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Birds
2007 Records 
2006 Records
2005 Records
2008
Table of spring soaring birds passage 2008
January February March April May June July August September October November December
* Subject to acceptance by rarities committee.
May
4 May:
2 Spotted flycatchers and single Melodious warbler, Whinchat (female), Common redstart (male)
and Subalpine warbler (female) were at West View Promenade in the morning.
3 May : Single Woodchat shrike, Hoopoe and Nightingale were at West View Promenade during the afternoon.
April
15 Apr: A Squacco Heron*, third record, was observed at North Front Cemetery. Also present were Woodchat Shrikes, Redstarts and Whitethroats.
14 Apr: A late immature Cormorant was seen fishing inside the Harbour.
13 Apr: A flock of approximately 45 Flamingos was observed flying west out of the Strait at midday.
06-10 Apr: A period of bad weather with cloudy and windy conditions produced the first Pied Flycatchers on the 6th and Orphean Warbler on the 7th followed by early two Red-necked Nightjars that were observed on the Upper Rock roads on the night of the 8th. Another Red-necked Nightjar flew into a dwelling the following day and was released after being ringed.
01 Apr: The first Garden Warbler of the season was trapped and ringed at Jews Gate.
March
31 Mar: A single Scops Owl was picked up exhausted in the town. After a short rest the bird was ringed and released.
30 Mar: A small fall of migrants at North Front cemetery produced several trans-Saharan migrants including Woodchat Shrikes, Subalpine Warblers, Common Redstarts and single Hoopoe and Whitethroat. Also there were late wintering migrants moving through with Song Thrushes, Robins and Black Redstarts.
28 Mar: Further arrivals of trans-Saharan migrants included Common Redstarts and Nightingale at Jews Gate ringing station.
27 Mar: A large Aquila, possibly an Imperial Eagle flew north with other raptors.
24 Mar: The first Bonelli's Warbler was trapped and ringed at Jews Gate today.
22 Mar: The first flocks of Bee-eaters arrived across the Strait with light westerly winds.
20 Mar: First Woodchat Shrike at the North Front Cemetery in the company of a Subalpine Warbler.
15 Mar: Fresh westerly winds throughout the day encouraged raptors to cross the Straits in good numbers with an impressive 2587 Black Kites, 103 Short-toed Eagles, 24 Marsh Harriers, 130 Sparrowhawks and 39 Booted Eagles amongst other raptor species.
14 Mar: The cloudy weather produced a further nine Willow Warblers, five Subalpine Warblers and a single Tree Pipit at the Jews' Gate Observatory.
13 Mar: First trans-Saharan migrants arrive with four Willow Warblers and a single Subalpine Warbler trapped and ringed.
10 Mar: Passage included 4 Cranes, 45 Black Storks, 77 White Storks, over 1500 Black Kites, over 350 Short-toed Eagles and 5 Egyptian Vultures. Passage also of hirundines, including 4 Red-rumped Swallows.
09 Mar: Soaring bird passage continued and included 14 Black Storks, 5 White Storks, 644 Black Kites, 70 Short-toed Eagles and 7 Egyptian Vultures. Passage was monitored also by GONHS and University of Rabat observers on the Moroccan side of the Strait from which hundreds of birdsa were seen departing.
08 Mar: Impressive northward passage of over two hundred Short-toed Eagles throughout the morning. Also 8 Black Storks, 3 Egyptian Vultures, Booted Eagles and numbers of Sparrowhawks. A small passage of Gannets, Balearic Shearwaters and Lesser Black-backed Gulls west through the Strait.
07 Mar: Steady passage north of Black Kites in the afternoon totalling about 1300. Other raptors included a male Hen Harrier.
01 Mar: Lesser Kestrels present at the traditional nesting cliff on the North Face of the Rock. Two seen, more heard.
February
27 Feb: An influx of Chiffchaffs was noted in the Botanic Gardens and in the Town Centre. Observations included five together, feeding on aphids on a Hibiscus just off Main Street. Also another Hoopoe in the Botanic Gardens, seen feeding on Pine Processionary Moth caterpillar.
26 Feb: An Iberian Chiffchaff was seen and heard around Jews' Gate and was later trapped and ringed.
23 Feb: A single Pallid Swift was seen over Gibraltar town centre in the morning.
17 Feb: Another Hoopoe at the Botanic Gardens.
16 Feb: Three Hoopoes seen on the Upper Rock.
15 Feb: The first two Hoopoes of the year today: one seen at the Botanic Gardens and the other on the Upper Rock, including one ringed at Jews' Gate.
11 Feb: Passage of Cory's Shearwaters into the Mediterranean: 255 in one and a half hours flying east past Europa Point into gale force winds.
2 Feb: Four Barn swallows arrived at Europa Point and flew north with light northerly winds.
1 Feb: A Griffon vulture was seen over the Rock at 17:00hrs heading north. The bird may have either flown across the Bay or crossed the Strait from Morocco.
January
31 Jan: The first Black Kite of the season was recorded at midday soaring over the Rock in light variable winds.
30 Jan: A Common Buzzard was observed at 15:00hrs soaring over the Upper Rock.
20 Jan: An American Turkey Vulture was seen flying north low over the east side of the Rock and into Spain.
12 Jan: A three hour count in the morning at Europa Point revealed a steady passage of Gannets with 586, mainly adults, moving westwards through the Strait in the period. Forty-three Mediterranean Gulls gathered at the entrance to the Bay of Gibraltar. Also recorded were 3 Shags and several Great Cormorants, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Sandwich Terns and 13 Balearic Shearwaters.
08 Jan: A Short-toed Treecreeper noted in the garden of The Convent in Main Street. A Great Cormorant seen in the North Mole area; this species is now clearly regular in Gibraltar hardbour in the winter, reflecting an overall increase in the area at this time, including a roost of approximately 300 birds on the Rio Palmones across the Bay (F.Barrios, pers. comm.).
07 Jan: Two Tawny Owls heard calling during the night from the grounds of The Mount on Europa Road.
2007
Table of spring soaring birds passage 2007
January February March April May June July August September October November December
* Subject to acceptance by rarities committee.
December
22 Dec: Two White Wagtails flying around West View Promenade during heavy rain.
20-21 Dec: Around 20 Northern Gannets from juveniles to adults, seen fishing within the Port and around the North Mole, up to the area of the Western tip of the airport runway, no doubt sheltering from the easterly gale in the Strait. Sandwich Terns and a Great Cormorant also observed.
11 Dec: Firecrest seem to be numerous on the Rock with up to six individuals seen in small areas of the Upper Rock.
09 Dec: A flock of 27 White Storks arrived across the Strait in the early morning and headed north, the first signs of northward passage.
02 Dec: A single Griffon Vulture was seen over town in the morning.
November
29 Nov: A flock of 28 Griffon Vultures came in over the Bay and flew over the Rock at mid-day, but then headed back into Spain.
28 Nov: Cormorant flying North off the Detached Mole. Sandwich Terns feeding within the harbour.
25 Nov: At least three Firecrests were seen in the Governor's Lookout area, and another two were present in the Alameda Botanic gardens. A pair of Thekla Larks were again wintering in the area of Europa Point.
18 Nov: Six Cormorants were sitting on the mussel rafts off Eastern Beach, and four Turnstones were present on the rocks at Europa foreshore.
15 Nov: Two Common Buzzards were seen over the Rock. At least ten Common Starlings were present with Spotless Starlings in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. A sub-adult Kittiwake was observed below Europa Point.
14 Nov: Two Booted Eagles, one light and one dark phase were seen over the Rock.
13 Nov: A Booted Eagle and a Griffon Vulture were recorded over Gibraltar.
12 Nov: Eight Short-toed Eagles and a light phase Booted Eagle flew in over the Rock when the strong easterly wind abated.
08 Nov: A Common Buzzard seen over Town heading towards the Upper Rock. Also, 20 Griffon Vultures circling over Town and then heading south.
06 Nov: Two Pallid Swifts seen entering gap under eaves at sunset in Gibraltar Town.
03 Nov: A dead Woodcock was found in the South District. A Little Swift was seen feeding with Crag Martins over the Valderrama golf course in San Roque, Spain, during the Volvo Masters golf tournament.
October
27 Oct: A large concentration of several thousand Cory's Shearwaters was seen sheltering in the bay south of Ceuta on the African side of the Strait. There was evidence of movement northwards along the Mediterranean Moroccan coast, with some venturing round the Ceuta headland to head westwards through the Strait.
21 Oct: The Upper Rock was teeming with wintering birds with good numbers of Song Thrushes, Blackcaps, and Robins with smaller numbers of Chiffchaffs and Black Redstarts. Also present were finch flocks including several flocks of Siskins and Chaffinches. Overhead, two Booted Eagles flew over the Rock in the evening.
20 Oct: Again a good arrival of Robins and Black Redstarts everywhere. A single Dartford Warbler was present at North Front Cemetery.
18 Oct: A Zitting Cisticola was present on Windmill Hill together with an early Siskin.
and 17 Oct: Two Short-toed Eagles flew over town in the morning and prpbably returned north, since the easterly winds were unfavourable for a crossing of the Strait. A Firecrest was heard around the observatory at Jews Gate and there were a small passage of finches with several flocks of Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Greenfinches settling to shelter in the maquis above the Observatory. With them were several flocks of House Sparrows that are occasionaly observed at this time of the year on migration.
15 Oct: Large arrival of Robins on the Rock with many singing individuals setting up wintering territories on the Upper Rock and in the Alameda Gardens. Also small numbers of Blackcaps and Black Redstarts on the Upper Rock. Single Ring Ouzel and Dartford Warbler, Woodlarks and two Skylarks, three Meadow Pipits and five Black Redstarts on Windmill Hill in the evening.
11 Oct: Small numbers of Booted Eagles over the Rock with the easterly levanter conditions.
10 Oct: A Whimbrel and a Black Redstart at Europort.
09 Oct: Arrival of Crag Martins with some flocks feeding over the Alaneda Gardens in the evening.
08 Oct: A Northern Wheatear at West View Promenade.
07 Oct: A Whimbrel at West View Promenade.
06 Oct: A steady movement west of several seabirds off Europa Point, mainly Gannets and Sandwich Terns. A Northern Wheatear was on the foreshore.
04 Oct: Four Turnstones were feeding at Europa foreshore in the evening, and several Sandwich Terns were patrolling along the coastline and were joined by a Lesser-crested Tern.
03 Oct: Single Redstart, Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler and Wryneck have been trapped and ringed over the last few days at the Gibraltar Bird Observatory ringing site at Jews' Gate. This has also included an increasing number of Blackcaps, and the first Robins arriving from northern Europe.
September
27 Sep: A juvenile Lanner* was observed by members of the Raptor Rehabilitation Unit and chased the hybrid falcon they were flying over Windmill Hill.
25 Sep: Over the last few days small number of Gannets, including the first juvenile birds of the year, have been observed. Some flocks of Sandwich Terns have been seen flying west out of the Mediterranean and some have lingered to fish in the harbour. Two Oystercatchers were down on the Europa foreshore, feeding on the rocks at low tide, and a Grey Heron was seen flying low over town and sitting on the rocks at the North Mole the following day.
21 Sep: The overnight rain produced a fall of migrants and Orphean, Garden and Reed Warblers were caught and ringed. North Front cemetery had several Turtle Doves, a Quail, four Spectacled Warbler, and single Nightingale, Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, Olivaceous and Garden Warblers and Iberian Chiffchaff and Corn Bunting. Many Nightingales were heard all over the Rock and on Windmill Hill, and overhead Tree and Tawny Pipits and Yellow Wagtails were calling. Two immature Rock Thrushes and several Blue Rock Thrushes were feeding on flying ants recently emerged after the rains in the company of two Common Wheatears on Levant Battery, whilst down on Windmill Hill a further ten Common Wheatears, two Black-eared Wheatears, nine Whinchats, eight Tawny Pipits and single Hoopoe, Spectacled Warbler, Zitting Cisticola and a pair of Whitethroats were busily feeding, with Nightingales calling from the bushes.
19-20 Sep: Unsettled weather with levanter cloud brought down a single Red-necked Nightjar, and a drive around the Upper Rock the following night, just before a spectacular thunder storm, produced a Long-eared Owl, two Scops Owls and two Red-necked Nightjars; one of which was trapped and ringed.
18 Sep: Tree Pipits could be heard flying over the Rock in the morning, and a single Ortolan Bunting was observed around Jews Gate.
16 Sep: After a long spell of easterly winds westerly winds finally brought some raptors over the Rock with 175 Booted Eagles, 84 Sparrowhawks, 94 Honey Buzzards and 13 Short-toed Eagles amongst the more numerous raptors, but also included two Egyptian Vultures and single Red Kite and Osprey.
9-16 Sep: Small numbers of grounded migrants have been seen in different around Gibraltar in the past week and include Bee-eaters,Yellow Wagtails and Tawny Pipits calling overhead, Nightingales uttering their alarm call in the scrub, and several Melodious, Subalpine and Willow Warblers with Whitethroats andPied Flycatchers feeding in the area. A Zitting Cisticola was present on Windmill on the 13th and a Scops Owl was seen at Middle Hill on the night of the 15th.
5 Sep: Some migrants were grounded around the Rock and a dead Cuckoo was found along the Northern Defences in the morning. Other species included Subalpine Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Melodious, Willow and Garden Warblers and Nightingales.
1 Sep: A Kingfisher was at the pond in the Open Air Theatre in the Botanic Gardens. Greenfinches were feeding young nearby. Booted Eagles and Egyptian Vultures were circling above the Town but did not cross the Strait in the prevailing easterly wind conditions.
August
31 Aug: A good raptor passage over the Rock produced 2229 Honey Buzzards and 2309 Black Kites together with small numbers of Egyptian Vultures, Montagu's Harriers, Sparrowhawks and Booted Eagles and included four Black Storks. A Common Buzzard has been seen regularly hunting on the Great Sand Slopes on the east side of the Rock since 24 August.
30 Aug: A variety of waders seen from Europa Point Marine Observatory included Redshank*, Oystercatcher and 4 Whimbrel. 5 Grey Herons were also seen. Seabirds included Audouin's Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Sandwich Terns, Cory's Shearwaters and Northern Gannets. Southward passage during the day included Egyptian Vultures, Honey Buzzards, Black Kites, Montagu's Harriers and Black Storks. A Grey Wagtail was at the Botanic Gardens.
27 Aug: The levanter conditions produced an influx of raptors over the Rock which included seventy-nine Black Kites, forty Booted Eagles and one hundred and seventy Short-toed Eagles, most of which were seen to return north by mid afternoon.
25 Aug: Several migrant passerines were seen at North Front Cemetery and included Woodchat Shrike, Melodious and Olivaceous Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaffs and Nightingale. Two Olivaceous Warblers and a Spotted Flycatcher were also present in the Botanic Gardens and Hoopoe and Reed Warblers were observed at Windmill Hill.
14 Aug: Passage of raptors was poor with only 228 Black Kites, mainly in the early morning, but the persistence of one observer paid off when he saw a White-rumped Swift* in a mixed flock of Common, Pallid and Alpine Swifts; third record.
13 Aug: After a good evening of Black Kites the previous day, passage resumed early, at 07:40 and continued well into the afternoon with a few breaks. The total for the day stood at 6373 Black Kites, one Egyptian Vulture, five Montagu's Harriers, three Honey Buzzards and a single Booted Eagle and a Long-legged Buzzard* that came in from the south and flew over the Rock for a few minutes before returning south. There was also a large passage of Common Swifts with some Pallid Swifts and a few flocks of Bee-eaters moving south. .
12 Aug: In the late afternoon and evening a steady stream of 2638 Black Kites flew low over town and headed south-west across the Bay. With them was a lone Red Kite, the first of the season.
8 Aug: An Iberian Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail were heard during the morning in the Alameda Botanic Gardens.
7 Aug: A large passage of Common Swifts heading south over the Rock and in the late evening a rush of 248 Black Kites attempting to get across the Straits.
6 Aug: A visit to Windmill Hill in the morning produced a further six Zitting cisticolas, that eventually flew south. A flock of thirty Black Kites also flew overhead with some approaching from the east, and the first juvenile Audouin's Gulls of the season were migrating out of the Mediterranean past Europa Point.
2 Aug: A Hoopoe was seen at British Lines Road, and Zitting Cisticolas were back, with four at the Aerial Farm (passage birds) after an absence of two years when Gibraltar suffered an exceptional cold spell in February 2006, that severely affected populations of this species in the region.
July
31Jul: A Sparrowhawk and a Black Kite flying south over Gibraltar. Passage of Black Kites is well on its way in the area, but due to easterly winds, very little has been seen over Gibraltar.
28 Jul: A Robin was seen once again in the Botanic Gardens.
26 Jul: A Robin at the Botanic Gardens. An unseasonal record could possibly indicate nesting considering there was also one present on 7 June.
23 Jul: The feeding movement of Cory's Shearwaters was still very evident at Europa Point. Two Mediterranean Gulls spent the afternoon below the Point. Two Oystercatchers flew west and a Common Sandpiper was also seen. Passage west of Audouin's Gulls (still mainly adults) continued.
One of two adult Slender-billed Gulls at Europa Point. A. Fortuna
22 Jul: A total of 56 Audouin's Gulls ( mostly adults and a few sub-adults - no juveniles yet) were seen flying west past Europa Point during the afternoon. An additional 33 were resting on Europa Sports Ground. Other birds seen were numbers of Cory's Shearwaters flying west, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Slender-billed Gulls*.
21 Jul: A steady feeding movement west of Cory's Shearwaters was seen in the afternoon from Europa Point. A moderate passage west of Audouin's Gulls and some Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Terns and Balearic Shearwaters was also noted. Also recorded was a Whimbrel.
20 Jul: The first Black Kite of the season was seen flying south over Gibraltar Town, while a late Short-toed Eagle flew north.
19 Jul: A very late Honey Buzzard was seen from Europa Point coming in from Morocco over the Strait and then continuing north along the east side of the Rock.
18 Jul: Three Oystercatchers, the first of the summer, were seen heading West past the Europa Point Marine Observatory. Other species recorded that day were Balearic Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Audouin's Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Western Mediterranean Shag.
June
27 Jun: Two Roseate Terns* were observed flying west at Europa Point, fourth record for Gibraltar.
Composite picture of the Roseate Terns at Europa Point. C. Perez
21 Jun: Another juvenile Lanner*, maybe a different bird, was seen arriving at 13:00hrs with three Black Kites from Jews' Gate.
18 Jun: A juvenile Lanner* was once again seen over the Rock. A young Peregrine which had been bred in captivity at the GONHS Raptor Rehabilitation Unit and was being trained for release escaped on 8 June and was found a week later in Murcia, about 450km northwest of the Rock.
16 Jun: A young Lanner* was seen over the Rock. Juveniles are regular at this time of year and probably derive from the apparently large population of north Morocco.
14 Jun: Three Griffon Vultures were rescued from the sea in the Strait by the Gibraltar Diving team. The birds were exhausted and forced into the sea by Yellow-legged Gulls which had constantly been mobbing them. The birds were taken into care by GONHS' Raptor Rehabilitation Unit. When fully recovered they will be released back into the wild. Other Griffons were more successful and managed to fly through into Spain, and in the last few days over 20 birds have arrived from Africa, together with small numbers of Black Kites, Honey Buzzards, Booted Eagles, and single Egyptian Vulture and Hobby; all very late migrants.
11 Jun: A Nightingale with brood patch was trapped and ringed at Jews' Gate. This is not the first time that nesting by this species has been suspected at this site on the Upper Rock.
07 Jun: A Robin calling in the Botanic Gardens. Unusually late, but has bred at this site in the past.
May
07 May: A Bonelli's Warbler was singing in the Botanic Gardens.
05 May: A flock of four Redshanks* flew west past Europa Point; 14th record.
02 May: A male Golden Oriole was seen in various gardens in the South District.
April
26 Apr: A Black Vulture and 7 Ravens were among the birds seen from the Jews' Gate Observatory. Honey Buzzards have already made an appearance.
17 Apr: An Alpine Accentor was seen by the road at Queen's Gate in the morning. This is the latest record of this sporadic wintering species for Gibraltar.
14 Apr: A Night Heron arrived from the Strait and landed in a garden at Europa Point. It was tired and thin and was handed in and looked after by the bird rehabilitation unit. It was released three days later and flew away well.
The Night Heron at Europa Point Photo: Nick Chapman
12 Apr: A visit to the North Front cemetery site after thunder storms the previous night resulted in a good fall of migrants with over 25 Whitethroat, 15 Woodchat Shrikes, 13 Garden Warblers,10 Orphean Warblers, 10 Nightingales, 9 Subalpine Warblers, 4 Redstarts, 2 Corn Buntings, 2 Hoopoes, 2 Northern Wheatears, 2 Chiffchaffs and single Willow, Bonelli's and Spectacled Warbler. Windmill Hill had a further 4 Black-eared Wheatears, 4 Northern Wheatears, and a number of other migrants as well, and as the weather improved during the day migrant warblers were seen flitting among the vegetation in the gardens and green areas in town.
9-11 Apr: Adverse weather conditions during this period resulted in daily falls of migrants that produced good ringing totals for some species and included over 45 Bonelli's Warblers, 24 Nightingales, 34 Willow Warblers, 10 Subalpine Warblers, 6 Whitethroats and 6 Garden Warblers among the main species. Also caught and ringed were Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts, Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Orphean Warbler, Chiffchaff, Iberian Chiffchaff, Woodchat Shrikes, Spectacled Warbler a female Bullfinch and a Red-rumped Swallow. A very entertaining three days. Grounded migrants were also recorded from the North Front Cemetery site with other species there including Corn Buntings, Northern and Black-eared Wheatears, and Dartford Warbler. A good find was a male Rock Bunting on the 11th after the rains at Europa Point; a species not recorded for some time now.
8 Apr: The first Bonelli's Warblers were late this year with three caught and ringed at Jews' Gate together with three Willow Warblers a Subalpine Warbler and other migrants.
4 Apr: Spring passerine passage seems to have got off to a slow start with very few migrants encountered and many not yet recorded. Nevertheless the first Nightingale of the season was trapped and ringed at the Jews' Gate Observatory.
2 Apr: An immature Lanner* flew north over the Rock in the early afternoon with other raptors.
March
31 Mar: Although the weather was cloudy and windy with few raptors crossing the Straits, several Griffon Vultures and a Black Vulture, eighteenth record for Gibraltar, managed to cross, together with other raptors.
30 Mar: A female Bullfinch was trapped and ringed at Jews' Gate; the 16th recent record for Gibraltar.
20 Mar: An Iberian Chiffchaff was heard around the Observatory at Jews Gate in the morning.
19 Mar: Small passage of finches crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, including some flocks of House Sparrows and four Yellow Wagtails . The first Scops Owl of the season was trapped and ringed at Jews Gate.
18 Mar: Two Willow Warblers and one male Common Redstart were trapped and ringed at Jews Gate ringing station and were the first for the season.
13: Mar: A short visit to Europa Point produced over 40 Cory's Shearwaters and 12 Balearic Shearwaters returning to the Mediterranean, together with 5 Audouin's Gulls and a flock of 11 Oystercatchers.
8 Mar: A good day for soaring birds, including 1990 Black Kites, 10 Egyptian Vultures, 4 Ospreys, 38 Black Storks and 12 White Storks. Other birds included 4 Red-rumped Swallows, 20 Meadow Pipits and 3 Tree Pipits. Also 4 Greylag Geese flying east.
6 Mar: 692 Black Kites and 124Short-toed Eagles among the raptors seen flying north.
5 Mar: 5 Black-winged Stilts were seen on Gibraltar airport runway.
3 Mar: A total of 71 Short-toed Eagles among the raptors counted over the Rock today.
2 Mar: A very good passage of raptors over the Rock included 1506 Black Kites, 551 Short-toed Eagles and 14 Egyptian Vultures and 10 Lesser Kestrels.
February
28 Feb: Egyptian Vultures have been crossing the Strait in good numbers over the past few days including 22 birds today, bringing the total so far to 53 birds.
26 Feb: Two Pallid Swifts, the first of the year, were observed looking for a place to roost in the evening over the Town.
25 Feb: Steady passage of raptors in light north-westerly winds including a flock of 400 White Storks up the centre of the bay. Five Lesser Kestrels were flying around the colony on the North Face, and a Hoopoe was seen in the Botanic Gardens.
24 Feb: Over the past few days there has been a trickle of Black Kites, Short-toed Eagles and Egyptian Vultures, and some Swallows and House Martins but most have crossed in the middle of the Strait due to northerly winds. Highlights of the day was a flock of 6 Cranes, and a Woodlark and 2 Red-rumped Swallows.
18 Feb: Favourable winds provided a good day for raptors with the first Egyptian Vultures and plenty of Black Kites crossing the Strait including a flock of 87 White Storks.
17 Feb: Small passage of raptors continued today including the first Short-toed Eagle of the season.
09 Feb: Northbound migration continued with 111 Black Kites, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Black Stork, 55 House Martins and 17 Swallows counted over the Rock.
07 Feb: The first migrant Hoopoe came through Gibraltar and was seen on Queen's Road in the Nature Reserve.
08 Feb: The first northbound raptors of the season, two Black Kites, flew in from the Straits and headed into Spain today. Also during the afternoon 8 House Martins and 2 Swallows flew north over Jews' Gate.
06 Feb: A Great Spotted Cuckoo was seen flying out of a Stone Pine near the Dell in the Botanic Gardens this morning.
04 Feb: The first Swallow of the season flew north over Jews' Gate after arriving from the Straits.
January
30 Jan: Following a severe storm with easterly gale force winds reaching 113km/hr, a Great Spotted Cuckoo was picked up at the North Mole. The bird was tired and wet but recovered and was ringed and released in the Botanic Gardens. The Booted Eagle also survived the storm and was seen flying over the Rock this morning.
26 Jan: The wintering Sparrowhawk was seen several times throughout the week from Jews' Gate and Windmill Hill, and the Booted Eagle is still around as well.
21 Jan: A pair of Lesser Kestrels was on the North Face. The Booted Eagle was once again hunting over the area of Jews' Gate, and an Alpine Accentor was seen at the top of Mediterranean Steps. These observations were made during the annual Winter Bird Count.
19 Jan: A Sparrowhawk was seen over the Upper Rock.
16 Jan: A dark phase Booted Eagle flew south over the town chased by Yellow-legged Gulls. The light phase wintering Booted Eagle was hunting over the Rock in the afternoon.
11 Jan: An early Lesser Kestrel was back at the North Face this morning, the first arrival of the year.
9 Jan: A Sparrowhawk flew north over Europort at 09:05 this morning.
8 Jan: A Blackbird nest with 3 eggs was discovered in the Christmas Tree, located at the western end of West View Park, that was about to be taken down. The decorations have been removed but the tree was allowed to remain until the Blackbirds have fledged.
4 Jan: A Griffon Vulture was foraging over the Upper Rock, and could have been the same individual that was present on several occasions during December.
1 Jan: In the quiet early morning of the first day of the year the wintering Booted Eagle was sunning itself perched on a tv aerial on the roof of the Eurotowers block of flats in the middle of the town, despite the attentions of the Yellow-legged Gulls in the area.
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