Birdwatch Gaucin

Friday 29 August 2015, Gaucin, sunny, calm air-light SE wind, 28C

An extremely humid, muggy day with little air movement.
A visit to the west slope of El Hacho from 09:30-10:30hrs produced the following:
Booted Eagle, 2 Short-toed Eagle, 45+ European Bee-eater, Woodchat Shrike, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, female Common Redstart, Stonechat, Short-toed Treecreeper, Sardinian Warbler and Cirl Bunting.

Back in the village in the afternoon:
15:55hrs: 16 Honey Buzzard
16:15hrs: 4 Honey Buzzard

Short-toed Eagle

Short-toed Eagle - typical trailing legs attitude

Black Wheatear

Thursday 28 August 2015, Gaucin, sunny, light-fresh SE wind, 28C

Sightings over the village as follows:
10:30hrs: 6 Honey Buzzard
14:45hrs: 80-100 Griffon Vulture - these were very low over the south of the village and were seen by several residents and visitors. It seemed as if they had homed in on a food source but as they reached the outskirts of the village they all lifted up and drifted away. Slightly odd behaviour not seen before - perhaps there was a food source but they were spooked by something?
14:45hrs:150+ Black Kite, 30+ Honey Buzzard
15:40hrs: Red-rumped Swallow low over Calle Convento/del Pino gardens.
16:45hrs: 2 juvenile Egyptian Vulture (over El Hacho)
18:10hrs: 5 Honey Buzzard - heading NW!
20:15hrs: 7 Honey Buzzard

SATURDAY 29TH AUGUST 2015 - RAPTORS OVER GAUCIN

TODAY - SATURDAY 29TH AUGUST 2015 - over cast, heavy cloud at noon with light rain S-SE light wind

From my top terrace on the eastern side of the village I noted the following:

2:30 - 3:30 - 642 Honey Buzzards, 2 Booted Eagles, 5 Black Kites

3:45 - 4:15 - 119 Honey Buzzards, 1 Booted Eagle, 11 Black Kites, 9 Griffon Vultures

The heavy cloud and rain may have instigated this short flurry of activity, nevertheless it is starting to get exciting now, watch this space for more big numbers of Honey Buzzards.

Note from Paul:
It's good to have another pair of eyes doing the work! Today I had little time to scan the skies and saw just 30+ Honey Buzzard between 11:30 and 12:30hrs. As Bob mentioned, we were experienced a few drops of sandy-coloured rain but not enough to measure on the rain gauge.

Wednesday 26 August 2015, Gaucin, sunny, light-fresh SE wind, 28C

Scanning the skies every so often from 16:00hrs-18:00hrs produced the following - all very high and only visible with binoculars:

16:45hrs: 63 Honey Buzzard, 3 Black Kite
17:15hrs: 1 Common Buzzard (superb 'white' individual), 25 Honey Buzzard, 2 Black Kite
17:25hrs: 111 Honey Buzzard
17:40hrs: 37 Honey Buzzard, 15 Black Kite, 1 adult Egyptian Vulture

Only a handful of Swift sp. around Calle Convento/Pino this evening.

Tuesday 25 August 2015, Gaucin, sunny, light S-SE wind, 27C

A bit of raptor movement over the village today:

11:30hrs: 17 Honey Buzzard, 1 Black Kite, 1 female Montagu's Harrier
14:45hrs: 2 Honey Buzzard
17:00hrs: 54 Honey Buzzard

Monday 24 August 2015, Gaucin, mostly sunny, light -fresh NW wind, 25C

Yesterday was the first day of the new hunting season (for quail, doves, including Turtle Dove, and corvids) and it has already been reported to me that two vultures were illegally shot on the La Almuña estate; not a good start.

The weather has taken quite an autumnal turn with cool mornings/evenings and evbut good new is that the Western Olivaceous Warbler is still hanging around the garden, particularly fond of the fig tree.

Western Olivaceous Warbler

Saturday 22 August 2015, Gaucin, partly cloudy am, sunny pm, light-fresh W wind, 26C

A change in wind direction brought fresher weather from the west; the morning was quite misty/cloudy and it even looked like it might rain - it didn't.

Returning to the Las Pilas track above Algatocin at 10:00hrs to pick blackberries gave me another chance to see the Black Wheatear family and they didn't disappoint, flitting around from rock to rock (and bush and fence) just about close enough for some photos. Also around 20+ Griffon Vulture, 6 Black Kite moving through, Common Buzzard, 20+ European Bee-eater on the wires, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, Stonechat, Common Whitethroat, Sardinian Warbler and Cirl Bunting.

Back in Gaucin at 18:30hrs there were Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, the usual troupe of 25+ European Bee-eater were wheeling around, also 30+ Common/Pallid Swift in amongst which was a single Alpine Swift which once again came in very low over Calle Convento affording great views.