The Birdman of Alcossebre (Spain)

A Good Month For Passing Birds

September Bird News.
Birds.
I saw 72 species of bird in the Alcossebre area this month.
There was a good variety of migrants passing through this month ranging from single birds to many thousands e.g. Barn Swallow.
There was a ‘Fall’ of birds on the 20th September after some strong winds and thunderstorms.
No new species were added to the Alcossebre Bird List which stands at 162 species.

Highlights of the Month.

The first Mediterranean Shearwater of the autumn was seen on the 17th.
One Night Heron flew south on then 12th.
A total of 96 Grey Herons flew south with the biggest day total 35 birds on the 24th.
Apart from the ‘local birds’ a total of 9 Little Egrets flew south.
Single Black Kites flew south on the 2nd,12th and 17th.
A single Marsh Harrier flew south- west on the 12th.
Four single Sparrowhawks were seen on the 9th,13th,17th and 18th.
A single Common Buzzard flew south- west on the 14th.
Three Booted Eagles flew south- west on the 12th and a single flew south on the 30th.
A single Osprey flew south- west on the 11th.
A single Arctic Skua was seen on the 26th.
A late Alpine Swift was seen over my house on the 29th.

A total of 108 Bee- eaters were seen flying south up to the 17th – the biggest day total was 41 birds.

Very few Sand Martins were seen, three birds flew south on the 11th and a single on the 29th.
Thousands of Barn Swallows passed through all month with a peak of 330 birds per hour on the 11th. This movement lasted all day as it did on the 1st,3rd,12th,13th,18th,24th and 26th.
House Martins numbers did not reach the totals of Swallows, but there was almost daily passage, with a peak of 70 birds per hour on the 29th.

Small numbers of Blue Headed Wagtails passed through with a peak of 9 birds on the 22nd.

Single Nightingales were seen on the 1st and the 9th.
The first Common Redstart of the autumn was seen on the 21st, thereafter single birds.

The first Whinchat of the autumn was seen on the 1st,thereafter one or two birds.

The first Common Wheatear of the autumn was seen on the 18th, thereafter singles.
The first Cetti’s Warbler of the autumn turned up at the local sewage pond on the 29th.

There was a small passage of Reed Warblers from the 20th to the 30th, one to three birds seen at the sewage pond and Torre de Capycorp pond.

Single Melodious Warblers were seen on the 20th and 21st.
Two Subalpine Warblers were seen on the 27th.
Single Common and Lesser Whitethroats were seen on the 20th amongst a ‘Fall’ of migrants.

The first Blackcap of the autumn also turned up with this Fall of birds on the 20th.

The biggest monthly total of 12 Willow Warblers was also seen on the 20th.

Both Spotted and Pied Flycatchers were seen through out the month. Best totals were 3 Spotted on the 20th and 2 Pied on several days.

One or two Golden Orioles were seen up to the 11th.

Up to three Southern Great Grey Shrikes were seen through out the month.
Single Woodchat Shrikes were seen up to the 14th.
Single Cirl Buntings were seen through out the month.

Unusual August Weather plus a trickle of Migrants

Birds.
59 species of bird were seen this month in the Alcossebre area.
A trickle of migrants came through, some not seen since the Spring migration.
No new species were added to the Alcossebre Bird List, but there was plently of interest none the less.

Seabirds and other birds passing along the sea.

A single Gannet was seen on the 1st flying west.
One or two Cormorants and Shags were seen offshore throughtout the month.
A total of 74 Grey Herons passed heading south west, with the biggest flock being 28 birds on the 29th August.
A flock of 19 Purple Heron flew past heading south on the 31st – see photo.

Two flocks of 8 and 37 Little Egrets flew south west on the 28th and 29th.
One Black Kite flew west on the 21st August.
Black Headed Gulls passed through in small numbers, with a flock of 22 the most seen.
None of the other Gulls passed through in any numbers this month.
There was a Tern passage from the 1st to the 15th, with a maximum of 80 Sandwich Terns and a dozen or so Common Terns going south west.

Herons and Egrets.

Grey Herons were seen almost daily flying over with the one Purple Heron record as above.
One to six Cattle Egrets were seen foraging inland most days.
Apart from the migrating Little Egrets there was usually one or two birds being disturbed by the tourists along the coastal fringe.

Birds of Prey.

Another quiet month for this group. One migrating Black Kite,and a Common Kestrel seen on the 12th August was the sum total.

Wading Birds.

A bit more interest with this group.
Single Black Winged Stilt and Kentish Plover (see photo)seen on the stony beach of Capycorp on 15th and 17th August.

Six Whimbrel were flushed from an inland field on the 12th August and a single bird seen in more normal habitat –the beach – on 22nd August.
In contrast only one Curlew was seen, on the 15th.
One to six Common Sandpipers were seen throughout the month. Mainly along the shore, but also at Torre de Capycorp and the Sewage Pond.

Pigeons and Doves.
While Collared Doves reached a maximum of 53 birds only one to 4 Wood Pigeons were seen.
There was an inland passage of Turtle Doves seen throughtout the month with a flock of ten birds the most seen.

Little Owls were being vocal in the daytime again and four birds at a time could be seen.

Swifts, Swallows and Martins.

Although the local Common and Pallid Swifts were seen up to the 28th August there were two days when there was a heavy passage south – on the 20th when 00s were going through per hour and the 22nd when 45 per hour were going through most of the day.
Alpine Swifts were seen on both days to, 8 on the 2oth and a single on the 22nd.
A similar story with Swallows and House Martins, although it wasn’t until the 31st that the biggest numbers went through – 00s per hour.

The Exotics! Hoopoe, Bee-eater and Golden Oriole.
Hoopoe.A maximum of 5 birds were seen on my daily walk.
Bee-eater A total of 65 birds passed through with the biggest flock being
16 birds. There were still some local birds in the area up to the 22nd.
Golden Orioles were still in the area throughout the month, with a maximum of 4 birds seen.

Larks, Pipits and Wagtails.

The most Crested Larks counted on one day was 13 birds during August.
One or two White Wagtails were seen throughout the month, and a migrant Blue Headed Wagtail seen on the 25th was the first this autumn.
The first Stonechat of the autumn arrived on the 24th August, with one or two birds seen from then on. See photo.

Again only the member of the Thrush family seen was the Blackbird, a single on the 3rd August.

Warblers.

Single Nightingales were noted (mainly heard singing their autumn sub/song!) up to the 25th August.
Local Fan Tail Warblers numbers were still low, with only a maximum of 4 birds seen.
The last Melodious Warbler was seen on the 15th.
A single Subalpine Warbler was amonst a ‘Fall’ of birds on the 10th August.
The most Sardinian Warblers seen daily was 10 birds.
Single Common Whitethroats were seen on the 29th and 31st.
The first autumn Willow Warblers were seen on the 21st, with a maximum of 9 birds on the 29th August.

Flycatchers.
The first autumn Pied Flycatchers appeared on the 24th August, a single,with a maximum of 4 birds seen on the 29th. See photo.

Local Spotted Flycatcher numbers were increased with passing migrants. Maximum seen – 4 birds on the 22nd.

Shrikes.

One or two Southern Great Grey Shrikes were seen throughout the month.
Up to two adult and four juvenile Woodchat Shrikes were seen during the month. See photo.

Starlings.
I don’t normally write much about this group, so here goes.
The Common Starling is mainly a winter visitor here, so I was interested to see when they actually return? Well, they returned in ever increasing flocks from the 17th August and out numbered the local Spotless Starlings by about a hundred to one!
The advantage from my point of view is they give me an early warning when a bird of prey is around as they wheel about the sky Then all you have to do is look for a bigger speck in the sky. See photo.

Finches and Buntings.While Finches could be seen daily- ok, not in the same numbers or variety as winter- Buntings had given me a blank month.
Maximum numbers of Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Serin seen on a two hour walk were as follows : 24,30 and 20 birds.

The Farming Scene.
The harvest month for a whole load of crops.
Field Tomatoes,Figs,Grapes,Olives,Almonds and Marrow – see photo
Oranges were still ripening and Artichokes had reached full circle and were being planted again.
So from the birds point of view plenty of rotten fruit meant plenty insects, snails and grubs of all kinds.

Weather in August 2005

This was an unusual month weather wise. We had more rain and overcast days than normal. This meant a reduction in the daily temperatures.
A comparison with August 2004 shows that the average daily maximum in 2004 was 34C (94F) while in 2005 it was 30C (87F).
In 2004 there were only 3 days with light rain and 3 overcast days.
In 2005 we had 8 days with rain, 2 of which were torrential, and a total of 12 overcast days.
The winds were different as well, in 2004 they were predominantly from the south,while in 2005 they were mainly east or south easterly. There was also a 3 day spell of strong northerly winds from the 20th to the 22nd.
We don’t normally get these 3 day winds until October.
Taken overall the weather suited the residents more than the tourists! The rain was especially welcome.