62 species were seen in the Alcossebre area in June.
No new species were added to the Alcossebre list this month, but eight species turned up for the first time in June. These were Glossy Ibis, Common Shelduck, Great White Egret, Collared Practicole, Little Ringed Plover, Mediterranan Gull, Common Cuckoo, and Sand Martin.

The full list of birds seen is as follows:-
Northern Gannet.0ne to three birds offshore.
Shag.One to four birds offshore, the highest June total in ten years.
Great Cormorant. 18 birds feeding offshore on the 7th June was a high count for June – usually only single birds seen.
Grey Heron. A total of ten birds passed through this month.
Glossy Ibis. A flock of seven birds flying east inland was my first June record.
Common Shelduck. Two birds flying east over the sea on the 13th June were the first seen this year and also the first June record.
Little Egret. A total of 26 birds passed through this month, including 24 birds flying east over the sea on the 3rd June.
Great White Egret. One flew east on the 13th and another east on the 18th.
Cattle Egret. For the second June in a row no Cattle Egrets were seen.
Mallard. A single bird flying south-west over the sea on the 27th was the only record this month.
Short-toed Eagle. There were only two sightings this month, on the 5th and the 23rd. however I´m sure there are a pair nesting in the near mountains.
My friend Gorden Cox saw one swallow a snake.

Montagu´s Harrier. A female was hunting over the a dry river bed on the 14th.
Common Kestrel. Four pairs of Kestrel holding territory is a ten year high.
Eleonora´s Falcon.There were two or three sightings of single birds this month.Including one seen by Gorden Cox.
Common Moorhen. With the sewage pond losing all it´s water, the two pairs of Moorhen and seven young went to the dry river bed instead.
Black-winged Stilt. Two birds flying east along the coast on the 14th June, were the only sighting this month.
Collared Pratincole. 2 birds over the rural farmlands on the 3rd June were my first June record, and continue the impressive numbers seen this year.

A Kentish Plover on Tropicana beach on the 6th, and a Little Ringed Plover on the 7th were the only records this month.
Mediterranean Gull. Three birds flying east along the coast on the 3rd were surprisingly my first June record here.
Black-headed Gull.Gull passage is quite unpredictable most times but flocks of 36 birds on the 26th and 43 birds on the 30th heading south west made me wonder – non breeding birds, or birds going to moult? Answers on a postcard please!
Audouin´s Gull.Seen daily, and unlike winter when they are outnumbered by Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-back Gulls up to 260 birds counted flying east.
Yellow-legged Gull. Seen daily but in smaller numbers than Audouin´s – maximum 65 birds.
Sandwich Tern. Seen daily offshore – one to 12 birds normal, although 17 birds flew south west on the 30th.
Wood Pigeon. This species continues to increase – 61 birds on the 6th June was a ten year high.
Collared Dove. A high count of 80 birds on the 22nd June was similier numbers to last June.
Turtle Dove.Single sightings throughout the month indicate at least one pair breeding. A poor year.
Great Spotted Cuckoo.Three or four juveniles continue to be fed by their Magpie foster parents – ususully heard before being seen!

Common Cuckoo. A female was seen on an overhead wire at the coastal scrubland on the 28th, by Gorden Cox and myself. This was a complete surprise because I normally only seen them on passage in spring.
My first June record here.
Little Owl.Up to four birds seen daily is about average numbers.
Red-necked Nightjar. Seem to be a bit scarcer this year, with one ot two birds heard at dusk.
Common and Pallid Swifts.Both species are in good numbers, and on several days feeding flocks were seen in there hundreds.
Bee eater. Seem to be in normal breeding numbers with two pairs nesting in the dry river bed.
Hoopoe. With up to seven pairs counted, Hoopoe´s are having a good year.

Crested Lark. Nine pairs of Crested Lark are just slightly below the ten year average.
Barn Swallow. Between 26 to 30 pairs breeding is a good year.
House Martin. At least 17 pairs of House Martin nesting, like the Swallows a good year.
Red-rumped Swallow. After a record spring passage of these birds it looks like one or two pairs have nested – one pair in rural farmland and one pair near Alcossebre Bowls Club.
White Wagtail. One pair of White wagtials successfully nested. One adult and three juveniles showed at the sewage pond throughout the month.
Nightingale. This has been the poorest breeding season for Nightingale since 2005, with ony three pairs holding territory.
Blackbird. Another species having a poor breeding season with only two pairs.
Zitting Cisticola. This is yet another species having a poor breeding year with only six pairs compared to the best year (2008) with 18 pairs!
The most likely cause is loss of habitat with more land being cultivated.
Reed Warbler. It doesn´t look like this species has bred at the sewage pond, with only a sinlge sighting.
Melodious Warbler. Of the original 17 males heard singing throughout May and June, it looks like at least seven found females and nested. A good year.

Sardinian Warbler. Another species having a good year with at least 14 pairs.
Average over ten years is 10 pairs. Unlike the Zitting Cisticola they are less fussy in chosing nesting sites.
Spotted Flycatcher. One or two pairs nesting, an average year for them.
Great Tit. With eight pairs this species too is having an average year.
Golden Oriole. Six pairs nested an above average year.
Woodchat Shrike. Only one pair holding territory – ten year average two pairs.

Common Magpie. 13 pairs holding territory, one below the ten year average.
Greenfinch. With eight to ten pairs holding territory makes it a good year.
Goldfinch. 17 to 20 pairs nesting is a ten year high.
Linnet. Another success story. This species doesn´t breed every year here, but a pair with four young were seen from the 14th June.
Serin. With only 19 pairs holding territory, this is the poorest year since 2008.
Cirl Bunting.The Cirl Bunting is much more elusive than the Corn Bunting, and in terms of breeding success is harder to judge. I´m guessing that two pairs attemped to nest, but so far no evidence.

Corn Bunting.This is the best year for Corn Bunting over ten years with five pairs holding territory. So far I have seen one family party.

Alcossebre Weather in June, 2011.
The first week in June was unsettled with only one fine sunny day – on the 5th – the rest of the days were a mixture of Sunny/cloudy spells. There was some rain on three days, and a thunderstorm on the 7th, which didn’t last long.

The second week in June was also unsettled with only two days of fine sunny days. Another thunderstorm on the 10th brought some more rain.

The third week in June was better with three fine sunny days plus four days of sunny/cloudy spells. There was a distant thunderstorm late on the 17th, and more rain on the 19th.

The fourth week in June finally gave us more ´normal´ June weather, with five fine, sunny and hot days. On the other two days it stated off cloudy but cleared to fine and sunny. Gentle winds made the temperature quite pleasant.

The last two days were mixed, the 29th was fine, sunny and hot, the 30th started off overcast and dull, clearing by mid afternoon to fine, sunny and hot.

The average daytime temperature was 29C (84F)
The highest temperature was 32C (89F) on five days.
The coolest day was on the 4th at 22C (72F).
The average night temperature was 19C (66F).
The coldest night was on the 5th at 14C (57F).
The warmest nights were 23C (73F) on three nights.
Total rainfall for the month was 1 inch (25mm)
Compared to 2010 it was 1C warmer by day and 1C warmer by night.
It was drier than 2010 – only 1 inch compared to 2.6 inches.

78 species were seen in the Alcossebre area in May 2011.

No new species were added to the Alcossebre list this month, although a Black-headed Wagtail was seen – a subspecies of the Yellow Wagtail.

There were first May records for Mediterranean Gull, Short-toed Lark and Song Thrush.
A Little Tern seen was only the second record here – the previous one was seen im May 2006.
It was the best May for sightings of Roller and Red-rumped Swallow.
For the first time in ten years no Cattle Egrets were seen in May.
A list of birds seen with comments follow:-

Herons and Egrets.
A juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron was seen flying North on the 27th May. Three Squacco Herons flew east over the sea on the 23rd May.
A total of 20 Grey Herons passed through this month, biggest flock, 10 birds on the 1st May.
Eight Purple Herons flew east along the coast on the 8th May.
A total of 24 Little Egrets passed through this month.
For the first time in ten years no Cattle Egrets were seen – very unusual.
A Great White Egret flew east over the sea in company with six Littel Egrets on the 1st May.

15 Greater Flamingos flew east over the sea on the 22nd, the only sighting this month.
Birds of Prey.
It continues to be a poor spring for both numbers and species of birds of prey.
Only five species seen. The first Honey Buzzards of spring were seen above the sewage pond on the 21st May.
Only one Short-toed Eagle was seen, on a distant pylon on the 23rd May.
A female Montagu´s Harrier flew east on the 3rd May, and a fine male delighted stopped play at the Alcossebre Bowls Club on the 12th May when it flew close bye!
A single Booted Eagle on the 6th May was the first this spring, followed by three more on the 25th.
The resident Common Kestrels were seen daily, three pairs this year.

The first Quail of spring was heard on the 4th May.

Wading Birds.A poor month for wading birds, with only three species seen.
Two Collared Pratincoles were still frequenting newly plouged fields on the 1st May, but none were seen after that.
Single Black-winged Stilts were seen on the 1st and the 22nd, both flying east along the coast. Two separate people reported a pair on the shore near the lighthouse.
A single Common Sandpiper was seen on the 8th May on Capycorp beach.
Gulls and Terns.A bit more interest with this group of birds.
Six Mediterranean Gulls flying east along the coast on the 26th May was my first May record here.
Only 28 Black-headed Gulls passed through during the month.
A maximum of 60 Audouin´s Gulls and 72 Yellow-legged Gulls were counted this month.
A maximum of 12 Sandwich Terns was quite low for May.
12 Whiskered Terns on the other hand was the best May total in ten years.
A Little Tern over the sea on the 23rd May was only my second record here.
Pigeons and Doves.
Woodpigeons ( 75 max.)continue their big rise in numbers, and for the first time outnumber Collared Doves (51 max.).
Turtle Dove numbers are well below average and it looks like their might only be two pairs nesting. Five or six pairs are normal.

The first young Great Spotted Cuckoo appeared on the 24th May, squaking at it´s Magpie foster parents for food!

A maximum of three Little Owls seen daily and one or two Red-necked Nightjars heard at dusk are normal May numbers here.

Swifts.
The summer nesting Common (46 max.) and Pallid Swifts (10 max.) are in good numbers.
Two Alpine Swifts passed through on the 2nd and 4th May.

Bee eaters continued to pass through up to the 9th May, with a maximum of 33 birds. Thereafter up to nine birds surveyed the local area for nesting sites.
It´s been the best May for Roller sightings with four singles seen – lucky if we see one!
Seven pairs of Hoopoe are normal breeding numbers.
The run of Short-toed Lark records finally ran out, with the last sighting on the 10th May. The best spring for this species over ten years.
Again like the Hoopoe, Crested Lark breeding numbers were normal with 11 pairs.
Barn Swallow and House Martins were still passing through up to the 23rd May, while the local birds were showing off their first young!
It´s also been the best spring for Red-rumped Swallows passing through – a total of 19 birds in May.
There may well be a pair nesting. A bit of detective work needed here.
Blue-headed Wagtails continued to pass through up to the 14th May.
Then on the 23rd of May I saw a Black-headed Wagtail of the subspecies Feldegg – a first for Alcossebre.

Rufous Nightingale - so far it´s a poor year for breeding Nightingales, with only three or four pairs holding territory. In 2009 there were at least 10 pairs.

Chats and Wheatears.
The last passage dates for Common Redstart (4th May), Whinchat (18th May) and Northern Wheatear (12th May).
My latest ever record for Song Thrush was on the 16th May.
Warblers.
It wasn´t a great spring for passage Warblers either with only five species noted.
We have had 15 species of Warbler in May.
The resident Zitting Cisticolas numbers ( 8 pairs) were about half their usual breeding numbers – but that may well be a shift in farming pratices.
At least one pair of Reed Warblers are holding territory at the sewage pond – normal numbers.
Melodious Warblers are up in numbers with at least eight pairs holding territory.

Sardinian Warblers are at a ten year high with at least 16 pairs holding territory.

The last passage Common Whitethroat was seen on the 3rd May.
In contrast the first Garden Warbler of spring wasn´t seen until the 13th.
A second Bonelli´s Warbler of spring was seen on the 12th May.
The last passage Willow Warbler was seen on the 5th May.
Flycatchers.
The last passage Pied Flycatchers was a female on the 13th May.
Spotted Flycatchers continued to pass through up to the 29th May.
It remains to be seen how many stay and breed?

The only breeding tit – the Great Tit was in normal breeding numbers at seven pairs.
Golden Oriole numbers are at a ten year high with seven pairs holding territory.
Woodchat Shrikes continued to pass through up to the 18th May.
Some years they stay to breed, but so far it doesn´t look likely.
Common Magpie numbers are about normal at 15 pairs – how many have been parasitised by Great Spotted Cuckoo´s remains to be seen?
Finches.
So far it looks like only three species of finch are breeding – Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Serin - in some years Linnet breeds.

Buntings.
While two pairs Cirl Buntings are holding territory – normal numbers, Corn Buntings in the other hand are doing much better with at least five pairs.

Finally I have a unique pairing of nesting birds in the garden this year – a pair of House Sparrows and a pair of Tree Sparrows nesting 20 feet apart!

Alcossebre Weather in May, 2011.

The first week in May was very unsettled with light rain on three days building up to torrential rain on the 7th with thunder.

The second week in May was mainly fine and sunny for the first five days the more rain on the 13th and 14th. Cool easterly winds most days kept the temperature down.

The third week in May was a mixture of sunny and cloudy conditions. Still with cool winds. Overnight rain on the 19th.

The fourth week in May saw a change to mainly fine, sunny and hot weather with lighter winds. The exception was the 28th when we had torrential overnight rain.

The last two days were mainly sunny with cloudy spells but warm.

The average daytime temperature was 26C (78F)
The highest temperature was on the 25th at 31C (87F).
The coldest day was on the 7th at 20C (68F).
The average night temperature was 16C (60F).
The coldest night was on the 16th at 13C (55F).
The warmest night was on the 16th at 21C (70F).
Total rainfall for the month was 4.3 inches (108mm) over nine days.
Compared to 2010 it was 2C warmer by day and 2C warmer by night.
It was slightly wetter this May 4.3 compared to 3.5 last year.

April was another great month for birds with 94 species seen.
A new species was added to the Alcossebre list – Water Pipit.
This brings the list up to 220 species seen in the Alcossebre area.
Collared Pratincole, Roller and Short-toed Lark were firsts for April.

For some unexplained reason the water levels at the sewage pond dropped right down, until only about a third was covered in water. This caused the pair of Little Grebes to desert the pond. It did bring in some wading birds.

One to three Northern Gannets were seen offshore throughout the month.
A total of 327Great Cormorants passed through this month.
24 Black-crowned Night Herons were seen, most flying east, but a few roosted overnight – one at Torre de Capycorp, and two in the pine trees at the juvenile camp.

The first Squacco Herons of spring were seen on the 29th April, two on Torre beach, and one flying east along the coast.

A total of 23 Grey Herons passed through, some over the sea and some inland.
The first Purple Heron of spring was seen on the 4th April, roosting at the sewage pond. Another flew east on the 26th.
The local Cattle Egrets (20) were well outnumbered this month by passage Little Egrets, with a total of 89 birds counted.
Three Great White Egrets flew east over the sea on the 4th April, and four more on the 15th.
A pair of Mallard were at the sewage pond for most of the month- will they nest?
Although six species of bird of prey were seen this month they were in low numbers.
A single Black Kite flew east on 29th April.
A single Short-toed Eagle was on a distant pylon on the 4th.
A total of seven Marsh Harriers passed through this month in ones and twos, most of them were females.
A single male Montagu´s Harrier flew east over the rural farmlands on the 29th April.
A single passing Northern Sparrowhawk was seen on the 5th April.
Up to four local Common Kestrels were joined from time to time by passage birds, the local birds usually chased them off.
The only sighting of Red-legged Partridge this month was on the 26th April, in the dry river bed of the Rio San Miquel.
Up to 18 Common Moorhens were seen at the sewage pond.
A nice selection of wading birds were seen in April, with the star birds being up to 18 Collared Pratincoles frequenting ploughed fields in Rural Capycorp.
A single Northern Lapwing flew east on the 30th April, only my second April record in ten years.

The first Whimbrel of spring were seen on Torre beach on the 19th April.
A single Green Sandpiper was at the sewage pond on the 17th April.
The Wood Sandpiper that had been at the sewage pond since the 24th March finally left on the 2nd April.
Seven Common Sandpipers were at the sewage pond on the 23rd April, a high number for here.

Four species of gull were seen in April.
Passage totals were 109 Black-headed Gulls, 375 Audouin´s Gulls, 209 Yellow-legged Gulls and 5 Lesser-black-backed Gulls.
Sandwich Terns were seen offshore most days, with highest count being 21 birds on the 10th April.
The first Whiskered Terns of spring were seen on the 23rd, when a flock of 35 birds flew east over the Rural farmland. This was the highest count over ten years. Another four flew east inland on the 28th April.
A maximum of eight Wood Pigeons were well outnumbered by Collared Dove numbers – maximum of 36.
Three Turtle Doves on the 14th April were the first this spring. By the end of the month a total of 31 had passed through, poor numbers really.
Up to seven Great Spotted Cuckoos continued to harass the local Magpie population.
Up to three Little Owls were seen during daytimes, with more being heard at dusk.
A total of 320 Common Swifts passed through in April, in contrast to only 11 Pallid Swifts.
A single Alpine Swift was seen on the 25th April.
My first April record of Roller was seen on the 25th flying east, then another was seen on the 27th.
My first spring Bee-eater was seen on the 10th, and by the end of the month at least 50 birds had passed through. My friends Mike and Sarah had heard Bee-eaters about a week before me.

Up to seven pairs of resident Hoopoes were now nesting.
The run of sightings of Short-toed Larks continued on from March, and up to 11 birds were seen daily in ploughed fields in Rural Capycorp.

The resident Crested Larks were now nesting with up to 13 pairs in the Rural farmlands. Their favoured nesting site are artichoke fields.
Martins and Swallows continued to pass through, while the local birds were building their nests.
52 Sand Martins, 875 Barn Swallows, 521 House Martinspassed through, and the highest April total of Red-rumped Swallows – 21 birds.
For the first time here four species of Pipit were seen.
I got my first record of Water Pipit on the 19th April, which turned up in scrubland of all places!
A single Tawny Pipit turned up in the same ploughed field as the Short-tailed Lark, from the 13th to the 16th April.
A single Tree Pipit was seen on the 5th April.
The last of the wintering Meadow Pipits were seen on the 11th April.
A total of 55 Blue-headed Wagtails passed through this month.

One or two of the local White Wagtails were nesting.
The last of the wintering Robins was seen on the 11th April at the sewage pond.
The first Nightingale arrived on the 3rd April, and by mid month there were six birds trying to outsing each other.

The last of the wintering Black Redstarts was seen on the 2nd April.
Passage Common Redstarts totaled five birds.
The first Whinchat of spring arrived on the 14th, with a maximum of 7 birds on 19th April.

The first Northern Wheatear arrived on the 2nd April, and by month end a total of 20 birds had passed through.
For the first time in five years no Black-eared Wheatears were seen in April.
The last wintering Song Thrush was seen on the 3rd April.
The resident Blackbirds were busy nesting, being much more common around and in Alcossebre town than the rural farmlands.
13 species of Warbler were seen this April.
Up to eight pairs of Zitting Cisticola´s were nesting in the rural farmlands.
A passage Sedge Warbler was at the sewage pond on the 8th April.
The first Reed Warbler of spring appeared on the 13th April at the sewage pond, joined by another later.

A passage Great Reed Warbler sang for a short while next to Capycorp lagoon, on the 24th April. Only my second April record in ten years.
The first Melodious Warbler of spring was seen on the 15th, and by the month end there were two holding territory.
A total of 11 Subalpine Warblers passed through this month.
The resident Sardinian Warblers were busy nesting – up to 17 pairs.
A total of seven Common Whitethroats passed through this month
The first Bonelli´s Warbler and Wood Warbler of spring turned up on the same day – the 24th April.
The last wintering Blackcap was seen on the 13th April.
A very late Common Chiffchaff was in song on the 30th April.
Passage Willow Warblers totaled 53 birds, highest day count 7.
The first Spotted Flycatcher of spring was seen at the sewage works on 23rd.

Passage Pied Flycatchers totaled 14, highest day count 4.
The first Golden Oriole of spring was seen on the 19th, by the month end there were three birds calling.
Passage Woodchat Shrikes totaled 34 birds, highest day count 4.
16 pairs of Common Magpie were nesting, it remains to be seen how many nests have young Great Spotted Cuckoos in them?
Greenfinch (19 pairs), Goldfinch (25 pairs) and Serin (36 pairs) were all nesting.

There appear to be two pairs of Cirl Bunting nesting and up to six pairs of Corn Bunting.The last of the wintering Reed Buntings was seen on the 6th April.

Alcossebre Weather in April 2011.
It was a month of two halves regarding the weather, the first 18 days of April were mainly dry and sunny, with the exception of the 3rd when there was a trace of rain.
The second half of the month was a lot cooler and cloudier and gave us four days with rain. The 22nd was the wettest of the month with 3 inches of rain.There was a cool wind most days keeping the temperatures down.

The average daytime temperature was 24C (75F)
The highest temperature was on the 10th at 28C (82F).
The coldest day was on the 21st at 17C (62F).
The average night temperature was 13C (55F).
The coldest night was on the 17th & 18th at 10C (50F).
The warmest night was on the 11th, 21st & 26th at 17C (62F).
Total rainfall for the month was 3.8 inches (97mm)
Compared to 2010 it was 2C warmer by day and 1C warmer by night.It was slightly wetter this April 3.8 inches compared to 1.9 last year.

I saw 89 species in the Alcossebre area in March.
No new species were added to the list, but there were first March records for Glossy Ibis, Mew (Common) Gull, Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit and Sedge Warbler.
The wetter than normal weather held up passage for a number of days, which meant some passage birds stayed for longer.
The first six days of March were not very good bird wise, with a mixture of wind and rain, halting migration.
The first Barn Swallows of spring came through on the 7th March, and I got my second record of Mew (Common) Gull on Capycorp beach with some Audouin´s Gulls.

The first House Martins came through on the 8th March.
On the 9th March a sub-adult male Montagu´s Harrier showed well, a first this spring. In amongst the passing Barn Swallows were the first Sand Martins.
There was a small influx of Common Kestrel with seven birds counted.
A pair of Mallard at the sewage pond on the 10th March. got the rare bird of the day award – being the first seen here this year!

The first Willow Warbler of spring was in fine song in my garden on the 11th March, and a pair of Cirl Bunting were setting up a territory in the Almond groves.
The only Grey Heron of the month flew east on the 13th March. Very poor numbers for this species.
After a day of rain on the 14th, birds were on the move on the 15th March - Three Pallid Swifts east, followed by a female Marsh Harrier were spring firsts In the Rural farmlands there were more spring firsts with a bright Blue-headed Wagtail and four Little Ringed Plovers.

Rain again halted migration on the 16th, then on the 17th March, it was a case of big and small spring firsts, with a Short-toed Eagle and a Subalpine Warbler showing well.
Amazingly another 11 Little Ringed Plovers were in the Rural farmlands.
A strong northerly wind on the 18th kept most birds well in cover or out of sight!
There was a nice variety of arrivals on the 19th March.
A fine female Woodchat Shrike showed well in Rural Capycorp, as did five Tree Pipits, both spring firsts.
The wintering Cetti´s Warbler was chasing another warbler around at the sewage pond, which turned out to be a very early Sedge Warbler!

While I was sat in the hide a fine male Hawfinch flew into drink.
The saying expect the unexpected is never truer than at migration time, and the 20th March was no exception.
At Capycorp lagoon I was watching some Common Chiffchaffs fly catching in the reeds, when some other birds caught my eye? Six Penduline Tits!
They climbed to the top of the giant reed and flew straight up in the air and flew off strongly north east. It’s not often you get the chance to see this species migrating,
Just after that four ducks flew north east low over the lagoon – Common Pochard, not a common duck here.
Then just as I was getting my breath back, I noticed a flock of 19 black birds flying over the sea heading south west. I got the scope on them.
The first bird was double the size of the rest – a Great Cormorant, the other 18 birds? Glossy Ibis! My first March record.
Birds passing through on the 21st March included a Common Buzzard, a Common Sandpiper and a late Southern Great Grey Shrike – they have usually gone by the time the Woodchat Shrikes arrive.
The only migrant on the 22nd March was a Northern Sparrowhawk.Rain again halted migration on the 23rd.
New arrivals on the 24th March included Northern Sparrowhawk and the first Wood Sandpiper of spring at the sewage pond.

The five Tree Pipits were still in the Rural farmland.
After a quite day for migrants on the 25th, the 26th March more than made up for it. It started with two Red-rumped Swallows, a spring first, heading south west, confused by thick mist!
Then just before I got to Capycorp lagoon the first Osprey for spring put up all the gulls and terns.
A new Woodchat Shrike was in the coastal scrub, and two Alpine Swifts flew strongly north east, another spring first.
The field I call the magic field in Rural Capycorp, had yet another surprise for me four Short-toed Larks! they saw me before I saw them and they were off!
So no photo there.
Finally the ever promising sewage pond held the first spring Night Heron - a fine adult.

The 27th March added Common Swift and Black-eared Wheatear to the spring first list. This is the first year that Black-eared Wheatear has arrived before Northern Wheatear!

Capycorp beach was the migration hotspot on the 28th March with 15 Black-winged Stilts. Just as I was lining up a photo two guys jumped out of a van and scared the stilts, gull and terns off – grrr.
In the magic field there was a further seven Short-toed Larks!The Wood Sandpiper and Night Heron were still at the sewage pond.
There was a fine start to my morning on the 29th March - 40 Greater Flamingos flying east over the sea – next stop the Ebro delta.
Just on a hunch I checked out the normally dry river bed behind the sewage pond. It had quite a lot of pools from the months heavy rain, and bingo, the first Green Sandpiper of spring and a smart male Common Redstart.
There was some early morning migration on the 30th March, with Barn Swallows, House Martins going north in small numbers, in amongst them a Pallid Swift and 3 Red-rumped Swallows.
Overnight arrivals included another Black-eared Wheatear and one Woodchat Shrike, and would you believe it the magic field came up with another beauty a Tawny Pipit - a first for March and for spring!

The 31st March produced another first for spring – two Black Kites riding the thermals and disappearing quickly north.
Overnight arrivals included 5 Blue-headed Wagtails, a female Common Redstart and a male Subalpine Warbler.

The magic field produced another two Short-toed Larks!
Now when I put this into context, Over ten previous years I have only seen one Short-toed Lark, and yet this spring there has been a total of 13 birds!
The Wood and Green Sandpipers were still here.

Alcossebre Weather in March 2011.

March was an unsettled month with only 11 days of fine and sunny weather.
On 15 days it was overcast and dull, and on nine of these days it rained, sometimes torrential – as on the 12th March with 3.6 inches of rain!
This added to the rest of the rainy days made it the wettest March over 10 years.
A further five days were sunny with high thin cloud.
Winds were mainly light and gentle, over 23 days.
We had moderate to strong North or North-west winds on 7 days.
There was only one day in the month without a wind – the 15th March.
Cool Easterly winds kept temperatures down on six days.
The average daytime temperature was 18C (64F)
The highest temperature was on the 17th and 31st at 25C (77F).
The coldest day was on the 4th at 10C (50F).
The average night temperature was 11C (51F).
The coldest night was on the 7th at 5C (41F).
The warmest night was on the 17th at 17C (62F).
Total rainfall for the month was 8.5 inches (217mm)Over 9 days.
Compared to 2010 it was 1C warmer by day and 2C warmer by night.
However there was only 1.1 inch of rain compared to 8.5 inches this year!

With spring migrants slow to arrive this month I could only raise a total of 65 species. Like January there were no new species to add to the list.
I did get first February records for Great White Egret, Water Rail, Common Sandpiper and a Cockatiel.
The only spring migrant to arrive on time was Great Spotted Cuckoo.
There were high February numbers for Audouin´s Gulls and Sandwich Terns.
The full list of birds seen with comments follows.
The adult Little Grebe is still at the sewage pond. Will it find a mate?
Only single Great Crested Grebes were seen offshore – a poor winter for them.
One or two Northern Gannets seen offshore were also poor numbers.
As well as small numbers of birds drying off their wings on Moors rock, there were flocks up to 46 Great Cormorants passing through.
One or two Grey Herons passed through this month, normally a quiet month for them.
Up to seven Cattle Egrets were seen in the rural farmlands during the month, and single Little Egrets along the coast.
My first February record for Great White Egret, was a bird flying south west over the sea on the 22nd.

Two Mallard appeared at the sewage pond on the 12th but didn´t stay.
There are at least two wintering Common Buzzards still around, one of them even perched on a neighbours chimney!

Four Common Kestrels are still holding individual winter territories.
A lone Red-legged Partridge in the dry river bed was the first seen this year.
A Water Rail put in an appearance at the sewage pond on the 5th, my first February record.

Up to 13 Moorhens are still at the sewage pond, but the small population at the Torre estate seemed to have disappeared.
A flock of 25 Stone Curlew continue to winter in the rural farmlands. While a single bird in the coastal scrubland on the 22nd may well have been a migrant.
One to four Northern Lapwings passed through this month.
A Common Sandpiper on Capycorp beach on the 12th was my first February record here.
Up to 11 Mediterranean Gulls were seen with the other gulls on Capycorp beach.
While flocks of up to 37 Black-headed Gulls passed throught the area this month.
A record February count of 205 Audouin´s Gulls resting on the sea on the 12th.

Up to 55 Sandwich Terns were the best February numbers in nine years.
Both Wood Pigeon (44) and Collared Dove (67) numbers continue to rise year on year.
As usual the first spring migrant to arrive here is the Great Spotted Cuckoo and bang on the 7th February one flew through calling loudly.

Little Owl numbers continue to be on the low side, with only one or two birds seen daily.
A single Kingfisher on the harbour wall in Las Fuentas port was only my third February record.
A maximum of three Hoopoes is a nine year low here.

Both the resident Crested Lark (14) and wintering Skylarks (72) were in good numbers.
Still good numbers of wintering Crag Martins to be seen – up to 63 birds counted.
For the first time in five years no Barn Swallows or House Martins have been seen.
Up to 12 Meadow Pipits and 13 White Wagtails seen were a nine year low.
Single wintering Grey Wagtails and Dunnock at the sewage pond were normal numbers.
Robin numbers are very low with only a maximum of 4 birds seen – nine year average is 12 birds.

Up to 16 Black Redstarts and 10 Common Stonechats are normal winter numbers.
A max. of 16 Song Thrush are normal numbers.
While up to two Cetti´s Warblers are normal numbers, only 2 Zitting Cisticola´s were half the usual number.
Single wintering Dartfort Warblers were having a hard time from a max. of 16 resident Sardinian Warblers! especially along the coastal scrubland.
19 Blackcap and up to 13 Common Chiffchaff were normal winter numbers.

There was only one sighting this month of Southern Great Grey Shrike. Very poor numbers.
Common Magpie numbers are still increasing, with up to 34 birds counted.
Finch numbers are all above normal with 124 Chaffinch, 32 Greenfinch, 64 Goldfinch,100 Linnet and a 100 Serin maximum.

Bunting numbers on the other hand are all down on average numbers with only 1 Cirl Bunting, 2 Rock Bunting, 12 Reed Bunting and 4 Corn Bunting.Last but not least was the only escape bird of the month a Cockatiel seen on the 19th on overhead wires at the coast.

Alcossebre Weather in February 2011.
The first week in February was fine and sunny.
The first two days felt cool with moderate/strong northerly winds.
Above average temperatures.

The second week in February started off with four days of the same pattern of weather – overcast and dull mornings and fine and sunny afternoons. The next two days were fine and sunny.
The first rain of the month fell on the 14th – a trace overnight.

The third week in February was very mixed, with sunny/cloudy spells most days. Moderate northerly winds most mornings kept temperatures down. There were two days with light rain (0.5 inch) on the 15th and 20th.

The fourth week in February was dry but a mixture of Sunny/cloudy spells. Moderate to strong northerly winds again kept temperatures down.

The average daytime temperature was 17C (62F)
The highest temperature was on the 22nd at 22C (72F).
The coldest day was on the 15th at 11C (51F).
The average night temperature was 8C (46F).
The coldest nights were on the 4th and 9th at 4C (39F).
The warmest night was on the the 22nd at 17C (62F).
Total rainfall for the month was over three days 1 inch (25mm)

Compared to 2010 it was 2C warmer by day and 1C warmer by night.
It was also slightly drier – 1.8 inches in 2010.

Another quiet month for birds with only 61 species seen in the Alcossebre area. No new species were added this month.
However some species reached record numbers for January, see for example Balearic Shearwaters and Crag Martins.
The full list of birds seen with comments follows:-
The adult Little Grebe continues to winter at the sewage pond.
Only single Great Crested Grebes were seen offshore on the sea, usually up to three birds are seen in January.
A total of 1543 Balearic Shearwaters passed through in January, a record total for this species over nine years.
Northern Gannets were much scarcer this month with only single birds seen.
Likewise Great Cormorants were at their lowest since 2004 with only 125 birds counted this month.
A maximum of six Cattle Egrets was just slightly down on average.
Single Little Egrets seen along the coast were normal numbers.
Single Sparrowhawks and two wintering Common Buzzard were average January numbers.
Up to four Common Kestrel were above the average, and may reflect the increased numbers of small birds available.
Up to 15 wintering Stone Curlews was good news, only the forth time in nine years that they have done so.Seen feeding in the rural farmlands.

A maximum of 13 Mediterranean Gulls was a nine year low – in 2007 up to 112 birds were counted.
Likewise only three Black-headed Gulls max. was a nine year low – best year was 2004 with up to 36 birds max.
35 Audouin´s Gulls were above average January numbers.

Yellow-legged and Lesser-black Gulls continue to roost on the beaches in their hundreds.
Up to 62 Sandwich Terns roosting in Las Fuentas port were the best numbers since 2004.
Up to 54 Wood Pigeons represents the biggest January numbers in nine years study. Likewise a count of 85 Collared Doves was the biggest Janaury total todate.
One or two Little Owls seen daily were average for January.
A single Kingfisher on the 11th January at Capy Corp Lagoon, was only my third January record in nine years.

Only one or two Hoopoes seen daily were half the usual January numbers.
Up to 15 Crested Larks was well above January numbers , as were 116 Skylarks - nine year average 70 birds.
Crag Martins showed the biggest nine year increase with 200 birds counted roosting in Alcossebre on the 4th January. the previous highest total was 48 birds!

A maximum of 23 wintering Meadow Pipits were average numbers.
Single Grey Wagtails seen – mainly at the sewage pond – were normal winter numbers.
White Wagtails numbers at 12 birds max. were at a nine year low.
Single Dunnocks seen at the sewage pond were only the third January record in nine years.
Wintering Robin numbers are at a nine year low, max. 8 birds – average 15 birds. There are no real signs of why this should be?
Black Redstart wintering in the same areas as the Robins are in average numbers at 16 birds max.
Likewise wintering Common Stonechat numbers are at a nine year average with 12 birds max.

After a run of six winters with Blue Rock Thrush present there were none seen this January.
Resident Common Blackbird numbers were normal for January, with 4 birds max.
Wintering Song Thrush numbers were up on the nine year of 12 birds, to 17 birds max.
Single Cetti´s Warblers at Capycorp Lagoon and the sewage pond were normal wintering numbers.
Zitting Cisticola´s numbers were down for January – max. 3 birds, compared to the average of 5 birds. This time I may have an answer in that a lot of set-aside farmland is now being cultivated. It will be easier to compare breeding numbers this summer.

The above comment may well apply to wintering Dartford Warblers, down from an average of 3 birds to one.

Resident Sardinian Warblers were surviving in good numbers, max. 20 birds – nine year average 15 birds.

Wintering Blackcap numbers were well up at 18 birds max. compared to the nine year average of 12 birds.
Common Chiffchaff winter numbers were at a nine year low of 8 birds, compared to the average of 17 birds. Like the Robin no apparent reason?
A Goldcrest on the 5th January in the Torre estate pine trees, was only the second January record here.
A single Southern Great Grey Shrike was still wintering in the dry river bed of the Rio San Miquel. So far it has dodged the hunters bullets!
A maximum count of 20 Common Magpies in January was a nine year high.
Both House and Tree Sparrows were surviving with mixed flocks of finches.
Most of the Finches were also surviving in above average numbers – Common Chaffinch max. 127, Common Greenfinch max. 37, Goldfinch max. 116, Linnet max. 130, Serin max. 107. Lastly one Hawfinch was seen on the 25th January.

The Buntings were in much lower numbers – single Cirl Buntings, 1 to 2 Rock Buntings, max. of 9 each for Reed and Corn Bunting.

Alcossebre Weather in January 2011.

The first three weeks in January were mainly sunny with light and gentle winds, and very little rain. temperatures were about 3C higher than the January average of 15C.
However, just as we thought we were having a totally sunshine month, the weather broke down. From the 21st January although it was fine and sunny, it got much colder with strong northerly winds. Temperatures dropped to first to single figures then on the 25th and 26th to freezing.
Certainly time to stoke the boiler and put more logs on the fire!
Our sunny conditions disappeared in the last week in January, replaced by dull, overcast conditions and the first heavy rain for about 6 weeks.
It stayed that way until the end of the month. We even had our first thunderstorm of the year on the evning of the 30th.

The average daytime temperature was 15C (59F)
The highest temperature was on the 11th at 21C (70F).
The coldest day was on the 26th at 8C (46F).
The average night temperature was 7C (44F).
The coldest nights were on the 24th/25th at 0C (32F).
The warmest night was on the 12th at 16C (60F).
Total rainfall for the month was 1.7 inches (43 mm) over five days.
The heaviest rain fell on the 27th with 1 inch (25 mm). .
Wind strengths were predominately light to gentle most days.
We had strong north to North-west winds on the 21st to 23rd.
Wind directions were mainly North or Northwesterly in the mornings and south-east or south –west in the afternoons, usually dying out by 6pm.

Compared to 2010 it was 1C warmer by day and night.
A lot sunnier, and a lot drier – 1.7 compared 3.6 inches of rain in 2010.

68 species were seen in the Alcossebre area in December 2010.
No new species were added to the Alcossebre list.
A very late Black Kite on the 10th was a first December record.
As usual there were highs and lows in species numbers, and it continues to be a poor winter for certain species.
Full species report follows.
Little Grebe - one adult still wintering at the sewage pond.

I have just noticed on this photo of the Little Grebe it looks like the image of a Monkey on it´s bottom!!
Great Crested Grebe. Single birds off shore throughout the month is below the nine year average of three birds.
A total of 392 Balearic Shearwaters passed through this month, just slightly below the nine year average.
One to two Northern Gannets were seen this month. Normal numbers.
As normal Great Cormorants outnumbered Shags by 500 to 5. Cormorant numbers continue to increase, while Shag numbers remain static.
Up to 4 Cattle Egrets were seen on a daily basis, but no Little Egrets were seen this month.
A very late Black Kite flew south-west on the 10th December.
Only two single Sparrowhawks were seen this month.Normal numbers here.

Two wintering Common Buzzards were also normal for December.
Three Common Kestrels were holding winter territories, two females and one male.
Four to six Stone Curlews were wintering in the farm lands.Only the third winter they have done so. For big birds they can be very elusive at times!
Single Golden Plovers were seen from the 12th December. Not in the farmland areas where the normally winter, but at the coast.
Only one Northern Lapwing was seen on the 16th December. Poor numbers.
As usual in winter Gull numbers were building up. 23 Meditteranean Gulls, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 75 Audoiun´s Gulls, 175 Yellow-legged Gulls and 113 Lesser-black Back Gulls were the maximum counts for December.
A maximum of 54 Sandwich Terns roosting in the harbour were just above the nine year average.
A count of 58 Woodpigeons and 89 Collared Doves was well above normal December numbers.

One or two Little Owls seen daily were normal numbers.

A max. of 4 Hoopoes was slightly down on the nine year average.

As usual resident Crested Larks (12 max.) were well out numbered by wintering Skylarks (87 max.)A max. of 29 Crag Martins was just below the nine year average.
Single Grey Wagtails at the sewage pond were normal numbers for December, but White Wagtails numbers were well up, at 58 birds maximum, and may well reflect the increased amount of fields being ploughed up.
The same comment applies to Meadow Pipits which were in good numbers at 35 birds maximum.
Wren and Dunnock continue to be rare winter visitors with only one of each seen.
Robin numbers were only half the normal December numbers at 7 birds maximum.
Black Redstart numbers were normal with up to 15 birds seen daily. Only the odd male bird noted, females being predominant.

Only one Blue Rock Thrush is wintering here this year – a male in the rural farmland.
Stonechat numbers are normal for December with 11 birds max.
The opposite to Black Redstarts with male birds out numbering females.
1 to 2 Blackbirds were normal numbers for here.
A Fieldfare seen at the Sewage works on the 8th December was the first seen here since the 31st December, 2007.
20 Song Thrush max. was above average numbers for December.

Cetti´s Warbler numbers are well down with only one regular wintering bird at the sewage pond.
Resident Fan-tailed Warblers are down in numbers with only a max. of four birds noted daily.
Likewise wintering Dartford Warblers, with only one or two birds along the coastal strip and none inland.
Resident Sardinian Warblers are in high numbers at 23 birds maximum.
Wintering Blackcap numbers are above average at 17 birds, while wintering Chiffchaffs are below average at 11 birds.
The only regular tit species seen – Great Tit are in normal December numbers at 4 birds max.
For the first time in nine years no Southern Great Grey Shrikes were seen in December.
Common Magpie numbers were above average at 18 birds max.
As already mentioned increased ploughing has resulted in increases in many wintering species and resident species such as House and Tree sparrows.
Finch numbers have also increased with max. numbers of Chaffinch(135), Greenfinch(50), Goldfinch(112), Linnet(72)and Serin(85) being noted.

Smaller numbers of Bunting were noted 1 to 2 Rock Buntings, Max. 7 Reed Buntings and up to 12 Corn Buntings.

Alcossebre Weather in December 2010.
The first week in December was untypical, being mainly overcast and dull, with only two days of sunshine. Even the wind directions were untypical with three days out of seven being south-westerly.

The second week in December continued with unsettled weather. Only two and a half days being sunny, the rest overcast and dull.
The third week in December started off with our normal fine sunny weather, albeit accompanied with strong north-west winds, which kept the temperature down. The last day and a half returned to overcast and dull conditions with some light rain. .

The fourth week in December had lots of fine and sunny weather but we also had the return of the strong to gale force at times for three days.

The last three days of December were our normal fine and sunny weather with light winds. Temperature was average.

The average day temperature was 14C (57F)
The hottest days were 20C (68F) on the 6th and 8th.
The coldest day was on the 16th at 12C (53F)
The average night temperature was 7C (44F).
The warmest night was on the 8th at 15C (59F).
The coldest night was on the 17th at 0C (32F)
The total rainfall for the month was only 0.2 inches over four days.
Compared with 2009 it was the same average day temperature but 1C cooler by night. It was a lot drier 0.2 inches compared with 3.9 inches in 2009.
In fact it was the driest December in nine years.

68 species were seen in the Alcossebre area in November.
One new species was added to the Alcossebre list – albeit an escape – an African Waxbill.
That brings the Alcossebre species list up to 221 species.
The main highlights for the month were first November records for Marsh Harrier, Goshawk and Turtle Dove.
In addition Great White Egret, Pallid Swift and Hawfinch were seen only for the second time in November.
Highs and lows.
Balearic Shearwaters reached a nine year high for November with a maximum of 769 birds counted. Average is 177 birds.

Common Buzzard numbers were at a four year low, with only a single bird wintering. In previous years up to 4 birds wintered.
The lowest numbers of Robins over eight years – 23 birds max. Average 30 birds.
Lowest numbers of Common Chiffchaffs over nine years – 8 birds max. Average 20 birds.
Highest numbers of Wood Pigeons over nine years – 44 birds max. Average 9.
Highest number of Crag Martins over nine years – 42 birds max. Average 15.
Highest numbers of Sardinian Warblers over nine years – 26 max. Average 17.
Highest numbers of Linnets over nine years – 90 max. Average 44.

A list of the birds seen with comments follows:-

Up to 5 Northern Gannets were seen offshore throughout the month.
1 to 2 Shags were seen fishing offshore.
A total of 583 Great Cormorants passed through during the month, with up to six birds roosting on the Moors Rock regularly.

Three single Grey Herons flew south west during November.
Up to 12 Cattle Egrets foraged the rural farmland this month.
Little Egrets were in smaller numbers – 1 to 2 birds. Usually seen at the coast, but occasionally trying for a frog at the sewage pond!

A Great White Egret flying south west along the coast on the 28th, was only my second November record here.
Two female Marsh Harriers flying south west on the 20th was a first for November.
A female Goshawk hunting small birds over the rural farmland on the 13th was also a first November record here.
Only two Northern Sparrowhawks were seen this month.
A Common Buzzard arrived to winter on the 21st November – normally by this time there are up to 4 birds wintering?
Up to three Common Kestrels were holding winter territories – two males and a female.
7 Northern Lapwings passed through this month, 3 flying south west on the 14th and 4 flying east on the 15th.
Two Common Sandpipers passed through on the 11th and the 17th.
The first wintering Mediterranean Gulls appeared on the 13th and were seen on and off throughout the month.
A maximum of 30 Black-headed Gulls, 54 Audouin´s Gulls and 66 Yellow-legged Gulls were seen on the coast roosting and preening.
Lesser-black-back Gulls were still to build up numbers, with only 7 max. seen.
Sandwich Terns were seen regularly roosting at the harbour entrance with Cormorants – max. of 36 birds.

Wood Pigeons as mentioned earlier were at a nine year high in numbers – 44 birds max. and even outnumbered the Collared Doves on some days.
Collared Doves continue to thrive with a max. of 48 birds counted.
A big surprise was a very late Turtle Dove amongst the Collared Doves on the 3rd November, a first for this month.
Up to three Little Owls were counted, more often heard than seen this month.
Also a surprise was a very late Pallid Swift on the 29th November, only my second November record here.
There were two sightings of Common Kingfisher this month, one in the port, and one at Capycorp lagoon.
Up to five Hoopoes were seen daily – average for November.
The resident Crested Larks were well above November average at 16 birds max.

But even that was eclipsed by their wintering cousins – the Skylark at a max. of
101 birds.
Crag Martins were at a nine year high in numbers with 42 birds counted. They as common in the town as they are in the country.
A late Barn Swallow passed through on the 19th heading south.
A max. of 19 Meadow Pipits wintering was quite low for this month.
Where as up to two Grey Wagtails was good numbers for here.
White Wagtails were all over the rural farmlands, going from one ploughed field to the next – max. of 24 birds, being about average.
As stated earlier Robin numbers this November are very well down on average, normally you see up to 30 birds, but some days my count has been 2 or 3 birds!
Black Redstart numbers on the other hand are average or above average. The females as usual here outnumbering the males by about 10 to 1.
Blue Rock Thrush are down on the usual November numbers, in past years I have had up to 4 birds, this year so far one female, back for her fifth year.
Stonechat numbers are also down, similar to five years ago, with a max. of 11 birds daily.

Common Blackbird numbers if anything are slightly higher than normal with 3 birds max.
Song Thrush numbers vary from year to year here, they can go from a max. of 7 birds to 40 birds. This months max. is 14 birds. Unfortunately this species in particular is hunted in all the southern european countries. All because it flies in a straight line and is easy to shoot!
A couple of Cetti´s Warbler continue to hold a winter territory. One at Capycorp lagoon, and one at the Sewage pond.
Up to 10 Zitting Cisticola´s (Fan-tail Warblers for us ole guys) still holding all year round territories.
Up to two Dartford Warblers are wintering in the coastal strip. They have a constant battle against the resident Sardinian Warblers.!
The resident Sardinian Warblers are at a nine year high in numbers at 26 birds.
14 Blackcaps max. is about average count for November.
On the other hand only 8 Common Chiffchaffs is a nine year low, usually up to 20 birds are counted daily at this time.
Southern Great Grey Shrikes are in low numbers this winter with only one bird being seen, normally up to four birds winter.
Common Magpies are just below average numbers for this month at 14 birds.
Common Chaffinch numbers at at a four year high with 197 birds max.
Greenfinch numbers are at a nine year high with 45 birds counted.

Goldfinch numbers are average for November at 80 birds.
My only record of Siskin this month was four birds drinking at the sewage pond on the 14th November.
Linnet numbers are at a nine year high with 90 birds max.
Serin numbers are average for the month at 72 birds max.
Likewise the three Bunting species wintering are all in good numbers, with 2 Rock Buntings, 17 Reed Buntings and 7 Corn Buntings seen.

Alcossebre Weather in November, 2010.
November 2010 was a very settled month as it usually is here with mainly fine, sunny and dry (26 days).
There were some breaks from the fine weather on the 15th, 17th, 29th and 30th when we had some cloud and rain.
Winds were mainly light or gentle, with the exception of the 1St, 2nd, 7th, 10th, 16th and 29th when we had moderate to strong winds, which kept the temperature down.

The average daytime temperature was 18C (64F)The highest day temperature was on the 4th at 24C (75F).The coldest day was on the 29th at 10C (50F).The average night temperature was 9C (48F).The coldest night was on the 29th at 4C (39F).The warmest night was on the 2nd at 16C (60F).Total rainfall for the month was 0.7 inches (18 mm)over three days.
The heaviest rain fell on the 29th with 0.6 inches (15 mm). .
Compared to 2009 it was 4C cooler by day and 3C cooler by night.
It was slightly wetter – only 0.2 inches in 2009.

The new hide at the sewage pond is certainly the place to be to see new birds.
I thought I was doing well last month with Marsh Warbler, but this month has come up with a good one to.
I was sitting in the hide on a short evening visit on the 4th October. There was almost a frenzy of fly catching going on with mainly Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.In amongst them were four female Pied Flycatchers - females are much more numerous here on autumn passage than males – anyway, one of the flycatchers caught my attention.
First of all it didn’t wing flick when landing on a branch or reed stem, the other three Pieds did. It was much more contrasting in plumage. The upper parts more black than brown.
The under parts were much whiter. I noticed it had broader and whiter outer tail feathers.
Then as I got the scope on it I saw an extra white wing bar above the rest on the primaries.
As the light was fading fast I could only manage a few record shots, but enough to confirm in my mind that it was indeed a first winter Collared Flycatcher!
When I got back home I telephoned and e mailed other local Spanish birders.
Unfortunately they were all attending a conference in Madrid,and would not get back home until the weekend 5 days away! I very much doubted that the bird would stay that long?
In fact it stayed for four days.
I couldn’t wait for dawn the next morning when I went back to the sewage pond.
At first all I could see was Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.
No sign of any Flycatchers. Then to my relief the bird appeared in the same area as last night.
Now with improving light I would hopefully get some better photos?
It was very active but by focusing on a couple of it’s favourite perches I eventually got some decent shots – see photos.

The other three female Pied Flycatchers had moved on overnight, so that was a good slice of luck.

Apart from the Collared Flycatcher I saw 83 species in October during my daily bird count walk in Alcossebre.

Seven species were first records for October. Purple Heron, Black Stork, Wren, Moustached Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Melodious Warbler and Spectacled Warbler.
In fact it was a very good month for passage warblers with 15 species seen.
It continues to be a poor autumn for birds of prey with only five species seen.
It was also a poor month for wading birds with only two species seen.

The list of birds seen in October follows with comments.
The adult Little Grebe finally left the sewage pond on the 15th October.
A lone Balearic Shearwater flew south west on the 29th.
One or two Northern Gannets were seen offshore throughout the month.
A total of 458 Great Cormorants headed south west in October, biggest flock 75 birds.
11 Grey Herons and one Purple Heron on passage was the months total.

Two Black Storks sitting on top of a pylon on 3rd October were the first this year, and also the first October record here.
Cattle Egrets were seen throughout the month, 41 birds being the biggest flock in the rural farmlands.

In contrast only three Little Egrets were seen.
Three Great White Egrets flew east on the 1st, and one east on the 29th.
All heading no doubt for the Ebro Delta.

With only one Black Kite seen – flying south on the 5th – it was unusual to see Red Kite outnumber them, one on the 9th and one on the 16th.

Many thanks to Lorraine Short for this photo.
Two female Marsh Harriers passed through, one south on the 27th, and one east on the 29th.
At this time of year it’s hard to know whether Northern Sparrowhawks are passing through or wintering – three sightings.
It’s much easier with the Common Kestrel, as up to four are staking out their favourite areas.
Two Red-legged Partridge were hiding in Almond groves on the 16th. Despite being widely hunted here this one posed quite well for the camera!

4 Northern Lapwings flew east over the sea on the 13th, and one Common Sandpiper flushed from the beach by dog walkers on the 8th.

One or two Arctic Skuas were seen during the month, chasing the passing Sandwich Terns.
A total of 60 Black-headed Gulls passed through this month, but no Mediterranean Gulls were seen.
Maximum count of Audouin´s Gulls was 49 with Yellow-legged Gulls reaching 156. Lesser Black-back Gulls could only reach 10 birds.Sandwich Terns peaked at 30 birds on the 23rd.
One or two Turtle Doves continued to feed with the Collared Doves right up to the month end. Collared Doves peaked at 96, and Wood Pigeons at 34.Up to four Little Owls seen daily were in line with the nine year average.
A late Alpine Swift was seen on the 9th, the only record this autumn.
A single Kingfisher frequented the sewage pond on and off through the month.
Up to eight Hoopoes were still feeding in the rural farmlands.

The resident Crested Larks peaked at 20 birds, but gradually the winter Skylarks outnumbered them at 30 birds.
A total of 21 passage Sand Martins, were easily outnumbered by the wintering Crag Martins at 50 birds.
Although passage Barn Swallows were seen up to the month end, the peak was on the 3rd October when 420 birds per hour where coming through on a broad front.
I never tire of this twice yearly spectacle.
The last House Martins passed through on the 21st. Nowhere as numerous as the Swallows.
The first of the winter Meadow Pipits arrived on the 13th, a peak of 25 birds.
The last of the passage Blue-headed Wagtails were 2 birds on the 4th.
Up to two wintering Grey Wagtails were seen regularly at the sewage pond.
White Wagtails were building up winter numbers from one or two birds at the beginning of the month to a peak of 36 on the 29th.

A Wren that popped up in front of the sewage pond hide on the 27th October, was the first seen this year!
The first winter Robin appeared on the 10th, and built up to a peak of 29 birds on the 27th.
Likewise the first wintering Black Redstart appeared on the 8th October, and peaked at 22 birds on the 29th.As usual females outnumbered males by 10 to 1.

The last passage Common Redstart, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear were seen on the 15th, 20th and 22nd respectively.
So far it’s been a poor autumn for Blue Rock Thrush, normally we have up to four birds wintering, but so far only one female has turned up.
Wintering Stonechats peaked at 11 birds this month. Slightly down on the nine year average of 14 birds.

Likewise wintering Song Thrushes are down on the nine year average from 28 birds to 12.
As said previously it’s been a good month for warblers.
Resident warblers peaked at 7 Zitting Cisticolas and 21 Sardinian Warblers.
Passage warblers included one Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Warblers, 1 Melodious Warbler, 2 Spectacled Warblers, 10 Subalpine Warblers, 2 Common Whitethroat, 4 Garden Warblers and 72 Willow Warblers.

Wintering warblers numbers were increasing daily – 3 Cetti´s Warblers, 3 Dartford Warblers, 21 Blackcap Warblers and 18 common Chiffchaffs.
Lastly the Moustached Warbler at the sewage pond is hard to categorize, because it can fit all the above descriptions.
12 Pied Flycatchers passed through this month the last on the 15th October.
The first winter Collared Flycatcher stayed at the sewage pond from the 4th to the 7th October.

The juvenile Red-backed Shrike first seen last month, was last seen in the local scrubland on the 2nd.
As expected finch numbers increased as resident and wintering birds joined together to take advantage of the rich food source in rural farmland.

The first winter Chaffinch appeared on the 15th and by month end was peaking at 70 birds.
Resident Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Serins peaked at 45, 120 and 50 each.
Wintering Linnets reached 40 birds.
The first winter Reed Bunting appeared on the 28th,and single Corn Buntings were seen on and off from the 21st October.

Alcossebre Weather in October, 2010.

The first week in October was mainly fine and sunny with some cloudy spells. Winds were light or gentle. Which kept the daytime temperatures warm – 27C (80F) on average.

The second week in October was completely the opposite being the most unsettled week of the month. Cloudy conditions, thunderstorms and rain, torrential at times was the norm. We got 4.7 inches of rain (120mm), with most of it falling on the 12th.
Add to that a heavy sea swell, which meant flooded and blocked roads. See photos.

The third week in October returned to more normal weather with fine sunny days, however moderate to strong at times, Northerly winds meant a dip in the temperature to 23C (73F) by day and a cool 12C (53F) by night.

The fourth week in October was settled with mainly fine and sunny weather. Night temperature took a dip on the 27th to 8C.

The last three days of October were mixed with a sunny and cloudy spells for the most part. We had some light overnight rain on the 30th, and some more on the afternoon of the 31st.
The average daytime temperature was 26C (78F)
The highest temperature was on the 6th at 29C (84F).
The coldest day was on the 12th at 18C (64F).
The average night temperature was 16C (60F).
The coldest night was on the 27th at 8C (46F).
The warmest night was on the 8th at 22C (72F).
Total rainfall for the month was 4.8 inches (122 mm)over six days.
The heaviest rain fell on the 12th with 3 inches (76 mm). .

Compared to 2009 it was the same average day temperature but 6C warmer at night. It was slightly wetter – only 1.1 inches in 2009.

I was sitting in the new hide at the sewage pond on the 18th September when the Moustached Warbler that had first arrived here last month, popped up on some bare branches of a small shrub. Photo opportunity I thought!
So I took about 12 shots of it through the telescope with my camera.
That was about as long as it stayed in the open, it then dived into the thick reeds.
I never thought anymore about until I got home and processed the photos.
I was quite pleased as most of the shots were in focus – not always guaranteed when digi-scoping.

Anyway I looked at all the shots, and to my amazement the last two shots were not of the Moustached Warbler but of a Marsh Warbler!!
It must have flown into the bush and scared off the Moustached.

This was my first record for Alcossebre, but I didn’t realise how rare the species is in Spain. I looked up the birds status in the Valencia region, and there were only about three other records. So bearing that in mind I phoned up my Spanish friend Miquel Tirado who is on the Valencia bird record committee.
I said I have just found a Marsh Warbler at the Alcossebre sewage pond, would you like to come along and confirm with me. He said I will be there in half and hour – and he was. Turns out he had never seen one in all his years bird watching and bird ringing in Spain!
Finally back at the sewage pond the Marsh Warbler again showed well and Miquel was able to confirm the sighting.
Later that day I put it on the Spanish rare bird site called Reservoir Birds.

So that was certainly the best bird of the month, but I did record another 80 species for the month. The highest species total for September in eight years.
I had some good company this month on my daily bird count walks. Paul from Cumbria, Barbara and Derek from Northampton,Gorden from Herefordshire, and Barry and Lauren from Alcossebre, who brought along Tom from Brazil.

Apart from the Marsh Warbler there were five other species seen for the first time in September, Wood sandpiper, Mediterranean Gulls, Caspian Tern, Moustached Warbler and Red-backed Shrike.
A list of birds seen this month follows:-
The Little Grebe continues to show well at the sewage pond, and is now in winter plumage.
Single juvenile Northern Gannets were seen off shore.
A total of 88 Great Cormorants passed through, the biggest flock was 30 on the 23rd.
A total of 123 Grey Herons passed through 49 birds being the largest group on the 20th.
In contrast only three single Purple Herons passed through.
A total of 110 Cattle Egrets were seen mainly in the rural farmland, biggest flock was 31 birds.
30 Little Egrets passed through, biggest group was 14 birds.
Only one Great White Egret was seen on the 22nd, flying east heading no doubt for the Ebro Delta.
Eight species of bird of prey were seen this month.
The biggest passage was Northern Sparrowhawks with a total of 15 birds.
5 flew south on the 8th.
This is the highest total in 8 years study here.
Three single Black Kites, and two single Short-toed Eagles flew south.

The first Common Buzzard of autumn was seen on the 27th, the first Osprey on the 25th, and the first Hobby on the 29th.
A dark phase Eleonora´s Falcon flew east on the 16th, probably returning to the Balearics.
Up to four Common Kestrels had their own patches to hunt over.

It was very quiet month for wading birds with only three species seen.
The sewage pond was ideal for waders, with a good margin of mud, but only up to the 7th when it got filled up with water covering all the mud.
A Wood Sandpiper kept daily company with a Common Sandpiper until there was no mud.

The only other wader was a Northern Lapwing grounded by strong winds on the 26th.
The first Arctic Skua of the autumn flew east over the sea on the 28th.
Gull passage was relatively quiet. Month totals were 5 Mediterranean Gulls, 235 Black-headed Gulls, 249 Audouin´s Gulls, 17 Yellow-legged and one Lesser Black-backed Gull.
In contrast passing Sandwich Tern numbers were high with a month total of 370. 50 birds on the 24th was the highest day total.
I got not one but two records of passage Caspian Terns - a September first.
2 birds south on the 11th and 26th.
A maximum of 50 Wood Pigeons was the highest September count in eight years, while a count of 78 Collared Doves was near normal numbers.
A maximum of two Turtle Doves was the poorest since 2004.
Likewise a maximum of three Little Owls was the poorest since 2005.
One or two Common Kingfishers showed well during the month, one in particular at the sewage pond – see photo.

There was a good passage of European Bee-eaters with a total of 170 counted. Biggest flock was of 42 birds on the 9th.
A high day count of 13 Hoopoes on the 8th was the best since 20 birds in 2007.
19 Crested Larks on the 13th was the biggest day total in eight years.
A total of 45 Sand Martins passed through in small daily numbers, contrast this with a total of 1830 Barn Swallows through. The biggest passage was on the 20th when 270 birds per hour were flying south on a broad front.
The first Red-rumped Swallow of autumn flew south on the 15th.
A total of 530 House Martins passed through, biggest day count was 72 birds per hour on the 3rd.
A total of 50 Blue-headed Wagtails passed through, with the biggest flock in rural farmland on the 25th with 15 birds.
The first Grey Wagtail of autumn appeared at the sewage pond on the 29th.
One or two of the resident White Wagtails were seen throughout the month, soon to be swelled by winter birds.
There was only one sighting of the (Rufous) Nightingale during the month at the sewage pond on the 18th.
The first autumn Common Redstart was seen on the 1st – total for month 6 birds.
The first autumn Whinchat was seen on the 10th – total for month 12 birds.
The first autumn Northern Wheatear was seen on the 2nd – total for month 6 birds.

The female Blue Rock Thrush returned to winter in the rural farmland on the 30th.
The first Common Stonechat of autumn was on the 22nd joined by a wintering male on the 29th.

An early passage Song Thrush on the 9th was the only one this month.
The first wintering Cetti´s Warbler turned up on the 11th at the sewage pond, by the 24th there were two others elsewhere.
A maximum of eight resident Zitting Cisticola´s were seen this month, normal September numbers.
The Moustached Warbler at the sewage pond was seen up to the 18th, a first September record here.
As already noted Alcossebre´s first Marsh Warbler turned up at the sewage pond on the 18th and stayed another day.
Up to three Reed Warblers were present at the sewage pond all month.
A late Melodious Warbler was still present at the sewage pond from the 25th to the 29th.
It was a good passage month for Subalpine Warblers, with a total of 32 seen, only one male the rest females or immature birds.
The resident Sardinian Warblers peaked at 14 birds on the 21st. Average numbers for September.
The first Common Whitethroat passed through on the 3rd. Month total was five birds all females.
The first autumn Blackcaps arrived at the sewage pond on the 27th with a male and a female, by the month end there was 7 birds.
60 Willow Warblers passed through this month, 6 birds daily max.
17 Spotted Flycatchers passed through, with the last bird on the 17th.
They were out numbered by passage Pied Flycatchers with 22 birds from the 2nd. Of the 22 birds only one was a male bird.

Up to eight Golden Orioles were seen up to the last on the 15th.
A juvenile Red-backed Shrike appeared in local scrubland on the 28th and was still present on the 30th. It was spending a lot of time chasing Sardinian Warblers through the scrub!
One or two Woodchat Shrikes were seen up to the last on the 3rd. Including this juvenile in the photo.

The resident finch flocks were not as yet swelled by winter visitors so low maximum numbers – 34 Greenfinch, 46 Goldfinch, 2 to 3 Linnets and 62 Serins were the most seen.
It was another month with no Buntings seen, maybe next month ?.

Alcossebre weather in September 2010.

The first two weeks of September were fine sunny and hot.
The third week was a bit mixed with the only rain of the month on the 17th and 18th
The fourth week returned to fine sunny weather, albeit with cooler night time temperatures.
The usual patterns of wind prevailed with light north westerly for a short while in the mornings, and gentle east or south east winds for the rest of the day, usually dying out in the evenings.
We did have some strong North winds on the 24th and 25th.

The average daytime temperature was 28C (82F)
The highest day temperature was on the 7th at 34C (93F).
The coldest day was on the 20th at 24C (75F).
The average night temperature was 19C (66F).
The coldest night was on the 27th at 14C (57F).
The warmest nights were on the 1st, 2nd and 7th at 23C (73F).
Total rainfall for the month was 1.8 inches (45 mm) over three days
Heaviest rain fell on the 17th with 1.3 inches ( 33 mm).

Compared to 2009 it was 1C cooler by day and night, however it was a lot drier – last September we got a record rainfall of 21.1 inches of rain!