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Birder in a camper van - European Tour – Part Four
France 3 On the 11th November I took a ferry back to France. The only sighting of interest from the ferry was a single Great Skua. Shooting season was well underway in France so some sites where I had previously seen numerous species had turned up very little to see apart from dead ducks. The most notable sighting on the way south was a Black Woodpecker that flew across the road in front of me about 22km North of Angoulême. An unexpected van tick! On the 14th November, I arrived at Reserve Ornithologique du Teich thirty kilometres SW of Bordeaux, the best spots I’ve visited in France to date. Over a seven and a half hour period I managed to record 68 species. The highlights were a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 12 Night Herons, an Osprey, 7 Kingfisher, 3 Little Stint, 2 Firecrest, 10 Water Rail, 2000 Brent Geese, 13 Great White Egret, 7 migrating Redwing, and a Tawny Owl hooting as early as 1700.
Coypu
At high tide, 82 Spoonbill, 1200 Curlews, 200 Black-tailed Godwit and 600 Dunlin came off the mudflats to roost in front of hide 16.
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Spoonbills Over the next ten days I stayed in a house near Viella, Occitanie, looking after some cats and dogs. The most noteworthy sighting during the stay was a ringtail Hen Harrier weaving through the landscape at dusk one evening. Also of interest: 180 Common Crane heading South overhead. Woodcock and numerous garden birds were present amongst the attached wood, whilst close by, along the fringes of the patchwork vineyards, winter thrushes scavenged. Beyond that, in a shallow valley, up to 3000 Woodpigeons dominated.
Common Cranes
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Spain 22nd November En route to the Spanish border, at least fifteen bright and healthy looking Red Kites floated across the greenist of landscapes. Across the border near Canfranc, a fleeting view of a Dipper hurtling up river. Van tick! Heading South-west I began to see species such as; Griffon Vulture, Zitting Cisticola, Cirl Bunting, Crag Martin, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling and Red-Billed Chough. Because of the incessant rain I altered my intended route from Galicia and Northern Portugal to a more Southerly latitude. With a few weeks of continuous rain forecast, (and with a fair amount already endured) I decided to seek out brighter weather. Being ‘vanbound’ in wet weather can be miserable, but weeks of it is intolerable.
Zitting Cisticola
24th November The first interesting area I arrived at during this latest visit to Spain, and where, incidentally, it wasn’t raining, was Bardenas Reales. After a significant amount of time searching I was pleased to come across 70 Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse, and seven Black-bellied Sandgrouse. Also here was a lovely male Hen Harrier, 150 Calandra Lark, several Rock Sparrow, a number of Dartford Warbler, a Hoopoe and one Lesser Short-toed Lark. Ten White Stork heading South were the first of many that lay ahead of me as I joined them in heading South.
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Dartford Warbler
I had the reserve at Embalse de las Canas in Navarra all to myself, recording 53 species. A low pass by a Golden Eagle was exciting, as was my second male Hen Harrier in a matter of days. Also here, 100 White Storks, with somewhere between 20 and 50 Marsh Harriers coming to roost in the reeds. I had difficulty accurately counting them with all the back and forth flights they do before settling down for the night. A very large Magpie roost numbering several hundred birds often distracted me from my duty. Also present: a handful of Serins and Cirl Bunting.
On the 26th November I noted the first Iberian Grey Shrike of the trip, but after this, they would became a regular feature when encountering suitable habitat.
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Iberian Shrike The next day at Laguna de le Nava de Fuentes, in windy conditions, I encountered my first Great Bustards from my van having missed them in Hungary. A total of 55 counted with over 80 the following day alongside roads to the North of Villafafila. Red Kites were notably common to such an extent I stopped noticing them, but there were at least thirty seen in an hour at one point.
Great Bustard
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A Ring-necked Duck on the 28th was a bonus bird (van tick!), which only required a very small detour. I passed into Monfrague NP on the 29th November and it didn’t take long to see a couple of Black Vulture perched on the rocks above the roads. I logged nine more that day, but the highlight was a new bird for the van, a Spanish Imperial Eagle. 50 Iberian Magpies entertained nosily during a lunch break although they had no interest in treats or buying Birder in a Campervan souvenirs. Five Hawfinch and four Blue Rock Thrush added further interest. I estimated somewhere in the region of 400 Griffon Vultures.
Black Vulture
Blue Rock Thrush
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30th November Near Cacares, Extremadura, I searched unsuccessfully for Little Bustard but encountered; eight Hoopoes, 10 Iberian Shrikes, 50+ Great Bustards, a Spanish Imperial Eagle, 250 Spanish Sparrows, 30 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, 25 Black- bellied Sandgrouse, 100+ Iberian Magpies, four Common Crane, plus Calandra and Thekla Lark.
Greater Flamingo 2nd December Amongst the paddy fields NW of Isla Major, on the edge of Donana National Park, water birds gather in abundance. Greater Flamingoes and Black Storks, Glossy Ibis and Black-winged Stilts all prove fascinating, but even more appreciated was another van tick: up to five wintering Black-Winged Kites. I had a look for the recently seen Lesser Flamingo amongst their larger cousins but no joy. That would have been a van tick extraordinaire. A Jack Russell type dog yapping and chasing an Iberian Lynx along on the edge of an orange grove was one of those rare moments that’ll never to be repeated. A duo of larger canines noisily supported their little buddy from behind a fence, but their presence must have been enough to deter the Lynx, and it instantly disappeared. I waited and watched until ark but it didn’t show itself again.
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5+ kilometres from my sighting
Black Storks wintering in Donana NP
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Portugal I spent about a week exploring the Algarve all the way from the Spanish border to Cabo de São Vicente at Europe’s most south-westerly point in weather akin to June in England. I failed to find a Little Bustard in the appropriate habitat but did see another male Hen Harrier. I seem to have seen this species in every country apart from England and Scotland. Booted Eagles and Ospreys can be seen regularly at many sites along the coast, as can Greater Flamingos, Caspian Terns as can the much less common Slender-billed Gull. Waders of several species such as Grey Plover, Little Stint and Kentish Plover are widespread as are Bluethroats. One of my favourite of the winter visitors, Ring Ouzels are few and far between, so each sighting was a highlight.
Slender-billed Gull When I located a Brent Goose at Faro Beach, a handful of local twitchers tuned in. 7th December My next Portuguese rarity find was just a few days later: a Fieldfare amongst the orchards of villas on the Eastern side of Ria de Alvor estuary and marshes. During a one-kilometre walk on the marshes there, before the first day visitors arrived, I counted nine Blutethroats with at least 80 Chiffchaffs also present. The latter were absolutely everywhere along the entire Algarve coast. A number of Dutch ringed Spoonbills were also present here.
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Andalusia, Spain On the 9th December I arrived back in Spain heading directly to El Pantano where Laughing Doves have often been seen. Another unlikely van tick if I could manage to locate one, but it wasn’t to be. They returned a few days later of course. But as a consolation, White-headed Duck was added to that van list that evening. Also in this area south of Seville were: 100+ Red-crested Pochard and 23 Night Heron. Whilst failing to find Marbled Duck at Laguna de Medina the second Golden Eagle of the trip passed overhead. 13 Black-necked Grebes were presents amongst White- headed Ducks and other wildfowl. A Squacco Heron at La Janda at dusk on the 10th December was to be a rare sighting of this species for me, this trip and my first and only one to date at La Janda. The next morning, an unseasonal surprise when an adult male Montagu’s Harrier flew south along the main canal, as 270 over-wintering Common Cranes fed nearby. Also that day: 38 Spoonbills, two ringtail Hen Harrier, up to five Black-winged Kites, 30 Western Swamphens, one Osprey, 20 Waxbills and a Bluethroat. A visit to Barbate Marshes on the 12th turned up a minimum of 40 Stone Curlew and 20 Audouin’s Gulls. And finally, after 28 countries, and over 15,000 miles driven, I saw a Little Owl from the van!
Little Owl
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On the 15th December I added Common Bulbul and Lesser Kestrel to the van list in Tarifa, whilst taking a break from van life in an apartment in the town. It wasn’t long before I had to make way for the scheduled Christmas family activity. That might have been the last time I felt relaxed now I come to think of it. So it was on the 24th December, I found myself at the Sierra de la Nieves where I finally got Woodlark on the van list and saw the very first Rock Buntings of the trip. The main purpose of the visit was to see a recently reported Alpine Accentor, which seemed to have left, but the scenery is utterly stunning up there. I climbed to the plateau where Rock Buntings and Choughs were the highlights. That might have been the last time I felt fit!
Lesser Kestrels My Krissmass present to myself and my van, on a ridiculously hot and sunny day for late December was three Black Wheatears, at a fantastic spot on the outskirts of Grazemala National Park. The temperature on the dashboard read 28C as people swam in the Guadiaro river. I recall a visit to Wanaka in New Zealand on Christmas Day in 2007, and it wasn’t as warm as this at that of course was mid-summer. Later that day 130 White-headed Duck were present at Lagunas de Campillos along with; a wintering Bluethroat, Black-necked Grebes, Common Cranes, Marsh Harriers and 12 Red-crested Pochards. The next morning I stopped there again to find numbers of White-headed Ducks had increased to 180. The Bluethroat was still there in front of the hides but a Jack Snipe that had been present recently was still absent.
In the late afternoon of the 26th December, I arrived at Sierra Nevada, where I soon found two quite tame Alpine Accentors just below the snowline.
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Alpine Accentor
The next morning there was three.
A few miles back down the mountain, during a scenic stroll, a single Fieldfare flew around amongst sporadic tree cover over the heads of wandering Iberian Ibex.
On the 28th December at Charca de Suarez, I briefly joined forces with Dutch birder Klaas Vledder (whom I’d first met at Weeribbean NP in the Netherlands in April). We explored the site, seeing 12 Red-knobbed Coot, a male Ferruginous Duck, a Booted Eagle, three Bluethroat but the most notable record was two Little Bitterns calling. After a great deal of time spent combing the trees, we finally, with help from a local, saw two Chameleons. An even longer amount of time was spent waiting for one of them to pose nicely for the camera. It didn’t.
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Red-knobbed Coot
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January 2020 I stayed in a studio flat in the town of Benahavis for most of the month of January without doing very much birding at all, but the best sighting were a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles that frequent the local valleys, seeing them twice within the month. A couple of Hoopoes were regular in a paddock near the reservoir, one of which had an abnormally long bill. Firecrests, Crested Tits and Short-toed Treecreepers were regular in the surrounding hills and pine forests.
Hoopoe with longer bill
On the 24th January during a spell of warm weather I noticed a lone House Martin alongside the regular Crag Martins at the reservoir.
28th January Back to Tarifa on this date to spend the next two months in various apartments with a little bit of van life between. The pains in my left side had been getting gradually worse over the past eight months and had become tiresome. Living in the van wasn’t very attractive at this point in the journey, although that discomfort has largely diminished as I write this. The 29th January provided me with the first sign of White Stork Northbound migration when a hundred of them appeared over the Spanish coast at Los Lances beach, subsequently utilising thermals of the nearby mountains to climb. On the 6th February, I noticed my first migrating Black Kites of the year with two male Hen Harriers on La Janda the same day.
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I spent a lot of time unsuccessfully looking for Little Bustard again.
7th February 23 Black Kites arrived from Morocco and drifting slowly over Cazalla Observatorio and an early Barn Swallow powered North. From this day, Black Kites were almost daily.
Lesser Kestrels return to the colony in Tarifa from February onwards.
8Th February Four Balearic Shearwaters headed West past the island off Tarifa.
10th February A least nine Northern Bald Ibis has returned to the colony at Vejer. 80 Audouin’s Gulls were roosting at Barbate Marshes at high tide. Also there, I counted 56 Stone Curlew but the actual number could be much, much higher. I was very surprised to see a female Merlin hunting just before dusk, a Spain tick for me.
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18th February Although not specifically birding I counted 60 Black Kite crossing from Morocco to Spain on this date.
24th February Six Short-toed Eagles of the trip and 2020 came in off the sea over Tarifa promenade, the first for the van.
28th February At least one hundred Short-toed Eagles in the one-hour period between 1400-1500. Other birders saw more and hundreds if not thousands would now be making the crossing unseen. 15 Barn Swallows indicated the beginning of their migration North.
1st March 20 Black Kite passed over Tarifa.
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Cazalla Observation Point
A Bluethroat over-wintering in front of the promenade.
Bluethroat
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7th March This was the first big day for raptors at Tarifa that I saw, with 2200 Black Kites and 350 Short-toed Eagle over a four hour period. Also today, the first two Egyptian Vultures of the trip, and the first few migrating Booted Eagles of the year.
12th March A 90-minute trip to La Janda late afternoon provided the first three Woodchats of 2020, a Western Subalpine Warbler, a ringtail Harrier sp., two Black-winged Kite, and a Hoopoe. Unlike on previous visits, the standing water in the fields had drained away into the ditches so water birds were largely absent although a few Little Egrets and five Green Sandpipers remained.
And then sometime during the next weeks Covid-19 happened. It started slowly and grew to an emergency, and just as the time to go out birding more often came along, the lockdown began. After enduring five days staring at concrete and the TV in Tarifa, the owner of the apartment I was staying in, had to return from his cancelled job in the USA, and so I moved to a studio flat in Benahavis, not knowing whether it would be for two weeks or as much as a month. Obviously, I ended up losing three months, irreparably cutting into my plans to explore the East Coast of Spain. During the drive to the new apartment, I noted hundreds of raptors and Barn Swallows streaming North as they arrived in Europe, reminding me of what I would be missing and what I would go on to miss in April and May. The balcony list would have to do for the duration of the curfew.
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So the lockdown list from my Benahavis studio apartment is as follows.
1. Mallard 2. Red-legged Partridge 3. Cormorant 4. White Stork 5. Black Kite 6. Booted Eagle 7. Bonelli’s Eagle 8. Short-toed Eagle 9. Honey Buzzard 10. Griffon Vulture 11. Sparrowhawk 12. Peregrine 13. Kestrel 14. Cuckoo 15. Feral Pigeon 16. Woodpigeon 17. Little Owl 18. Pallid Swift 19. Common Swift 20. Bee-eater 21. Great Spotted Woodpecker 22. Iberian Woodpecker 23. Wryneck 24. Nuthatch 25. Barn Swallow 26. Red-rumped Swallow 27. House Martin 28. Crag Martin 29. White Wagtail 30. Grey Wagtail 31. European Robin 32. Common Nightingale 33. Common Redstart 34. Black Redstart 35. Song Thrush 36. Blackbird 37. Blue Rock Thrush 38. Cetti’s Warbler 39. Sardinian Warbler 40. Common Whitethroat 41. Iberian Chiffchaff 42. Bonelli’s Warbler 43. Willow Warbler
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44. Melodious Warbler 45. Blackcap 46. Garden Warbler 47. Pied Flycatcher 48. Spotted Flycatcher 49. Firecrest 50. Blue Tit 51. Great Tit 52. Coal Tit 53. Long-tailed Tit 54. Crested Tit 55. Short-toed Treecreeper 56. Woodchat 57. Spotless Starling 58. Raven 59. Eurasian Jay 60. Golden Oriole 61. House Sparrow 62. Serin 63. Chaffinch 64. Greenfinch 65. Goldfinch 66. Linnet 67. Cirl Bunting 68. Rock Bunting
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Melodious Warbler, Wryneck and Honey Buzzard
New species for the trip from the balcony during lockdown were: Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Rock Bunting, Melodious Warbler, Iberian Chiffchaff and Bonelli’s Eagle. The most satisfying for me were the Wrynecks I managed to spot during that species’ peak passage. Bonelli’s Eagle was a good one for the lockdown list, and Bonelli’s Warbler was also gratifying. But several species that would have been seen daily in winter, were missing from the list: Zitting Zisticola, Crested Lark, Stonechat, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull and Chiffchaff.
No Ardiedae or Charadriiformes species were seen at all due to my location in the hills with a complete lack of fresh water floods although my neighbour did see a Grey Heron was seen passing along the narrow tumbling Guadalmina River about 500 metres away. The only wildfowl species was a pair of Mallard that flew madly around from time to time. Other notable absences from the list were: Hobby, Whinchat, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Turtle Dove and Collared Dove. After a couple of months, the lockdown was partially eased and we were permitted to exercise for an hour or two per day in the morning and evenings only. This afforded
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the first opportunity in months to see Stonechat and Crested Lark in the hills above the town. Stonechats had bred just a few metres from my balcony, but I hadn’t managed to see them despite searching with the scope.
View over the Southern end of Benahavis During one morning walk to the small local reservoir I discovered 15 Common Sandpipers together, which were never seen again.
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A female Golden Oriole was present on one day along the river track but I wasn’t able to see or hear any after that. Frequent nightly visits by Wild Boar almost made up for all the bird species missed.
June 2020 During early June I was able to walk around for longer periods. Although birds were thin on the ground by this time, I heard several more Iberian Chiffchaff’s and a Western Orphean Warbler, also seeing a Turtle Dove flying up the valley.
Rock Bunting
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Post-lockdown On the 15th June I left Benahavis and set out in my camper van to explore Cdiz province. At Observatorio de La Pena near Tarifa, a pair of Black-eared Wheatears hunted insects close to my van. I headed to Finca de la Jara on the outskirts of Facinas where a local British birder Neil lives and rents out spaces to campervans. I parked here for a couple of nights to explore the locality.
Spotted Flycatcher
16th June My first big post-lockdown day had to be the renowned La Janda, never far from my thoughts during the months of confinement. That afternoon Neil took the wheel, and we completed a circuit of the area. We managed 47 species including; 500 Glossy Ibis, 40 Calandra Lark, 30 Collared Pratincole, 10 Bee-eater, 10 Greater Short-toed Lark, nine Turtle Dove, six Purple Swamphen, five Woodchat Shrike, four Eurasian Spoonbill, three Black-crowned Night Heron, three Melodious Warbler, two Short-toed Eagles, one Red-rumped Swallow, three Spanish Sparrow and one Black-winged Kite. The next evening a Eurasian Scops Owl called nearby. On the 18th, I explored some of the back roads discovered during previous trips to the area, seeing two Montagu’s Harrier, Tawny Pipit, Great Reed Warbler and a Bonelli’s Eagle.
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Every fence post has these snails on them. Some locals harvest them. At Barbate Marshes, Audouin’s Gull, Little Tern, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Greater Flamingo and Osprey re-acquainted me with some of the wetland species I’d been missing.
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Collared Pratincole
That night, a Red-necked Nightjar called at Laguna Medina.
On 19th June I set out for one last chance to see some local specialities before heading North, starting with my first ever visit to the colony of Little Swifts at Chipiona. They are simply amazing birds. I would have liked to stay and watch them all day. By 10:00 I was at Bonanza Salt Pans watching some very entertaining Slender-billed Gulls (55 of them) and adding a very, very important van tick, Gull- billed Tern.
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Slender-billed Gull
After failing to find Rufous-tailed Bush Chat at Trebujena by midday, I decided to seek shade by Rio Quadalqivar and come back in the evening. Unfortunately, there are no large trees and no shade in the area, but there were birds. The most exciting were a pair of Marbled Duck with nine chicks. There was also a Purple Heron and a Lesser-short Toed lark (van tick).
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Marbled Duck with chicks
At 1900 I went back to the outskirts of Trebujena where I managed to quickly find a solitary Rufous-tailed Bush Robin, active and calling again with the heat of the day diminishing.
Rufous-tailed Bush Robin
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A morning walk around Laguna de Medina on the 20th June turned up four Stone- Curlew, two Black-winged Kites, one Great Reed Warbler, a singing Olivaceous Warbler and four Nightingales. Later that afternoon at Observatorio de La Pena, a Tawny Pipit briefly joined me as I sat trying to catch a breeze. It was here that a duo of criminal horses robbed me of some supplies in broad daylight!
On the 21st and 22nd of June I visited the singing Common Bulbul in Tarifa for the last time before heading North. On the 25th June that day finally came, several months later than expected. It was time to escape the heat. Before Covid-19, the plan would have been to spend at least two or three weeks exploring the entire East coast of Spain from Almeria to Catalunya, taking in Spring migration, before the heat of summer set in. I would have been able to visit all the wetlands I hadn’t visited before, culminating in a few days at Ebro Delta, before heading to the Camargue for three or four days. But because of the heat, I decided to head as quickly as possible to a familiar mountain pass, one of my favourite places in Spain. I’ll always be disappointed that the plan had to change as I’ve never been to any of those areas. I took six nights to reach that pass, taking in some interesting places and bird species on the way On my revised route the notable sightings were; White-headed Duck, four Red- necked Nightjar (in the road and feeding in Andujar NP), 24 Golden Oriole (mostly
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heard though often seen), three Great Spotted Cuckoo, scores of Iberian Magpie, one Hawfinch, two Blue Rock Thrush, one Orphean Warbler, three Stone Curlew, one Roller, three Iberian Shrike, two Black Bellied Sandgrouse, 50 Lesser Short-toed Lark, one Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, two Quail, one Dupont’s Lark, one Hoopoe, and a handful of Red-billed Chough.
El Planeron
The larks, pair of Great Spotted Cuckoo, and sandgrouse species’ were all at El Planeron, in unbearably hot and hazy conditions. I woke at 0500 to get some birding in before the heat hit at 0930. Larks everywhere. Sometime during the heat of the late morning I made video of a Dupont’s Lark, whilst trying to identify larks. Visibility was so poor I didn’t realise I had seen one until sometime later when pausing the video. That would be my only new species this year, on my second visit to the site. But, crucially it’s on the van list. A muted hurrah!? I am sure I heard them call a few times but found it difficult to pinpoint amongst the hoards of birds.
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Dupont's Lark
Great-spotted Cuckoos
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28th June 2020 On reaching the foot of the Pyrenees, my excitement grew. I’m not a lover of intense all day heat. Strange that. Those mountains are stunning, serene and virtually deserted before July it seems.
First stop was to be the Hecho Valley in Occidentales National Park and the Refugio de Gabardito to search of Wallcreeper. On the drive up, various raptors spiralled over Hecho town. The group included up to five Egyptian Vulture, with several Red Kites, Griffon Vulture and Booted Eagle.
On arrival at Refugio de Gabardito I immediately set off up the GR11 on a 7-mile walk into the wild landscape. I hoped for a repeat of my last visit, quite easily seeing Wallcreeper, but it wasn’t to be, perhaps because it was later in the year. I did manage a Golden Eagle, a handful of Alpine Choughs, three Bonelli’s Warbler singing, and two Citril Finch, the first of the trip.
The next morning I followed the road that follows the Rio Veral Northward where Cirl Bunting, Red-backed Shrike, Egyptian Vulture and Alpine Swift can be seen. But I wasn’t expecting a Scops Owl calling from dense forest just South of Camping Zuriza. I know that they are reported to breed at several spots in the shadow of the Pyrenees, but it didn’t cross my mind that I’d hear one here, and especially not at 1115 in the morning!
I spent the night at the Col de la Pierre St Martin. The birds of interest were; two Rock Thrush, one Egyptian Vulture, two species of Chough, five Water Pipit, 14 Citril Finch, 2 Alpine Accentor, one Quail, several Northern Wheatears, and 60 Griffon Vulture intently watching 200 Sheep, although without reward.
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I spent most of the next day exploring that same area, walking uphill towards Collado de Pescamou, another scenic area. A pair of Alpine Choughs appeared to have a nest in one of the sinkholes in the valley. In addition to the species seen yesterday there were three Crossbills, a Ring Ouzel calling and a couple of Goldcrests present, the latter being a species I hadn’t seen for six or seven months due to their absence from the South.
That evening after descending into France, I had to stop the van to remove a Hedgehog from the road. A new mammal species for the trip and van! I hope it carried on into the undergrowth.
July 2020 On the 1st July, en route to Gavernie, I encountered the first of seven Middle- spotted Woodpeckers, I would hear in France, none of which I managed to see despite many hours trying! The most interesting sightings on the winding road and hiking paths up to and beyond Col de Tentes were; one Rock Thrush, two White-winged Snowfinch, three Alpine Accentor, a Ring Ouzel, seven Water Pipit, and three Citril Finch, but again no Wallcreeper despite a four-hour hike and an extended period of time scanning for them. I knew that if I took the road back into Spain, (which involved a two-hour road trip), and tackled the more challenging ascent just the other side of the mountain in Monte Perdido National Park I’d have a better chance of seeing some, but this trip had never about just totting up species numbers.
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Eyeing up the walk to the snowline As evening came I returned to the easily accessible impressive sheer face West of Gavernie. As I arrived, I met a French birder whom I’d spoken with the day before. No sooner as we’d begun to talk about lack of Wallcreeper and how they are probably right above us as we spoke, a Lammergeier suddenly emerged from the patchy cloud and completed a few laps of the valley at low altitude. The Wallcreepers could learn a thing or two from that bird! 2nd/ 3rd July I spent the night and next morning at the Col du Tourmalet, where up to seven White-winged Snowfinch and six Water Pipits provided the entertainment, the former foraging just metres from the van at times.
White-winged Snowfinch
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Temperatures fell to around 6C overnight which was an interesting change. Throughout the entire time, thick cloud reduced visibility to one eighty metres at the most. It was only after I had descended into a valley during the late afternoon that I actually saw the tower at the peak of Pic Du Midi.
Pic Du Midi
I travelled Eastwards through the land beyond the mountains for a few days, seeing species like Red-backed Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Tree Pipit, Marsh Tit, an Egyptian Vulture, one Ortolan Bunting (the only one of the entire trip), Black Kites as well as hearing several more Middle-spotted Woodpecker and one Black Woodpecker. It was during that time I cancelled my proposed visit to the Camargue and instead headed North instead, taking in various less birdy destinations in the Massif Centrale and Limousin.
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Massif Centrale On the 9th July, I reached La Brenne National Park, seeing species such as; Black- crowned Night Heron, Purple Heron, Red-crested Pochard, Whiskered Tern, Turtle Dove, Golden Oriole, Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Black Kite, Melodious Warbler, Black-necked Grebe and Tree Pipit. This was the first wetland I’d seen since Barbate and La Janda.
13th July 2020 England Immediately after exiting the ferry at Dover set the controls for Oare Marshes where a long staying Lesser Yellowlegs became the most recent van tick. My first Hobby of the year passed over during that evening, but the Bonapartes Gull went AWOL for my 24-hour visit, only to return soon after I had departed. I hadn’t intended to spend 24 hours there, it just seemed to make sense.
Lesser Yellowlegs
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On the 16th July, having arrived way too early at Mayday Farm, I spend over two hours walking around waiting for Nightjar to emerge. After two and a half hours, patience was finally rewarded when I saw one being chased above my head in a large arc by a bat! I counted about twenty glow-worms on the way out.
Mayday
At Lakenheath on the 17th, I was lucky to see a Eurasian Bittern flying over the reed beds, but completely forgot to visit the long staying Common Cranes.
And now the trip is over… I’m at a loss as to what to do next. A time unravels, perhaps it will become clear. A systematic list follows to round off the write up of Birder in a Campervan.
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Systematic List of Birder in a Camper Van’s European Tour (March 2019- July 2020)
What an adventure that was. The sites that made the most impression on me will be well known to Western Palaearctic birders; the stunning diversity of species during Spring migration at Skagen in Denmark, the island of Oland in Sweden, the very special Varanger Peninsula in Arctic Norway, Biebzra Marshes in Poland, Lake Kerkini in Greece, Strumble Head in Wales after a storm, Donana NP/ La Janda in Spain, and the indescribably beautiful Pyrenees. Tarifa will always be worth a mention, despite having missed the hypnotic spectacle of raptor migration this year due to the strict Covid-19 lockdown. The pandemic completely removed the possibility of spending two months exploring numerous wetlands along the Spanish and French Mediterranean during peak Spring migration. Other disappointments were mostly centred around missing achievable birds and mammals such I have previously seen Wolf and Bear in Spain, but saw neither during his trip. Wallcreeper comes to mind, perhaps a casualty of arriving too late in the breeding grounds. Another miss was Cory’s Shearwater which can often be seen from Tarifa in April. I would have liked the opportunity to at least try for the more unlikely species such as; Ruppell’s Vulture, White-rumped Swift, Eleonora’s Falcon (last seen in Tarifa 2018 but possible anywhere along the coast of Spain) and Lesser- crested Tern in Spain, which are annual at Los Lances near Tarifa. Other species that I didn’t manage to see can be down to chance, Red-breasted Goose, (I should have checked every single of the thousands of Barnacle Goose that flew over Oland), natural circumstances: Snowy Owl or when impossibly lucky: Tengmalms, Pygmy and Ural Owl. Finding birds is usually part of the fun and I didn’t succumb to guides, especially when on enquiring about how to see owls in Finland, a tour guide company quoted €400 for a 3-hour trip in my own vehicle, to visit the nest sites of just two of the five species, (one of which I managed to fluke anyway). Another of the great disappointments was not seeing any Little Bustard. Because of lockdown, accessing the sites at the appropriate moment was out of the question. By the time I did arrive in the right areas in late June, the habitat was overgrown and the males had probably stopped calling. Despite all the misses, there have been many extraordinary moments. Being outdoors, or partially outdoors every waking hour for months at a time certainly helps improves the luck. It already seems so long ago. I ponder whether I’ll ever be able to repeat portions of this adventure, or explore new paths in a similar manner ever again. Several possibilities come to mind; Sweden, Poda NR or Tarifa in Autumn, a lengthier visit to Lake Kerkini outside the hot summer months, the Danube Delta in Romania, and Varanger in March, or June. For now I’m back in the UK and focused on freeing up time and space for future adventures like the ones experienced on this tour. Future plans are to spend the Northern winters further afield, in regions such as Patagonia and the Southern United States.
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Systematic List If not indicated, I’ve ordered lists chronologically, and dispensed with alphabetic accents to save time in the writing process. The reader is likely to find a number of errors but time is limited as I write this. Van List The van list is now somewhere over 360. I started it as a bit of fun to add an element of challenge, a dimension that could fill the many months spent alone in a van in remote areas. I’ll continue with it for as long as I have the vehicle which could be months or possibly years. It’s now up for sale. Adding unlikely species such as Little Crake to the list gave greater significance to those moments. Even Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, one of my all time favourites, (seen twice from the van) seemed impossible at the start. Naturally I made a little more effort to increase the list at the beginning of the trip to get it going. In May 2019 during unsuccessful attempts to scope a Brunnich’s Guillemot from Vardo, I parked a little too close to the perimeter of a gravel car-park and got stuck. They sent a recovery truck capable of pulling out a HGV. I re-learnt a valuable lesson that day. Watching a pair of summer plumaged White-billed Divers whilst trying to make my breakfast will never be forgotten.
1. Greylag Goose
Often seen in the North of Europe, especially the Netherlands, and
Scandinavia as well as Poland. On 27th November 2019, up to 1200
were present in Laguna de la Nava in Northern Spain.
2. Greater White-fronted Goose
Seen three times. On April 17th, 10 migrated North at Skägen,
Denmark. And just two each noted in Sweden and Varanger, Norway.
3. LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
Seen at Stornäsets Nature Reserve in Sweden on the 13th and 14th of
May 2019 with 20 and 27 present. A handful of them had been ringed
- probably in Finland.
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4. TAIGA BEAN GOOSE
On the 16th April 2019, two migrated North at sea at Skägen, Denmark.
On June 2nd, one was roadside near Tana in,Norway, alongside one
Tundra Bean Goose and one Pink-footed Goose.
5. TUNDRA BEAN GOOSE
A total of five were seen on four occasions in Northern Norway
between 25th May and 2nd June 2019.
6. Pink Footed Goose
Three seen in Finnmark, Norway between 30th May 2019 and 2nd June. Also seen on 17 occasions in the UK between 11th September and the 3rd October 2019 in Norfolk, East Riding and Scotland. The largest counts were; 1500 at Warham Freshmarsh, Norfolk on the 23rd September. 500 at Aberlady on the 15th Sept, and 300 at Stiffkey Wood on the 25th Sept. A total of approximately 3000 individuals. 7. Brent Goose
The highest count was of 2000 at La Teich Nature Reserve in France
on the 14th November 2019. The most unexpected was an individual at
Faro Beach in Portugal on 5th December 2019. This species is a
vagrant in Southern Portugal.
8. Barnacle Goose
Over 42,000 seen in total with counts of 15,000 from two sites in the
Netherlands in April 2019. I witnessed 6000 of the much larger
number that migrated Northeast over Oland, Sweden in between the
22nd April and 12th May 2019. Also noted in numbers less than 100
individuals at various sites in Finland, Wales, England, Scotland,
Denmark and Spain.
9. Canada Goose
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10. Mute Swan
11. Whooper Swan
Noted in GB and every Scandinavian country from winter to summer
2019 with the highest count being 40 at Store Mosse National Park,
Sweden, on 20th April 2019.
12. Egyptian Goose
Seen in GB and the Netherlands.
13. Shelduck
14. Garganey
43 individuals noted on 15 bird-days in England, Belgium, Netherlands
and Sweden. Highest count was of 10+ on 5th April 2019 at Werribben
NP in the Netherlands. I would have certainly have seen a lot more of
this species in Spain and France in April/May 2020 if not for the
Covid-19 lockdown.
15. Shoveler
16. Gadwall
17. Wigeon
18. Mallard
19. MARBLED DUCK
On the 19th June 2020, a pair were seen with nine chicks in the Cadiz
Province of Spain.
20. Pintail
Seen in eight countries with the highest count being from
Oostvaardersplassen on the 3rd April 2019 when 65 were counted.
21. Teal
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22. Red-crested Pochard
Noted in England, Czech Republic, Spain and France. Highest count
was 100 birds at Balsa de Melendo in Spain on the 9th December 2019.
23. Pochard
Seen in ten countries. Highest count was from 16th July 2019 with 500
birds at Velky a Maly Tisy NP.
24. RING-NECKED DUCK
One was seen on the 28th November 2019 near Salamanca in Spain.
25. FERRUGINOUS DUCK
Seen on three occasions in 2019. Four near Feher, Hungary on the 3rd August, three at Lake Kerkini in Greece on the 11th August and one at Charca de Suarez on the 28th Dec.
26. Tufted Duck
27. Greater Scaup
Spotted just once. May 31st 2019. Three birds present on a freshwater
lake near Vardo in Norway.
28. STELLER’S EIDER
The only sighting was of a male on the 29th and 30th May, 2019 near
Komagvaer, Varanger in Norway.
29. KING EIDER
One adult male at Skenäs färjeläge ferry dock ten kilometres East of
Norrköpoing, Sweden and a second year male at Vardo, Norway.
30. Common Eider
Often seen in Northern Europe, especially Sweden with the highest
count being 500.
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31. SURF SCOTER One long staying male at Hölick in Sweden on the 12th May 2019. 32. Velvet Scoter
Seen in Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Estonia with 78 recorded in total. High counts were from Oland in late April with 25 and 30.
33. Common Scoter
Often seen in GB and Scandinavia. Highest counts were 1500 from the
DK-SE ferry from Frederikshvn, on the 19th April 2019, and 1000 at
Blåvand, DK on 11th April.
34. Long-tailed Duck
Often seen in Sweden and Norway during April and May 2019. High
counts of 50+. One also seen at Dungeness, Kent on 20th Oct 2019.
35. Common Goldeneye
Seen regularly in Scandinavia on the sea and amongst the trees during
breeding season. Also seen in England, Estonia and Czech Republic.
36. SMEW
Seen on four occasions in 2019. A male on the shore at
Oostvaardersplassen, NL, on April 1st. Three on the river that divides
Norway and Russia on Øvre Pasvik National Park on the 4th June.
Two near Petkula Finland on the 6th June. And a very late record of
afemale in Eru Bay, Estonia at Lahemaa on 23rd June.
37. Goosander
Widespread in Scandinavia although with the highest count being 250
in Øster-Risfjorden, in Arctic Norway on the 27th May 2019. 11 also
seen in Scotland, with one seen in Wales.
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38. Red Breasted Merganser
Relatively widespread in Scandinavia. Also seen at Dungeness in
Kent. Highest count was of 50 at Ottenby, Sweden on the 25th April
2019.
39. White Headed Duck Quite often seen on freshwater lakes in Andalusia, Spain, with the
highest count being 180 at Lagunas de Campillos on December 26th 2019. 40. Common Quail Heard on eight occasions but never seen. Five times in Spain, twice in
Hungary and once in Poland.
41. Rock Partridge
One in Rusenski Lom Nature Park, Bulgaria, 8th August 2019.
42. Red-Legged Partridge
43. Common Pheasant
44. Grey Partridge
Seen in Belgium, Sweden and Hungary.
45. Western Capercaille
Twenty-one seen altogether including eleven on one day on the 17th
May 2019 in the hills above Handöl in Sweden. Three in Norway
including one of the only two males seen. Two in Finland.
46. Black Grouse
15 in Sweden and one in Norway. .
47. Hazel Grouse
Two seen in Alam-Pedja NP in Estonia.
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48. Willow Grouse 15-20 seen in Varanger, Norway. 49. Red Grouse 14 in Scotland and four in Yorkshire. 50. Rock Ptarmigan One seen twice on the same hilltop at Kilopää in Lapland, Finland, thirteen days apart in Spring 2019. 51. Greater Flamingo Seen in Greece, Spain and Portugal on twenty+ occasions. The largest
numbers were; 800 at Ptelea Lagoon, Greece, 11th August 2019, 800
near Isla Major on the 3rd December. 52. Little Grebe 53. Slavonian Grebe Twenty-three seen across three countries; Sweden: nine from five sites in May 2019 , Norway: 12 from two sites, May 2019 and Scotland: two
at Musselborough, 15th September 2019. 54. Black-necked Grebe At least 45 seen across four countries; nine at Weerribbean NP in the Netherlands, April 2019, 31 from three sites in Southern Spain, four at La Brenne NP in France and one at Dungeness in Kent. 55. Red Necked Grebe 11 seen altogether, seven in Sweden and four in Finland, April May and June 2019. 56. Great Crested Grebe 57. Rock Dove Possibly in Slovenia, feral everywhere else. 58. Stock Dove
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59. Turtle Dove Over 65 seen or heard altogether; Estonia 1, Czech Republic 5, Hungary 15, Bulgaria 8, Greece 10, Spain 26, France 9, England 1.
60. Wood Pigeon
1000 seen to migrate near at Skagen, DK on 16th April 2019 and a late
Autumn flock of approximately 3000 near Viella in France.
61. Collared Dove
62. Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse
161 seen in total, all from Northern Spain, the largest number being 70
at Bardenas real on the 24th November 2019.
63. Black-bellied Sandgrouse
33 in total, all from Spain. Highest count was 25 near Caceres in
Extremadura on the 30th November 2019.
64. Great Bustard
193 seen in total, all in Spain. 55 at Laguna de la Nava and 62 near
Villafafila on 27th November 2019. 50+ also seen near Caceres,
Extremadura on the 30th November.
65. Great-spotted Cuckoo
Four in Spain. One in Andujar and three in Aragon.
66. Cuckoo
Seen 46 times in 2019 and only once in 2020 due to Covid-19
lockdown. In chronological order; Sweden 13, Norway 4, Finland 23,
Estonia, 3, Latvia 1 Poland 4, Czech republic 1, Croatia 2, Hungary 1,
England 1, Scotland 1, Spain 1.
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67. Eurasian Nightjar
One in the headlights in Parrikkala at night Finland, on 12th June 2019
and one near Brandon, Norfolk in July 2020.
68. Red-necked Nightjar
Four in Spain. Two seen on a track in Andujar, on 25th June 2020.
69. Alpine Swift
Three in Rusenski Nature Reserve in Bulgaria, 7th August 2019. Two in Occidentales National park, in Spain.
70. Common Swift
71. Pallid Swift
Common in Spain in Spring.
72. Little Swift
10-15 at Chipiona, Spain, June 2020.
73. Water Rail
Over 60 noted. Up to 10 seen during the trip.
74. Corncrake
18 heard but none seen despite multiple attempts. Parikkala, Finland 4,
Estonia 9, Poland 4, Bavaria, Germany 1.
75. Spotted Crake
Two heard at one site: Siikalahti in Finland on 13th June 2019.
76. Moorhen
77. Coot
78. Red-knobbed Coot
11-12 seen at Charca de Suarez, Andalusia.
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79. Western Swamphen
46 noted in Spain in total with 30 from La Janda on 11th December
2019.
80. LITTLE CRAKE
Two seen at the Narew river in Poland on the 6th July, and one from the van at Lake Kerkini in Greece. 11th August 2019.
81. Common Crane
Over 1000 seen with highest counts from the wintering grounds in
Spain with up to 380 at La Janda. Widespread in Scandinavia but also
seen in Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and France.
82. Stone Curlew
Seen in just two countries. Two in Greece and 66 in Spain. Highest count was 56 from Barbate Marshes, Andalusia in February 2020.
83. Black Winged Stilt
84. Avocet
85. Oystercatcher
86. Grey Plover
87. Golden Plover
88. Northern Lapwing
89. Kentish Plover
Often seen on the southern coast in Spain and Portugal.
90. Ringed Plover
91. Little Ringed Plover
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92. Eurasian Dotterel
Two seen on a fell in Lapland, Sweden. Lockdown prevented visiting
wintering grounds in Spain.
93. Whimbrel
94. Curlew
95. Bar Tailed Godwit
96. Black tailed Godwit
97. Turnstone
98. Red Knot
99. Ruff
100. Broad-billed Sandpiper
One at Ptelea Lagoon, Greece on 11th August 2020. VL
101. Curlew Sandpiper
Only seen in England and Wales. Four in total.
102. Temminck’s Stint
103. 15 in Sweden on migration, Spring 2019 and 11 in Norway which
includes displaying birds chasing an Arctic Skua on one instance in
Varanger. VL
104. Sanderling
105. Dunlin
106. Purple Sandpiper
Five at Ottenby, Sweden and 95 in Northern Norway including a group
of 75 at Kjolnes Lighthouse, 26th May 2019.
107. Jack Snipe
Three seen in Sweden, one in Denmark at Skagen.
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108. Woodcock
109. Great Snipe
One at Biebrza NP in Poland on 3rd July 2019.
110. Common Snipe
111. Red necked Phalarope
Four seen in Varanger, Norway in late May and early June 2019.
112. Grey Phalarope
Two in total. One each from Strumble Head in Wales on 31st August
and 1st September.
113. Common Sandpiper
114. Green Sandpiper
115. Spotted Redshank
55 in total. The highest count was from Poda NR in Bulgaria on
august 8th 2019.
116. Greenshank
117. Lesser Yellowlegs
One at Oare marshes in Kent on 13th July 2020.
118. Marsh Sandpiper
One or two seen at Engures ezers in Latvia on the 30th June (?), and
one seen at Poda NR in Bulgaria in August. Both 2019.
119. Wood Sandpiper
Relatively common on Spring migration in Scandinavia. A group of
250 at Stornasets NR in Sweden on the 13th May 2019was a site to
behold. Widespread in Eastern Europe and Greece in August.
120. Redshank
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121. Pomarine Skua
One at Skallel in Varanger on the 29th May 2019 was the only sighting.
122. Arctic Skua
123. Long Tailed Skua
Commonly seen on and offshore in Varanger in late May 2019 with
many hundreds migrating Eastward. One of the highlights.
124. Great Skua
Only seen off the coast of GB and France.
125. Common Guillemot
126. Brunnich’s Guillemot
At least 75 on Hornoya island, Varanger on 1st June 2019.
127. Razorbill
128. Black Guillemot
Seen in Norway, Sweden and Denmarl with the largest number being
30 from the ferry to Gothenburg just off shore of Frederikshavn on the
19th Aril 2019.
129. Atlantic Puffin
Often seen off the North coast of Norway in Spring 2019.
130. Kittiwake
131. Sabine’s Gull
One seen on each of 31st August and September 1st from Strumble
Head, Wales. One also seen at Dungeness in Kent 19th and 21st
October. Both 2019.
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132. Slender-billed Gull
Six seen on the Algarve Portugal on 9th December 2019 and 55 at
Bonanza, Andalusia on 19th June with one also present at the latter on
10th December, 2019.
133. Black Headed Gull
134. Little Gull
Seen in four countries with the highlight being a colony of150 in
summer plumage at Gammelstadsviken in Sweden on 23rd May.
135. Mediterranean Gull
136. Audouin’s Gull
Regularly seen on the south coast of Andalusia in groups peaking at 80
individuals.
137. Common Gull
138. Herring Gull
139. Yellow-Legged Gull
140. Caspian Gull
On five occasions at Dungeness in Kent in October 2019.
141. Lesser Black Backed Gull
142. Iceland Gull
One at Berlevag in Varanger on 26th May 2019.
143. Glaucous Gull
11 in Varanger in May 2019.
144. Great Black Backed Gull
145. Little Tern
Seen in Sweden, 12, Bulgaria 5, Greece 4 and Spain 29.
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146. Gull-billed Tern
Seen only once, at Bonanza, Andalusia on June 19th. One or two
individuals.
147. Caspian Tern
Seen in six countries. Sweden: 28. Estonia: 5, Latvia: 20, Bulgaria: 1,
Portugal: 7, Spain: 7.
148. Black Tern
Only seen on 12 day in five countries, the largest count being 15 on
breeding grounds in Poland.
149. Whiskered Tern
Only seen in Hungary and France. Lockdown got in the way of seeing this species in Spain.
150. Common Tern
151. Arctic Tern
152. Sandwich Tern
153. Red Throated Diver
Seen on 26 days.
154. Black Throated Diver
17 Spring individuals seen in Scandinavia and four from Firemore
Beach in Scotland on 11th September 2019 .
155. White Billed Diver
Ten seen in total on the North coast of Varanager between 26th and 31st
May 2019 with five offshore on the 31st.
156. Leach’s Storm petrel
Four past Strumble Head, Wales on 1st September 2019.
157. Northern Fulmar
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158. Sooty Shearwater
Four past Dungeness in Kent on 13th August 2019.
159. Manx Shearwater
1000 past Strumble Head on 31st August and 1st September 2019.
160. Balearic Shearwater
One past Strumble Head on 31st August 2019 and four past Tarifa on
8th February 2020.
161. Black Stork
44 seen in total from five countries. Slovenia: 4, Romania 2, Greece 6,
Bulgaria 1, Spain 31 with high counts of 12 and 11 from Donana NP.
162. White Stork
163. Northern Gannet
164. Pygmy Cormorant
51 seen across two sites, Poda NR, Bulgaria: 25, Kerkini Lake, Greece:
8.
165. Great Cormorant
166. European Shag
Seen at Vardo Norway: 300, off Strumble Head, Wales: 5+ and Loch
Shieldag in Scotland: 5.
167. White Pelican
Up to 30 seen near Burgas, Bulgaria and 100+ at Kerkini Lake,
Greece.
168. Dalmatian Pelican
Up to 300 at lake Kerkini on 11th August 2019.
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169. Eurasian Bittern
22 records from four countries involving 12+ birds. Weribbean, NL:
up to 5, Skagen, Denmark: 2 or 3, six sites in Finland: 5+ and one at
Lakenheath in England.
170. Little Bittern
Two heard at Charca de Suarez. Covid-19 lockdown almost certainly
interfered with more sightings from sites in France and Spain
171. Grey Heron
172. Purple Heron
Seen in NL: 1, Croatia: 1, Hungary: 4, Bulgaria: 1, Greece: 8, Spain: 1,
France: 8.
173. Great White Egret
The highest count from a single site was 75 at Engures ezers in Latvia
on 30th June 2019.
174. Little Egret
175. Cattle Egret
176. Squacco Heron
28 seen across four countries, Hungary: 2, Bulgaria: 3, Greece: 22 and
Spain: 1.
177. Night Heron
65 in total. Croatia: 3, Hungary: 12, Bulgaria: 1, France: 18 and Spain:
31.
178. Spoonbill
Highest count was of 82 at La teach in France on the 14th November
2019.
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179. Glossy Ibis
Seen in Spain, Greece and Bulgaria. Highest count was of 300 from La Janda I Andalusia.
180. Northern Bald Ibis
Seen on two occasions at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain in 2020.
181. Osprey
35 seen in total from across seven countries. Highest counts were from
Barbate Marshes Andalusia with four individuals wintering.
182. Black-winged Kite
20 seen at four sites in Andalusia.
183. Bearded Vulture
Seen in Austria and France. Three in total.
184. Egyptian Vulture
12 seen altogether. 12 in Spain, 1 in France.
185. Honey Buzzard
See in Finland: 2, Estonia: 1, Czech Republic: 1, Greece: 1, Germany:
1, and Spain: 240 during Spring migration. Covid-19 lockdown
prevented the usual raptor watching in Tarifa that reveals thousands of
this species.
186. Black Vulture
14 seen altogether in Spain. 12 at Montfragues and 2 near Caceres.
187. Griffon Vulture
188. Short-toed Eagle
300 North over Tarifa on the 7th March 2020 was the highest count.
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189. Booted Eagle
Regularly seen in Spain and Portugal as numbers increase in Spring.
Two also seen in Bulgaria.
190. Lesser Spotted Eagle
Two in Estonia, three in Poland and one in Bulgaria.
191. Greater Spotted Eagle
One seen at Skagen in Denmark on the 17th April and one from
Biebrza NP in Poland on 3rd July 2019.
192. Eastern Imperial Eagle
One in southeast Bulgaria.
193. Spanish Imperial Eagle
One at Montfrague and one near Caceres.
194. Golden Eagle
11 seen across six countries. Denmark: 3, Norway: 1, Finland: 1,
Austria: 1, Scotland: 2, and Spain: 3.
195. Bonelli’s Eagle
1 or 2 seen around Benahavis on seven occasions and one from La
Janda. Probably three individuals total.
196. Marsh Harrier
197. Hen Harrier
22 in total five or six of which were adult males. France: 2, Belgium:
1, Netherland: 2, Denmark 7, Finland: 2, Wales: 1, Spain: 6, Portugal:
1.
198. Pallid Harrier
One on each of 16th and 17th of April at Skagen in Denmark.
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199. Montagu’s Harrier
17 from across 4 countries: Sweden: 3, Poland: up to 8, Hungary: 2
and Spain: 3. The most unusual sighting was an adult male at La Janda
on 11th December 2019.
200. Sparrowhawk
201. Goshawk
Five in total. Two at Skagen, DK, on migration on the 18th April 2019,
one in Latvia on the 2nd July, one in Hungary on the 2nd August and
one on the 9th August at Poda NR in Bulgaria.
202. Black Winged Kite
203. Red Kite
204. Black Kite
Highest day count was of 2,200 over Los Lances Beach, tarifa on the
7th March 2019.
205. White Tailed Eagle
A minimum of 85 and undercounted in Varanger where up to twenty
can be seen in a day on the North coast. Netherlands (winter): 5,
Denmark (winter/Spring): 4, Sweden: 19, Norway: 40, Finland: 1,
Estonia: 1, Latvia: 1, Czech republic: 1, Croatia: 1 (being mobbed by a
Goshawk), and Hungary: 1.
206. Rough Legged Buzzard
19 seen in total during late winter early Spring. Netherlands: 2,
Denmark: 9, Sweden: 2 and Norway: 6.
207. Buzzard
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208. Barn Owl
Only five seen. England: 3, Portugal: 1 and Greece: 1.
209. Hawk Owl
A nest in Varanger consisted of two adults and at least one chick.
210. Little Owl
211. Scops Owl
Heard in Spain twice in June 2020.
212. Tawny Owl
About twenty individuals heard.
213. Great Grey Owl
One seen near Suomussalmi in Finland on 10th June 2019. Probable
chick also heard at same spot.
214. Long Eared Owl
Seen only once but up to eight birds at a nest site in Western Romania.
215. Short Eared Owl
216. Hoopoe
Only 23 observations. Sweden: 2, Poland: 4, Poland: 4, Bulgaria: 1,
Greece: 4, Spain: 21 and Portugal: 4.
217. Kingfisher
24 observations. The largest day-count was of seven birds at La Teich
in France on the 14th November 2019.
218. Bee Eater
219. Roller Eight seen in 2019: Hungary: 6, Romania: 1, Greece: 1, but only one in Spain in 2020 largely due to lockdown.
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220. Wryneck
23 observations in total. A massive 17 from Sweden as they migrated
through in late April/ early May 2019, then two in Estonia at the end of
June which included a juvenile. Another young bird was seen at the
Bison Reserve in Bialowesia NP in Poland on July 6th. Two or three
were then seen from the end of March into April 2020 at Benahavis in
Spain during lockdown.
221. Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Seen just once, about six miles south of Sodankyla in Finland.
222. White Backed Woodpecker
Four individuals seen. A pair on the outskirts of Imatra in Finland, one
at Parnumaa in Estonia and one near Trebon in the Czech Republic.
223. Great Spotted Woodpecker
224. Syrian Woodpecker
I had some freakishly good fortune when one flew across the road and
perched atop a tree near the village of Sakartski in Southern Bulgaria
near the Turkish border. Also probably heard one or two other
individuals at other spots nearby which I did not see.
225. Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Frustratingly heard at least five but saw none!
226. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Saw 13 individuals on ten occassions, more than my entire life birding
in the UK. Sweden: 6 birds, in April 2019. A family group of 3+ 4
miles North of Kotka in Finland on 6th June 2019. I saw three but
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suspect three were more. Singles were in Poland, Czech Republic
whilst two other singles were in France on different visits.
227. Grey Headed Woodpecker
Six encountered but only a couple of those seen properly. Estonia: 1,
Poland: 2, Czech Republic: 1, Croatia: 1, Bulgaria: 1.
228. Green Woodpecker
229. Iberian Woodpecker
Relatively common in Spain but also probably in Southern France.
230. Black Woodpecker
Six in total. First heard in the NL, then seen once each in Sweden and
Finland. Then next was heard in Estonia in June. In November one
was seen flew across a busy D-road in front of the van. The last was
heard in July just North of the Pyrenees.
231. Common Kestrel
232. Lesser Kestrel
Regularly seen around Tarifa in winter 2019/2020 with numbers
increasing from February with a minimum of eight present by the 16th.
233. Red Footed Falcon
Thirteen seen in total with seven from Oland in Sweden in late
April/early May. Five more were seen in Hungary with one in
Romania.
234. Merlin
Twelve seen with all but one from GB or Scandinavia. The other
being my very first sighting of one in Spain, at Barbate Marshes on the
10th February 2020.
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235. Hobby
23 seen in total with the highest count being five at Siikalahti in
Finland on the 13th July 2019.
236. Peregrine
31 noted on 24 occasions across six countries..
237. GYRFALCON
One sighted harassing a pair of Peregrines in the Tana Valley,
Varanger on the 25th May 2019.
238. Ring-necked Parakeet
239. Monk Parakeet
240. Golden Oriole
106 recorded in total from 12 countries: Finland: 2, Estonia: 2, Latvia:
7, Lithuania: 2, Poland: 14, Czeck Rep: 8, Slovenia: 1, Croatia: 13,
Hungary: 1, Bulgaria: 8, Greece: 21, Spain: 24, and France: 4.
241. Red Backed Shrike
A minimum of 126 recorded over the entire trip.
242. Great Grey Shrike
Six seen in total in England, NL Denmark with two in Poland.
243. Iberian Shrike
25 recorded in total.
244. Lesser Grey Shrike
16 in total from; Hungary: 11 and Greece: 5.
245. Woodchat
246. Masked Shrike Two seen in Northwest Greece from the 10th and 12th August 2019.
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247. Siberian Jay
Eight seen in total; Sweden: 3, Norway: 2, Finland: 3.
248. Jay
249. Iberian Magpie
In excess of 500 seen across 17 sites in Spain and Portugal. I didn’t
always count then, as they can be somewhat numerous and
omnipresent and hard to count. Several thousand is likely in reality. I
tried to entice them close with a tasty morsel in Montfrague but they
weren’t interested.
250. Spotted Nutcracker
18 seen altogether wit the largest number of seven at one spot in
Bavaria, Germany from where 12 were sighted in total. Also in;
Poland: 2, Czech Republic: 1, Austria: 2 and Slovenia: 1.
251. Magpie
252. Red-Billed Chough
86 spotted at least. The largest group was 25 at Foz du Lumbier in
Spain. Eight were at Strumble Head on the 1st September 2019.
253. Alpine Chough
60 were at Dachstein in Austria on the 22nd July 2019. In 2020, I noted over 80 from more than ten sites in the Spanish Pyrenees.
254. Jackdaw
255. Rook
256. Crow
257. Hooded Crow
258. Raven
259. Coal Tit
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260. Crested Tit
261. Marsh Tit
26 records
262. Willow Tit
14 recorded from 11 sites in eight countries; NL 1, Sweden: 3,
Norway: 2, Finland: 2, Estonia: 2, Poland: 1, Austria: 2 and
Germany:1. All between March 30th and August 18th 2019.
263. Siberian Tit
Three individuals seen in Northern Norway.
264. Blue Tit
265. Great Tit
266. Penduline Tit
First recorded on migration at Skagen, Denmark on the 19th April
2019. Then three heard but not seen in Sweden, two at Poda in
Bulgaria on the 9th August 2019, and two from the south of Spain with
one each at Donana and Barbate.
267. Shore Lark
Ten from Varanger in Norway in late May 2019 and one at Dungeness
in Kent from late October for six days.
268. Greater Short-toed Lark
In June 2019, twenty birds split equally across two sites: La Janda,
Andalusia and Belchite, Aragaon, with one at Barbate Marshes the
same month.
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269. Calandra lark
Several hundred seen from ten sites across Spain.
270. DUPONT’S LARK
One seen with a bill full of feed at El Planeron in Aragon on the 28th
June 2019.
271. Woodlark
Just 13 altogether. Skagen, DK: 2, Penasa, Sweden: up to 4
individuals, a flock of seven on the 24th December 2019 at Sierra de las
Nieves in Andalusia.
272. Lesser-Short Toed Lark
More than 80 seen with all but two of those being at El Planeron,
Aragaon. In addition there were one each: on the East bank of Rio
Guadalvir (18th June 2019) and at Bardenas Reales in Navarra (24 Nov
2019).
273. Skylark
274. Crested Lark
275. Thekla Lark
276. Bearded Reedling
Just 19 seen. Three in the NL and the rest in England from five sites.
277. Zitting Cisticola
278. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
One at Poda NR in Bulgaria on the 9th August 2019.
279. Western Olivaceus Warbler
One at Laguna de Medina in Spain on the 20th June 2020.
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280. Icterine Warbler
Single birds noted twelve times in nine countries from Sweden to
Slovenia.
281. Melodious Warbler
18 individuals recorded at 12 sites ranging from the South of Spain to
Cap Gris Nez in Northern France.
282. Aquatic Warbler
Up to ten displaying at dusk and dawn from two sites at Biebzra
marshes in Poland over seven visits. Also saw three moose here.
283. Moustached Warbler
One near Szeged in the Southeast of Hungary.
284. Sedge Warbler
285. Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Encountered nine times but only seen 2 or 3 occasions; Finland: 5,
Estonia: 3, Latvia: 1.
286. Marsh Warbler
Recorded 17 individuals across five countries; Finland: 4, Estonia: 5,
Latvia: 1, Poland: 4, Hungary: 3.
287. Eurasian Reed Warbler
288. Great Reed Warbler
45 seen across12 countries; Finland:4, Estonia: 3, Latvia: 1, Lithuania:
1, Poland: 1, Czech Rep: 1, Croatia: 1, Hungary: 4, Bulgaria: 22,
Greece: 2, Germany: 1 and Spain: 3.
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289. Savi’s Warbler
Thirteen seen or heard altogether; NL: 7, Oland in Sweden: 1, Poland:
5.
290. Grasshopper Warbler
Seventeen heard in total although I only saw one of those (in Estonia at
dusk)! Finland: 2, Estonia: 5, Latvia: 3, Poland: 7. All were between
21st June and 4th of July 2019.
291. Sand Martin
292. Barn Swallow
293. Red Rumped Swallow
294. House Martin
295. Crag Martin
296. Common Bulbul
Heard in Tarifa on four occasions between the 15th December and the
22nd June 2020. Keep going mate!
297. Western Bonelli’S Warbler
Four in Spain in Spring/Summer 2020.
298. Wood Warbler
51 seen or heard in 2019. None in 2020. Sweden: 28, Finland: 2,
Estonia: 7, Latvia: 5, Poland: 1, Austria: 1, Croatia: 2, Hungary: 4 and
Greece: 1.
299. Yellow-browed Warbler
Four in England in late October. One in Norfolk, two at Sandwich Bay
and one at Dungeness.
300. Willow Warbler
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301. Chiffchaff
302. Iberian Chiffchaff
Seen or heard five times around Benahavis in Spain in Spring and
early Summer.
303. Greenish Warbler
Two heard in Finland in June and one in Poland and the beginning of
July.
304. Cetti’s Warbler
305. Long Tailed Tit
306. Eurasian Blackcap
307. Garden Warbler
308. Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Only one seen. In Greece.
309. Western Subalpine Warbler
Only one seen in Spain although without lockdown a few more would
surely have been spotted.
310. Sardinian Warbler
311. Barred Warbler
Six seen or heard altogether. Estonia: 3, Poland: 1, Croatia: 1 and
Bulgaria: 1.
312. Lesser Whitethroat
313. Western Orphean Warbler
Heard twice in Spain in June 2020.
314. Common Whitethroat
315. Dartford Warbler
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316. Goldcrest
317. Firecrest
318. Nuthatch
319. Eurasian Treecreeper
320. Short-toed Treecreeper
321. Wren
322. White-throated Dipper
Just three occasions. Once in each of; Norway, Germany and Spain.
323. Starling
324. Spotless Starling
325. Mistle Thrush
326. Song Thrush
327. Redwing
328. Blackbird
329. Fieldfare
Very common in Northern areas but the most unusual sighting was of
one individual in orchards near Ria de Alvor in Portugal on 7th
December 2019. A vagrant in this area – just a day or two after
finding the Brent Goose.
330. Ring Ouzel
Over 150 seen in total but 120 of them was two spectacular movement
of thrushes at Skagen in Denmark on the 17th April 2019.
331. European Robin
332. Spotted Flycatcher
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333. Rufus-tailed Scrub Robin.
Just one seen. On the outskirts of Trebujena in Andalusia in June
2020.
334. Common Nightingale
335. Thrush Nightingale
Heard twenty times but only seen twice. Seventeen were from Finland
with the other three records from Estonia, Poland and Bulgaria.
336. Bluethroat
46 in total from 7 countries; France: 6, Netherlands: 6, Germany: 1,
Sweden: 1, Norway: 5, Portugal: 17, Spain: 6.
337. Red-flanked Bluetail
Four seen or heard altogether on the 7th June 2019 at Kuusamo,
Finland.
338. Red-breasted Flycatcher
Two in Finland, one in Estonia in June, and one at Kilnsea in East
Yorkshire in September 2019.
339. Rock Thrush
340. European Pied Flycatcher
341. Collared Flycatcher
Ten seen in total. Oland in Sweden: 5, Poland: 4 and Croatia: 1.
342. Redstart
343. Black Redstart
344. Common Rock Thrush
Three seen. All in the Pyrenees. Two from the Southern reaches.
345. Blue Rock Thrush
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346. Whinchat
347. Stonechat
348. Northern Wheatear
349. Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
A rare twitch, as I was nearby. On the 4th and 5th September 2019
Piling in Lancashire.
350. Western Black-eared Wheatear
Four seen in Spain.
351. Black Wheatear
Three within the region of Grazalema NP on the 25th December 2019.
352. Bohemian Waxwing
15 on three occasions between the dates of 23rd May and the 6th June
2019 in Finland and Norway.
353. Alpine Accentor
At least eight individuals seen. Three seen at Sierra Nevada NP, (on
26th/27th December 2019), two around the border atop Pyrenean pass at
Pic du St Martin and three seen at attitude above Col du Tentes in
France.
354. Dunnock
355. House Sparrow
356. Spanish Sparrow Approximately 275 seen on just nine occasions at six sites in Spain
with a single bird noted at Lake Kerkini in Greece on the 12th August 2019. The bulk of those were from one 250-bird flock numbering 250
on grazing land near Caceres on the 30th November 2019. All other sightings consisted of smaller groups of between two and eight.
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357. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Widespread but uncommon. Just 183 noted in total from 18 countries
with the largest flock being 40 in Hungary and 30 in Czech Republic.
358. Rock Sparrow
Seen twice in Spain in November 2019 with 15 at Bardenas Reales and
one near Trujillo.
359. White-winged Snowfinch
Up to ten seen – from two sites in the Pyrenees; the mountain above
Gavernie and Col du Tourmalet.
360. Grey Wagtail
361. Yellow Wagtail
362. Citrine Wagtail
Six seen in total in 2019. One at Beijershamm NR on Oland, Sweden
on the 6th May, a family party of four birds a few miles Northwest of
Tartu in Estonia on the 26th June, and one at Engures enzers in Latvia
on the 30th June.
363. White Wagtail
364. Pied Wagtail
365. Tawny Pipit
Three in total but it seems likely that this species is often over looked.
One on the 1st of July 2019 in Northern Lithuania, and single birds two
days apart in late June in Andalusia.
366. Meadow Pipit
367. Tree Pipit
78 birds noted on 36 occasions across ten countries.
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368. Red –throated Pipit
Two birds seen in 2019. One on migration at Beijershamm NR in
Sweden on the 4th May and one displaying at Vardo Fort in Varanger,
Norway on the 30th and 31st May.
369. Water Pipit
In Spring 2019 groups of 14 and nine migrated Northereast past two
sites in the North of the Netherlands. Single wintering birds were at
Rio de Alvors in Portugal on the 7th December 2019, and one was at
La Janda on the 6th Feb 2020. At least 25 were seen at six sites in the
Pyrenees between the 29th June and the 3rd of July 2020.
370. Rock Pipit
Only 12 seen in total; Norway: 6, Wales: 5, England: 1.
371. Common Chaffinch
372. Brambling
373. Hawfinch
32 seen in total from six countries; Denmark: 1, Sweden: 7, Poland:
15, Germany: 2, France: 1, Spain: 6.
374. Common Rosefinch
Although not often seen 26 noted mostly from song from five countries
between the 9th June and the 10th July 2019; Finland: 10, Estonia: 5,
Latvia: 1, Poland: 9 and Czech republic: 1.
375. Pine Grosbeak
Four in total with two each in the Northern areas of Norway and
Finland.
376. Eurasian Bullfinch
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377. European Greenfinch
378. Twite
Two at Viednes track, Varanger, Norway on 27th May 2019.
379. Linnet
380. Common Redpoll
381. Lesser Redpoll
382. Arctic Redpoll
One Coue’s Arctic Redpoll on the 26th May 2019 on Varanger,
Norway.
383. Parrot Crossbill
Seven in total on the East coast of Sweden in May 2019, two on the 9th
and five on the 11th.
384. Crossbill
385. European Goldfinch
386. Eurasian Siskin
387. Citril Finch
21 noted from six sites, all in the Pyrenees between June 28th and July
2nd 2020.
388. European Serin
389. Lapland Bunting
11 seen in total in 2019, all but one Varanger in Norway in late May
2019. The other was migrating North at Grenen Migration Point in
Denmark on the 19th April.
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390. Snow Bunting
Seen just once. Five birds together on the fells of Varanger on the 27th
May 2019.
391. Corn Bunting
392. Rock Bunting
Although relatively widespread, just nine seen in total. All were in
Andalusia at 4 or 5 different sites.
393. Cirl Bunting
Fairly common but only 29 individuals noted; Spain 28, Slovenia: 1.
394. Yellowhammer
395. Ortolan Bunting
Seen just once! One individual near the village of Lebarthe-Riviere in
Southern Spain.
396. Common Reed Bunting
397. Little Bunting
One on the 29th April 2019 at Olands Norre Udde in Sweden.
398. Rustic Bunting
Two males seen in Finland on two dates, 7th and 9th June 2019.
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Mammals (26 species noted – incomplete)
i. Harbour Porpoise
ii. Grey Seal
iii. Common Seal
iv. European Rabbit
v. Red Deer
vi. Red Squirrel
vii. Brown Hare
viii. Roe Deer
ix. Tarpan
x. Common Red Fox
xi. Mountain Hare
xii. Reindeer
xiii. Norway Lemming
xiv. Eurasian Beaver
xv. Northern Bat (Eptesicus sertinus)
xvi. Racoon Dog
xvii. Pine Marten
xviii Eurasian Lynx
xix Stoat
xx Eurasian Hamster?
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xxi European Badger
xxii Common Dolphin
xxiii Weasel - Spain
xxiv – Iberian Ibex
xxv - Iberian Lynx
xxvi – Iberian Hare
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