Tuesday 11 June, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light W-SW wind, 28C: After a weekend of cold NW winds, making 20C feel more like 10C, it all of a sudden felt summery. Trish, Mike and I spent a great day birding to the south-west of Gaucin. We began with a visit to the Barco Morena-Marchenilla track where, despite the close attention of swarms of tiny biting flies brought out by the warm weather, we all managed to get good views of both an adult Egyptian Vulture and a pair of Rufous Bush Robin. Along the track we also saw Booted Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, European Bee-eater, Crested Lark, Tawny Pipit, Stonechat, Corn Bunting, Zitting Cisticola, Common Nightingale, Sardinian Warbler and Melodious Warbler. A look at the nearby bridge over the Rio Guadiaro produced more good views of Booted Eagle, Common Nightingale, Spotted Flycatcher and a confiding Olivaceous Warbler.

Our next stop was San Enrique wood but not before we had seen a Short-toed Eagle perched on a pylon, then giving us great views as it flew past us. At the wood we saw Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Jay, Woodchat Shrike, Tree Sparrow, Cirl Bunting, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Serin with Little-ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Barn Swallow, Common Swift and House Martin along the river; Turtle Dove, Great-spotted Woodpecker and Cetti's Warbler were heard.

Driving back towards San Martin de Tesorillo we had a quick stop at the bridge to look for Red-rumped Swallow but saw only a pair of Little-ringed Plover in the middle of the polo fields!

Beyond San Martin we stopped in an area where in Winter I had seen a Black-winged Kite and where a pair had been reported recently; we were not disappointed as both birds were showing well, if at a distance and through a fug of heat haze and thousands more of the dreaded flies (I have truly never experienced as many as there were there!). Here we also saw Common Buzzard. If the kites were a good, if distant, sighting then an even more distant European Roller was even better. Thanks to Wingspanner for the tip-off as I don't think I'd have seen it had I not known to look for it! At the nearby railway bridge we counted at least 10 Lesser Kestrel from the colony there.


The remainder of the afternoon we spent in and around Castillo de Castellar with sightings of Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, nesting Lesser Kestrel, some with chicks, more Bee-eater and a pair of Golden Oriole (sadly, me only); Bonelli's Warbler and Iberian Chiffchaff were heard.

As we drove back to Gaucin the temperature in San Pablo de Buceite registered 34C; there was no doubt that Summer had arrived.

Abysmal record shot of the Black-winged Kites!

male Lesser Kestrel

Castillo de Castellar from Guadarranque viewpoint

Guadarranque Reservoir

Friday 07 June, Gaucin, cloudy am, occasional light drizzle, mostly sunny pm, light W-SW wind, 19C: A surprise sighting of a Little Owl on a wire as I drove down between San Pablo and Jimena de la Frontera at 1200hrs. Most of the White Stork nests at Estacion San Roque were populated with many holding one or two youngsters. A short visit to the river at Palmones produced very little (tide in, windy and heat haze!) with just a handful of Audouin's Gull and a single Curlew of note. On the journey back to Gaucin there was a White Stork just to the west of Casares; probably a stray from Jimena/San Roque rather than a migrant.

Thursday 06 June, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light W-SW wind, 21C: A late afternoon visit to the cork oak/pine woods just outside Gaucin (primarily to collect pine cones for next winter's fires!) produced Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle (including one noticeably large individual that I had seen earlier in the afternoon above the village), Booted Eagle, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Nuthatch, Blue Tit, European Robin, Blackbird, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Bonelli's Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff, Serin and Chaffinch. There were several Bonelli's Warbler and Iberian Chiffchaff singing but with the trees now in full leaf they were very difficult to locate. At 1850hrs, just as I was leaving, a single Honey Buzzard flew over very high, S-N.

The garden Tawny Owl made a brief appearance in the early hours of Thursday whilst at 0445hrs on Friday it was again singing loudly in the vicinity of the Walnut tree with a second bird singing in response down in the valley below Calle del Pino.

Wednesday 05 June, Gaucin, sunny, light-fresh W-SW wind, 24C: An evening trip down to the Casares-Secadero track failed to produce Red-necked Nightjar, though one was heard, but an Olivaceous Warbler did show before it got dark and there were several Little-ringed Plover on the shingle banks of the Rio Genal.

Tuesday 04 June, Gaucin, sunny, light E-SE wind, 24C: Another new tick for the garden Walnut tree early on Monday morning (0230hrs) as a Tawny Owl spent a good 10 minutes there singing at full volume to a (presumed) female that was calling from a short distance away. It was around again last night but for less time and not quite so close to the house. This morning Janys and I went for a short walk through the orange orchards in San Pablo de Buceite and saw Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle (light and dark morphs), Common Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Golden Oriole (1st summer male), Woodchat Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Zitting Cisticola,  Blackcap, Corn Bunting, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Serin; Cetti's Warbler, Common Nightingale and Cirl Bunting were heard. Non-bird sightings included European Terrapin in the dammed water below the hydroelectric plant and a rare (the first for me) inland appearance of a Monarch butterfly.

Male Stonechat near El Hacho the other day

Saturday 01 June, Gaucin, sunny, calm air, 23C: Last night around 0430hrs there were two Tawny Owl calling around the gardens between Calle Convento and Calle del Pino. A visit to the west slope of El Hacho this morning didn't produce any surprises, though two singing Melodious Warbler was a good record; also seen were Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, a pair of Peregrine, Common Kestrel, Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Thekla Lark, Stonechat and Sardinian Warbler; Common Cuckoo and Bonelli's Warbler were heard.

Thursday 30 May, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light W-NW wind, 23C: Last night the Tawny Owl was right up amongst the houses between Calle Convento and Calle del Pino. Today a morning trip to the coast gave me a chance to visit the Mesa de Chullera heath behind Puerto de la Duquesa. It's a great place, and a rare habitat for the area, with some lovely views, see photo looking back towards Gibraltar. I didn't have long to spend there but did manage to see Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel, European Bee-eater, Crested Lark, Stonechat, Common Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Corn Bunting, Sardinian Warbler and Melodious Warbler. On the drive back to Gaucin I stopped at Sierra Crestellina to check out the Bonelli's Eagle nest - the adults weren't present but the chick was standing on the edge of the nest looking pretty much full size and in clear juvenile plumage.