2018 spring migration

[Sean Mac]

Presume everyone's migrated to Facebook but anyway...

Cracking male Subalpine Warbler in Almunecar on 28 Feb. V pleasant surprise in a clifftop area with a small party of displaying Crested Tits.

Seems v early for Subalp. Do they overwinter in Andalucia in small numbers? I'm never usually here in winter so no real handle on what might have decided to have looked at the Med last autumn and said "nah..."

[Sean Mac]

...followed by interesting (to me) day on Thurs 1st with belting rain before a dry window in the weather opened in the afternoon and stuff was piling through (back to the?) West, with swifts (sp.), house martins and first 3 (barn) swallows I've seen since arriving a few days ago. Then a party of about 15 Lesser Kestrels came through west, which was the biggest number I've ever seen in one day (I need to get out more obviously).

A look at heavy seas from a seafront cafe produced a raft of gulls incl 10 or so adult Meds, a flypast Curlew, and then further out a group of 3 or 4 small Shears, presumably Balearic, and what appeared to be a larger Shear, perhaps Scopoli's or Sooty, but I don't know what you see off the coast here. I couldn't really see anything on it and was really going on flight action and apparent size. Same goes for the skua that flirted with harassing a gull and then headed off east; looked too rangy and agile to be a Bonxie but couldn't say any more than that, the bird looking all dark at range.

Wished I'd had my scope with me as I've had to chuck 3 'patch' ticks away there due to only bringing 7* bins in my hand luggage. Frustrating!

[Brenda]

Hello Sean,

My husband tells me the Subalpine Warblers are not known to over winter here, but are often early to come back. Lots of migration going on at the moment. We have just had masses of Black Kites and a Golden Eagle flying over Ronda.

Brenda