Blasted by North-easterlies

Highlights - Saturday 16th April

Another day of sustained north-easterlies winds that hampered observations and limited the number of new migrants from reaching us; as a consequence some rather pitiful totals were recorded and the team's enthusiasm is flagging. 

About the only species showing an apparent increase were Nightingale (23) and the only minor oddity (and that’s stretching it) was an alba Wagtail that was feeding on the road at Kokinoghia.

Grounded Migrants: 4 Wryneck, 9 Hoopoe, 11 Woodchat Shrike, 13 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Collared Flycatcher, 23 Nightingale, 10 Whinchat, 2 Isabelline Wheatear, 3 Sedge Warbler, 3 Subalpine Warbler, 11 Whitethroat, 4 Ortolan Bunting.

Visible Passage: largely non-existent although a few hirundines, pipits, flava wagtails and Turtle Doves appeared to have managed to make it through.

Counts included 18 Swallow, 12 Red-rumpled Swallow, 12 Tawny Pipit, 24 Tree Pipit, 43 flavas and 16 Turtle Doves.

At the lighthouse both Yelkouan and Scopoli’s Shearwaters were closer in than usual despite the offshore wind.

Raptors: 1 Kestrel and 3 Kestrel Sp.

Bird Ringing: None

Weather: wind NE 6-7, increasing F7 later. Mostly sunny. Vis fair to good.

An 'alba' Wagtail at Kokinoghia - a regular migrant at Cape Tenaro but only in small numbers

Ortolan Bunting at Kokinoghia 

Hoopoe on the road to Koureli 

Yelkouan Shearwaters passing the lighthouse