Cape Tenaro Birder: Lighthouse Birding

Well it was wonderful weather pretty much all day today unfortunately that didn't create the best birdwatching opportunities. There were comparatively few grounded migrants, though some appeared to arrive later in the day and it was once again left to the lighthouse to provide the best birding action.

As we arrived at the lighthouse a party of 12 Night Herons appeared and after a couple of attempts that all landed on the ripocks at the point and were still there when we left over an hour later. A Hoopoe also appeared on the outermost rocks and stayed put for half an hour before moving inland; there was also a a steady trickle of arriving migrants: 27 Swallow, 1 Sand Martin, 2 Short-toed Lark, 1 Tree Pipit and 2 Linnet. There was also a Northern Wheatear on the outer rocks.

Selected migrant totals for the day were: 6 Quail, 13 Hoopoe, 1 Wryneck, 8 Woodchat Shrike, 6 Willow Warbler, 5 Wood Warbler, 12 Subalpine Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Orphean Warbler, 30 Nightingale, 5 Redstart, 2 Whinchat, 7 Northern Wheatear, 1 Collared Flycatcher, 43 Tree Pipit, 10 Tawny Pipit and 1 Ortolan Bunting.

One of the most surprising things today was an apparent arrival of Tree Pipits at about 13.30, we were at Paliros when 29 appeared to drop from high up. A further 10 Tree Pipits were seen during the course of the afternoon. There also appeared to be an increase in Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike and Wood Warbler during the afternoon, though it is hard to be certain if their was a genuine arrival.

Oddities - the first Orphean Warbler of the year was by the church north of Beehive Pass, a Lesser Whitethroat at Aghirokambi was also a first for the year and there was a Rock Dove was at the lighthouse.

Raptors - 2 Harrier Sp (Montagu's / Pallid) and 2 Kestrel

Weather - NE 3-4 early on, later NW 3-4 by about midday, dropping later in afternoon and almost calm by dark. Largely clear, with hazy sun and moderate visibility.