April 2, 2007
A month dominated by the weather.
I saw a total of 80 Species in the Alcossebre area this March.
Spring migrants continued to arrive early dispite the weather, and some of the wintering birds departed earlier than usual.
Record numbers of White Storks and Cormorants were seen.
No new species were added to the Alcossebre List which currently stands at 180 species.
The first three days of March started off quietly with no visible passage or overnight arrivals.
A total of 409 Cormorants passed heading East on the 4th March.
Two Grey Herons also flew East, while two confused Barn Swallows were seen flying South!
The last wintering Stonechat departed.
Five Balearic Shearwaters were seen offshore.
The only birds on the move over the next couple of days were one Grey Heron and one Sparrowhawk headed East,on the 6th March.
Gale force Northerly winds from the 7th to the 11th March stopped migration in it´s tracks, and worse,kept me housebound.
However on the 9th March,friends Mike and Sarah Amies saw the undoubted highlight of the month 300 plus White Storks flying in a Northerly direction,about 11.30 am.
When the wind eased on the 12th March,two Pallid Swifts flew North East,the first of Spring.
Overnight arrivals on the 13th March included the first Willow Warbler and Green Sandpiper of Spring. The latter at the sewage Pond.
A large Eagle – probably Bonelli´s Eagle – eluded I.D. as it quickly soared out of sight over the mountains.
Passage birds on the 14th March included a pale phase Booted Eagle and the first Sand Martin of spring. 190 Cormorants flew East.
About three pairs of Barn Swallows had returned to their nesting areas by the 15th March.
The first Black Winged Stilts were seen at Capycorp Lagoon on the 16th March, while offshore five Mallard were the first seen this year.
The last wintering Blue Rock Thrushes and Southern Great Grey Shrike departed.
An Easterly wind on the 17th March helped birds on the move.
Four Booted Eagles soared off North East;Seven Shelduck flew East; five Night Herons and two Little Egrets also flew East. One Alpine Swift flew North.
Overnight arrivals included a calling Quail,another first for Spring.
A Red Kite flying North East on the 18th March and a fine male Common Redstart in my garden were Spring firsts.
The last wintering Reed Bunting departed.
Migrants and birdwatching got curtailed again by the weather from the 19th to the 23rd March with the return of strong winds.
When I did get out again on the 24th March I got the first Purple Heron of Spring flying East. Another five Grey Herons were also on the move as were one Sand Martin and three Alpine Swifts.
A moderate North West wind that changed round to South East,helped passage birds on the 25th March. Two Black Kites; one Marsh Harrier;one Montagu´s Harrier and one Sparrowhawk all flew East, as did the first Common Cranes of Spring.
Barn Swallows were passing at a rate of 42 birds per hour, and 16 House Martins,5 Sand Martins,20 Common Swifts and one Alpine Swift were seen.
Overnight arrivals included one Ringed Plover and two Black Winged Stilts at Capycorp Lagoon. 12 Willow Warblers and the earliest Spring Common Whitethroat complete the list.
I then missed out on another four days of observations because of rain.
When I did get back out again on the 30th March,my reward was the first Great White Egret of Spring heading East. Another Quail and Common Redstart were overnight arrivals.
Photo by Sam Shippey.
The month ended with six Black Winged Stilts flying South?
Plus another Common Redstart.
Alcossebre Weather for March 2007.
A month to blow the cob webs away!
After a very mild February, March started off in a similar fashion.
We even had a record breaking 27c (81F) on the 3rd March.
However,that didn´t last,because from the next day and up to the 10th March we had strong to gale force North to North West winds that caused a catalog of structural damage to buildings and trees!
The wind on the 8th March was registered at 148 Kilometres per hour.
From the 10th until the 18th it returned to mild weather with light and gentle winds.
The strong to gale force winds returned on the 19th March and blew until the 25th.
Then as we all breathed a sigh of relief we then got five days of overcast conditions with variable amounts of rain.
Overnight 26th/27th March we got 4.2 inches (105mm) of rain.
The rainfall total for the month was 7.8 inches (197mm) which was 6.3 >inches more than March 2006.
The average daytime temperature this month was 19.C(67F) and the average nightime temperature was 9.C.(49F).
Warmest day was the 3rd March with 27C (81F) and the coldest night was the 13th/14th March at 6C (43F).