A very warm day yesterday, but mercilessly less humid than the past week or two during which there were even a few drops of sandy 'desert' rain. Little time for birding but I did see 120+ Black Kite over the village at 18:45hrs and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk, carrying what looked like an unfortunate Blue Tit, close to houses in Calle Convento.
Today was a little cooler and much clearer, with Gibraltar clearly visible for the first time in a couple of weeks. The only bird news of note was a group of 30+ Griffon Vulture heading west from around El Hacho at 08:30hrs.
Good sighting at the weekend by Bob Buckler who saw a Black-winged Kite at the confluence of the Rio Genal and Rio Guadiaro. It's a couple of years since we have seen this species in our area so hopefully it will hang around a bit like last time.
Monday 10 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly cloudy, calm air-light SE wind, 32C
After reports of 3 White Stork in a field beside the Rio Genal, I headed down there from 08:15-09:15hrs; despite the fact they had been there for several days they were, of course, absent this morning! Other species seen included:
Common Buzzard, European Bee-eater, Golden Oriole, Spotless Starling, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher and Cetti's Warbler.
Back in the village in the afternoon there was a pair of Booted Eagle and a pair of very vocal Short-toed Eagle around and 200+ Black Kite moved through at 18:30hrs.
Common Buzzard, European Bee-eater, Golden Oriole, Spotless Starling, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher and Cetti's Warbler.
Back in the village in the afternoon there was a pair of Booted Eagle and a pair of very vocal Short-toed Eagle around and 200+ Black Kite moved through at 18:30hrs.
Friday 07 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly cloudy, calm air-light SE wind, 32C
Another very hot, humid and sticky day; unusual weather for a Gaucin summer. After Wednesday's heavy Black Kite passage, yesterday saw very little action, just a handful of Black Kite around mid-day, but today migration was back in full swing, albeit a little less spectacular. Numbers as follows:
13:00hrs: 100+ Black Kite
13:15hrs: 500+ Common/Pallid Swift through in under 2min.
15:45-16:05hrs: 250+ Black Kite in a 'kettle' just south of the village, then 700+ moving through.
16:25-16:35hrs: 115 Black Kite
13:00hrs: 100+ Black Kite
13:15hrs: 500+ Common/Pallid Swift through in under 2min.
15:45-16:05hrs: 250+ Black Kite in a 'kettle' just south of the village, then 700+ moving through.
16:25-16:35hrs: 115 Black Kite
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| The gloomy view from Gaucin |
Wednesday 05 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly sunny, calm air-light SE wind, 31C
A visit to the 'Rio' Genal (now totally dry in the area I watch) from 09:15-10:30hrs was oddly calm with a murky covering of hazy cloud, a stark contrast to the action to come! Species seen included: Booted Eagle, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Grey Heron (stirred up by a truck driving along the dry riverbed), Little-ringed Plover, several flocks of 10-20, and one of 75, Wood Pigeon heading northwards, a single Turtle Dove, 10+ European Bee-eater, at least 6 Golden Oriole (inc. 2 males), Great-spotted Woodpecker, juvenile Woodchat Shrike, Red-rumped Swallow, Stonechat, Sardinian Warbler, Cetti's Warbler and Cirl Bunting. On the way back up to the village 3 pale morph Booted Eagle flew southwards but they looked too low and not focussed enough to be migrating.
It all kicked off in the village from 16:00hrs. After a slow start with 50+ Common/Pallid Swift then 5 Black Kite (first returning birds of the Autumn), the Black Kite numbers heading NE-SW built up to an impressive total, with more than 3600 individuals over a 2.5hour period. The numbers are an underestimate as I wasn't watching continually over the whole period and keeping track of wave after wave of birds was not easy!
Numbers as follows:
16:30-16:45hrs: 400+
16:45-1715hrs: 2200+
18:00-18:10hrs: 400+
18:20-18:45hrs: 450+ also 1 adult Egyptian Vulture
18:45-19:00hrs: 150+
It all kicked off in the village from 16:00hrs. After a slow start with 50+ Common/Pallid Swift then 5 Black Kite (first returning birds of the Autumn), the Black Kite numbers heading NE-SW built up to an impressive total, with more than 3600 individuals over a 2.5hour period. The numbers are an underestimate as I wasn't watching continually over the whole period and keeping track of wave after wave of birds was not easy!
Numbers as follows:
16:30-16:45hrs: 400+
16:45-1715hrs: 2200+
18:00-18:10hrs: 400+
18:20-18:45hrs: 450+ also 1 adult Egyptian Vulture
18:45-19:00hrs: 150+
Tuesday 04 August 2015, Gaucin, sunny, light-fresh S-SE wind, 31C
Some signs of Autumn migration today with many Common/Pallid Swift heading south, including 300+ at 18:00hrs and 150+ at 18:15hrs; also, a migrating Common Kestrel at 1900hrs. Yesterday at 09:30hrs there were two Common Nightingale in the trees where Calle del Pino becomes the Camino de Gibraltar; presumably these birds were moving through, too.
Sunday 02 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light SE wind, 29C
Following a month where most days saw temperatures around the mid-30s or above, August has begun with a couple of cooler days at 'just' 29C. Despite Wingspanner's sighting of two Honey Buzzard yesterday there has been no other sign of southward raptor migration; by this time last year we had seen several hundred Black Kite on their way back to Africa.
Common/Pallid Swift numbers around the village are slowly dropping off, though this evening there were 40-50 above Calle Convento/Pino at 21:30hrs, also 2 Alpine Swift at 20:15hrs, and there are still a few House Martin and Barn Swallow, too. Occasional small parties of European Bee-eater can be seen above the village but there hasn't been any significant movement so far.
The 'local' raptors include a couple each of Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle, the latter displaying close to the southern edge of Gaucin this morning; also a Eurasian Sparrowhawk cruising around late on Saturday evening.
Common/Pallid Swift numbers around the village are slowly dropping off, though this evening there were 40-50 above Calle Convento/Pino at 21:30hrs, also 2 Alpine Swift at 20:15hrs, and there are still a few House Martin and Barn Swallow, too. Occasional small parties of European Bee-eater can be seen above the village but there hasn't been any significant movement so far.
The 'local' raptors include a couple each of Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle, the latter displaying close to the southern edge of Gaucin this morning; also a Eurasian Sparrowhawk cruising around late on Saturday evening.
Saturday August 1st 2015 - Gaucin Castle
A shift in the wind to the North-East and a series of very bright nights with a lovely full moon produced some changes in the local bird numbers.
Most of the swifts, both Common and Pallid left overnight from this east-end of the village and good numbers of Chiffchaff sp. and Blackcaps came through but the most surprising of all was the appearance this morning of two HONEY BUZZARDS! These very early migrants area heading back to Africa they drifted fairly low over the castle at 8am before flying off down the Genal Valley towards the coast. This has to be my earliest sighting of returning Honey Buzzards since I've been here, how about you Paul.
Most of the swifts, both Common and Pallid left overnight from this east-end of the village and good numbers of Chiffchaff sp. and Blackcaps came through but the most surprising of all was the appearance this morning of two HONEY BUZZARDS! These very early migrants area heading back to Africa they drifted fairly low over the castle at 8am before flying off down the Genal Valley towards the coast. This has to be my earliest sighting of returning Honey Buzzards since I've been here, how about you Paul.
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