Well that's the holiday done and dusted. Spain was as it said on the tin, warm and relaxing but I found it strange to adjust to different languages, food, time zones and heat so quickly after Georgia and Armenia so that's a learning curve for the future. Key birds of the Tarifa area were Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Flamingo's while in the grasslands and agricultural areas we managed Black-bellied & Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and Cream-coloured Courser while Calandra lark, White Stork and Bee-Eaters were common. Other highlights were migrating Black kites over the straits of Gibraltar, Monarch and Southern Swallowtail Butterfly, a number of Lizard species and Long-finned Pilot Whales with the African continent in the back ground.
Back home and last nights trapping produced Heart and Dart and Angle-shades. It seems apart from the White-winged Black Tern I haven't missed much at the pond though a few waders were present at the weekend and the valley apparently is dead but we will soon sort that out tomorrow.
Turnstone, Draycote Water 18th May by Pete Hall
Just been going over me holiday notes and looks like from the three country's visited I saw 260 species of which 13 were new for me so my Western Paleartic list is looking very healthy.
Richard
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