Our first few days have been spent sightseeing, a nice visit to the coast Sunday, albeit blowing a gale and a day out in Barcelona today in glorious sunshine. So most of our birding thus far has been mainly around the villa in the early morning and late evening. Thankfully the weather has improved immensely with a nice 22C today but the nights chill down to around 5C, so I'm glad we brought some warm cloths.
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| Subalpine Warbler - A nice find! |
I heard the
Golden Oriole calling once again this morning, although lower down the valley,
Nightingales are singing well, particularly at dusk and a couple of
Cirl Buntings are very vocal from time to time. A nice find on Sunday was a ♀
Subalpine Warbler, in fact I'm almost certain there's a pair around the grounds, with a brief glimpse of what I believe may have been the male today. After dark the unmistakable call of a
Scops Owl, something that requires a little investigation as I'm certain he's pretty close by!
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| An obliging Firecrest! |
Several
Firecrests around the grounds are a real treat and have even obliged for the camera. There's a constant flow of
Common Swift overhead but I'm still trying to pick out my first Alpine!
Booted Eagle and
Honey Buzzard have drifted over while we've been out on the terrace, along with several
Raven. Additions to the villa list this evening have been
Serin and
Great Spotted Woodpecker.
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| A dozen or so Provencal Fritillary around the grounds! |
With the warmth a number of butterflies have been on the wing and the most popular thus far has been the
Provencal Fritillary with a couple of
Brimstone around too.
