Spain- Day 12, 25/06

 7:15

Seeing as it was our last day, I got out as early as possible to get in as much birding as possible. The usuals seen included Spotless Starling, Serin, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Flycatcher, and a singing Turtle Dove. Two species which I haven't seen so much this holiday came in the form of a few Woodchat Shrike, and a singing Nightingale. The overwhelming best bird of the trip, however, was a Melodious Warbler (lifer) that showed well, giving great views and singing. 

17:20

A Hoopoe was showing well outside the villa again.

18:20

The Hoopoe was outside the villa again, giving point-blank views allowing an incredible view.

21:30

A final walk along the seafront this evening produced a few Balearic Shearwater, and some Yellow-legged Gulls.

So, although this was the final day of the holiday, it had been a great one. The Melodious Warbler was a great bonus, along with seeing the Hoopoe so close- a wonderful end of the holiday.

Spain- Day 11, 23/06

 10:30

A day-trip to Malaga produced what would be expected, with plenty of Monk Parakeets, Yellow-legged Gulls, Collared Doves, a flyover Bee-eater, and a single Serin seen.

18:15

A Hoopoe was showing brilliantly outside the villa late this afternoon.

A very enjoyable day, mostly taken up with a great trip in Malaga. Seeing the Hoopoe extremely well in the afternoon also gave the day some interest in the way of birds as well, so happy to have been able to finally get some decent photos of this species!

Spain-Day 10, 23/06

 10:30

A trip to the sea and market in Torrox Costa this morning didn't produce much, other than a few Yellow-legged Gulls and Monk Parakeets.

14:45

A rather tiring walk in the heat this afternoon produced plenty of Red-rumped Swallows, Serin, Sardinian Warblers, Spotless Starlings, and best of all, a few Woodchat Shrike, including a stunning male, making for a great year-tick.

With the holiday coming near to a close, the action is still relentless, which came in the stunning Woodchat Shrikes making for another eventful and interesting day. 

Spain- Day 9, 22/06

 7:15

A long walk this morning found a very obliging family of Black Wheatear (year tick), and a singing Nightingale, heard and seen, which was rather unexpected. Also seen were plenty of Serin, Turtle Dove, Sardinian Warblers, Spotted Flycatcher, and Red-rumped Swallows.

20:00

An afternoon void of much interest ended with a short walk down the hill. The only thing of interest was a probable harrier sp. that flew overhead, but it was directly into the sun so I haven't been able to identify it yet. Seemed likely to be Montagu's, as it was very small. Got some research to do! Also seen were a few Serin, Spotted Flycatchers and Spotless Starlings.

Another nice day, great seeing the Black Wheater so close- fast becoming a favourite of mine, they're great! 

Spain- Day 8, 21/06

 7:15

A Turtle Dove was on the wires outside the villa this morning.

10:30

A morning swim in the Mediterranean down in Torrox brought much of the usuals, including Monk Parakeet, Balearic Shearwater, Yellow-legged Gull, and another very cool Bonelli's Eagle on the way home.

15:30

A few Booted Eagles were circling around the villa this afternoon.

Overall, a very nice day, with some very cool birds being seen (and a bit of improvement in the cricket which lightened the mood!), leading to a fun, relaxing day.

Spain- Day 7, 20/06

 8:45

A very chilled morning around the villa had a little bit of excitement, with a Hoopoe flying around. 

15:30

A Lesser Kestrel briefly landed on the wires outside the villa this afternoon.

18:30

A trip for dinner this evening in Frigiliana produced another Bonelli's Eagle, and a few Crag Martins, a very cool lifer to get.

Although it was pretty slow going today, seeing the Crag Martin was brilliant, and an unexpected bonus of a very relaxing day.

Spain- Day 6, 19/06

7:50

A very early start to arrive at Desembocadura del Guadalhorce before the heat hit was a great success, with some great species seen including Bee-eater, Slender-billed Gull, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Flamingos, Hoopoe, Zitting Cisticola, some very cute Rosy-faced Lovebirds (escapees I believe). The best however, were a pair of Black-necked Grebes (year-tick), a single Black-crowned Night-heron (lifer), Great Reed Warbler (another lifer), and my favourite of all, the bird I was most hoping to see this holiday, the White-headed Duck, a third lifer of the excellent, and very successful, trip.

17:30

A Bonelli's Eagle briefly circling around the villa this afternoon added another lifer to this already brilliant day.

20:00

Dinner on the seafront this evening produced a massive number of Balearic Shearwaters, with a huge flock offshore. The highlight of the evening, was two Audioun's Gulls that flew past, a fifth lifer of the day.

What a day, 5 lifers, and 6 year ticks. Seeing the White Headed Ducks was brilliant, as I had really hoped to see them. The Bonelli's Eagle was also a great surprise, along with the Great Reed Warbler, which I hadn't expected to see. 

Spain- Day 5, 18/06

8:00

A walk this morning produced plenty of Serin, Spotted Flycatchers, Turtle Dove, Sardinian Warblers, Goldfinch, a single Hoopoe, and best of all, a few Common Waxbill, my first lifer of the day. 

16:30

Two Short-toed Snake-eagle were circling this afternoon.

21:00

A very chilled day came to a great close, with a Kestrel identifiable as a Lesser Kestrel around the villa, my second lifer of the day!

Although the day had been very relaxed, without any visits anywhere, two lifers is a great result, and the walk this morning was enjoyable.

Spain- Day 4, 17/06

7:45

A walk around the hill this morning produced a few Serin, Sardinian Warblers, Linnet, Spotted Flycatchers, a calling Chaffinch, and the highlight was two Red-rumped Swallows that actually landed on a wire about 4 meters away, allowing brilliant views.

10:45

Another Booted Eagle was giving great views over the villa this morning

11:30

A trip into Torrox Costa to see the lighthouse revealed some Yellow-legged Gulls(year tick) and a few Monk Parakeets. Far out on the sea, a large group of what I thought were juvenile gulls flew up and then landed again. A gannet flew through, and a few minutes later, a bird skimming across the water caught my attention- clearly either Scopoli's or Cory's Shearwater-(possibly both) both species would be a lifer for me. I checked the "juvenile gull" flock again, and wasn't surprised when I could make out the shape of shearwaters- those juvenile gulls were actually shearwaters! Shearwater kept on going through for the rest of the time, including a few smaller birds- Balearic Shearwater, 

19:30

Late this afternoon, a Hoopoe was just outside the villa

20:15

A short walk this evening produced a few Turtle Doves, Sardinian Warblers, Serin, Red-rumped Swallows and Spotted Flycatchers.

Well, what a great day it had been. Seeing the Red-rumped Swallows up close was an amazing experience, as well as seeing the Hoopoe. The highlight of the day, however, has to the shearwater. Such stunning birds! A minimum of 2 lifers, and 3 year-ticks were seen today, and possibly more!

Spain- Day 3, 16/06

9:00

A walk this morning produced much of the usuals, with plenty of Spotless Starling, Goldfinch, Serin, Sardinian Warblers, Spotted Flycatcher, at least two Turtle Doves, and a few Thekla Lark. The Serin and Sardinan Warblers showed very well allowing for some slightly better photos.

14:00 

A shopping trip down in Torrox produced plenty of Swifts, along with a single Monk Parakeet.

18:10

A Booted Eagle was flying around in the valley, being mobbed by a Kestrel, before flying north out of view.

20:00

A walk this evening produced some well showing Spotted Flycatchers, a few Turtle Doves, plenty of Serin, Sardinian Warbler, and a distant bird which I am pretty certain was Eleanor's Falcon, but I haven't made my mind up yet- it had relatively long, slim wings, and seemed too large, and wrong wing shape for Kestrel, and too slim for a stocky Peregrine. 

And with that, the third day comes to a close. Another day, another great birding experience, with plenty of rare British birds- that are delightfully common here- and a probable pofer on the for of Eleanor's Falcon, just need to make my mind up on whether I have enough to count it or not!

Spain- Day 2, 15/06

10:00 A.M

After a nice breakfast, I set out for a walk to see if I could find anything interesting. A few Sardinian Warblers were calling, and a Theklas Lark (first year tick of the day) flew up from the path, calling. There were lots of Spotted Flycatcher about, and a few Red-rumped Swallows where flying about with some Swifts. As I continued on, I came across a few Serin, and one gave some great views, allowing for me to get my best photo of this species. The Serin were also calling- I had no idea how beautiful they sounded! A group of 8 Spotless Starling were on a dead tree, and a Kestrel( not sure which type yet) was flying about. I headed back up the hill, and another Theklas Lark flew over, calling again. A Serin was calling from a tree right next to the path, and although I couldn't get a photo, it was a great opportunity to hear its wonderful call very clearly. 

11:30 

Whilst I was having a swim in the pool, I noticed a bird of prey gliding past, from what I could see, I am pretty sure it was a Short-toed Snake-eagle- my second year tick of the day.

20:00

A walk this evening down the hill produced quite a few Turtle Doves, of which a few were calling, a Blackcap, four Bee-eaters that flew down towards Torrox, and some Sardinian Warblers, Red-rumped Swallows, Stonechat, Spotted Flycatchers, Goldfinches, Serin, Linnet, and two warblers which I haven't quite been able to identify yet!

And so the day comes to a close, with at least two more year ticks, and brilliant views of Serin, some close flying Thekla Lark, and I heard the Turtle Doves "purring," Such a good sound!

Spain- Day 1, 14 June

 After landing in Malaga at 2 o'clock this morning, and getting to our hotel in the airport at 3, we managed to get a few hours sleep before waking up for a brilliant continental breakfast at our hotel.

Desembocadura del Guadalhorce 

After that, we picked up our hire-car and drove to Desembocadura del Guadalhorce to kill some time before we could leave for our villa. The highlights during a two hour trip were some Marbled Ducks(lifer for me), Black-winged Stilts, Kentish Plover, Slender-billed Gull, Monk Parakeet, Booted Eagle, Red-rumped Swallow, Crested Lark, Flamingos, Zitting Cisticola, Spotless Starlings, Pallid Swifts(I think), and two flyover Bee-eaters, all of which are year ticks. 

Upon viewing some of my photos of a large group of terns, I realised there was at least one Gull-billed Tern there, a bird I hadn't seen before.

The Villa

After picking up some lunch, we made it safely to our villa, and settled in before I went out on a walk to see if anything was around. Like last year, there were quite a few Sardinian Warblers, and a couple of Red-rumped Swallows, but the heat was intense so not many birds were around- I decided to wait until the evening when it would be cooler. 

After dinner, I was standing on the patio looking over the incredible view towards Torrox, when a Serin flew past- another year-tick.

Before too long, I set off again for a walk down the hill, and before I had even left the villa, three Turtle Doves landed on a wire, before flying off. One came back and gave some great views. A few larks flew up from the ground, but I didn't get a good enough view to be able to identify them. As I walked on, a few Spotted Flycatchers were around, and another Serin flew past. A few Blue Tits were about, as were some Collared Doves and Goldfinches. I found a place where quite a few Red-rumped Swallows were flying around, so I tried my best to get a few photos. After a while, I started making my way back up the hill, and a few Sardinian Warblers were in some bushes. As I made my way into the driveway of the villa, a swift that flew by caught my eye. "That had a white belly, no?" I thought to myself. After a few minutes of looking through all the swifts, I managed to pick out the Alpine Swift in amongst them, my second lifer of the day, and a bird I'm very happy to see, after missing one at Selsey Bill in England by a few minutes earlier in the year.

And so the first day draws to a close, with two lifers and a brilliant 17 year ticks. Even as I'm writing this, the sun has set behind the mountains, and the lights are starting to appear in the town below. All the birds had been brilliant, and I was especially happy to have seen the Alpine Swift and seem the Turtle Doves very well.

Photos to come when we're back in Britain, as we don't have a pc with us!

Farlington Marshes 09/06/25

A few tasks needed to be done near Farlington to get ready for holiday, so I decided to drop in for an hour or two to see what was about. 

On arrival, there were a few Greenfinch, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Wrens, Starlings, and lots of gulls visible already, and a Little Egret was hunting. 

After making it to the benches looking over the large pond, I had a scan out, but nothing of note was visible, with all the normal Avocet, Shelduck, Redshank and Mallards out and about, and a Cormorant was on the far bank.

As nothing seemed to be here, I continued walking around, and a few Oystercatchers were on the field along with a few Canada Geese and Meadow Pipit.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull was out in the harbour, and I opted to take the lower path through the brush to see if anything was in the bushes. 

Lots of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, and a Sedge Warbler were the only things seen there, and a few Linnets were flying about as well. 

As I continued on towards the deeps, a few Reed Warblers were singing, and a Raven flew past. 

Most of the birds on the deeps were young, with juvenile Coots, Moorhens, Black-headed Gulls, Shelduck, and Canada Geese all present. 

With no sign of anything interesting on the deeps, I continued walking around, with a few Linnets and another Sedge Warbler along the path. 

Another birder I had a quick talk to mentioned there were some Cattle Egrets with the cattle near the hut, so I continued around at a bit of a quicker pace- I've not been able to get good photos of these birds before, so I thought that maybe today I would be able to get some decent shots. 

After a bit more walking, the cattle came into view, and amongst them were seven Cattle Egrets, all in wonderful plumage. 

One in particular had a very colourful beak, so I managed to take some photos of it before it moved off a bit further away. 

After they had moved a bit further away, another one flew in, making the total 8. 

Before too long, they flew off to the other side of the field, so I continued on to the hut, and had a look on the water, where nothing interesting was seen,  but an Avocet was preening close to the path.

As I was waiting to be picked up, I had another look on the pond, where a Little Grebe was swimming about, and a Kestrel was hunting.

Sadly, I had to leave, but it had been an enjoyable time, especially seeing the Cattle Egret so close up, a very enjoyable experience!

Selsey Bill 04/06/25

With a busy weekend scheduled, I decided to get out earlier in the week and go down to Selsey for some seawatching to see if anything would turn up in the strong winds. 

Upon arrival at about 8:00, I settled down in the usual seawatching place and scanned the area. A very distant and equally large flock was offshore, but everything was too far away to identify. 

There was constant movement of Sandwich Terns heading west, but nothing else was going through

After quite a while more of waiting, and nothing going past, I decided to shift my position and sit on a bench up on the Oval Field. 

There was a bit more action closer in over the next hour or so, with a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, a Little Tern, and I was kept company by some Sparrows.

After a bit of a walk around, which only produced more gulls and a Cormorant, I went back to the Oval Field to have a snack. 

The feeding flock was a bit closer now, but still, nothing else was about. 

Very distantly, a Razorbill flew west, my first this year.

I was just getting up from the bench to have a look around the trees to see if anything was there when a bird flew rapidly past the shoreline, before doubling back on itself, then doing another 180-degree turn and heading east- a Fulmar. I hadn't been able to get photos of this species before, so I was happy to get some photos, albeit not good ones!

Things had started to pick up with the Razorbill and Fulmar in such quick succession, and, before too long, either a different or maybe the same Fulmar as earlier flew west, a bit closer in, and much slower. 

A Cormorant flew past close in, and a Gannet was offshore very distantly. 

Things quietened down a bit, so I had a look around, taking a few minutes to photograph the House Martins and the Sparrows, with most of the latter bathing in a small puddle.

As lunch grew near, I sat down on a bench for a while longer, with nothing moving offshore except for a Little Tern. After having lunch, which included an interesting sandwich idea- marmalade and peanut butter(turned out to be really good), I headed off towards the eastern part of the bill, to see if anything was on the sea towards Church Norton. 

Nothing else was on the sea, but a few Sparrows were showing so well they were begging to be photographed! As they are a very common species, I don't usually mind missing an opportunity to get some photos, but as everything else was so quiet, I had some fun with them.

As morning became afternoon, and the excitement of the Fulmar and Razorbill grew ever distant, I was starting to get quite tired after the day's efforts, and with not much moving today, I decided to go for one more stint of seawatching and then head home. 

One hour later, nearly nothing had gone through, so I started heading towards the bus stop. After one more look out towards the IOW, I managed to get on a bus back towards Chichester, albeit with a bit of difficulty- iykyk:)

As always, I had a check on the Ferry Pools from the bus on the way back, where there was a large group of Black-tailed Godwits, and a Common Sandpiper, my second year-tick of the day, putting my total now on 170.

Although nothing very good had been seen, two year-ticks were a decent result, and the Fulmar was very cool to see a bit closer than early last month! This will probably be my last proper birding trip in  Britain before going on holiday in southern Spain next week (so excited for it lol), so I was pleased to have seen some nice species.