Monday, 2 April 2012

Sunday 1st April 2012



Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden
Weather: Sky cloud 1-2/8, no wind, temp. 14ºC.  08:50 – 10:00.

Another morning visit to the lighthouse garden, and this time with a reasonable fall of migrants.  I counted a total of 23 Chiff/Willows, 9 Corn Buntings (not a species normally associated with being migrants, but I’ve had them in previous years around this time), a ‘flava’ wagtail flying over, 2 Subalpine Warblers, a Hoopoe, a male Redstart and my first Black-eared Wheatear of the year.
Also unusual there was a group of 4 Monk Parakeets.

The group of 4 Monk Parakeets on top of one of the radio towers - wonder where they thought they were going!

In the bay towards La Manga, this Little Egret taking a rest

 In the 'Sirio Gardens' area I came across this male Redstart

Species seen
Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
‘flava’ Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)
Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)
Fan-tailed Warbler (Cisticola juncidis)
Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)
Serin (Serinus serinus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus collybita/trochilus)
Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)
Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Swift/Pallid Swift (Apus apus/pallidus)

Calblanque, Los Belones
Weather: Sky 1/8 cloud,  wind SW F2-3, temp. 18ºC.  11:00 – 13:00.

A trip around Calblanque together with Mick Brewer, but we didn’t see too much, the most interesting being 6 Woodchat Shrikes, mainly in the area around Las Jordanas, but one also on the way down to the Rasall Salinas, together with a male Blue Rock Thrush. At the Salinas, 48 Audouin’s Gulls, a single Little Egret and around 20 Black Winged Stilts.

No migrants, but plenty of finches, including this male Serin

Another bird that seems to be particularly showy at the moment, Corn Bunting

On the way to the salinas, we came across this Blue Rock Thrush

Superb birds these - if only they'd let you get closer!

One of the few migrants seen, a Woodchat Shrike 

Species seen
Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)
Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

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