Birdwatch Gaucin

Monday 26 September 2016, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light S-SE wind, 28C

An early afternoon walk along the tracks just to the north of Gaucin village produced 2 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Common Redstart and 2 Willow Warbler. There was a steady trickle of raptor migration early evening as follows:

18:00-18:30hrs: 7 Booted Eagle, 9 Short-toed Eagle
18:30-19:00hrs: 6 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Black Kite

Yesterday afternoon there were 2 Pied Flycatcher and 1 Common Redstart along the Camino de Gibraltar.

Gaucin and Sierra Bermeja from Camino de Gibraltar

Saturday 24 September 2016, Gaucin, sunny, light SE wind, 28C

As the warm, late summer weather continues, the following were seen:

Camino de Avedin area:
10:00hrs: 5 Booted Eagle, 3 Short-toed Eagle, 2 Honey Buzzard and 1 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, female Common Redstart. There were also a couple of Eurasian Jay, with one doing a pretty good mimic of a female Tawny Owl!

Calle Convento:
15:00-16:00hrs: 6 Short-toed Eagle, Barn Swallow, Common Swift (local)
17:15-18:15hrs: 3 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 8 Barn Swallow (4+2+2)
18:45-19:15hrs: 2 Booted Eagle, 3 Short-toed Eagle, 10+ Barn Swallow

This afternoon there were not one, not two, but THREE Blue Rock Thrush squabbling over the rights to the Calle Convento roof territory....here are two of them:

Friday 23 September 2016, Gaucin, sunny, light SE wind, 28C

Along the Las Pilas track above Algatocin mid-morning the following were seen: 20+ Griffon Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, 2 Common Raven, Blue Rock Thrush, 2 Black Wheatear, 2 Common Redstart, Common Whitethroat and Cirl Bunting.

Back in the village over Camino de Avedin during the afternoon:

1630-17:30hrs: 1 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Booted Eagle, several Barn Swallow
18:00-19:00hrs: 1 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Honey Buzzard, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine (local), 1 Common Swift

2 Pied Flycatcher and 1 Cirl Bunting in gardens and at least 2 Tawny Owl calling late evening along Camino de Avedin.

Janys spotted a Monarch butterfly near Gaucin bridge late morning.

Thursday 22 September 2016, Gaucin, sunny, light-fresh W wind, 28C

Some raptor movement over the village during the afternoon as follows:

1600-1630hrs: 2 Short-toed Eagle, 5 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard
1700-1730hrs: 18 Black Kite, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Short-toed Eagle

There were 2 female/imm Pied Flycatcher in gardens along Camino de Avedin and 60+ European Bee-eater over the same area late afternoon.

Tuesday 20 September 2016, Gaucin, mostly sunny, calm air-light SE wind am, light NW wind pm, 28C

Back to sunny, warm conditions after yesterday's 'blip'. There's still some raptor movement, albeit very high, with sightings as follows:
10:30hrs: 6 Booted Eagle (5 pale morph, 1 dark morph), 4 Short-toed Eagle
16:30-17:00hrs: 8 Short-toed Eagle, 3 Booted Eagle (all pale morph)
18:30: 2 Booted Eagle (1 pale morph, 1 dark morph), 2 Short-toed Eagle, 2 Honey Buzzard

Mid-morning along a 200m section of the Camino de los Molinos (from Portesuelo down under the castle) there were at least 4 Pied Flycatcher and 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

Monday 19 September 2016, Gaucin, mostly cloudy, light SE wind, 24C

An odd, overcast, cooler day today with several 'singles' of Booted Eagle, Short-toed eagle and Honey Buzzard moving through during the morning. There were 2 Common Crossbill over the petrol station late morning.
Between 16:15-16:30hrs 10 Booted Eagle, 1Short-toed Eagle, 1 probable Marsh Harrier and 1 imm Egyptian Vulture were seen over the village. There was a Blue Rock Thrush around the castle for much of the afternoon and 2 first summer male Blue Rock Thrush having a singing contest on the roofs of Calle Convento. Late afternoon there were 3 Pallid Swift and a Barn Swallow above Camino de Avedin and 100+ House Martin over Paseo Jacobo Real.

Saturday 17 September 2016, Gaucin, sunny, light SE wind, 28C

There's a lot of passerine movement at the moment with flycatchers seemingly everywhere - there was even a Pied Flycatcher in the Calle Convento/del Pino gardens on Friday.
On Thursday in the El Peso/La Herriza area there were Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, a lovely, confiding male Common Redstart (didn't have my camera...), Chiffchaff sp. and Bonelli's Warbler.
Today over Camino de Avedin there was some raptor migration with 17:00-18:00hrs with 6 Booted Eagle, 5 Short-toed Eagle, 2 Honey Buzzard and a Peregrine, and 70+ European Bee-eater. Also in the Avedin area over the past few days have been Eurasian Hoopoe, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, female Common Redstart, Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Nuthatch and Crested Tit.