Monday 9th April 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky no cloud,  wind SE F1, temp. 18ºC. 15:35 – 17:15.

Today I took an early afternoon walk around the lighthouse area, and noted that there were still a good number of migrants around, although nowhere near as many as yesterday.  The passage of Subalpine Warblers continues well, as does that of Northern Wheatears.  Also of note were a couple of male Common Redstarts, a Common Whitethroat, a Hoopoe and 11 Willow/Chiffs of which I identified at least 5 Willow Warblers.

Out to sea I had a couple of adult Gannets pass by south close in, and heard something that at first I couldn’t put a name to, but on locating it in the bins immediately saw what it was – my first Gull-billed Tern of the year (which joined up with two others further out).

Species seen

Gannet Morus bassanus)

Little Egret  (Egretta garzetta)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)

Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Songthrush (Turdus philomelos)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus collybita/trochilus)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)