Birdwatch Gaucin: Saturday 21 November 2015, Gaucin, mostly cloudy, occasional light drizzle, light-fresh W-NW wind, 13C

Today saw a big change from yesterday when it was 21C and people were sunbathing on Estepona beach! Friday's trip to the coast was rewarded with a sighting of a female Hen Harrier, above the Utrera gorge near Casares. The gull flock on the beach was quite small (around 180 individuals), in part due to the number of sunbathers and dog walkers, and included Lesser black-backed, Yellow-legged, Black-headed and Mediterranean gulls; a single Sandwich Tern flew by, there were a few Great Cormorant and Northern Gannet out to sea, and three or four Sanderling along the shore.

Although this morning started sunny and warm it soon morphed into a more typical November day and we were lucky to get a short walk in before the cloud base fell. Checking out the limestone cliffs, bushes and fields along the 'Siete Pilas' track above Algatocin from 10:30hrs produced Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 2 Red-billed Chough, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Blue Rock Thrush, a flock of 20+ Song Thrush, Crag Martin, Crested/Thekla Lark, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Common Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, a wonderful male Brambling, Serin, Cirl Bunting and Rock Bunting. A quick look along the track opposite Venta Socorro at 17:00hrs produced Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush, plenty of Chaffinch, a couple of Black Redstart and a Siskin.