Tuesday, 10th April 2012

Cabo de Palos lighthouse garden

Weather: Sky totally overcast and spitting with rain, no wind, temp. 14ºC.  08:50 – 10:00. With Mick Brewer.

Back to the morning walk around the lighthouse area, and what I consider to be classic fall conditions, overcast and spitting with no wind.  But it was not to be.  There obviously had been some movement overnight with a movement of Woodchat Shrikes, and new for me for the year, 2 Whinchat, plus a couple of both Hoopoe and Common Whitethroats, 6 Northern Wheatear, 1 female Black-eared Wheatear. 2 Common Redstart (male and female), 4 Willow Warblers and a dozen Subalpine Warblers seen apart from the normal birds.

Species seen

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Rock Dove/Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia)

Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

Calblanque (Los Belones)

Weather: Sky no cloud,  wind SW F3-4, temp. 22ºC.  18:30 – 21:00. With Angel Sallent (ANSE).

This afternoon we had another attempt at ringing migrants in Calblanque, but the conditions were pretty much against us, with a stiff (but warm) south-westerly wind blowing, and clear skies.

During this afternoon session we did manage to catch 5 birds of 5 different species, all of which were migrants: Bonelli’s Warbler, Robin, Blackcap, Subalpine Warbler and a very early Melodious Warbler (not surprisingly my first of the year).  Birds seen around the site were various Woodchat Shrikes and a male Common Redstart, plus all the usual residents (finches etc.)  Angél Sallent commented to me that on Isla Grosa this morning, where he had been ringing, they had caught and ringed at least 150 birds up until he left at midday, including 17 Bonelli’s Warblers, many Redstarts and 2 Iberian Chiffchaffs.

Species seen

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

Melodious Warbler  (Hippolais polyglotta)

Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)

Swift/Pallid Swift (Apus apus/pallidus)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)

Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)

Serin (Serinus serinus)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)