Monday 26 September: The local Blue Rock Thrushes are getting bolder! On Saturday at 12noon there was a male singing from a chimney opposite bar Paco Pepe and yesterday afternoon there was a pair hanging around the roofs and terraces of Calle Convento and Callejon del Pino - at one point the female landed on the terrace just 2m from where I was sitting.

Sunday 25 September, Gaucin, light SE wind, partly cloudy, warm, 0900-1030hrs. A morning visit to a rather quiet El Hacho produced the following: Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Raven, Red-legged Partridge, Blue Rock Thrush, 2 male and 3 female Common Redstart, Stonechat, Cirl Bunting, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff sp., Blackcap and Sardinian Warbler. I'm always hopeful that this area will have a passing Whinchat or Northern Wheatear but so far, no luck!

Thursday 22 September, partly cloudy, little or no wind, warm: Walking around the base of El Hacho mountain at 0930hrs this morning with friends and we saw the following of note: adult Egyptian Vulture, 2x Short-toed Eagle, Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Southern Grey Shrike and Common Redstart. Also two harrier-like raptors that we just couldn't manage to ID, shame!

Wednesday 21 September, West side of El Hacho, Gaucin, light SE wind, sunny and warm, 1900-2015hrs: A quick early evening visit was quite productive. I saw Griffon Vulture, a pair of Short-toed Eagle, one pale morph and one dark morph Booted Eagle, Raven, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Blue Rock Thrush, Thekla Lark, House Martin, Crag Martin, 2x Red-rumped Swallow, Stonechat, 2 male and 1 female Common Redstart, Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler and Iberian Chiffchaff. Also saw a Barn Swallow over the Sierra Espartina at 1200hrs.

Tuesday 20 September, Camino Monteros and the west side of El Hacho, Gaucin, light to fresh E wind, sunny and warm: Having walked along the Camino Monteros (behind the petrol station) yesterday with some friends I thought I'd go back and have a good look as there seemed to be quite a few birds there. It was all a bit quiet at 0830hrs but I did see a couple of Raven , a Sparrowhawk and a female Common Redstart. Decided to go over to El Hacho from 0930-1030hrs where there was a lot more activity. Along with the usual Stonechat and Sardinian Warbler on every other bush I saw Short-toed Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Peregrine, 2 Raven (presumably the same pair as earlier), male and female Common Redstart, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting (see distant photo!), Chiffchaff sp., several House Martin and a Southern Grey Shrike (see photo).

Sunday 18 September, Gaucin, light W wind, mostly sunny, warm: With a change to a Poniente, westerly wind, it's all gone a bit hazy but between 1900 and 1930hrs I did manage to see 10 Honey Buzzard passing to the East of the village and 3 Bonelli's Eagle over the Rio Genal. Still a handful of Common Swift and House Martin around the village.

Saturday 17 September, Gaucin, light SE wind, mostly sunny, warm: The bulk of the Honey Buzzard/Black Kite migration appears to be over. There were a couple of adult Bonelli's Eagle soaring to the East of the village over the Rio Genal at 1900hrs along with a female Sparrowhawk and there were 4 Alpine Swift amongst about a dozen Common Swift heading North behind the castle around the same time. A Blue Rock Thrush was making the occasional sortie from the large flat rock below the castle and at various times during the day there were Booted Eagle over the South of the village, including at least one dark morph.