Wednesday 17 August, Gaucin, clear, warm, very light SE wind: Flock of 30 European Bee-eater over the south of the village at 1800hrs.

Tuesday 16 August, Gaucin, light SE wind, 35C: 95 Black Kite passing NW-SW over Gaucin village, passing to the east of Sierra del Hacho from 1810-1820hrs. After this I watched from our terrace for another hour, or so, and despite not seeing any more Black Kite, I did see Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and a pair of Bonelli's Eagle in the valley to the south of the village.

Monday 15 August, Gaucin, light SE wind, 37C: 16:15hrs 100 Black Kite moving NW-SW, kettling on the thermals above the Sierra del Hacho; 16:30hrs 23 Black Kite moving NW-SW further to the south of the village then drifting slightly north before following the path the previous group took.

Sunday 14 August, Gaucin, clear skies, 34C, light S-E wind: Surprised to see 4 Black Kite heading due west over the village at 1800hrs - must have come from further east somewhere. I continued to watch for the next hour but didn't see any more, just one Common Buzzard heading north! There was an Alpine Swift low over Calle Convento in amongst the Common Swifts from 1815-1830hrs.

Saturday 13 August: I can confirm that the Red-rumped Swallows have bred just along the Los Ranosos track opposite the entrance to La Almuna; when I was there today the adults were taking food into the chicks in a nest under a beamed terrace roof, right above a regularly-used dining table and about 2m from four cats! Presumably this is a second brood. Also in the garden of the house were a juvenile Woodchat Shrike and a Spotted Flycatcher.

Friday 12 August, Camino de Gibraltar, Gaucin, 0815-0945hrs, clear skies, light SE wind: A morning stroll along the camino brought the following...Common Buzzard, Griffon Vulture, European Bee-eater (see photo), Woodchat Shrike, Spotless Starling (see photo), Common Swift, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Cirl Bunting (juvenile), small flocks of Goldfinch and House Sparrow, Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Nuthatch, Bonelli's Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and Stonechat (see photo).

Thursday 11 August: Continuing fresh E-NE winds have curtailed visible migration here in Gaucin but al least the air is a bit cooler! Here are a couple of photos of an Eagle Owl, presumably not too well (or exhausted?) given that it didn't make much of an attempt to fly away, that was seen in the late afternoon just down river from the Venta de San Juan on the Algatocin-Jubrique road at the weekend. Probably a juvenile as it has, relatively, small ear tufts. (photo courtesy of Joaquin Marquez).