July Skies

Another mixed bag from the past ten days or so, as we teeter on the brink of August and the start of the harvest or Lammas season (1st August - halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox).

I think that means I'm officially allowed to start using the 'a' word now? It's certainly fair to say the weather has been decidedly autumnal for the most part in the past fortnight. The dominance of low pressure, Atlantic weather systems delivering day after day of squally, grey, drizzly conditions has been particularly strange and unsettling given the news and images coming from further south in Europe. I remember something someone said to me a few years ago which has really stuck with me - nobody alive today has known what it's like to live in stable climatic conditions, and that is becoming more and more evident as each year passes.

In the context of local birding and other wildlife watching, it's been a fairly quiet and unremarkable period again, although it's clear we are experiencing a particularly good year for butterflies after a slow start back in the spring. It's been the best Purple Emperor season at Knepp since the best ever year of 2018 and everywhere I look at the moment I seem to be seeing Red Admirals. I had a pretty extraordinary count of ten together on the garden Buddleia the other day!

20th July

I headed out late morning for a fairly lengthy walk from home up towards Fittleworth to scan the valley across the Rother to the north. Raptors were out in force, with multiple Red Kite and Buzzard, at least three Kestrels and a single Sparrowhawk noted during an hour's skywatch here. 

Otherwise it was a relatively quiet session, though at least 35-40 Swallows around the stables at Ashurst were nice to see, as were two juvenile Green Woodpeckers in the same area. 

21st July

A quick look at Pulborough Brooks this morning, scanning the South Brooks from behind the visitor centre. Among 14 Little Egrets (there have been up to 21 recorded here in recent days) were singles of Greenshank and Green Sandpiper on the pool at West Mead while three Red Kites were soaring together in the distance.

En route to Knepp I briefly stopped to check the pool at Southlands Farm in West Chilt which again produced a Green Sandpiper. 

Knepp itself was again on fire, with a female Purple Emperor greeting me as soon as I arrived at the Operation Wallacea campsite. Out in the wildland with my group, highlights included a Barn Owl flying from a known nest site, the very vocal Sparrowhawk family near their nest site and a group of 31 White Storks kettling together over the Exmoor herd towards the far southern end of the estate.

Purple Emperor

After Knepp I headed down to Goring to catch up with David C. While we were chatting by our cars, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull flew past with a juvenile Herring Gull in tow. After poorly David headed home I indulged in a c.45-minute seawatch from the beach which proved to be quite lively, with three Whimbrel and two each of Dunlin and Mediterranean Gull heading west, and two each of Sandwich Tern and Gannet feeding offshore. 

Whimbrel

Mediterranean Gull

22nd July

This morning I headed down to Medmerry, primarily for work-related reasons but it was a nice opportunity to have a little walk about and check out the Stilt Pool, which yielded singles of Common Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit among the Oystercatchers, Cormorants and Black-headed Gulls.

On the way home, with rain due to start at any minute, I had a quick check of the private site near Petworth which produced a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and at least 80 Swifts but little else of note.

No more birding after that as the weather turned decidedly October-esque, with heavy rain and wind - lovely!

23rd July

A brief look at Waltham Brooks en route to a day working at Knepp proved fruitful, as the very last bird of the session was a 1km year tick and Waltham Brooks lifer in the form of a Whimbrel powering south/south-west overhead and disappearing down the valley towards the Downs.

Knepp delivered again on the Turtle Dove front (it's been an astonishing year for the species there) with one seen flying up from a main path not long after I arrived. Otherwise it was mostly about the butterflies today, including what surely must be one of the very last Purple Emperors of the season.

A quick scan of the pool at Southlands Farm in passing on my way home again produced a lone Green Sandpiper. 

24th July

After dropping B at nursery I popped to Pulborough for a quick look at the North Brooks where I found a decent selection of waders - 10 Avocet, 24 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper and a single Greenshank - and, sadly, a rather sickly looking adult Mediterranean Gull. 

Avocets

Black-tailed Godwits

25th July

Not much birding today, but it was a pleasure to lead a safari for members of the RSPB Youth Council at Knepp. Highlights included two Turtle Doves (one singing and displaying and another in flight), two Sedge Warblers (Hammer Pond) and my last Purple Emperor of the year. 

26th July

A diverse day which started with a walk from home up to the river at Thorndale Bridge, and a brief skywatch from the fields near home. It certainly felt autumnal, with a lovely fresh feel to the air and a light mist over the river, but it doesn't feel as though the season has quite got into swing yet, ornithologically speaking. Highlights were a Little Egret high east, adult and juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls high south and a Water Rail squealing along the river.

Little Egret

Swallows

Mid-morning I headed back down to Medmerry for work. While I was there I had a look at the Stilt Pool which yielded 3 Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, several Oystercatchers and a heard-only Ringed Plover. A quick look at the sea produced 3 Sandwich Terns, 8 Mediterranean Gulls and a single Gannet. While I was down at the coast I also dropped in to Church Norton briefly which produced a pleasing selection of waders including at least 3 Whimbrel, 2 Sanderling and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Sandwich Tern

Early afternoon I met up with David C at Pulborough, and a stroll round the reserve produced a few bits, notably 10 Avocet, 2 Green Sandpipers and 3 Black-tailed Godwits on the North Brooks and a single White Stork (GB6S from Knepp) following the tractor around on the South Brooks, just like they're supposed to!

Brown Argus

27th July

A drizzy day, with more than a hint of autumn in the air, only exacerbated by the sound of a Curlew flying over Knepp Castle as I was in the orchard prepping for a garden safari. Other highlights here included a heard-only Raven and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth; the latter very obligingly dropping in to feed on a Buddleia as I had stopped with my group to chat about the importance of nectar sources in a garden!

On the way home I dropped in at Waltham Brooks for half an hour which produced another heard-only Raven, two Cetti's Warblers in the reeds and willows by the main lake and seven Gadwall on the lake itself.

28th July

A walk from home this morning, checking local fields and scrub and a skywatch proved fairly quiet aside from a Hobby terrorising the Swallows before flying off north.

A check of Amberley after dropping B off at nursery produced singles of Redshank, Raven and one of the White-tailed Eagles. 

29th July

Another local session on foot early morning proved quite productive with a Hobby again chasing Swallows about, a Peregrine high south-west and at least 50 Swifts drifting slowly south. That's more like it! I'm excited for my first full autumn vismigging from this area, I do think the funnel effect of the Arun Valley so close to the South Downs could be quite interesting.

Later in the morning, a Big Butterfly Count in the garden at home produced an impressive ten Red Admirals together on the Buddleia. I honestly can't remember such a good summer for the species, they just seem to be everywhere at the moment!

Red Admiral

30th July

A really enjoyable couple of hours out first thing this morning, although it again was feeling unseasonably fresh ahead of the rain that arrived later in the day. First up I checked the private reservoir over near Petworth which yielded very little aside from a noticeable increase in Little Grebes and a flock of at least 450 Jackdaws in flight off the nearby fields.

A visit to Lavington Common produced a Spotted Flycatcher in the pines round the car park and a family group of at least four Dartford Warblers a couple of hundred metres north of the car park. 

Dartford Warbler

Finally, a stake-out on the viewing platform at Burton Mill Pond produced a welcome return encounter with the red-ringed Great White Egret I last saw here back in late January. She's 'ACA', a female ringed in the nest at RSPB Ham Wall back in May 2022. Interestingly, another juvenile from the same ringing scheme, ACJ, has been hanging out at Warnham LNR quite a bit recently - so definitely worth taking a closer look at any individuals of this species you see out and about in Sussex.

Great White Egret

Late afternoon, a Hobby made two low passes over home, first heading south-east, before flying back west.

31st July

Another very autumnal day, weather-wise, with a blustery south-westerly and drizzle/light rain persisting until mid-afternoon. After dropping B at nursery I swung by Pulborough for a brief check of the North Brooks. As I walked down, a tight group of around 25 Swifts drifted west. On the North Brooks were 36 Black-tailed Godwit, 30 Lapwing, 16 Black-headed Gulls and singles of Greenshank and Snipe, the latter only making its presence known when a Buzzard flew through low and flushed everything. 

On the way home a quick scan from the river bank near Greatham Bridge produced an incredibly close encounter with a Kingfisher, dashing past upriver. A return visit to Waltham Brooks late afternoon produced another or the same Kingfisher in flight over the main lake, a Hobby flying east, Peregrine south and a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunting and drifting north. 

Marsh Harrier

Girona, 3rd-9th July

This was a family holiday rather than ostensibly a birding trip. Nonetheless, any foray into the near continent always produces the goods when it comes to birds and all-round in your face nature, and this trip was no exception!

From our apartment and surrounding grounds (El Nus de Pedra near Llorà) we were treated daily to great views of the likes of Hawfinch, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Golden Oriole and Western Bonelli's Warbler, while others such as Nightingale, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Nightjar, Cirl Bunting and Scops Owl were heard but largely not seen.

Perhaps most spectacular of all were the butterflies and moths, with fantastic numbers of a host of species, many of them new for me. Highlights included multiple Swallowtails and Scarce Swallowtails, Broad-bordered Bee and Hummingbird Hawkmoths, Iberian Marbled White, Provençal Fritillary, Southern White Admiral, Spanish Gatekeeper, Cleopatra and Two-tailed Pasha. Certainly a stark reminder of the tragically low numbers of invertebrates we have become used to back in the UK.

3rd July

Mostly a day of travelling. Highlights included flyover Hawfinch and Short-toed Eagle and at least two Iberian Green Woodpeckers around our apartment building soon after we checked in, plus the ubiquitous singing Serins. In the evening at least two each of Nightjar and Nightingale were heard from the garden while a flock of at least 40-50 House Martins and a few Alpine Swifts drifted over. Very vocal Midwife Toads and Iberian Common Frogs/Perez's Frogs added to the atmosphere though sadly not the hoped for Scops Owl.

El Nus de Pedra - home for six nights

Serin

4th July

A little explore of the habitat near our apartment this morning proved very enjoyable with avian highlights including multiple Hawfinch and Iberian Green Woodpecker and a couple each of Firecrest and Western Bonelli’s Warbler. The first Griffon Vultures of the trip were also seen drifting high overhead along with a Sparrowhawk carrying prey. Indeed, by mid morning raptor activity really got going, with several Griffon Vultures and singles of Egyptian Vulture and Common Buzzard seen from our apartment garden.

View across some of the grounds at El Nus de Pedra

A relatively small area of rough grassland by a play park nearby produced a lot of butterfly interest, including Scarce Swallowtail, Great Banded Grayling, Clouded Yellow, Small Heath and Cleopatra, while the more wooded edges of the paths on the way up and down yielded Wall Brown, Iberian Marbled White and Southern White Admiral, plus a Yellow Bands Underwing moth. Meanwhile, the small pond in the garden of our apartment hosted Iberian Painted Frog and Scarlet Darter. Not a bad start to our first full day here!

Great Banded Grayling

Southern White Admiral

Yellow Bands Underwing

Wall Brown

Griffon Vulture

Scarce Swallowtail

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Iberian Painted Frog

Western Bonelli's Warbler

Scarlet Darter

For lunch we headed into Girona itself where a short walk around the Aiguamolls De Les Hortes De Santa Eugenia yielded a singing Great Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, a few Yellow-legged Gulls and the first Ring-necked Parakeet and Cetti’s Warblers of the trip. 

Back at our apartment in the evening, the first and only Goshawk of the trip flew north across the valley, distantly to the east. 

5th July

An early walk from our apartment again yielded several Hawfinches and at least two pairs of Western Bonelli’s Warbler. Golden Orioles continued to prove very vocal but typically elusive in the wooded valleys.

Mid-morning we headed to Banyoles to check out the lake there. Despite severe disturbance from water sports and swimming it was good to see dozens of Yellow-legged Gulls, along with a flyover Booted Eagle and our first White Storks, Tree Sparrows and Mandarin Ducks of the holiday.

L'Estany de Banyoles

Mandarin Duck

On the way back to our apartment we stopped at a couple of spots along the river in Saint Gregori which produced Green Sandpiper, Zitting Cisticola, distant Short-toed Eagle and a Golden Oriole carrying food.

Back at the apartment in the afternoon and it seemed pretty quiet on the bird front but the garden was alive with butterflies including Queen of Spain Fritillary, Two-tailed Pasha and Speckled Wood. Later in the day a walk up the hill behind our apartment also produced the first Spanish Gatekeeper for the trip (another new butterfly species for me).

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Two-tailed Pasha

Speckled Wood (nominate aegeria race)

Spanish Gatekeeper

6th July

A morning around the apartment grounds produced the now familiar array of species including Golden Oriole and Nightingale. A late morning walk up into the hills yielded multiple of both these species plus the first Sardinian Warbler of the trip. Best of all though were the butterflies which were on the wing in great numbers in possibly the warmest temperatures of the week so far. Among those identified were Swallowtail, Scarce Swallowtail, Southern White Admiral, Cleopatra, False Ilex Hairstreak, Provençal Fritillary and Small Heath, plus several Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoths nectaring on Echium on a sunny bank near our apartment. 

Cleopatra

Swallowtail

Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth

Southern Skimmer

A lunchtime jaunt out to Canet d’Adri for lunch proved worthwhile with 13 Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Honey Buzzard, two Hoopoe and a Crested Lark seen from the car on the way there and back. In addition, a stop by the river between Saint Gregori and Llorà resulted in both Kingfisher and Red Kite being added to the trip list.

Honey Buzzard

Back in the apartment garden and the very first bird that greeted us was a Hawfinch in a tree near the car park - this following on from a family party in the same area earlier in the day. It was warm but cloudy for the rest of the afternoon and evening which made for good skywatching conditions, the clear highlights being a rather unexpected and very vocal trio of Eleonora’s Falcons hunting together high overhead and a Short-toed Eagle characteristically hanging in the air above the nearby hillside. In the evening the second Lesser Spotted Woodpecker of the trip was heard calling in trees south of our apartment. 

Hawfinch

7th July

A morning walk from the apartment produced the usual fare - Short-toed Treecreeper, Golden Oriole, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and a bonus Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling again in trees down the road. 

Golden Oriole

Early afternoon we headed up to Figueres to visit the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, an almost 5,000-hectare Ramsar reserve on the Costa Brava, generally regarded as the finest wetland in the region after the Ebro Delta. One afternoon sadly wasn’t enough to see it all but just a couple of hours here still produced an impressive selection of species, many of them new for this trip, including Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt, Green Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis and Whiskered Tern. On the way out back towards Llorà, other new species for the holiday list (seen from the car) included Purple Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Iberian Grey Shrike. 

White Stork

Spoonbills

Black-winged Stilts

Blue-headed Wagtail

Nightingale fledgling

Observatory tower at Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà

...and the view from the top!

A walk out from the apartment late in the evening at last produced a couple of Scops Owls calling high in the wooded valley to the north, along with the daily Nightjars churring.

View across the fields near our apartment

8th July

Our penultimate day started with a short walk up the road from our apartment early morning. In addition to the now ubiquitous Western Bonelli’s Warblers, Short-toed Treecreepers and Firecrests, new species for the trip list included singing Turtle Dove and a heard only Siskin. Mid-morning saw the raptors getting up locally with at least five Griffon Vultures, two Hobbies and an Egyptian Vulture seen from the apartment garden.

Egyptian Vulture

Turtle Dove

There wasn’t much else in the way of birding or butterfly action today although a trip out for lunch did produce another Hoopoe and Common Buzzard (not a species we saw many of throughout the week). In the evening a Booted Eagle and three Hawfinches flew over our apartment while a presumed family party of four Western Bonelli’s Warblers were flitting about in trees near the car park.  

Booted Eagle

9th July

As was the case on day one, today was another day dominated by travelling, with farewell birds at our accommodation at El Nus de Pedra including Golden Oriole, Western Bonelli’s Warbler and Nuthatch. Last minute additions to the holiday species list included Red Underwing Skipper in the apartment garden and two Monk Parakeets across the road as we drove back to Barcelona airport. 

Red Underwing Skipper