Just a few observations from late afternoon:
17:00hrs: 3 Honey Buzzard
19:00hrs: 4 Honey Buzzard, 1 Lesser Kestrel
19:45hrs: 10 Honey Buzzard
20:00hrs: 50+ House Martin around the Callejon del Pino area.
Tuesday 08 September 2015, Gaucin, partly cloudy, light-fresh S-SE wind, 27C
The warm, humid and thundery weather continued today, though, unlike yesterday, the 'rain' wasn't even measurable this time.
Scanning the sky mid-afternoon, amidst the noise of church bells, chatting hordes of people and rockets from the continuing Santo Niño celebrations, the following were seen:
15:45hrs: 30+ European Bee-eater
16:00hrs: 9 Honey Buzzard, 1 Booted Eagle
16:30hrs: 70+ Honey Buzzard, 3 Stork sp. (too far away, and at this time the sky too dark, to determine white or black!)
16:40hrs: 10 Honey Buzzard
16:45hrs: 5 Booted Eagle, 1 ad Egyptian Vulture, 4 Lesser Kestrel
17:35hrs: 11 Lesser Kestrel
Local Short-toed and Booted Eagle were around for most of the afternoon, also a few Swift sp. and 30+ House Martin.
Scanning the sky mid-afternoon, amidst the noise of church bells, chatting hordes of people and rockets from the continuing Santo Niño celebrations, the following were seen:
15:45hrs: 30+ European Bee-eater
16:00hrs: 9 Honey Buzzard, 1 Booted Eagle
16:30hrs: 70+ Honey Buzzard, 3 Stork sp. (too far away, and at this time the sky too dark, to determine white or black!)
16:40hrs: 10 Honey Buzzard
16:45hrs: 5 Booted Eagle, 1 ad Egyptian Vulture, 4 Lesser Kestrel
17:35hrs: 11 Lesser Kestrel
Local Short-toed and Booted Eagle were around for most of the afternoon, also a few Swift sp. and 30+ House Martin.
Monday 07 September 2015, Gaucin, partly cloudy, light-fresh SE wind, 27C
A day that threatened a lot of rain but, although Malaga and other areas suffered flooding, Gaucin received just 0.5mm. Despite the thundery conditions there was a reasonable amount of raptor passage over the village as follows:
11:00hrs: 10 Honey Buzzard, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Booted Eagle
11:20hrs: 2 juv Egyptian Vulture
16:15hrs: 1 Black Kite
16:30hrs: 1 Black Kite
17:00hrs: 6 Egyptian Vulture (5ad i juv), 2 Montagu's Harrier and 2 Marsh Harrier
17:20hrs: 2 Honey Buzzard
18:00hrs: 2 Honey Buzzard; also a Goshawk heading up the Rio Genal
11:00hrs: 10 Honey Buzzard, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Booted Eagle
11:20hrs: 2 juv Egyptian Vulture
16:15hrs: 1 Black Kite
16:30hrs: 1 Black Kite
17:00hrs: 6 Egyptian Vulture (5ad i juv), 2 Montagu's Harrier and 2 Marsh Harrier
17:20hrs: 2 Honey Buzzard
18:00hrs: 2 Honey Buzzard; also a Goshawk heading up the Rio Genal
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| Thundery skies late afternoon |
Sunday 06 September 2015, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light S-SE wind, 27C
Saturday was mostly cloudy and a warm 27C; a mid-afternoon visit to a very quiet (other than a nearby JCB and the occasional gunshot!) Rio Genal produced little other than a Booted Eagle, a single Turtle Dove hanging in there, a passing flock of 20+ European Bee-eater, a female Black Redstart, several Sardinian Warbler, a Willow Warbler and, in the pine trees, a Crested Tit.
Back in Gaucin the few Swift sp. were again joined by a single Alpine Swift.
Some Honey Buzzard passage over the east of the village this afternoon as follows:
18:30hrs: 53
18:45hrs: 15
19:10hrs: 180
19:30hrs: 12
Also around were 'local' Booted Eagle (a dark morph 'pair'), 20+ House Martin and a handful of Common Swift. The surprise package was a male and female/juv Golden Oriole that appeared low over Calle del Pino, landing in a cork oak tree just below the houses. Given that those from the river area have already departed, these were possibly dropping in to feed/roost before continuing their journey southwards.
Back in Gaucin the few Swift sp. were again joined by a single Alpine Swift.
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| Oleander - some colour amongst the largely sun-bleached scene |
18:30hrs: 53
18:45hrs: 15
19:10hrs: 180
19:30hrs: 12
Also around were 'local' Booted Eagle (a dark morph 'pair'), 20+ House Martin and a handful of Common Swift. The surprise package was a male and female/juv Golden Oriole that appeared low over Calle del Pino, landing in a cork oak tree just below the houses. Given that those from the river area have already departed, these were possibly dropping in to feed/roost before continuing their journey southwards.
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| Clouds spilling over Sierra Crestellina |
Wednesday 02 September 2015, Gaucin, sunny, fresh-gusting strong W wind, 29C
A visit to the dried bed of the Rio Genal from 09:30-10:30hrs produced some early migration with 50+ Honey Buzzard and a couple of Booted Eagle passing through. Also seen were 100+ Griffon Vulture (split over 3-4 groups), Short-toed Eagle, European Bee-eater, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, female Pied Flycatcher (first of the autumn), Stonechat, Sardinian Warbler, Cetti's Warbler and Willow Warbler (including one stunning individual in fresh, clean autumn plumage with an incredibly bright lemon-yellow eye-stripe).
Back in the village there was some major raptor passage this afternoon as follows:
16:15-17:00hrs: 450+ birds. Mostly (80%?) Honey Buzzard, plus Black Kite, a few Booted Eagle, one adult Egyptian Vulture and a Peregrine that joined in for fun! Also a few Barn Swallow and Common/Pallid Swift, and one Alpine Swift. These individuals were moving NE-SW but there were also 200+ to the east of the village moving along the Genal Valley.
17:30-18:00hrs: Another 400+ birds NE-SW, again mostly Honey Buzzard with a proportion (15%?) of Black Kite.
18:00-18:30hrs: 300+ As above, mostly Honey Buzzard with some Black Kite and a few Booted Eagle; also one adult Egyptian Vulture.
The majority of the birds were at some altitude, invisible to the naked eye, moving quickly and spread over quite a wide area; for these reasons they were difficult to count with any certainty, hence the estimated totals. There were almost certainly other species involved (Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Short-toed Eagle?) but the height and speed of passage made positive ID impossible (for me, anyway!).
Back in the village there was some major raptor passage this afternoon as follows:
16:15-17:00hrs: 450+ birds. Mostly (80%?) Honey Buzzard, plus Black Kite, a few Booted Eagle, one adult Egyptian Vulture and a Peregrine that joined in for fun! Also a few Barn Swallow and Common/Pallid Swift, and one Alpine Swift. These individuals were moving NE-SW but there were also 200+ to the east of the village moving along the Genal Valley.
17:30-18:00hrs: Another 400+ birds NE-SW, again mostly Honey Buzzard with a proportion (15%?) of Black Kite.
18:00-18:30hrs: 300+ As above, mostly Honey Buzzard with some Black Kite and a few Booted Eagle; also one adult Egyptian Vulture.
The majority of the birds were at some altitude, invisible to the naked eye, moving quickly and spread over quite a wide area; for these reasons they were difficult to count with any certainty, hence the estimated totals. There were almost certainly other species involved (Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Short-toed Eagle?) but the height and speed of passage made positive ID impossible (for me, anyway!).
Tuesday 01 September 2015, Gaucin, sunny, light W wind, 32C
September starts off like August ended, hot and sunny....just time today to have a scan late afternoon and saw the following over the village:
18:00hrs: 20 Honey Buzzard
18:30hrs: 24 Honey Buzzard
19:00hrs: 20 Honey Buzzard; 60+ Griffon Vulture around and about
18:00hrs: 20 Honey Buzzard
18:30hrs: 24 Honey Buzzard
19:00hrs: 20 Honey Buzzard; 60+ Griffon Vulture around and about
Monday 31 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light S-SE wind am, light-fresh W-SW wind pm, 30C
After Sunday's 'blocking' weather of low cloud and occasional bursts of (very) light rain, just a pair of Willow Warbler in the garden to report, today many birds took the opportunity to get on with their migration. Observations as follows:
08:15hrs: A Common Crossbill singing on top of a cypress tree just along from the hotel Caballo Andaluz.
11:30hrs: 30+ Honey Buzzard
14:00-14:30hrs: Lots of passage with 700+ raptors in mixed flocks including 1 adult Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite and Booted Eagle; 100+ European Bee-eater
15:00-15:30hrs: 200+ mainly Honey Buzzard and Booted Eagle but also some Black Kite and Short-toed Eagle; 100+ European Bee-eater; 2 Red-rumped Swallow (probably not migrating), 20+ Swift sp.
17:15-17:45hrs: male Marsh Harrier, 2ad 1 juv Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle; 23 European Bee-eater
19:30hrs: 20 Black Kite; 100+ mixed Swift flock (Common, Pallid and at least 2 Alpine Swift); 45+ European Bee-eater
08:15hrs: A Common Crossbill singing on top of a cypress tree just along from the hotel Caballo Andaluz.
11:30hrs: 30+ Honey Buzzard
14:00-14:30hrs: Lots of passage with 700+ raptors in mixed flocks including 1 adult Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzard, Black Kite and Booted Eagle; 100+ European Bee-eater
15:00-15:30hrs: 200+ mainly Honey Buzzard and Booted Eagle but also some Black Kite and Short-toed Eagle; 100+ European Bee-eater; 2 Red-rumped Swallow (probably not migrating), 20+ Swift sp.
17:15-17:45hrs: male Marsh Harrier, 2ad 1 juv Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle; 23 European Bee-eater
19:30hrs: 20 Black Kite; 100+ mixed Swift flock (Common, Pallid and at least 2 Alpine Swift); 45+ European Bee-eater
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