvenile Montagu's harrier drifting southwards over Calle Convento. 2030-2100hrs, pair of Alpine swifts over the southern edge of the village.

Tuesday 10 August, Gaucin, 0930hrs: Flock of 40+ Bee-eaters over Calle Convento and a Bonelli's warbler in an avocado tree in the garden. 1800hrs: Small group of Black kite flying SW from the village.

Sunday 08 August, Camino de Avedin, 1030hrs, warm and mostly cloudy: Booted eagle (2x pale morph, 1x dark morph), Short-toed eagle, Bonelli's warbler, Cirl bunting.

Thursday 05 August, 1000-1300hrs, hot and sunny: On the way to the lagoons at La Zorilla near Espera, north of Arcos de la Frontera, stopped off at the Embalse de Bornos reservoir; birds included Stone curlew, Black-winged stilt, Ringed plover, Little-ringed plover, Grey heron, Spoonbill x10, White stork, Common sandpiper, Green sandpiper, Wood sandpiper, Bonelli's warbler, Woodlark, Yellow wagtail (juveniles), Cormorant. En-route saw a flock of 30+ Black kite that had just flown up from a wood, presumably where they roosted the night, ready to start their return migration. At Laguna Salada de Zorrilla we saw: White-headed duck, Great-crested grebe, Black-necked grebe, Little grebe, Gadwall (with young), Red-crested pochard. At Laguna La Dulce Zorrilla we saw: Squacco heron, Purple heron, Purple swamp-hen, Hoopoe, Marsh harrier, Black kite, Booted eagle, Yellow wagtail (stunning blue-headed male). Then we drove to the 'lagunas de Lebrija', the first one Laguna Galiana is a small laguna but with a good flock of Greater flamingo. A little further on at Laguna Cigarrera we saw Zitting cistcola, a possible Olivaceous warbler and a definite family party of Great Reed Warbler. Lastly we stopped at Laguna Pilon where there were many Coot (but no Red-knobbed coot) and lots of Black-winged stilt including several juveniles. Posted by Paul and Wingspanner.

Monday 02 August, 20:30hrs: Great views of an adult Short-toed eagle low over Calle Convento.

Sunday 01 August: been away in UK for a while, hence the lack of entries....anyone else seen anything interesting recently? The bee-eaters are starting to congregate in bigger groups so autumn migration is not far away!

Monday 19 July, Gaucin, 1200hrs, warm and humid: party of 10 Bee-eaters flying over the Camino de Avedin, also two male Blackcaps singing a distinctly curtailed song.

Thursday 15 July - A late evening walk along the Camino de Gibraltar - just as it was getting dark at 10pm a couple of Red-necked Nightjars flew over our heads and began hunting in the adjacent meadows. No sound of them was heard prior to their appearance.

Saturday 10 July, Calle del Pino, 2345hrs: Red-necked nightjars calling in the valley just below the road.

Wednesday 07 July, El Colmenar (Estacion de Gaucin), 0730-1100, partly cloudy and humid. A walk along the Guadiaro river, accompanied by Wingspanner, towards the 'Vulture Gorge' hoping to see Egyptian vulture. Parked just outside the hydroelectric station we had a great start with a family of 5 Hawfinch and several Golden oriole in a dead tree over towards the river. Also present were Great spotted woodpecker, Green woodpecker, Spotted flycatcher, White wagtail, Chiffchaff and Serin. No luck with the Egyptian vultures but further up river we did see some Griffon vultures, bee-eaters and party of at least 10 Alpine swift, and back at the start a Booted eagle and a female Sparrowhawk.

Saturday 03 July, Calle Convento, Gaucin, 2000hrs. Another Alpine swift seen over the village.

Tuesday 29 June, Guadalmar - Rio Guadalhorce 1800-2000hrs

An evening pick-up at Malaga Airport gave me the opportunity to pop into this superb nature reserve. It consists of a series of Lagunas set in reclaimed gravel workings found between two arms of the Guadalhorce estuary. It has open grassland scrub, a length of sandy beach and the reed-fringed lagunas. A small colony of Monk Parakeets breed in a clump of eucalyptus along the approach road at Guadalmar and these noisy foreign breeders are often found on the reserve feeding on thistle heads. It was great to see so many young birds on the lagunas which included Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Black-winged Stilts, Little-ringed Plover and a healthy population of White-headed Ducks. There were 16 chicks spread over 3 of the lagunas!

Lots of Common and Pallid Swifts, Barn Swallows, Red-rumped Swallows, House Martins, Bee-eaters, Zitting Cisticolas, finches and sparrows. There were also several Audouin's Gulls flying to and fro along the sea-shore.

Thursday 01 July, Guadiaro river, El Colmenar, 0730-1100hrs, calm and clear. Wingspanner and I had great views of Wryneck (adult and juvenile) and Golden Oriole (at least 6 present) in the Eucalyptus trees along the river. Also of note were Kingfisher, Hoopoe, Bonelli's warbler, Spotted flycatcher (adults and juveniles), Grey wagtail, Common buzzard, Short-toed eagle, Booted eagle.

Wednesday 30 June, Calle Convento, 2030hrs. Two Alpine Swifts in amongst the Common and Pallid Swift flock. Wingspanner is right, it's only a matter of time before we see White-rumped swift over the village.

Monday 28 June, 2130hrs, Calle Convento. Whilst watching the sunset a male Sparrowhawk cut through the middle of an impressive Swift flock and landed on the railing of the terrace just 2metres away.

Tuesday 29 June, Gaucin 11:30am bright, warm sunshine

Working on my top terrace I took a coffee break and watched the hordes of swifts flying above the village, there were two Alpine Swifts in with the usual Common and Pallid Swifts. I am convinced that a prolonged 'swift watch' will produce a White-rumped Swift over the village - watch this space!

Monday 28 June, Rio Guadiaro - Colmenar 4pm - 6pm

A lovely warm afternoon walk along this pretty stretch of the river. We drove into Colmenar and turned left just before the railway track. After about 100m we turned right and followed a dirt track to the river-side and then after about another 500m we stopped at a weir. The birds on and around the river included Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Grey Heron and lots of Green, Gold and Chaffinches coming to drink with Serins.

We walked back towards the village passing a row of tall eucalyptus on the river bank and mature cork oaks in the scrub on our left. We found many species there but had great views of a Wryneck which we found in a cork oak which then moved down into the scrub and showed well. We also saw a Hawfinch in the same cork oak as well as a Great Spotted Woodpecker (4), Eurasian Nuthatch, Iberian Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler and plenty of Blue Tits. At the river near the tall eucalyptus we watched several Golden Orioles flying to and fro across the river, a couple of Ravens flew by and a Cetti's Warbler showed extremely well in a dead bush in the middle of the river!

During the drive to and from Colmenar from Gaucin we noted Short-toed and Booted Eagles, not a bad afternoon's excursion, we made a promise to return during an early morning.

Friday 25 June: Guadiaro Valley from Estacion de Cortes to Montejaque 0700-1300hrs.

A great morning's birding in this beautiful valley. First stop was Estacion de Cortes where we walked to the weir along the west side of the river. Lots of Blackcaps singing plus the odd Nightingale and Cetti's Warbler. Birds encountered along the walk included: Cirl Bunting, Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Turtle Dove, Stonechats, lots of Goldfinches and Linnets. On the river we saw Grey and White Wagtails, Little Ringed Plover and to our delight we saw a White-rumped Swift coming down to the water to drink with Common and Pallid Swifts.

Above Montejaque we spent some time at the 'dam' watching Alpine Swifts, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Griffon Vultures, Short-toed Eagles, Common Raven, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-billed Chough and several Spanish Ibex. But special for us all was a pair of showy Bonelli's Eagles.

In a cork oak forest we added Short-toed Treecreeper, Bee-eater, Bonelli's Warbler, Serin, Gt Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Green Sandpiper (at a small resevoir). In all we logged 50 species in 5 hours which demonstrates what a great area this is.

Tuesday 22 June, sunny, no wind. Camino de las Encinas Borrachas, between Atajate and Ronda. Birds included Southern grey shrike, Woodchat shrike, Green sandpiper, Woodlark, Thekla lark, Rock bunting, Rock sparrow, Black wheatear, Black-eared wheatear, Red-billed chough, Griffon vulture, Common kestrel, Bonelli's warbler, Sardinian warbler, Orphean warbler, Subalpine warbler (juvenile and adult male), Dartford warbler (male and female), Grey wagtail, Corn bunting, Blue rock thrush, Red-legged partridge, Quail (calling).

Friday 18 June, 1730hrs: up on the ridge below Gaucin castle-a great place to look for raptors passing along the genal valley. Sunny, light wind from the west: 2x Booted eagle, 1x Short-toed eagle, 8x Griffon vulture, Red-billed chough, European nuthatch, Short-toed treecreeper, singing Serin, Blackcap, Blackbird and Chaffinch.

Monday 14th June, Camino Gibraltar. 8:30am - 10:30am

A bright sunny morning, light wind. It was great to see so many newly fledged young birds, Sardinian Warblers, Blue Tits, Nightingales and Finches. Other birds of note included: Short-toed Eagles (4) adults, Booted Eagle (2) pale morphs, Griffon Vulture (7), a single Common Kestrel, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Cirl and Corn Buntings, Stonechats, large mixed flocks of Pallid and Common Swifts. One very notable bird was a Quail calling from the open fields just below Finca 'El Nobo'.

Birds still in song: Nightingale, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Cirl and Corn Bunting & Greenfinch.

Saturday 12 June, 1900hrs, cloudy: A quick bit of birding before the England v. USA World Cup match....up on the ridge below Gaucin castle looking out towards the Sierra de Libar to the West and the Sierra de las Nieves to the North-East....Common buzzard, Black kite, Booted eagle and Griffon vulture.

Thursday 10 June, partly cloudy, fresh westerly wind: 5 Honey buzzards over the village flying NW.

Tuesday 08 June: 3 Common buzzards over the village at 1030 including a very pale juvenile that was virtually white from below except for dark carpal patches and some darkening to the primaries, lesser coverts and neck/head.

Sunday 06 June, Camino de Gibraltar, 1900hrs, clear but hazy skies: At one point I saw Honey buzzard, Red-billed chough and Booted eagle in the same binocular view! Excellent close-up views of pale phase Booted eagle and Short-toed eagle. The choughs passed in front of the village only about 25m from the houses. Oh, there was a pair of Stonechats, too!

Friday 04 June, 1130hrs, clear skies, little or no wind: 3 Honey buzzards circling around the back of Gaucin castle then heading off up the Genal valley.

Thursday 03 June, 1200hrs: with the unseasonably warm temperatures, 35C+ for the last few days, birding has been tough! but.....2 short-toed eagles over the village.

Sunday 30 May, 2215hrs: Red-necked nightjar right over the houses and gardens between Calle Convento and Calle Pino. Initially heard the distinctive 'cu-tok' call from down in the valley. Red-billed chough and Blue rock thrush behind Gaucin castle.

Thursday 27 May, 1500hrs: Short-toed eagle over the village.

Tuesday 25 May, Gaucin, 1430hrs, light SW wind: clearly still some late passage migration with 10 Honey buzzards passing over the village.

Monday 24 May, Camino del Peso, north of El Hacho, 1130hrs, clear skies, light SW wind: 3 Honey buzzards, Common buzzard.

Sunday 23 May, La Umbria, 1930hrs, sunny: Firecrest, Nuthatch, Booted eagle, Sardinian warbler, Iberian chiffchaff, Great-spotted woodpecker feeding young in nest hole in cork-oak tree.

Thursday 20 May, 1300hrs: Red-billed chough mobbing a Booted eagle above Gaucin castle.

Sunday 16 May, walking between Atajate and Jimera de Libar, sunny, light SE wind, 1400hrs: This is a great walk of about 1.5hrs each way, some steep bits but good food at the Audalazar restaurant in Atajate when you finish! Fantastic flowers (unfortunately, I forgot the camera) Bonelli's eagle, singing Orphean warbler, Golden oriole, Woodchat shrike and lots of Corn buntings!

Saturday 15 May, 1130hrs, partly cloudy, fresh NW wind: 4 Honey buzzards and 3 Black kite over La Garganta de Las Palas just North of Gaucin village.

Thursday 13 May, partly cloudy, light NW wind, 1130hrs: 3 Honey buzzards over the village.

Wednesday 12 May, La Umbria, 1630hrs: Usual assortment of Blackcap, Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Great, Blue and Crested tit; many Iberian chiffchaff and one or two Chiffchaff. Also, Booted eagle, Griffon vulture, great-spotted woodpecker. 2130hrs: Red-necked nightjar flying over the gardens between Calle Convento and Calle del Pino.

Friday 07 May, 1700hrs: Grey wagtail in Callejon del Pino - looked like it was carrying nesting material. Haven't seen one in the village there for at least two or three years.

Thursday 06 May, Gaucin village, 1630-1730hrs, overcast, light westerly wind: More than 90 Honey buzzard flying over the village following the River Genal, 25 Bee-eaters overhead, Short-toed eagle, Booted eagle (dark phase).

Wednesday 05 May, 1130hrs, Sunny, light NW wind: 80+ Honey buzzard and a handful of Black kite passing over the Genal valley between Benarraba and Benalauria in one minute. Singing male Golden oriole in Poplar tree and a single Green sandpiper beside the river at Venta San Juan on the road to Jubrique/Genalguacil.

Tuesday 04 May, Camino de Gibraltar, 1730hrs, Sunny, light NW wind: Short-toed eagle, Sparrowhawk (female), Cirl bunting, Cetti's warbler, 2x Nightingale.

Sunday 02 May, 2130hrs: Red-necked nightjar calling in the valley to the South of Gaucin. Hopefully they will be up in the gardens at the edge of the village soon!

Sunday 02 May, La Umbria, 1130hrs, clear skies, light NW wind: Interesting opportunity to hear and contrast Iberian chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus) and (Common) Chiffchaff (Ph. collybita). The songs, at least in this case, were quite distinctive. The wooded valley to the North was full of singing Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Blackbirds, Wrens, Sardinian warbers and Robins. Also heard Cuckoo, Great-spotted woodpecker, Eurasian nuthatch and Short-toed treecreeper.

Friday 30 April, hazy, warm, light NW breeze: A lot of Honey buzzard movement today, particularly during the afternoon with several groups of 10-20 passing directly over the village, often joined by a Black kite or two.

Sunday 25 April, Rocky slope behind Gaucin castle, light SW wind, partly cloudy, 0830hrs: 3 male Blue rock thrush, pair of Red-billed chough, Cuckoo, Kestrel, 4 Griffon vultures, singing Nightingale, Blackcap, Serin and Sardinian warbler.

Thursday 22 April, Camino de Avedin, 1700hrs: 6 Black kites heading North.

Wednesday 21 April, 2230hrs: Little owl calling during flight over the gardens between Calle del Pino and Calle Convento.

Tuesday 20 April, cloudy am, sunny pm, little or no wind. A day out and about! Along the Rio Genal near the bridge on the Manilva-Gaucin road, 0900hrs: Golden Oriole (male singing and gleaning insects from Eucalyptus trees), several Cetti's warblers, Nightingales, Cirl Bunting, Jay, Long-tailed tit. El Secadero, on the river west of Casares, 1100hrs: Short-toed eagle, Griffon vulture, fantastic close-up views of Bee-eaters, Wryneck heard but not seen, Whitethroat (singing male), many Woodchat shrike, Thekla lark. San Martin de Tesorillo, 1300hrs: Crested lark, Grey heron, Red-rumped swallow around the iron bridge. On a sad note, I found a recently dead European Nightjar on the Gaucin-Manilva road.

Monday 19 April, partly cloudy, light SE wind. After four days of rain and low cloud.....0930hrs Single adult Honey buzzard flying North over the village, Nightingale singing in the gardens between Calle del Pino and Calle Convento. 1100-1300hrs Short-toed eagle hunting in the valley to the south of El Hacho, small groups of bee-eaters passing through. Camino de Gibraltar, 1700hrs: Woodchat shrike, pair of Ravens, Cetti's warbler singing in the dense bushes between Calle del Pino and the waterworks, Sparrowhawk (female), Booted eagle (pale phase).

Wednesday 14 April, 0930hrs, cloudy, light SE wind: Montagu's harrier (male, transitional plumage) flying North over Calle del Pino, Black redstart (female) on TV aerial in Callejon del Pino. 1030hrs: Rocky slope behind the castle: Red-billed chough, Booted eagle hovering against the wind for long periods, Sparrowhawk (female).

Tuesday 13 April, 1530hrs: 5 booted eagles (all pale phase) visible from Calle Convento.

Tuesday 13 April, 0930hrs, cloudy, slight SE wind. Group of 6 black kites and 1 booted eagle (intermediate phase) flying directly North over the centre of the village.

Sunday 11 April: Camino de Gibraltar, 1700hrs; lovely sunny afternoon after a cool and cloudy morning. Highlight was a distant view of a pair of golden eagles above the Genal river towards the sierra de Bermeja and great views of sardinian warbler in display flight. Also, booted eagle (light phase), griffon vulture x10, serin, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, blue tit, blackbird, stonechat, 3 singing nightingales, great-spotted woodpecker, white wagtail, swallow, swift, house martin, wren and robin. Heard a group of bee-eaters flying over but couldn't see them to count!

Friday 09 April: 0830hrs - four nightingales singing between Gaucin and the turning to El Colmenar.
1700hrs - old cement works on side of El Hacho on road to El Colmenar; male black-eared wheatear (see photo), 2 thekla larks, 3 pairs of stonechat

Tuesday 06 April - La Umbria (the walk behind the Feria grounds and bull ring), 1000hrs and 1800hrs. The wind has gone but it was overcast and misty in the afternoon. Griffon vulture (x15), common buzzard, raven, booted eagle (dark phase), chiffchaff, blackcap, cuckoo, great-spotted woodpecker, crested tit, nuthatch.
Today, Wednesday 07 April. Bright, sunny and warm. Activity within the village: singing nightingales below calle del pino and next to venta socorro, 2x ravens, flock of 20+ bee-eaters, booted eagle (light phase).

Wednesday 05 April: Not much visible migration the last couple of days with the onset of fresh S-SE winds although there are still a fair number of bee-eaters moving through the area.

Friday 02 April - Camino de Gibraltar, 1500hr. Lovely afternoon, sunny but cool in the shade. short-toed eagle, booted eagle (light phase), griffon vulture, serin, 20+ bee-eater, sardinian warbler, stonechat, 3 nightingale, great-spotted woodpecker, white wagtail, song thrush, greenfinch, blackcap.

Wednesday 31 March: Anyone else noticed there seem to be a lot more blackbirds singing around the village this year?

Saturday 28 March - Nightingales heard in Las Palas valley. Plenty of Bee-eaters passing through.

Saturday 27 March 2010: Black-shouldered Kite. One adult flying North over Gaucin village at 08:30 (first spotted by Janys Fletcher!).

Welcome to Birdwatch Gaucin

Hello
Welcome to Birdwatch Gaucin!
The aim of this blog is simple - to record bird sightings in and around Gaucin. We have a fantastic variety of birds that live in or visit the area and it would be great to have somewhere where we can publish our observations for others to see. If you'd like to contribute on a regular basis please ask and I'll add you as an author otherwise just send me your sightings or other observations by email (the usual stuff...date, bird, location, etc.) and I'll add them to the blog.
Happy birding!
Paul