2010 (No 10) - Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society

The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society
Gibraltar
Bird Report
2010
Number 10

2 Bird Report 2010

GONHS
GIBRALTAR BIRD REPORT
2010
Editor: Dr Ernest Garcia
Editorial Address:
Woodpecker House,
Pine View Close,
Chilworth, Guildford,
Surrey, GU4 8RS, UK.
Email: ernestgarcia@gonhs.org
Records Officer & Chairman
of Rarities Committee: Charles E. Perez
Email: records@gonhs.org
General Secretary: Dr John Cortes
Email: johncortes@gonhs.org
Published 2011 by the
GIBRALTAR ORNITHOLOGICAL
AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
PO Box 843
Gibraltar
Tel. 00 350 200 72639
Fax. 00 350 200 74022
Email info@gonhs.org
Web Site www.gonhs.org
© Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society 2011
3

4 Bird Report 2010

GONHS
CONTENTS
Editorial
Acknowledgements
BIRDS IN GIBRALTAR 2010
Compiled by Ernest Garcia
Review of the Year
The weather 2010
The Systematic List
List of Contributors to Birds in Gibraltar 2010
An exceptionally heavy passage of Black Kites
Milvus migrans over Gibraltar on August
2 nd 2011
Mario Mosquera
Wing-tagging of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus
Charles Perez and Ernest Garcia
Gibraltar Ringing Report 2010
Charles Perez
Erratum
Appendices
Appendix 1 : Daily counts of migrant raptors and storks 2009.
Appendix 2 : Monthly totals of seabirds at Europa Point 2009.
Appendix 3: Daily counts of migrant raptors and storks 2010.
Contributing to the Gibraltar Bird Report
The Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural
History Society
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Mediterranean Shag Phalacrocorax
aristotelis desmarestii at Camp Bay, Gibraltar (Stewart Brittenden)
5
6
8
9
11
13
50
51
54
56
61
62
65
66
69
70

6 Bird Report 2010
EDITORIAL
Dr Ernest Garcia
Why are you reading this?
This is the tenth in the current series
of annual Gibraltar Bird Reports,
which I have been privileged to
edit. The first in the series, covering
2001, appeared in 2002. I think that
all involved in this publication have
good reason to feel satisfied that the
Reports have appeared regularly
and on time, and that they sustain a
high standard of presentation that does justice to the work of local observers.
One of the regular features of publications such as this is the annual report on bird
ringing. The business of marking wild animals to find out what they get up to is in a
state of flux as ever more ingenious technological developments make it feasible to
track individual creatures with remarkable precision. Where birds are concerned the
practice of ringing individuals with numbered rings including a reporting address
is of very long standing. The pioneering scheme in Britain began in 1907 and was
expanded greatly under the auspices of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in
1937. BTO rings are used in Gibraltar as well as in most of the United Kingdom.
Traditional ringing largely depended on marked birds being found and reported
and, as such, was hugely inefficient: especially for small birds whose recovery rates
are fewer than one in a thousand. Migrants wintering in sub-Saharan Africa were
especially unlikely ever to be reported there. Nowadays, the value of bird ringing,
and the ethical justification for capturing wild creatures and marking them, derives
as much if not more from the information that it delivers on the health and trends
of particular populations – especially through the operation of constant effort sites
that allow fluctuations in numbers and productivity to be detected objectively – and
from the data that it collects on the timing and subspecific makeup of migratory
movements.
Ringing at Gibraltar has been practised more or less continuously since Brian
Etheridge began mist-netting on the Upper Rock in spring 1973 (Finlayson 1977).
In total 33,284 birds were ringed during 2001–10 and 24,437 during 1991–2000
(Perez 2002). The few dozen overseas recoveries have largely fitted the patterns
revealed by the much larger ringing campaigns in Spain especially. However, the
large-scale ringing of Crag Martins in Gibraltar, unique in the Iberian peninsula,

GONHS
has been useful in showing that many of the birds that winter in the region originate
from south-central Europe. It is arguable that greater value has been delivered by
ringing in Gibraltar in revealing the passage periods of particular species in greater
detail. A particularly important example is the ringing of the Iberian Chiffchaff. This
species is not always readily separable in the field from the Common Chiffchaff.
However, ringers at Gibraltar have been able to establish that it is a summer visitor
to Iberia and that it passes through the area on passage during mid February–April
and August–early October (Perez & Cortes 2002).
Ringing has also been remarkably useful at detecting many birds that are hard
or impossible to detect by any other means in the dense scrub that clothes much
of the Upper Rock. They include the Reed and Grasshopper Warblers and the
Scops Owl, as well as a whole series of rare birds that would have been missed
entirely had they not wandered into a mist-net: the Mountain Chiffchaff; Blyth’s Reed
and Yellow-browed Warblers; Richard’s Pipit, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Long-tailed
Tit, Bullfinch, Common Rosefinch and Indigo Bunting are examples. The biometric
data collected by ringers: the records of weights, fat scores and measurements,
comprise a substantial pool of information much of which may well deliver valuable
information, once the time and effort needed to analyse the figures become
available.
It seems clear to me that the benefits of traditional bird ringing are becoming
overshadowed, if not eclipsed entirely, by the new bird marking techniques that are
being employed. These have the merits of allowing much more frequent reporting
rates or even the constant monitoring of individuals wherever they travel in the
world. A traditional ringing recovery could only furnish information on where a bird
was found but gave no clues to where it had been since it was first caught. One of
the earliest improvements on standard ringing was the introduction of field-readable
marks, such as large numbered rings and wing tags. These are useful with large
birds, such as gulls and raptors that inhabit open habitats, where their rings or other
marks can be read through a telescope. Sightings can thus be reported without the
birds having to be recaptured. Many of the Audouin’s Gulls that occur at Gibraltar
bear such rings that have been fitted to juveniles at the Ebro delta and other Levant
colonies and on the Islas Chafarinas, Melilla. Wing-tagged raptors have occasionally
been seen in Gibraltar and blue wing-tags for marking raptors released on the Rock
were introduced in 2010, as described in this Report.
The most sophisticated, informative and expensive bird-marking techniques involve
satellite tags that allow individuals to be located and followed at all times. A less
expensive but less convenient approach involves marking birds with data-loggers
that record their movements but which can only be read by recapturing the bearers
7

8 Bird Report 2010
at some stage, perhaps if and when they return to their breeding grounds after
wintering elsewhere. Hardly a day seems to pass without new reports emerging
from satellite tracking studies in particular. An ongoing study involves the migration
of several male Common Cuckoos from England, all of which had reached Africa
by August 2011 (See the BTO website: www.bto.org). The Go-South Bulletin (www.
go-south.org) published in Morocco has also included a series of fascinating maps
of the satellite-tracked movements of a whole range of species between Europe
and Africa (Bergier et al. 2011). Two Short-toed Eagles had transmitters attached
in Gibraltar and were tracked for some months before the systems failed (Cortes
2005). The technology has improved very quickly even since then and it is now
possible to mark quite small birds with harnesses incorporating solar panels that
overcome the earlier problems that resulted from using heavy and short-lived
batteries. Satellite-tracking studies are necessarily part of well-planned and wellfunded
projects. It seems unlikely that they could originate in Gibraltar but there is
one local bird that would be a potentially worthwhile candidate for a tracking study:
the Yellow-legged Gull, an increasing and controversial species whose movements
are little known. In the meantime, look out for wing-tagged and colour-ringed birds
and record their marks (it is important to distinguish between left and right legs).
They can be reported to GONHS who will be able to track down their originators.
References
Bergier, P., Qninba, A. & Thévenot, M. 2011. Notes naturalistes au Sahara Atlantique
marocain 3. Go-South Bull. 8: 67–103.
Cortes, J. 2005. Movements of two immature Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus
tracked by satellite. Gibraltar Bird Report 2004: 46–51.
Finlayson, J. C. 1977. Report on birds ringed on the Rock of Gibraltar up to 31
December 1976. Bull. Gib. Orn. Group 1(2): 19–25.
Perez, C. 2002. Totals of birds ringed at Gibraltar 1991–2001. Gibraltar Bird Report
2001: 44–46.
Perez, C. & Cortes, J. 2002. Passage of the Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus
at Gibraltar. Gibraltar Bird Report 2001: 29–31.
Acknowledgments
I thank Charles Perez and Keith Bensusan, for their comments and for assistance
with checking the text. Charles Perez also supplied the records databank and
the ringing report, in his capacity as the Society’s bird recorder. I am grateful to
Katrina Edmonds of the Meteorological Office for supplying the weather data for the
year. As usual, the Report is enhanced by the work of photographers in Gibraltar
and southern Spain: I gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Paul Acolina,
Mesod Belilo, Stewart Brittenden, Birgit Kremer, Mario Mosquera, David Parody and
Charles Perez to this issue. The many people who submitted records during the
year comprise the List of Contributors on Page 50.

GONHS
BIRDS IN GIBRALTAR 2010
Compiled by Ernest Garcia
Review of the year
This was again a relatively poor year in terms of species diversity. Only 149 species
were recorded, three more than in 2009 but still somewhat below the mean total for
2001–09, which is 153 species. Nevertheless, the year was not without its highlights
and its share of exceptional and unusual records.
The Gibraltar List increased by one species with the observation by Sean Monaghan
of a male Common Eider flying south off Sandy Bay on January 22 nd . This is a
characteristic duck of rocky northern coasts of Eurasia and North America but very
few travel far from northern waters. The Eider is seen annually on the Biscay and
Catalan coasts of Spain but only in small numbers and it is very rare indeed in
southern Iberia, so this is a notable ‘first’ for Gibraltar.
A flock of 27 Glossy Ibises flying north on April 19 th was only the third local record
of the species. A Common Magpie that lingered on the Rock from at least April
2 nd to April 12 th was also only the third Gibraltar record. Less celebrated but still
very noteworthy observations in 2010 included single Leach’s Storm-petrels in
January and February, two Night Herons, two Lesser Spotted Eagles on April 1 st ,
single Bonelli’s Eagles on May 29 th and Jun 19 th , five Lanner Falcons, five Eleonora’s
Falcons, five Pomarine Skuas, a group of four Slender-billed Gulls, a Lesser Crested
Tern and a Short-eared Owl. The scarcer warblers were represented by a Cetti’s
Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, three Wood Warblers and five Olivaceous Warblers. As
usual, details of all these and other records comprise the Systematic List.
Those of us who were active birders in Gibraltar in the 1960s and 1970s would
never then have imagined that such common and numerous wintering species
as the Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls would become very scarce
within a couple of decades. Equally we never suspected that a local rarity, the
Great Cormorant, would become a regular and common sight around Gibraltar in
winter over the same period. These changes form part of wider shifts in distribution
affecting the whole of Iberia, which have seen a great increase in the numbers of
gulls that winter inland as well as an influx of wintering Cormorants throughout the
region. The local establishment of the Great Cormorant was particularly evident
in 2010 when the records included a flock of 250 together, by far the largest
assemblage ever reported in Gibraltar. The small and isolated breeding population
of Mediterranean Shags has continued to survive and may even be increasing
slowly, notwithstanding the part-time presence of its larger relative. A sighting of
9

10 Bird Report 2010
11 Shags together on August 16 th offers some grounds for optimism regarding the
continued local survival of this evidently highly resilient species.
The spring passage of soaring birds was well watched and saw notable seasonal
totals of 13,183 Honey Buzzards and 17,655 Black Kites. The Honey Buzzard total,
the largest spring count on record, was a surprising and welcome improvement after
a run of relatively poor years. The spring total of 2,190 White Storks was exceptional
for Gibraltar, although still only a small fraction of the entire trans-Strait passage.
Daily counts for the season are in Appendix 3A. Unlike the spring, the autumn
produced very meagre records of soaring migrants, the outcome of unsuitable
winds at key periods combined with a lack of sustained observation.
Other migrants were especially in evidence in mid April, when levanter conditions
resulted in falls of passerines. The most productive date was April 17 th when sight
records included 59 Yellow Wagtails, 15 Common Redstarts, 12 Northern Wheatears,
18 Common Whitethroats, 23 Willow Warblers, 20 Woodchat Shrikes and 22 Ortolan
Buntings, most of them found in the North Front Cemetery or on Windmill Hill. Many
other passerines were ringed at Jews’ Gate during this period, as stated in the
Ringing Report.
The first-ever recorded nesting of Spotted Flycatchers in 2009 was followed by
the welcome return of a breeding pair to the Botanic Gardens in 2010, which were
also successful. A pair of Robins is also thought to have nested successfully in the
gardens. A very different breeding record involved the feral Blue-crowned Conures,
a pair of which nested in a hole in the remnants of the former Theatre Royal in the
town centre, which was in the process of demolition. The works were suspended
until the young fledged.
On the debit side, 2010 was notable for the total absence of records of quite a few
species that would surely have been recorded had observers been more numerous
and more active. For example, there were no reports of Kingfishers, Wrynecks,
Firecrests or Short-toed Treecreepers, all of which are usually expected annually in
very small numbers. Another wake-up call for local enthusiasts.

GONHS
WEATHER SUMMARY 2010
Data provided by courtesy of the Meteorological Office, Gibraltar
The exceptionally wet weather of the second half of December 2009 proved to be a
harbinger of a record-breaking wet year in 2010, not just for Gibraltar but for much
of the Iberian peninsula. Gibraltar experienced above-average rainfall during nine
months of 2010 (see Figure), the total for the year being 247% of the long-term
mean. January was the third-wettest since records began and the February rainfall
of 484.6mm was over 5.5 times the normal February rainfall and the highest since
records were standardised in 1947. March, November and December also saw more
than twice the usual monthly average rainfall, as did July: the July rainfall of 2.4mm
is well above the average 1mm. There was some significant rainfall every month
so that the usual summer drought period was very far from absolute. The wettest
days in this extraordinarily wet year were November 26 th (126.0mm or 5 inches),
December 20 th (91.2mm), February 18 th (90.4mm) and January 6th (85.6mm).
Monthly rainfall (mm) in Gibraltar during 2010 compared
with the long-term means
Temperatures were a little warmer than average, the year mean being 0.6 o C above
the long-term mean of 18.2 o C. There was a three-day cool spell during January
8 th –10 th when the mean temperature fell below 10 o C. A low mean temperature of
9.8 o C was also recorded on February 14 th . The coldest minimum air temperature of
the year, 4.7 o C, was recorded on both January 9 th and 10 th . Maximum temperatures
exceeded 30 o C on 15 days between June 1st and August 28th, the year maximum
of 37.1 o C occurring on August 11 th .
11

12 Bird Report 2010
Annual Statistics
Variable 2010 Average 1968–97
Rainfall 1,898mm 768mm
Mean temperature 18.8 o C 18.2 o C
Annual maximum temperature 37.2 o C -
Annual minimum temperature 4.7 o C -
Annual sunshine 2,559 hours 2,710 hours
Westerly winds 157 days -
Easterly winds 137 days -
Variable winds 71 days -
Mean wind speed 11.0 knots 12.5 knots
Thunderstorms 36 days -
Fog 23 days 21 days
Westerly winds (43% of days) were only slightly more frequent than easterlies (38%)
but days of calm or light variable winds (19%) were exceptionally frequent. Despite
the unusual frequency of calm conditions there were easterly gale force winds on
single days in January, February and March, on two days in April and on four days
in December, as well as westerly gales on one day in January and on three days
in March. The strongest winds of the year were on January 27th, when easterlies
gusted to 58 knots.
Wind direction.
Number of days per month with predominantly westerly,
easterly or variable winds
Winds have an easterly or westerly component almost invariably. Days when the
wind changed are assigned as assessed by the Meteorological Office.
Days when wind was predominantly
MONTH Westerly Easterly Variable
January 21 2 8
February 15 5 8
March 11 12 8
April 4 20 6
May 19 8 4
June 16 9 5
July 6 21 4
August 4 18 9
September 11 14 5
October 18 8 5
November 22 6 2
December 10 14 7

GONHS
SYSTEMATIC LIST 2010
Records marked * are pending consideration by the Rarities Panel.
Status definitions.
IMPORTANT NOTES.
Vagrant: Exceptional at any time in southern Iberia (including Gibraltar), e.g. Allen’s
Gallinule.
Local Vagrant: Exceptional in Gibraltar but not unusual in southern Spain, e.g.
Woodpigeon, Moorhen.
Rare: Seldom recorded in Gibraltar or anywhere in southern Spain, e.g. Alpine
Chough and Fieldfare.
Occasional: Seen infrequently and not annually, e.g. Rufous Bush Chat.
Regular: Annual in small numbers, e.g. Red-necked Nightjar.
Common: Annual and sometimes numerous, e.g. Black Redstart.
Counts of migrant raptors. (See Appendix 3 for daily totals).
Gibraltar only sees a variable fraction of the passage of raptors across the Strait. Most
occur during westerly winds, when a higher proportion of the movements occur at the
western end of the Strait. Harriers, falcons and the Osprey show only a limited tendency
to seek short sea crossings and so their totals are invariably low. A daily watch is kept
during the spring migration period but the autumn is covered only intermittently.
Ringing records.
These are reviewed and summarised in the annual ringing report. Some reference is
also made to them in the Systematic List, especially giving the first and last ringing
dates for migrant species. Nearly all ringing takes place at Jews’ Gate bird observatory
and so all records of birds ringed may be assumed to have originated from that site,
unless otherwise specified.
Names.
We follow the decisions on classification and nomenclature adopted by the British
Ornithologists’ Union. However, the adjective ‘Eurasian’ is omitted from English names
where no ambiguity results. Spanish names are those favoured by the Sociedad
Española de Ornitología.
13

14 Bird Report 2010
Common Eider* Eider Común Somateria molissima
Local vagrant.
A male flew south off Sandy Bay on January 22 nd . First local record (S. Monaghan).
Common Scoter Negrón Común Melanitta nigra
Occasional in winter.
There were 20 off Sandy Bay on February 25 th .
Barbary Partridge Perdiz Moruna Alectoris barbara
Resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 17 birds, 11 of them on Windmill Hill.
Small numbers were reported throughout the year, principally from the Great Sand
Slopes, Windmill Hill and the southern Upper Rock. Most records were of ones and
twos but coveys of up to seven, on August 22 nd , were reported on the Great Sand
Slopes. Recently fledged chicks were seen at Royal Anglian Way on June 28 th .
Common Quail Codorniz Común Coturnix coturnix
Regular migrant.
One was in the North Front Cemetery on October 2 nd .
Cory’s Shearwater Pardela Cenicienta Calonectris diomedea
Common in summer and on passage. A few remain in winter.
This species, together with other seabirds, was poorly monitored in 2010. The first
report was one off Sandy Bay on April 3 rd and there were 50 there on April 11 th . The
largest counts from Europa Point comprised 40 west on June 3 rd , 88 west on July
1 st , 45 offshore on August 10 th , 300 offshore on September 19 th and 200 also feeding
offshore on September 23 rd . The last report was one off Sandy Bay on October 2 nd .
Balearic Shearwater Pardela Balear Puffinus mauretanicus
Common offshore, including regular passage.
Six were off Sandy Bay on January 30 th and there were 40 there on May 30 th and
168 on July 1 st . At Europa Point 105 flew west on June 30 th and 35 west on July 1 st ;
and 16 were seen returning east on September 10 th . The last reports comprised 30
off Sandy Bay on September 29 th and nine there on October 2 nd , and also two flying
east at Europa Point on December 4 th .

GONHS
Leach’s Storm-petrel Paíño Boreal Oceanodroma leucorhoa
Rare, late autumn & winter.
An exhausted bird was picked up in the harbour area, at HMS Rooke, on January
28 th . It recovered and was ringed and released the following day. One was seen off
Europa Point on February 22 nd .
Northern Gannet Alcatraz Atlántico Morus bassanus
Common offshore, especially in autumn and winter and on passage.
There were records in every month as usual but no large movements were reported
and the largest count was of 155 off Sandy Bay on March 24 th . Six off Europa Point
on June 3 rd comprised three first-summer birds, one second-summer and two
adults, showing that individuals of a variety of ages remain in the region during the
breeding season.
Adult Gannet (E.F.J. Garcia)
Great Cormorant Cormorán Grande Phalacrocorax carbo
Regular in small numbers, mainly in winter.
By far the largest flock of Cormorants on record for Gibraltar was reported on January
17 th when 250 arrived from the north and landed on the sea adjacent to the airfield
at Western Beach. Their presence caused some concern to the airfield authorities
and the bird-scaring unit fired some flares that caused the birds to depart. A flock
of 90 seen flying along the East Side at about the same time may have been part of
the original flock: they reached Sandy Bay and then turned back north. The arrival
of such a large flock invites speculation that the birds had been disturbed en masse
from some other site in the area, perhaps the Guadiaro or Palmones estuaries,
where Cormorants often gather.
Small numbers of wintering birds were present all around the coastline during both
winter periods and there was often a congregation on the rocks at the cliff base
at the southern end of Little Bay, which has become a regular haunt. The largest
gatherings reported here in spring were of 15 on February 14 th and 17 on March
15

16 Bird Report 2010
3 rd , and there were still five there on April 17 th . Migrants were seen on the move
northwards from Jews’ Gate on several scattered dates: 11 on March 27 th , four on
April 17 th and three on May 1 st . The latest spring records were of a single bird in the
harbour on May 10 th and May 19 th .
The earliest autumn report was on November 14 th , when there were two in the harbour.
The Little Bay loafing site held 16 on December 12 th . There were 30 between the
airfield and the South Mole on December 26 th .
Shag Cormorán Moñudo Phalacrocorax aristotelis
Several pairs are resident.
Observations came from all around the coastline and included one or two seen with
the Cormorants at their Little Bay assembly point on several occasions. The largest
count was a notable 11 birds, one of them a juvenile, seen off Governor’s Beach on
August 16 th . Eight were at the same location, in the vicinity of the nesting sites, on
September 19 th .
Night Heron Martinete Común Nycticorax nycticorax
Occasional migrant.
Two juveniles were on the Europa Point foreshore on September 23 rd . Ninth record
(C. Perez).
Juvenile Night Herons (B. Kremer)

GONHS
Cattle Egret Garcilla Bueyera Bubulcus ibis
Occasional migrant and occasional in winter.
Two flew north at Europort on June 11 th and two more flew north at Camp Bay on
June 18 th , an unusual time of year for occurrences of this species. One was seen at
Europa Point on August 11 th .
Little Egret Garceta Común Egretta garzetta
Occasional migrant and occasional in winter.
Many more records than usual were received, largely due to regular watching of the
east coast at Sandy Bay by S. Monaghan. There were 14 on four dates in spring,
from April 1 st to May 8 th , including ten flying north off Sandy Bay on April 11 th . There
were 66 migrants seen from July 19 th to September 29 th , including 15 off Sandy Bay
on August 24 th , 40 there on September 16 th and ten at Europa Point on September
29 th . A few were present in the harbour from December 17 th , with a maximum count of
five on the Detached Mole on December 26 th , some of which remained into 2011.
Grey Heron Garza Real Ardea cinerea
Occasional migrant and occasional in winter.
Single birds were observed in the harbour area on March 31 st and July 27 th . Five
were seen from Europa Point on August 15 th .
Black Stork Cigüeña Negra Ciconia nigra
Common migrant.
Spring migrants totalled 128 between February 13 th and May 13 th , including 25 on
March 31 st and 23 on May 1 st .
The few autumn records comprised ten on September 24 th and one on November
8 th .
White Stork Cigüeña Blanca Ciconia ciconia
Common migrant, but most bypass Gibraltar to the west.
The spring passage was exceptionally well marked, although the total of 2,190
birds is still a small fraction of the total trans-Strait movements. They occurred
between January 20 th and May 2 nd , with notable counts of 44 on February 16 th , 258
on February 19 th , 300 on March 4 th and 709 on March 25 th . Counts of 96 arriving on
May 1 st , followed by 39 on May 2 nd , must have involved non-breeders, presumably
immature birds, but even the March observations are unlikely to involve southern
Iberian birds, which are well into their breeding cycle by then.
17

18 Bird Report 2010
Observations during the second half of the year were typically rare. There was only
one record: four birds flying west over the Strait on July 17 th .
Glossy Ibis* Morito Común Plegadis falcinellus
Local vagrant.
A flock of 27 was seen flying north at Sandy Bay on April 19 th . Third record (S.
Monaghan).
Greater Flamingo Flamenco Común Phoenicopterus roseus
Irregular migrant, occurring most years.
Six flocks totalling 182 birds were seen on separate dates between March 8 th and
April 19 th , with a maximum of 55 on March 31 st . A flock of 36 flew west over the
airfield on September 17 th and two flew north over Windmill Hill on November 30 th .
Honey Buzzard Abejero Europeo Pernis apivorus
Common migrant.
The spring count of 13,183 individuals broke a recent run of poor years and was in
fact the largest spring count locally on record. It corresponded with exceptionally
low counts elsewhere in the Strait, with only 3,823 counted (A. Onrubia pers. comm.)
so clearly conditions conspired to bring the major movements over Gibraltar. The
earliest recorded were five birds on April 22 nd . The great majority (96.4%) occurred
between April 30 th and May 13 th , when a total of 12,712 were counted, including
2,092 on May 2 nd , 2,788 on May 4 th and 3,671 on May 13 th . Small numbers occurred
thereafter, the latest on June 20 th .
The post-breeding passage was exceptionally weak locally, in sharp contrast to
the spring movements. The autumn total of 301 birds, including 237 on September
8 th , is trivial by local standards. (The mean autumn count since 1967 is 12,854 and
the record year was 1976, when were 45,851 recorded). The extreme dates were
August 24 th and October 4 th .
Honey Buzzard (B. Kremer)

GONHS
Black Kite Milano Negro Milvus migrans
Common migrant.
The spring passage was strongly in evidence locally and 17,655 birds were counted,
just 61 more than in 2009 but second only to the 18,766 recorded in 2005. As
usual, passage was prolonged, with distinct early peaks marking the arrival of the
breeding populations during February–April and later large arrivals of presumed
non-breeders. The earliest were single birds on January 14 th , 29 th and 30 th . Passage
proper built up through February, when the largest day counts were 899 on February
19 th , 1,808 on February 23 rd and 895 on February 25 th . Other notable day-counts
thereafter included 1,011 on March 3 rd , 1,062 on March 8 th , 1,500 on March 25 th and
1,909 on April 12 th . The larger counts late in the season included 712 on May 1 st ,
705 on May 3 rd and 196 on June 2 nd . The last record was 31 birds on June 6 th .
The post-breeding movements coincided with highly unfavourable winds at Gibraltar
and this circumstance, together with a lack of observers, resulted in no significant
passage being recorded. Just 289 individuals were reported, between July 9 th and
September 10 th .
Egyptian Vulture Alimoche Común Neophron percnopterus
Regular migrant.
The spring count was 58 birds, between February 19 th and May 26 th , a poor count
in view of the large movements of some other raptor species that occurred. They
included 14 on February 23 rd and 11 on March 13 th , as well as a concentration of 25
seen between May 1 st and May 13 th .
Later in the year there were two on September 12 th and one on the relatively late
date of October 25 th .
Griffon Vulture Buitre Leonado Gyps fulvus
Common migrant.
Griffon Vultures were much in evidence during 2010, especially during the second
half of the year. The first half of the season saw a total of 416 individuals, 406 of
which passed north between April 23 rd and June 19 th : including 89 on April 23 rd ,
76 on May 1 st , 120 on May 14 th and 61 on June 2 nd . Earlier in the year there was
one over the Rock on January 21 st and nine apparent migrants on scattered dates
between February 11 th and April 22 nd .
At least 928 were counted between October 1 st and December 4 th but the great
majority returned north to Spain as usual without crossing the Strait at Gibraltar.
The largest counts included 44 on October 24 th , 300 on October 25 th and 135 on
November 8 th . The earliest bird, on October 1 st , was driven into the sea by the local
Yellow-legged Gulls. An individual was on rooftops in the city during November
19

20 Bird Report 2010
10 th –12 th until it was caught and taken into care, as was another bird found on
December 4 th . A second, less fortunate individual was discovered on December
4 th : recently dead and inside a warehouse at the airport. As usual, most if not all the
birds reported during both seasons were immature individuals.
Short-toed Eagle Culebrera Europea Circaetus gallicus
Common migrant. Occasional in summer and has wintered.
Northbound migrants during the first half of the year totalled 1,011 birds, between
February 6 th and June 6 th . Notable day counts were 112 on February 23 rd , 510 on
March 13 th and 92 on May 1 st , and these illustrate the prolonged passage period
that is typical of the species locally.
Only three individuals were reported in autumn.
Marsh Harrier Aguilucho Lagunero Circus aeruginosus
Common migrant.
Spring migrants totalled 218: between February 23 rd and May 13 th . Of these 140
passed between March 25 th and April 4 th . Only six were reported in autumn.
Hen Harrier Aguilucho Pálido Circus cyaneus
Regular but scarce migrant.
Seven individuals were recorded, all of them in spring. They comprised a male on
March 25 th , three males on March 26 th , a female on April 17 th and two females on
March 24 th .
Montagu’s Harrier Aguilucho Cenizo Circus pygargus
Common migrant.
Spring migrants totalled 80 birds. An exceptionally early male was seen on March
4 th but the remainder passed between March 25 th and May 4 th . Only three individuals
were reported in autumn.
Sparrowhawk Gavilán Común Accipiter nisus
Common migrant.
Spring migrants totalled 718 birds. The earliest was one over the Rock on February
4 th but the passage proper occurred between February 23 rd and May 11 th . The peak
movement was seen between March 25 th and April 12 th , when 513 birds (72% of the
total) were recorded, including 101 on March 25 th .

GONHS
Only 163 were seen during the poorly monitored autumn passage, between August
12 th and October 4 th , but they included a noteworthy 137 birds on September 25 th .
Common Buzzard Busardo Ratonero Buteo buteo
Regular but scarce migrant, formerly common. Occasional in winter.
One was over the Rock on January 3 rd and another was seen flying north on January
19 th . Eleven apparent migrants were seen between February 25 th and April 12 th .
There were no records during the second half of the year.
Lesser Spotted Eagle* Águila Pomerana Aquila pomarina
Vagrant.
Two arrived separately with other migrant raptors seen from Jews’ Gate on April 1 st .
Fourth and fifth local records (M. Mosquera, S. Norman and others). There was also
an observation of a spotted eagle sp. from Sandy Bay on April 23 rd .
Lesser Spotted Eagle (M. Mosquera)
Booted Eagle Aguililla Calzada Aquila pennata
Common migrant. Occasional in winter.
As usual the spring passage was prolonged and 868 birds were counted between
March 8 th and June 6 th : including 133 on March 25 th , 148 on March 29 th and 100 on
May 1 st .
In total there were 280 reported during the second half of the year on scattered
dates between July 7 th and November 8 th , including a gathering of some 200 on
September 1 st .
21

22 Bird Report 2010
Bonelli’s Eagle Águila-Azor Perdicera Aquila fasciata
Rare migrant and occasional visitor. Former resident.
An immature bird was over the Rock on May 29 th and a subadult individual flew
north on June 19 th .
Osprey Águila Pescadora Pandion haliaetus
Regular migrant and occasional in winter. Bred formerly.
All records were during the first half of the year, when 38 were reported flying north.
Passage was between February 19 th and May 13 th with the exception of a late bird
on June 6 th .
Lesser Kestrel Cernícalo Primilla Falco naumanni
Scarce breeding species and regular but scarce on passage. Occasional in
winter.
The earliest observation near the North Face breeding site was on February 18 th . At
least 16 pairs nested at the colony, where several nests still housed at least three
well-developed young on June 27 th . Other broods had fledged by that date and the
total productivity was not recorded. Food items brought to large nestlings by their
parents were seen to include a large cricket, a lizard and a small snake. Only 19
apparent migrants were recorded from Jews’ Gate, between March 20 th and May
5 th , and there were no reports during the second half of the year.
Common Kestrel Cernícalo Vulgar Falco tinnunculus
Resident. Common migrant.
Eleven pairs were located in total, including a suspected pair within the town
area. The breeding performance of six successful pairs was monitored and they
fledged 21 young between them, a pair nesting at the Mediterranean Steps proving
to be the most productive and fledging five young. About 20 apparent migrants
were reported from Jews’ Gate in spring but, as usual, these cannot be reliably
distinguished from the residents.
Merlin Esmerejón Falco columbarius
Occasional migrant.
Single migrants were observed flying north on March 10 th , 20 th and 30 th . An
unseasonal bird was at Windmill Hill on November 1 st .

GONHS
Hobby Alcotán Europeo Falco subbuteo
Regular but scarce migrant in spring, scarcer in autumn.
Spring migrants totalled 38, between March 31 st and May 9 th , including eight on
May 1 st and nine on May 2 nd . One on September 25 th was the only autumn record.
Eleonora’s Falcon Halcón de Eleonora Falco eleonorae
Regular but scarce, mainly in late summer.
There were five records of single birds: on March 25 th , June 6 th , August 17 th , August
24 th and September 2 nd .
Lanner Falcon Halcón Borní Falco biarmicus
Rare migrant.
There were five observations of single birds. An adult was over the Rock on May
29 th . Single juveniles were reported on June 1 st , August 23 rd , September 8 th and
September 10 th .
Peregrine Falcon Halcón Peregrino Falco peregrinus
Resident. Some migrants may occur.
Seven pairs are known to have nested but only three were successful, fledging a
total of seven young between them.
Common Crane Grulla Común Grus grus
Occasional and irregular migrant.
Two flocks were observed. A flock of 12 passed north on March 8 th . A very early
flock of 30 was reported flying west on September 8 th .
Oystercatcher Ostrero Euroasiático Haematopus ostralegus
Occasional migrant.
There were four reports from Sandy Bay where two were seen on July 20 th , July 29 th
and September 30 th and a single bird on August 16 th .
Avocet Avoceta Común Recurvirostra avosetta
Occasional migrant.
Two flocks, of 14 and 13 birds, flew west past Europa Point on August 23 rd . A further
12 flew south off Sandy Bay on October 6 th .
23

24 Bird Report 2010
Stone-curlew Alcaraván Común Burhinus oedicnemus
Occasional migrant.
One was on Windmill Hill on March 7 th .
Ringed Plover Chorlitejo Grande Charadrius hiaticula
Local vagrant.
One was on the runway on August 19 th (H. Walsh) This is only the eighth documented
local record and the first since February 1988, although Ringed Plovers seem to have
been regular on passage on the isthmus before it became built-over (Garcia 2009).
Whimbrel Zarapito Trinador Numenius phaeopus
Regular migrant and winter.
One was at Sandy Bay during August 22 nd –24 th and there was one in Little Bay on
August 28 th .
Common Redshank Archibebe Común Tringa totanus
Local vagrant.
One was reported from Sandy Bay on May 5 th . Fifteenth record (S. Monaghan).
Common Sandpiper Andarríos Chico Actitis hypoleucos
Regular migrant. Occasional in winter.
One was on the east coast on January 9 th . One was at Sandy Bay on August 18 th
and there were six there on August 19 th .
Common Sandpiper ( P. Acolina)

GONHS
Ruddy Turnstone Vuelvepiedras Común Arenaria interpres
Regular, mainly in winter.
Two were at Europa Point on April 18 th . One was on one of the groynes at Eastern
Beach on November 28 th , three were at the South Mole on November 29 th and seven
were at Europa Point on December 3 rd .
Pomarine Skua Págalo Pomarino Stercorarius pomarinus
Occasional migrant.
There were five seen off Sandy Bay: two birds on April 6 th and single birds on July
18 th , August 15 th and August 21 st .
Arctic Skua Págalo Parásito Stercorarius parasiticus
Present all year.
Eight were seen from Sandy Bay on seven dates between April 3 rd and April 24 th and
another was there on May 6 th . Later in the year there were single birds off Sandy Bay
on August 14 th and October 6 th and one was off Europa Point on September 19 th .
Great Skua Págalo Grande Stercorarius skua
Present all year. Common on passage.
What were probably mainly spring migrants heading for the Atlantic were observed
regularly from Sandy Bay. They totalled 78, between February 28 th and April 25 th ,
including 30 on April 3 rd and 13 on April 6 th .
Single birds were off Sandy Bay on January 23 rd , January 31 st and August 6 th . Single
birds were reported off Europa Point on three dates in February and on September
19 th and December 4 th .
Slender-billed Gull (B. Kremer)
25

26 Bird Report 2010
Slender-billed Gull* Gaviota Picofina Chroicocephalus genei
Local vagrant.
Four flew west at Europa Point on September 2 nd (C. Perez & K. Bensusan). 12 th
record and the largest group yet recorded in Gibraltar.
Black-headed Gull Gaviota Reidora Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Common migrant and common in winter.
There were 12 at Europa Point on January 9 th and a maximum of 35 there on six
dates in February. Late in the year there were 18 off the Point on December 3 rd .
A few were reported off Sandy Bay: 26 between February 2 nd and April 10 th : with
seven on the last date; four on September 30 th and three on October 2 nd .
Little Gull Gaviota Enana Hydrocoloeus minutus
Occasional migrant but common in some winters.
There were three spring records from Sandy Bay: six immature birds on April 2 nd , an
adult on April 3 rd and two immatures on April 7 th .
Mediterranean Gull Gaviota Cabecinegra Larus melanocephalus
Common migrant and common in winter.
One was off Europa Point on January 9 th and there were 20 there on February 13 th
and four on February 18 th . A further 28 flew east at the Point on February 22 nd and
two were there on April 10 th . A total of 31 were reported from Sandy Bay on scattered
dates between February 1 st and May 9 th , including seven on the first date and five
each on April 3 rd and May 9 th .
Probable returning migrants seen from Sandy Bay comprised nine on July 1 st , and
single birds on July 3 rd and August 24 th . Three were at Europa Point on September
19 th , four at Sandy Bay on October 2 nd and two at the Point on December 4 th .
Audouin’s Gull Gaviota de Audouin Larus audouinii
Common on passage. Some remain in winter.
No systematic counts were made of this or any other migrant species. However,
23 in total were seen from Europa Point on three dates between February 22 nd and
March 23 rd , and 32 in total were seen from Sandy Bay between February 28 th and
May 6 th . A more unusual observation was of three in the harbour at Europort on
March 29 th .

GONHS
There were six off Sandy Bay on August 24 th and four there on September 30 th .
Brief visits to Europa Point found a total of 71 on passage between July 10 th and
September 3 rd : they included 15 juveniles, which reflects a better breeding season
than in 2009, when only 12 juveniles were seen among some 600 migrants.
Lesser Black-backed Gull Gaviota Sombría Larus fuscus
Regular on passage and in winter. Formerly common.
Hardly any reports were received: six birds off Sandy Bay between April 6 th and April
10 th ; four off Europa Point on September 19 th and single birds there on September
23 rd and December 1 st , and one over the town on August 21 st .
Yellow-legged Gull Gaviota Patiamarilla Larus michahellis
Common resident.
The dietary versatility of this voracious species was yet again revealed when
hundreds were attracted to the Botanic Gardens in the evening by a large emergence
of winged ants of the species Camponotus pilicornis, which they captured in flight.
Black Tern Fumarel Común Chlidonias niger
Common migrant.
Three were off Europa Point on April 26 th . Small numbers were reported from Sandy
Bay in autumn: 20 on August 14 th , one on August 24 th and 22 on September 29 th .
There were also 60 at Europa Point on September 19 th .
Sandwich Tern Charrán Patinegro Sterna sandvicensis
Common migrant and common in winter.
A few wintering individuals were present at both ends of the year: they included four
at Sandy Bay on January 30 th . There was a notable evening count of 50 off Sandy
Bay on April 11 th . The latest spring record was of two at Europa Point on April 26 th .
There were six off Europa Point on August 18 th , 14 off Sandy Bay on September 29 th
and ten in the harbour on October 17 th and six there on December 30 th .
Lesser Crested Tern Charrán Bengalí Sterna bengalensis
Occasional migrant.
One crossed the isthmus over the runway on April 15 th .
27

28 Bird Report 2010
Sandwich Tern (P. Acolina)
Common Tern Charrán Común Sterna hirundo
Common migrant.
One was at Europa Point on April 26 th . Later in the year 60 were counted from the
Point on September 19 th and ten were at Sandy Bay on October 11 th .
Razorbill Alca Común Alca torda
Common migrant and common in winter.
One was off Sandy Bay on January 30 th and another at the North Mole on February
27 th . Three were seen from Sandy Bay on April 9 th and 18 were seen there the
following day. An extraordinarily late individual was in the harbour on May 26 th .

GONHS
Puffin Frailecillo Atlántico Fratercula arctica
Common migrant.
Migrants were seen from Sandy Bay on 11 dates between March 27 th and May 5 th .
They totalled 184 birds, 145 of them on the first date.
Rock Dove Paloma Bravía Columba livia
Wild birds occasional. Feral population established.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 234 individuals, including 118 in the
city and 80 on the east side. This is more than the 196 found in January 2006, just
before the year-long cull of the species began. The winter bird counts of 2007,
2008 and 2009 found 79, 71 and 86 birds, respectively. It is clear that culls need
to be ongoing if the population is to be kept at a low level, although minimising the
availability of pigeon-edible food would be a great help.
Collared Dove Tórtola Turca Streptopelia decaocto
Resident since 1991.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 32 birds, most of them, as usual, in
South District gardens. One or two were reported from the North Front Cemetery on
several April dates.
Turtle Dove Tórtola Europea Streptopelia turtur
Regular but scarce migrant.
Small numbers of migrants were apparent during both seasons. There were 14 seen
and two ringed between April 1 st and May 7 th . One was ringed in the Botanic Gardens
on August 10 th and 13 were reported between September 16 th and September 26 th .
Most observations during both seasons came from the North Front Cemetery and
Windmill Hill.
Blue-crowned Conure Aratinga Cabeciazul Aratinga acuticaudata
Feral resident.
A high count of nine birds was made in the Botanic Gardens on January 7 th and four
were seen from Jews’ Gate on February 2 nd . The demolition of the old Theatre Royal
in the city centre was pleasing at least to the conures who chose to nest in a hole in
one of the few remaining bits of wall. The nest held a brood of three on July 20 th and
further demolition work was suspended until they had fledged.
29

30 Bird Report 2010
Blue-crowned Conures nesting in a wall. (M. Belilo)
Great Spotted Cuckoo Críalo Europeo Clamator glandarius
Occasional migrant.
One was on Windmill Hill on March 7 th . Another rain-soaked individual was picked
up at the airport on the same date and was released after it had been dried.
Scops Owl Autillo Europeo Otus scops
Common migrant. Has bred.
A rufous-morph individual was seen at Buenavista on April 15 th . Single birds were
ringed at Jews’ Gate on April 14 th , 17 th and 23 rd and one was seen there on April
25 th .
Eagle Owl Búho Reál Bubo bubo
Recently re-established resident.
The only record submitted was one sighting on an unspecified date in February.
Little Owl Mochuelo Común Athene noctua
Scarce resident.
A census on June 29 th found eight pairs. Two of the nests found each contained at
least two unfledged young.

GONHS
Little Owl (P. Acolina)
Tawny Owl Cárabo Europeo Strix aluco
Occasional. May breed.
There was at least one in the Botanic Gardens on April 15 th and July 15 th and two
were seen there on August 31 st . Nestboxes were recently erected in the Gardens for
this species but they are not yet occupied. One was heard calling from the gardens
of The Mount on November 25 th .
Short-eared Owl* Búho Campestre Asio flammeus
Local vagrant.
One was flushed from Windmill Hill on October 13th.
European Nightjar Chotacabras Gris Caprimulgus europaeus
Regular migrant.
Single birds were ringed at Jews’ Gate on April 14 th and 17 th , one was seen there
on April 25 th and two were at the same site on May 16 th . One was found resting on a
windowsill in the city, at NatWest House, on May 10 th .
31

32 Bird Report 2010
Red-necked Nightjar Chotacabras Pardo Caprimulgus ruficollis
Regular migrant.
Single birds were reported from both Jews’ Gate and the Botanic Gardens on
April 13 th and one was seen on the Upper Rock on April 19 th . Single individuals
were ringed on April 17 th and May 11 th , at Jews’ Gate and the Botanic Gardens
respectively.
Common Swift Vencejo Común Apus apus
Common migrant and summer resident.
The earliest report was one seen at Jews’ Gate on March 31 st . Numerous migrants
were seen on many days thereafter, especially on May 4 th when thousands passed
north all day. No systematic attempts to count the movements were possible.
Hundreds of southbound migrants were over the Rock on July 16 th . The breeding
population was much in evidence as usual.
Pallid Swift Vencejo Pálido Apus pallidus
Common migrant and summer resident.
The earliest reports were of three birds on February 22 nd , one on February 24 th and 16
on February 27 th , after which the breeding population became widely established.
Alpine Swift Vencejo Real Apus melba
Regular but scarce migrant. Scarce summer resident.
Very few were reported. In total ten were seen from Jews’ Gate on eight dates
between the early date of February 19 th and May 1 st .
European Bee-eater Abejaruco Común Merops apiaster
Common migrant.
Flocks were seen or heard on diurnal passage on 21 dates between March 26 th and
May 8 th . The largest count made was 175 on March 31 st . Six were ringed at Jews’
Gate on April 19 th .

GONHS
Bee-eaters (B. Kremer)
Hoopoe Abubilla Upupa epops
Common migrant.
At least 61 were seen, between February 5th and April 19 th , including a noteworthy
18 on Windmill Hill on March 7 th . Four were ringed at Jews’ Gate during the same
period. Unseasonal individuals were reported from both the Botanic Gardens and
Hole-in-the-Wall on June 14 th . Only four were seen during the second half of the
year, between July 28 th and August 18 th .
Greater Short-toed Lark Terrera Común Calandrella brachydactyla
Regular but scarce migrant.
There were just four records of single birds, three of them on Windmill Hill: on
March 26 th , April 12 th , April 17 th and October 11 th .
Thekla Lark Cogujada Montesina Galerida theklae
Regular but scarce; in winter.
One was seen during the winter bird count on January 9 th .
Sky Lark Alondra Común Alauda arvensis
Regular but scarce migrant. Occasional in winter.
One was on Windmill Hill on February 21 st .
33

34 Bird Report 2010
Sand Martin Avión Zapador Riparia riparia
Regular but scarce migrant.
As usual very few indeed were seen. There were 13 in spring between February 24 th
and March 26 th , 11 of them on the latter date. In autumn there were three on October
7 th and two on October 11 th .
Crag Martin Avión Roquero Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Common migrant and winter resident. Has bred.
In total 292 were found during the winter bird count on January 9 th . Later in the year
there were 30 at Camp Bay on October 17 th .
Barn Swallow Golondrina Común Hirundo rustica
Common migrant. Former summer resident.
Spring migrants were reported on many dates from January 21 st to May 16 th . Some
attempt was made to count the birds seen passing Jews’ Gate during this period
and 3,801 individuals were recorded, although these would have been just a fraction
of the total passage. The largest count made was of 1,252 on April 1 st .
Three were over the Rock on June 6 th . Autumn passage was not closely monitored
but many were seen on October 7 th especially. A late (or early) bird was with Crag
Martins on December 11 th .
House Martin Avión Común Delichon urbicum
Common migrant. Scarce summer resident.
Spring migrants were reported on many dates between January 29 th and May 9 th
and 1,368 were counted from Jews’ Gate during this period. A count of 118 on
February 5 th was notable for such a relatively early date. The largest day-count was
199 on May 5 th . There were no autumn reports received.
Red-rumped Swallow Golondrina Dáurica Cecropis daurica
Common migrant. Has bred.
Only 77 were reported in spring, between February 6 th and May 6 th , including 14 on
March 26 th . Four were feeding over the Great Sand Slopes on October 12 th .

GONHS
Tawny Pipit Bisbita Campestre Anthus campestris
Common migrant.
Spring observations totalled 20 birds, between April 15 th and May 16 th , including
eight on Windmill Hill on April 17 th . There were 13 seen in autumn, between
September 22 nd and October 11 th .
Tree Pipit Bisbita Arbóreo Anthus trivialis
Common migrant.
There were 25 reported in spring, between March 26 th and April 19 th , including ten
on Windmill Hill on April 17 th . Two over Jews’ Gate on September 22 nd were the only
autumn report.
Meadow Pipit Bisbita Pratense Anthus pratensis
Common migrant and common in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 35 birds, 32 of which were on Windmill
Hill. This site continued to accommodate up to 20 birds throughout January–March,
although there is likely to have been some turnover involving migrants during the
latter part of the period. A total of 77 active migrants were seen from Jews’ Gate on
various dates between February 23 rd and April 1 st .
Six on Windmill Hill on November 3 rd marked the return of wintering birds there.
Yellow Wagtail Lavandera Boyera Motacilla flava
Regular but scarce migrant.
At least 85 were reported in spring, between March 23 rd and May 7 th , most of them
during fall conditions on April 17 th : when there were 46 over Jews’ Gate, ten on
Windmill Hill and three at Europa Point. Only five were seen in autumn, between
September 20 th and October 2 nd .
Grey Wagtail Lavandera Cascadeña Motacilla cinerea
Regular but scarce; migrant and in winter. Has bred.
Two were found in urban areas of the west side during the winter bird count on
January 9 th . One was seen from Jews’ Gate on February 19 th . There were seven
observations of single birds between August 14 th and October 8 th . They included
individuals seen at the North Front Cemetery, Queensway, the Botanic Gardens and
the east side coast.
35

36 Bird Report 2010
White Wagtail Lavandera Blanca Motacilla alba
Regular but scarce migrant. Regular in winter. Has bred.
A total of 12 birds appeared at open areas all around Gibraltar during the winter bird
count on January 9 th . A few wintering birds or migrants were reported until March
30 th , with a peak count of just six on Windmill Hill on March 7 th , when there were also
five over Jews’ Gate.
Single birds were seen or heard in the Marina Bay/airport area on five dates
between April 27 th and July 28 th , suggesting a summering or breeding presence,
but no evidence of nesting was found. Later in the year there were just three records
received, involving five birds, between August 14 th and November 3 rd .
Wren Chochín Troglodytes troglodytes
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 61 individuals that were well distributed
throughout the better-vegetated areas of the Rock, although none were seen on the
eastern side. However, single birds were reported in the latter area on April 20 th and
May 8 th .
Robin Petirrojo Europeo Erithacus rubecula
Common migrant and winter resident. Has bred.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 121 birds. Ringed birds totalled 220: 126
in spring, the last on April 20 th , and 94 in autumn, the earliest on October 2 nd .
One pair probably bred in the Botanic Gardens since a recently fledged juvenile
was seen accompanied by an adult in the Dell there on August 11 th . There was
another observation of an adult in the Gardens on September 1 st as well as two
other unseasonal records: one on the Westside Reclamation on August 23 rd and
one on the Great Sand Slopes on September 22 nd . A large influx of migrants was
apparent on October 17 th .
Nightingale Ruiseñor Común Luscinia megarhynchos
Common migrant. Has bred.
Observed spring migrants totalled 58, between March 24 th and May 9 th , most of
them in mid April. Birds ringed totalled 50, between March 24 th and April 30 th . Only
one was reported in autumn, on September 16 th .

GONHS
Black Redstart Colirrojo Tizón Phoenicurus ochruros
Common migrant and common in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 87, which were distributed widely all
over Gibraltar. Spring migrants were apparent on Windmill Hill in March, with peak
counts there of 40 on March 7 th and 35 on March 19 th .
Peak counts of migrants on Windmill Hill in autumn comprised 25 on November 3 rd
and 30 on November 4 th .
Ringed birds totalled 164: 81 in spring, the last on March 24 th , and 83 in autumn, the
earliest on October 21 st .
Black Redstart (E. Garcia)
Common Redstart Colirrojo Real Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Common migrant.
Observed spring migrants totalled 94 between March 21 st and May 9 th , including 15
in the North Front Cemetery on April 17 th . There were 34 ringed, all of them in spring,
between Mar 16 th and Apr 28 th .
In autumn there were 15 seen between September 14 th and October 11 th .
Whinchat Tarabilla Norteña Saxicola rubetra
Common migrant.
Small numbers of migrants were reported during both seasons, generally from
Windmill Hill or the North Front Cemetery. There were 17 in spring between March
19 th and May 6 th , including seven on April 17 th . In autumn there were 21 reported
between September 16 th and October 12 th , including five on September 26 th .
37

38 Bird Report 2010
Stonechat Tarabilla Común Saxicola torquatus
Common migrant and common in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 18, 12 of them on Windmill Hill. The last
spring report also came from Windmill Hill, where there were four on March 21 st . The
same site saw the first returning bird, on September 24 th and migrants there peaked
at 27 on October 11 th .
Northern Wheatear Collalba Gris Oenanthe oenanthe
Common migrant.
There were 30 reported in spring between March 7 th and April 20 th , including 12 on
April 17 th . In autumn there were 31 observed between September 9 th and October
11 th , 21 of them on the last date, when there were four on the Great Sand Slopes,
one in the North Front Cemetery and 16 on Windmill Hill.
Black-eared Wheatear Collalba Rubia Oenanthe hispanica
Common migrant.
Just eight were reported in spring, between March 7 th and April 17 th . In autumn there
were single birds on August 22 nd and September 20 th .
Blue Rock Thrush Roquero Solitario Monticola solitarius
Scarce resident.
Nine were found during the winter bird count on January 9 th . Peak counts on
Windmill Hill, a favoured locality, included five on March 7 th , five males on March
19 th , six on both April 18 th and 19 th , and five on September 8 th . In addition there were
six on the Great Sand Slopes on August 25 th .
Blackbird Mirlo Común Turdus merula
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 84 birds, somewhat fewer than the 129
recorded in 2009 but censusing species that frequent the densely vegetated parts
of the Rock is always difficult. Birds ringed totalled just 28.
Song Thrush Zorzal Común Turdus philomelos
Common migrant and winter resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found only 12 birds, six on the Upper Rock
and six in the Windmill Hill area. Some 32 apparent migrants were seen in spring

GONHS
between March 7 th and April 20 th , including 15 on Windmill Hill on the first date.
A few were present on the Upper Rock on October 17 th and there were seven on
Windmill Hill on November 3 rd . The olive scrub of the Upper Rock is attractive to this
species, particularly during the winter fruiting period, but its current density makes
the birds largely unobservable there.
Cetti’s Warbler* Ruiseñor Bastardo Cettia cetti
Local vagrant.
One was heard in dense vegetation at Little Bay on December 30 th . Seventh record
(A. Yome).
Cetti’s Warbler (B. Kremer)
Zitting Cisticola Buitrón Cisticola juncidis
Common migrant and common in winter. Some breed.
Two were on Windmill Hill and one was at Europa Point on January 9 th . Up to three
were present on Windmill Hill throughout January and February and two were there
on October 11 th but no breeding season presence was reported there. However,
at least one singing male was on the Great Sand Slopes during April and May and
nesting may have occurred there. In addition single migrants were noted in the
North Front Cemetery on three August dates.
39

40 Bird Report 2010
Grasshopper Warbler Buscarla Pintoja Locustella naevia
Occasional migrant.
Single birds were ringed at Jews’ Gate on April 17 th and 28 th . One was heard at
Jews’ Gate on April 30 th and what was perhaps the same bird was also there on
May 1 st .
Sedge Warbler Carricerín Común Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Local vagrant.
One was in the North Front Cemetery on August 17 th . Seventh record (S.
Monaghan).
Reed Warbler Carricero Común Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Common migrant.
One was ringed on April 16 th . One was in the North Front Cemetery on October
11 th .
Western Olivaceous Warbler Zarcero Pálido Hippolais opaca
Occasional migrant.
Single birds were found at the North Front Cemetery on April 15 th , May 6 th and
August 17 th , and on Windmill Hill on April 17 th and October 11 th : the latter being a
very late date for this species. One was ringed on April 17 th .
Melodious Warbler Zarcero Común Hippolais polyglotta
Common migrant.
There were 88 reported in spring. The earliest were two on the Great Sand Slopes
on March 24 th , an early date for this species. The remainder occurred between April
12 th and May 18 th , mainly on the East Side and in the North Front Cemetery. There
were 20 ringed, all of them in spring, between April 11 th and May 6 th .
Nine were reported in autumn, between August 14 th and September 26 th .
Blackcap Curruca Capirotada Sylvia atricapilla
Common resident and also a common migrant and wintering species.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 168, the great majority on the Upper
Rock and in the South District gardens. Birds ringed totalled 323.

GONHS
Garden Warbler Curruca Mosquitera Sylvia borin
Common migrant.
Spring observations totalled 15, between April 16 th and May 11 th and including
six in the North Front Cemetery on April 17 th . Single birds were in the cemetery
on September 22 nd and October 11 th . There were 40 ringed, all of them in spring,
between April 3 rd and May 13 th , but mainly during the migrant falls in mid April.
Orphean Warbler Curruca Mirlona Sylvia hortensis
Common migrant.
There were 20 sight records between April 12 th and May 11 th . One was also seen
on September 22 nd . Nearly all observations were in the North Front Cemetery. There
were 13 ringed, all of them in spring, between April 10 th and 30 th , with the exception
of an early individual that was caught on March 24 th .
Common Whitethroat Curruca Zarcera Sylvia communis
Common migrant.
There were at least 40 seen between March 8 th and May 6 th , with an influx on April
17 th , when there were ten on Windmill Hill and eight in the North Front Cemetery.
There were 34 ringed, all of them in spring, mainly between March 27 th and April 29 th
but an early bird was caught on March 12 th .
One was at the cemetery on September 25 th , two were on Windmill Hill on October
11 th and one was in the cemetery on October 12 th .
Spectacled Warbler Curruca Tomillera Sylvia conspicillata
Regular migrant. Has bred.
Eight individuals were reported in spring between March 7 th and April 19 th . There
were single birds on September 24 th and October 10 th . Observations came from
Windmill Hill and the North Front Cemetery with the exception of one on the Great
Sand Slopes on March 24 th .
Dartford Warbler Curruca Rabilarga Sylvia undata
Regular migrant. Occasional in winter. Has bred.
One was on Windmill Hill on January 9 th and there were two there on both February
28 th and March 7 th , followed by one on March 19 th . In addition, one was on the East
Side reclamation on February 7 th . Single birds were ringed on March 7 th and 17 th .
41

42 Bird Report 2010
Subalpine Warbler Curruca Carrasqueña Sylvia cantillans
Common migrant.
There were 51 reported between March 8 th and May 11 th , with a maximum of five
in the North Front Cemetery on April 13 th . Birds were seen at Windmill Hill, Europa
Point, the North Front Cemetery and on the eastern slopes, with the exception of one
that was picked up, freshly dead, at Europort on April 7 th . There were 39 ringed, all of
them in spring, between February 27 th and April 21 st . None were seen in autumn.
Sardinian Warbler Curruca Cabecinegra Sylvia melanocephala
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 163 birds that were well distributed in the
vegetated areas. They included 20 on Windmill Hill, where there were also 21 on
both March 19 th and October 11 th , indicating a certain stability of population there.
Birds ringed totalled 63.
First-year male Sardinian Warbler (B. Kremer)

GONHS
Western Bonelli’s Warbler Mosquitero Papialbo Phylloscopus bonelli
Common migrant.
Only 20 were reported, between March 25 th and May 6 th . However, birds ringed
totalled an exceptional 132, all of them in spring between Mar 17 th and May 6 th . This
is the largest annual ringing total since 1995, when 156 were caught.
Wood Warbler Mosquitero Silbador Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Occasional migrant.
Single birds were ringed on April 11 th and 12 th . One was seen on the East Side talus
on May 1 st .
Common Chiffchaff Mosquitero Común Phylloscopus collybita
Common migrant and common in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 183 birds, a sizable number when
compared with the 97 in January 2009 and the largest count since at least 2003.
There was an influx on March 7 th when 80 were on Windmill Hill and there were 35
there on March 21 st . The last spring migrant was on April 17 th . However, a singing
male appeared in the Botanic Gardens on May 25 th and was still present on May
30 th . There were 300 ringed during the first half of the year, most of them migrants
caught in March. The last was one on April 16 th .
The earliest autumn bird seen was on September 16 th but there were no large autumn
influxes noted. Only eight were ringed in autumn, the earliest on October 21 st .
Iberian Chiffchaff Mosquitero Ibérico Phylloscopus ibericus
Regular migrant.
The earliest report was one heard at the north end of the Rock on February 7 th . Two
were at Jews’ Gate on February 28 th . There were a further eight observations up to
April 18 th . There were 45 ringed in spring, mainly between February 27 th and April
20 th but with a late individual on May 5 th .
There were at least 25 reported later in the year between August 5 th and September
25 th , most of them in the Botanic Gardens, where there were a maximum of five on
September 14 th . A late bird was ringed in the Gardens on October 2 nd .
43

44 Bird Report 2010
Willow Warbler Mosquitero Musical Phylloscopus trochilus
Common migrant.
Spring observations totalled 113, between March 19 th and May 8 th . They included a
small influx on April 17 th when there were 13 in the North Front Cemetery and ten on
Windmill Hill. There were also 365 ringed, all of them in spring, between the record
early date of February 27 th and May 7 th .
Nineteen were reported later in the year between August 24 th and October 11 th .
Spotted Flycatcher Papamoscas Gris Muscicapa striata
Common migrant. Has bred.
A pair nested in the Botanic Gardens, where the first recorded instance of breeding
in Gibraltar was noted in 2009. The male was first observed on May 15 th but the two
adults were first seen together on June 1 st , when mating was seen. The pair was
feeding a recently-fledged juvenile on July 5 th . Six were seen in the Gardens on
August 4 th . The last sighting in the Gardens was one on September 29 th , although
it could have been a migrant individual and not one of ‘the locals’. Two Spotted
Flycatchers were seen calling and carrying food into a cypress tree at Four Corners
on June 3 rd , suggesting the presence of a second nesting pair, but this was not
confirmed.
At least 36 obvious migrants were seen at other sites between May 1 st and May 11 th ,
including four on the East Side and three in the North Front Cemetery on May 4 th .
Autumn migrants included single birds in the cemetery on September 20 th and 25 th ,
and on October 12 th .
Pied Flycatcher Papamoscas Cerrojillo Ficedula hypoleuca
Common migrant.
Only small numbers of migrants were seen. There were 14 seen in spring between
April 15 th and May 11 th , on the Upper Rock, the North Front Cemetery and on the
East side. There were also 18 ringed in spring, between March 29 th and April 30 th .
There were 18 in autumn, between September 1 st and October 12 th , most of them in
the Botanic Gardens, where two were ringed on October 2 nd .
Blue Tit Herrerillo Común Cyanistes caeruleus
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 38, in gardens and on the Upper Rock.

GONHS
Great Tit Carbonero Común Parus major
Scarce resident.
Only one was seen during the winter bird count on January 9 th , in the South District
Gardens. One was reported from the unusual location of Windmill Hill on October
11 th .
Golden Oriole Oropéndola Oriolus oriolus
Regular migrant.
The only record was of one ringed on April 16 th .
Southern Grey Shrike Alcaudón Real Lanius meridionalis
Local vagrant.
One was on Windmill Hill on March 7 th .
Woodchat Shrike Alcaudón Común Lanius senator
Common migrant. Has bred.
Spring observations were exceptionally frequent and there were at least 229
individuals reported. The first were four in the North Front Cemetery on March 7 th .
Some 126 were seen during an influx between April 13 th and April 20 th , the largest
site counts including 20 in the cemetery on April 17 th and 16 on Windmill Hill on April
19 th . Eight were ringed between March 24 th and April 12 th .
In contrast, very few were seen in autumn. Six juveniles were reported, between
August 20 th and September 20 th .
Eurasian Magpie Urraca Pica pica
Rare.
One was seen on Windmill Hill on April 2 nd and April 4 th and then from Jews’ Gate on
April 12 th . It was last reported at Europa Point on April 17 th , when it was confirmed
to be an individual of the European subspecies and not the North African one. Third
record (V. Robba, S. Norman, C. Perez). The previous two records, in 1976 and
2004, were also in April.
45

46 Bird Report 2010
Raven Cuervo Corvus corax
Recently re-established resident.
The resident pair were in evidence as usual but, yet again, failed to raise any young.
There were also a number of sightings of other individuals in spring. Four apparent
migrants flew north over Windmill Hill on January 19 th and two crossed the Bay on
March 8 th . Six flew north at Jews’ Gate on March 12 th . A third individual was seen in
the company of the local pair on three dates between March 30 th and April 19 th .
Spotless Starling Estornino Negro Sturnus unicolor
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 154 birds: including 125 on Windmill
Hill, seven in the city and 22 in South District gardens. This was an unusually high
count: the mean winter bird count during 2003–2009 was 69 birds. Windmill Hill also
continued to attract some numbers during the rest of the year but the flock there did
not subsequently exceed 80 birds.
Common Starling Estornino Pinto Sturnus vulgaris
Common in some winters.
Seven were on Windmill Hill on March 7 th , in the company of 45 Spotless Starlings.
House Sparrow Gorrión Común Passer domesticus
Common resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 376 birds. The North Front Cemetery was
a key site for this species all year round: there were up to 50 there on various dates
year-round. There was a count of 92 seen from Jews’ Gate on April 17 th , perhaps
but not necessarily a local movement of birds from Windmill Hill and Europa. Up
to 30 were counted on the East Side in summer, where birds occur but are seldom
counted: Catalan Bay village has a largely overlooked sparrow population, for
example. A count of 40 at Westview Promenade on December 22 nd is interesting
since this is a recently reclaimed area.
Spanish Sparrow Gorrión Moruno Passer hispaniolensis
Occasional migrant.
One was at Sandy Bay on November 22 nd .

GONHS
Chaffinch Pinzón Vulgar Fringilla coelebs
Common migrant and common in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 47 birds, most of them in gardens and
on the Upper Rock. Only a few individuals were reported during the spring, a tardy
male in the North Front Cemetery on May 14 th being the latest. A singing, presumably
unpaired, male was present in the unlikely, largely urban habitat of Europort from
June 6 th to June 27 th and what is quite likely to have been the same individual was
then singing in the Botanic Gardens from at least July 5 th to July 15 th . There was no
obvious autumn passage seen and the largest count later in the year was of eight
on Windmill Hill on November 4 th .
European Serin Verdecillo Serinus serinus
Common migrant and common in winter. Some resident.
There were 20 on Windmill Hill on January 1 st . The winter bird count on January 9 th
found 28 birds, most of them in the Windmill Hill/Europa area where they may have
been wintering. Apparent migrants were reported in small numbers on many dates
between February 4 th and May 14 th but there were no large movements. The birds
seen totalled 160, including 28 at Jews’ Gate on March 13 th and 22 there on April
12 th .
There were no reports of autumn passage, in what was an extraordinarily poor year
for autumn finch movements at Gibraltar. The only record was of two on Windmill
Hill on November 3 rd .
Greenfinch Verderón Común Carduelis chloris
Common migrant and common in winter. Some resident.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 39 birds, most of them on the Upper
Rock. The spring migrants counted totalled 500, between February 6 th and May 6 th .
Most of them were seen from Jews’ Gate, where there were 209 on April 17 th .
The only autumn reports were from Windmill Hill, where there were eight on
November 3 rd .
Goldfinch Jilguero Carduelis carduelis
Common migrant and common in winter. Has bred.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found 32 birds, including 20 on Windmill Hill,
where most of them apparently remained until early March. Reported migrants
totalled 498 between March 10 th and May 9 th . Most of them seen from Jews’ Gate,
where there were 154 on April 17 th .
There were six on Windmill Hill on November 3 rd .
47

48 Bird Report 2010
Siskin Lúgano Carduelis spinus
Regular but scarce migrant. Occasional in winter.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found two birds on Windmill Hill, perhaps the
same two that were at Europa Point nearby on January 1 st . Just eight were seen in
spring, between March 31 st and April 12 th , at Jews’ Gate.
Later in the year there were two on Windmill Hill on November 3 rd and two over the
Botanic Gardens on November 11 th .
Linnet Pardillo Común Carduelis cannabina
Common migrant.
The winter bird count on January 9 th found six birds, three on the Mediterranean Steps
and three separate individuals at different locations. Spring records comprised 121
individuals between February 7 th and April 17 th . The largest counts were at Jews’
Gate where there were 25 on April 12 th and 40 on April 17 th . Ten were on Windmill
Hill on March 26 th and April 17 th .
The only observations later in the year were of two birds on Windmill Hill, both on
October 11 th and November 3 rd .
Cirl Bunting Escribano Soteño Emberiza cirlus
Occasional migrant.
One was at Jews’ Gate on April 17 th .
Ortolan Bunting Escribano Hortelano Emberiza hortulana
Regular but scarce migrant.
There was a small influx between April 15 th and April 24 th when 31 birds were
recorded. The majority were on April 17 th when there were 18 on Windmill Hill, three
in the North Front Cemetery and one on the East Side.
There were single birds on Windmill Hill on September 8 th and at the top cable-car
station on September 25 th .

GONHS
Corn Bunting Triguero Emberiza calandra
Regular but scarce migrant and occasional in winter.
There were regular reports from Windmill Hill where a small flock was present from
at least February 21 st to April 19 th . It numbered up to 10 –12 individuals but there was
a clear influx on March 7 th when 17 were present and numbers increased to 23 the
next day. At least 12 were seen from Jews’ Gate in spring, including eight on March
7 th . Up to 5 were present in the North Front Cemetery on nine dates between April
10 th and May 11 th . One was reported from the East Side on April 17 th .
Later in the year there was one on Windmill Hill on October 11 th and four were there
on November 3 rd .
Reference.
Garcia, E. 2009. Birds of the Gibraltar Isthmus. Gibraltar Bird Report 2008: 44–48.
49

50 Bird Report 2010
CONTRIBUTORS TO BIRDS IN GIBRALTAR 2010
The Gibraltar Bird Report relies on the submission of information by many people,
whose contributions are gratefully acknowledged. We are once again particularly
grateful to Keith Bensusan, John Cortes, Charles Perez, Sean Monaghan and Mario
Mosquera who each submitted large numbers of records. The full list of contributors,
including ringers, is as follows. Our apologies to anyone who has been inadvertently
omitted.
Andrew Abrines Jutta Kuester Robin Scott
Paul Acolina Felicity Lambey Eric Shaw
David Anderson Michael Longcake Gilbert Sheriff
Chris Bell Ray Marsh David Sneller
Keith Bensusan Sean Monaghan Julia Springett
John Cortes Mario Mosquera Robin Springett
John Elliot Marie Mosquera Ian Thompson
Ernest Garcia Rebecca Nesbit Andy Urwin
Phil Gould Stephen Norman Harry Van-gils
Rhian Guillem Stanley Olivera Michael Wahnon
Dave Hazard Charles Perez Harry Walsh
Clive Horrocks Mark Perez Stephen Warr
Jane Horrocks Ashley Powell Jill Yeoman
Graham Jenner Mark Powell Albert Yome
Terence Jesty Vincent Robba
Robert King Angela Sargent

GONHS
An exceptionally heavy passage of Black Kites Milvus
migrans over Gibraltar on August 2 nd 2011.
Mario Mosquera
A record passage of Black Kites occurred at Gibraltar on August 2 nd 2011. The count
of 10,486 birds was largely preceded by a comparable southward movement at
Tarifa (Fig. 1), so that over 24,000 birds crossed the Strait that day. The significance
of this movement is illustrated by the fact that the annual total for the entire autumn
season at Gibraltar has only been known to exceed 10,500 birds in five years since
1970, the highest count being 13,196 birds in 2004. Although western European
Black Kite populations have increased markedly recently (Bensusan et al. 2006) the
concentrated movement reported here cannot be explained in terms of population
growth. Instead it appears to have resulted from an unusual accumulation in Spain
brought about by unusual weather conditions.
Figure 1. Hourly counts of southbound Black Kites at Tarifa and Gibraltar on August 2 nd 2011.
Light easterly winds prevailed on the previous day, August 1 st , when no Black Kites
were seen at Gibraltar –as is usual during easterlies– but 681 birds crossed in the
Tarifa area. The same day a low pressure system situated over southern Iberia
gave rise to thunderclouds and associated heavy rainfall that extended from the
Portuguese west coast right across the Iberian Peninsula to Almería. This seems to
have presented a barrier to southbound migrants located 200–250km north of the
Strait and clearly curtailed passage.
51

52 Bird Report 2010
Conditions across the Peninsula improved the following day when passage at the
Strait resumed. The winds on August 2 nd were light westerly, freshening from the
west as the day progressed. Winds were westerly force 3 at Tarifa by 11.00 hours
but they then remained very light at Gibraltar, some 27km to the north-west. Winds
strengthened to force 4 at Tarifa by noon and reached force 4 at Gibraltar around
14.45 hours, after which they remained at that strength for the rest of the day. Visibility
was excellent all day with clear skies throughout.
Black Kite (P. Acolina)
Black Kite passage was first seen at Tarifa after 11.00 hours and it intensified steadily
to peak between 14.00 and 15.00 hours, at a rate that sometimes exceeded 100
birds per minute. The passage front then drifted west to Gibraltar as the westerly

GONHS
wind freshened. Although only 30 birds had been seen at Gibraltar before 15.00
hours a very concentrated southward flow of Black Kites occurred there between
then and 16.50 hours. No fewer than 10,621 birds were counted during that period,
a mean flow of 96 birds per minute with peak rates of 210 birds per minute. Passage
at Gibraltar then all but stopped at 16.50 hours, after which only 176 more birds
passed, although 850 birds crossed at Tarifa between 17.00 and 18.00 hours. In
total, 10,846 Black Kites were counted at Gibraltar and an additional 13,395 were
seen at Tarifa during the day.
Black Kite passage at the Strait often begins soon after first light. The lack of any
significant movement before 11.00 hours suggests that the band of inclement
weather held birds well back from the Strait on August 1 st and caused numbers
to accumulate there, resulting in the observed rush when the rain barrier lifted the
following day.
Acknowledgment. I am grateful to Alejandro Onrubia and Programa Migres, who
kindly supplied the data from Tarifa.
Reference
Bensusan, K. J., Garcia, E. F. J. & Cortes, J. E. 2007. Trends in abundance of
migrating raptors at Gibraltar in spring. Ardea 95(1): 83–90.
53

54 Bird Report 2010
Wing-tagging of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus
Charles Perez and Ernest Garcia
A young Griffon Vulture sporting yellow (Spanish) wing tags labelled C2M was
photographed by C. Parody as it arrived at Europa Point on June 10 th 2010. It was
presumably returning from winter quarters in West Africa. The tag label identified it
as a young female that had been taken into care at the Centro de Recuperación de
Fauna Silvestre de La Alfranca, Zaragoza, Aragón. After a period of recuperation
the bird was ringed and tagged by Jorge Rucio and Gonzalo Gil and released
at a vulture feeding station at Monegrillo, Zaragoza (41 o 36’ 41’’ N, 0 o 22’ 12’’ W)
on October 19 th 2009. The Gibraltar sighting is pleasing confirmation that the bird
returned successfully to the wild population.
Wing-tagged Griffon Vulture arriving at Gibraltar. Note the ‘welcoming’ Yellow-legged Gull
(C. D. M. Parody).
Wing-tagging has become increasingly widespread as a method of marking birds
so that their movements can be monitored. It is much more useful than traditional
ringing since the marks are visible in the field and can be read, often over periods of
many months or several years, without the bird having to be recaptured. Wing tags
are especially useful with raptors, many of which are large conspicuous birds that
spend a lot of time on the wing but whose legs–which carry field-readable rings in
species such as flamingoes– are not easily observed. The tags are clipped through
the skin on the wing leading edge and are soon accepted by the birds, who treat
them as additional feathers.

GONHS
GONHS introduced wing-tagging in Gibraltar in December 2010, as part of an
Iberian monitoring programme. Gibraltar has been allocated a unique colour
code: blue with white letters. Marked birds may be reported on line (http://www.
maquiaambiental.com/avistamientos.html). However, any that are found dead or
injured can also be directly reported directly since the tags also carry the contact
details of the marking organisation.
The GONHS wing-tagging kit with its distinctive blue tags (C. Perez)
The first birds to be tagged in Gibraltar were two juvenile Griffon Vultures that were
rescued in the town area on November 3 rd and November 12 th . They were tagged
K1 and K2 and released on December 3 rd . They flew north into Spain and joined
foraging wintering flocks of Griffon Vultures there. Unfortunately, K1 was found
drowned off the Guadiaro Estuary a few weeks after release. A third Griffon Vulture,
tagged K3, was released on January 5 th 2011 and this individual was reported at
Tarifa six weeks later on February 17 th . K1, K2 and K3 will be followed by other
raptors of a range of species since birds rehabilitated by the GONHS raptor unit will
be tagged systematically in future.
55

56 Bird Report 2010
RINGING REPORT 2010
Charles Perez
Gibraltar Ringing Group, GONHS, P.O. Box 843, Gibraltar
The Gibraltar Ringing Group, working under the auspices of the British Trust for
Ornithology, is based at the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory at Jews’ Gate on the
Upper Rock Nature Reserve. Ringing at the site in 2010 commenced on January
24 th and continued until May 7 th , with occasional breaks due to inclement weather.
A ringing demonstration also took place at the Alameda Botanic Gardens during
Eurobirdwatch day on the morning of October 2 nd . Unfortunately, a lack of manpower
precluded a full autumn campaign but some ringing did take place on several days
in late October, mid November and early December. In all there were 79 ringing
days in the first half of the year and ten ringing days in the second. Ringing took
place from sunrise until early afternoon, occasionally continuing throughout the day
when many migrants were about.
In total, 2,168 birds were captured, comprising 2,024 new birds and 140 retraps.
There were four controls of foreign-ringed birds: a Blackcap and a Common
Chiffchaff from Spain, a Common Chiffchaff from Britain and a Willow Warbler from
Norway. A further six birds: a Great Spotted Cuckoo, a Red-necked Nightjar, a
young male Peregrine and three Common Kestrels were brought in by members of
the public and were ringed and released, some after a short period of recovery with
the Raptor Rehabilitation Unit. Overall 51 species were handled, one fewer than in
2009. Ringing totals are given in Table 1.
As in previous years, resident and wintering birds accounted for the greater part
of the catch during January and February, with small numbers of Black Redstarts,
Blackbirds, Sardinian Warblers, Common Chiffchaffs, Robins and Blackcaps.
A westerly storm on the night of January 28 th beached a Leach’s Petrel that was
rescued from the shore. The bird was in good condition and was ringed and released
soon after. The first week in February saw a pronounced movement of Robins, Black
Redstarts and Blackcaps moving through the site, with many trapped and ringed.
Early trans-Saharan migrants included a Barn Swallow on February 6 th and the first
Hoopoe of the season on February 14 th , as well as two Willow Warblers on the 27 th
: the earliest on record. These last were accompanied by six Iberian Chiffchaffs
two more of which were ringed the following day. The distinctive calls of the Iberian
Chiffchaffs resounded from the undergrowth among the nets.

GONHS
Phylloscopus warblers continued to dominate the catches in March, with totals of
271 Common Chiffchaffs, 29 Iberian Chiffchaffs, and 88 Willow Warblers. The first
of 29 Bonelli’s Warblers ringed during the month was on March 17 th . The earliest
captures of other trans-Saharan migrants included Subalpine Warbler on the
11 th ; Common Whitethroat on the 12 th ; Common Redstart on the 16 th ; Nightingale,
Orphean Warbler and Woodchat Shrike on the 24 th , and Pied Flycatcher on the
29 th . A further three Hoopoes were trapped in March. Other interesting captures
included Dartford Warblers on the 7 th and 17 th , and two Sparrowhawks on the 23 rd .
Late departing wintering birds in March included ten Song Thrushes and 38 Black
Redstarts: the last bird on the 24 th .
New arrivals in April included Garden Warblers on the 3 rd , a Wood Warbler and Tree
Pipit on the 11 th , Scops Owl and Turtle Dove on the 14 th , and Olivaceous Warbler
and Grasshopper Warbler on the 17 th . The week from the 11 th until the 17 th of April
was the most productive of the period with levanter conditions producing several
falls of migrants, involving a large variety of species. Willow Warblers dominated
the week with a weekly total of 185 birds and 274 for the whole month. Also ringed
that week were 24 Nightingales, 23 Common Redstarts, 27 Garden Warblers, ten
Melodious Warblers and nine Orphean Warblers. Scarcer species during the week
included single Common Nightjars on the 14 th and 17 th and a Red-necked Nightjar
on the latter date. The only Reed Warbler for the period was trapped on the 16 th . Six
Bee-eaters were ringed on the 19 th .
May was particularly disappointing, with clear skies dominating the ringing period
during which very few birds were caught. The first Spotted Flycatcher of the season
was trapped on the 4 th . The season closed on the 7 th with only thirteen birds ringed
for the week.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the post-breeding season was not covered
as in previous years. Nevertheless some ringing took place in late October, early
November and early December. Several species of wintering birds were trapped
and ringed during this period. The main species caught were Blackcap and Robin,
with 33 and 22 birds respectively over two days in October. The 10 th to the 13 th
November saw an arrival of Black Redstarts during which 61 birds were ringed. Other
species trapped during this period were several Common Chiffchaffs, Greenfinches
and Sardinian Warblers. A single Serin was caught on the 13 th November.
The ringing week in December was marred by unfavourable weather conditions and
there were only two days of successful ringing. The total for this period included 24
Robins, 17 Black Redstarts, eight Blackcaps and eight Sardinian Warblers. A single
Crag Martin added variety to the wet week.
57

58 Bird Report 2010
Finally a special thanks to our resident ringers Stephen Norman and Ray Marsh,
who manned the Observatory during the spring and autumn periods, and all visiting
ringers who helped out during the year, including Andy Urwin, David Anderson,
Dave Hazard, Ian & Yvonne Thompson, Jill Yeoman, John Cortes, Robin & Julia
Springett, and Michael Longcake.

GONHS
TABLE 1. ANNUAL RINGING TOTALS 2010
Spring Autumn Total Total Total Totals
SPECIES 2010 2010 2010 2009 2008 91-10
Quail - - - - - 12
Cory's Shearwater - - - - - 2
Leach's Petrel 1 - 1 - - 2
Night Heron - - - - - 1
Honey Buzzard - - - - 1 5
Black Kite - - - - 1 4
Griffon Vulture - - - 1 1 14
Short-toed Eagle - - - 3 - 12
Sparrowhawk 5 - 5 2 2 29
Booted Eagle - - - - - 5
Bonelli's Eagle - - - - - 1
Lesser Kestrel - - - - - 1
Common Kestrel 1 3 4 - 1 21
Hobby - - - - - 2
Peregrine - 1 1 - - 7
Purple Swamphen - - - - - 1
Woodcock - - - - - 1
Yellow-legged Gull - - - 2 51 398
Puffin - - - - - 1
Collared Dove 1 - 1 - - 8
Turtle Dove 2 1 3 - - 18
Great Spotted Cuckoo 1 - 1 - - 3
Common Cuckoo - - - - - 1
Barn Owl - - - - - 1
Long-eared Owl - - - - - 1
Scops Owl 3 - 3 7 3 87
Eagle Owl - - - - - 1
Little Owl - - - - - 12
European Nightjar 2 - 2 3 4 25
Red-necked Nightjar 2 - 2 6 1 65
Common Swift - - - - - 55
Pallid Swift - - - - - 25
Common Kingfisher - - - - - 5
European Bee-eater 6 - 6 - - 21
Hoopoe 4 - 4 3 1 58
Wryneck - - - - - 27
Thekla Lark - - - - - 1
Wood Lark - - - 1 - 3
Crag Martin 5 1 6 - 1 344
Barn Swallow 3 - 3 2 - 98
Red-rumped Swallow - - - - - 2
House Martin - - - - - 9
Richard's Pipit - - - - - 1
Tawny Pipit - - - 1 - 14
Tree Pipit 1 - 1 1 1 65
Meadow Pipit - - - - 1 36
Yellow Wagtail - - - 1 - 3
Grey Wagtail - - - - 1 14
Wren 2 1 3 14 5 290
Dunnock - - - 1 - 16
Rufous Bush Chat - - - - - 2
Robin 126 94 220 671 396 7354
Nightingale 50 - 50 50 16 710
Bluethroat - - - - - 2
Black Redstart 81 83 164 205 169 4431
Common Redstart 34 - 34 42 18 721
Whinchat - - - 4 - 40
Stonechat 3 - 3 4 4 164
59

60 Bird Report 2010
Black-eared Wheatear - - - 1 - 27
Northern Wheatear - - - - - 31
Rock Thrush - - - - - 4
Blue Rock Thrush 2 - 2 1 1 49
Ring Ouzel - - - - - 6
Blackbird 19 9 28 68 45 1836
Song Thrush 12 3 15 110 26 688
Redwing - - - - - 7
Cetti's Warbler - - - - - 2
Zitting Cisticola - - - - - 24
Grasshopper Warbler 2 - 2 1 - 25
Sedge Warbler - - - - - 4
Reed Warbler 1 - 1 7 4 191
Great Reed Warbler - - - - - 1
Olivaceous Warbler 1 - 1 - - 4
Icterine Warbler - - - - - 4
Melodious Warbler 20 - 20 5 - 614
Blackcap 235 88 323 1426 629 14434
Garden Warbler 40 - 40 58 18 1943
Lesser Whitethroat - - - - - 2
Orphean Warbler 13 - 13 8 6 278
Common Whitethroat 34 - 34 7 4 468
Spectacled Warbler - - - - - 16
Dartford Warbler 2 - 2 1 3 68
Subalpine Warbler 39 - 39 7 10 437
Sardinian Warbler 39 24 63 156 189 4415
Yellow-browed Warbler - - - - - 1
Bonelli's Warbler 132 - 132 52 22 1107
Wood Warbler 2 - 2 - - 38
Common Chiffchaff 300 8 308 291 203 3674
Iberian Chiffchaff 45 1 46 19 2 234
Mountain Chiffchaff - - - - - 1
Willow Warbler 365 - 365 106 61 4175
Goldcrest - - - - - 3
Firecrest - - - - 1 23
Spotted Flycatcher 1 - 1 4 - 259
Pied Flycatcher 18 2 20 37 27 1404
Long-tailed Tit - - - - - 5
Coal Tit - - - - - 1
Blue Tit 5 2 7 27 35 772
Great Tit 2 - 2 5 2 75
Short-toed Treecreeper - - - - - 17
Golden Oriole 1 - 1 - - 14
Woodchat Shrike 8 - 8 1 1 158
Spotless Starling - - - - - 34
House Sparrow 2 - 2 7 3 790
Spanish Sparrow - - - - - 6
House/Spanish Sparrow - - - - - 1
Chaffinch 6 1 7 9 13 402
Brambling - - - - - 2
Serin 13 1 14 14 14 480
Greenfinch 10 2 12 96 86 2469
Goldfinch 3 - 3 4 8 466
Siskin - - - 1 3 153
Linnet - - - 2 - 62
Common Rosefinch - - - - - 1
Bullfinch - - - - - 18
Hawfinch - - - - - 1
Rock Bunting - - - - - 6
Ortolan Bunting - - - 2 - 27
Corn Bunting - - - - - 8
TOTAL 1705 325 2030 3557 2094 57717

GONHS
ERRATUM
Every effort is made to ensure that the Gibraltar Bird Report is error-free. Some
minor mistakes have gone uncorrected in the past, and have been amended in
later Reports where necessary. However, a major error unfortunately crept in at
a late stage in the production of the 2009 Report. This was the inclusion of the
Appendices for 2008 instead of those for 2009. We therefore include the 2009
Appendices here, followed by an Appendix 3 for 2010, summarising the spring and
autumn movements of soaring birds. There is no second Appendix for 2010 since
insufficient data was collected on seabirds during the year.
Our apologies.
GONHS
61

62 Bird Report 2010
APPENDIX 1A. MINIMUM DAILY TOTALS OF SOARING MIGRANTS. SPRING 2009
See Systematic List for records of species represented by fewer than ten individuals
White Stork
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
Short-toed Eagle
7-JAN 1 1
24-JAN 1 1
25-JAN 64 1 65
26-JAN 3 3
27-JAN 1 1
28-JAN 4 4
31-JAN 1 1
3-FEB 2 1 3
4-FEB 2 2
7-FEB 13 13
8-FEB 1 1
10-FEB 1 1
19-FEB 29 1 30
21-FEB 0
1-MAR 1 2418 48 1 7 2475
3-MAR 2 3 1 1 7
4-MAR 970 970
5-MAR 103 11 114
6-MAR 6 1275 12 22 4 2 1321
7-MAR 2 331 1060 4 1397
9-MAR 0
16-MAR 1 1
17-MAR 1 1 2
19-MAR 1 1
21-MAR 24 2644 78 4 3 75 81 1 4 2914
22-MAR 32 32
24-MAR 1 2 3
28-MAR 212 5 5 7 2 16 55 3 1 306
29-MAR 6 475 3 10 25 11 15 28 4 557
30-MAR 2 215 8 9 2 34 53 3 1 327
31-MAR 4 57 1 13 13 7 135 94 1 325
1-APR 12 1 22 22 24 16 2 99
2-APR 1 91 1 11 12 12 152 176 1 457
3-APR 110 12 9 1 87 116 1 336
4-APR 6 1 7
7-APR 16 360 1 7 3 3 34 87 2 3 516
8-APR 4 1 1 11 18
10-APR 5 512 3 1 1 47 19 15 1 2 606
11-APR 17 1 3 4 20 6 1 52
12-APR 3 17 1214 2 3 12 3 21 66 108 1 1450
13-APR 4 295 4 9 3 3 62 39 3 422
14-APR 19 1 5 7 14 46
15-APR 34 3 1 22 16 25 101
Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Booted Eagle
Osprey
Common Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
Hobby
DAY TOTALS

GONHS
White Stork
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
Short-toed Eagle
16-APR 10 26 3 9 4 6 32 50 2 142
17-APR 15 8 3 2 19 8 55
18-APR 2 3 5
19-APR 1 5 65 5 12 1 1 90
20-APR 1 367 1 12 8 5 47 14 4 459
21-APR 1 289 28 5 3 33 30 1 390
24-APR 1 1 2
25-APR 250 12 10 556 13 14 1 9 10 6 8 1 1 2 893
26-APR 22 38 205 1 1 3 1 1 2 28 1 3 2 308
27-APR 11 308 904 10 15 44 8 1 47 54 7 2 2 1413
28-APR 36 233 232 3 2 6 2 26 48 2 2 2 594
29-APR 1 143 169 11 151 48 7 2 30 51 1 2 616
30-APR 15 1 26 206 2 28 1 1 12 11 3 306
1-MAY 5 109 43 1 16 39 4 22 19 2 2 9 271
4-MAY 2 2
10-MAY 2 1542 106 6 1656
11-MAY 2 339 1283 2 19 4 1 51 1701
12-MAY 1 182 454 36 4 1 32 710
13-MAY 111 235 3 50 3 52 454
14-MAY 177 48 3 228
15-MAY 2 238 294 249 12 4 1 79 1 880
17-MAY 1 320 124 3 4 452
18-MAY 457 85 4 3 10 559
21-MAY 49 103 14 6 4 176
22-MAY 31 49 1 3 24 108
24-MAY 3 31 2 1 6 43
25-MAY 74 117 1 1 1 1 6 201
31-MAY 1 69 5 75
3-JUN 19 105 4 17 10 1 12 168
4-JUN 4 4
5-JUN 16 5 35 5 3 2 66
7-JUN 7 2 1 10
8-JUN 2 4 2 8
9-JUN 4 3 7
23-JUN 2 1 4 1 7
26-JUN 2 1 2
28-JUN 2 2
29-JUN 1 1
30-JUN 1 3 1
1-JUL 2 0
3-JUL 1 3 1
4-JUL 1 0
8-JUL 1 1
9-JUL 0
13-JUL 2 0
14-JUL 1 1
TOTALS 461 195 4435 17594 93 363 1550 188 198 1094 1538 21 30 12 30 28075
Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Booted Eagle
Osprey
Common Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
Hobby
63
DAY TOTALS

64 Bird Report 2010
APPENDIX 1B. MINIMUM DAILY TOTALS OF SOARING MIGRANTS. AUTUMN 2009
See Systematic List for records of species represented by fewer than ten individuals
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
13-JUL 1 1
23-JUL 2 2
1-AUG 2201 2201
2-AUG 40 40
5-AUG 1 4 1 18 24
6-AUG 40 1 41
7-AUG 4978 1 1 2 4982
8-AUG 3366 4 3370
9-AUG 8 8
11-AUG 10 70 80
17-AUG 251 1 90 342
18-AUG 3 3
19-AUG 6 6
20-AUG 1 30 5 1 1 50 88
22-AUG 10 71 81
23-AUG 2 30 32
24-AUG 200 70 1 1 272
25-AUG 120 60 180
31-AUG 5 2 18 29 66 1 3 365 489
1-SEP 1 3000 530 9 5 4 7 47 3603
2-SEP 1 6700 600 4 4 15 14 9 7347
7-SEP 1 2 3
10-SEP 1 1 30 32
11-SEP 50 50
13-SEP 1 1 3 1 4 120 130
14-SEP 150 2 152
15-SEP 300 1 301
16-SEP 60 1 61
19-SEP 33 4 1 9 1 27 11 86
20-SEP 23 1 1 4 1 41 4 75
23-SEP 1 1 1 14 17
26-SEP 2 1 3
2-OCT 10 1 11
3-OCT 1 1 24 26
4-OCT 1 1
6-OCT 8 45 53
8-OCT 1 1
10-OCT 2 2
11-OCT 3 3
18-OCT 1 1 380 55 437
19-OCT 6 58 64
29-OCT 1 3 4
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Booted Eagle
DAY TOTALS

GONHS
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
30-OCT 1 3 4
31-OCT 1 1
5-NOV 1 2 3
6-NOV 1 1
7-NOV 1 3 4
8-NOV 1 1
9-NOV 3 3
30-NOV 5 5
TOTALS 24 10592 12203 37 451 214 28 33 131 1018 24731
APPENDIX 2 MONTHLY TOTALS OF SEABIRDS RECORDED AT EUROPA POINT IN 2009*
Figures are totals of daily observations and do not necessarily indicate the number of
separate individuals involved.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Totals
Cory's Shearwater 33 44 13 122 382 190 670 1454
Balearic Shearwater 2 2 1 176 43 10 4 238
Levantine Shearwater 1 1 1 3
Northern Gannet 98 207 88 4 1 14 2 6 3 293 15 150 881
Great Cormorant 5 10 3 1 19
Shag 1 7 6 1 4 2 3 3 3 30
Great Skua 2 1 1 1 18 23
Mediterranean Gull 53 1 4 19 3 17 48 145
Black-headed Gull 24 161 11 1 10 5 1 5 1 1 220
Audouin's Gull 13 7 3 376 148 43 4 15 89 698
L Black-backed Gull 4 1 8 12 25
Kittiwake 8 239 8 255
Black Tern 12 1 13
Sandwich Tern 4 1 2 1 6 19 4 37
Razorbill 1 1
Puffin 4 4
Coverage (hrs) 4 11 4 2 5 12 11 14 4 9 1 2 79
* Totals included are the results of standard watches only.
Other observations are referred to in the Systematic List
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Booted Eagle
DAY TOTALS
65

66 Bird Report 2010
APPENDIX 3A. MINIMUM DAILY TOTALS OF SOARING MIGRANTS. SPRING 2010
See Systematic List for records of species represented by fewer than ten individuals
White Stork
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Griffon Vulture
Egyptian Vulture
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
14-JAN 1 1
19-JAN 1 1
20-JAN 2 2
21-JAN 1 1
29-JAN 1 1 2
30-JAN 1 1
4-FEB 30 1 31
5-FEB 3 3
6-FEB 2 2
8-FEB 61 61
9-FEB 51 51
10-FEB 6 1 7
11-FEB 50 30 4 2 86
15-FEB 1 1
16-FEB 400 37 437
17-FEB 15 13 73 4 105
18-FEB 0
19-FEB 258 2 899 1 5 1 1166
21-FEB 1 1
22-FEB 339 2 341
23-FEB 1808 14 112 3 1 1938
24-FEB 8 6 1 1 16
25-FEB 85 895 1 28 1 1 1011
26-FEB 1 1
28-FEB 1 1
3-MAR 81 1011 1 1 1 1095
4-MAR 300 750 1 13 3 1 4 1 1073
7-MAR 1 1 1 3
8-MAR 1062 76 3 9 6 1 1157
9-MAR 19 2 2 2 25
10-MAR 344 1 23 1 5 1 375
12-MAR 46 7 4 1 2 2 1 63
13-MAR 49 11 510 5 29 5 2 1 612
15-MAR 1 1
19-MAR 1 1
20-MAR 162 3 1 166
24-MAR 1 1
25-MAR 709 1500 1 1 23 15 13 101 2 133 1 5 2504
26-MAR 15 2 46 10 32 12 2 119
27-MAR 1 1 1 3
29-MAR 150 14 610 1 10 9 18 76 2 148 6 1044
30-MAR 576 1 1 37 6 94 2 14 4 3 2 740
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Bootled Eagle
Osprey
Common Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
Hobby
DAY TOTALS

GONHS
White Stork
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Griffon Vulture
Egyptian Vulture
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
31-MAR 25 241 3 11 5 54 41 4 1 385
1-APR 10 190 3 7 4 55 2 37 4 1 1 314
2-APR 1 1 2
3-APR 87 2 12 2 34 31 2 1 171
4-APR 1 1 1 3
7-APR 44 3 1 1 49
12-APR 2 1909 6 4 9 62 2 37 1 6 1 2 2041
13-APR 3 3 2 8
15-APR 1 2 3
17-APR 3 3
18-APR 1 1
22-APR 5 11 1 2 8 5 2 34
23-APR 4 11 59 692 89 6 11 4 14 9 2 1 902
24-APR 56 305 2 1 16 1 381
29-APR 3 90 1 1 95
30-APR 890 36 4 9 2 1 1 943
1-MAY 96 23 54 712 76 4 92 7 3 19 100 1 8 1195
2-MAY 39 7 2092 369 5 2 36 5 30 45 2 1 1 9 2643
3-MAY 17 430 705 7 5 1 4 56 1 3 1229
4-MAY 2788 564 1 2 4 4 2 7 6 1 5 3384
5-MAY 425 180 12 1 4 4 12 35 1 1 1 682
6-MAY 888 15 1 2 2 1 1 910
7-MAY 1 349 50 1 1 3 9 1 415
8-MAY 459 332 2 4 7 9 1 3 817
9-MAY 285 87 2 2 41 1 1 2 421
10-MAY 2 1 3
11-MAY 122 69 2 2 13 208
12-MAY 259 100 1 1 1 12 374
13-MAY 3 3671 5 1 2 1 6 1 3690
14-MAY 52 20 127 3 1 203
15-MAY 57 8 35 1 7 108
16-MAY 50 2 52
25-MAY 8 8
26-MAY 54 88 1 1 3 147
28-MAY 1 1
29-MAY 95 110 4 4 7 220
2-JUN 10 196 1 5 10 222
3-JUN 13 4 13 1 31
4-JUN 1 1 2
5-JUN 2 9 3 7 21
6-JUN 5 31 3 6 6 1 52
10-JUN 25 25
19-JUN 6 6
20-JUN 1 1
TOTALS 2190 128 13183 17655 416 58 1011 218 80 718 12 868 38 22 19 38 36654
Montagu's Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzard
Booted Eagle
Osprey
Lesser Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Kestrel spp.
67
DAY TOTALS

68 Bird Report 2010
APPENDIX 3B. MINIMUM DAILY TOTALS OF SOARING MIGRANTS. AUTUMN 2010
See Systematic List for records of species represented by fewer than ten individuals
Black Stork
Honey Buzzard
Black Kite
Egyptian Vulture
Griffon Vulture
9-JUL 9 9
15-JUL 1 1
17-JUL 1 1
29-JUL 20 20
1-AUG 1 1
3-AUG 10 10
11-AUG 120 120
12-AUG 1 1
23-AUG 10 1 11
24-AUG 2 1 2 5
31-AUG 1 1
1-SEP 200 200
8-SEP 237 119 1 1 5 1 364
10-SEP 1 1
12-SEP 2 5 42 49
19-SEP 20 20
20-SEP 1 1 2
21-SEP 15 15
22-SEP 1 1 2
24-SEP 10 1 13 24
25-SEP 40 2 137 12 191
30-SEP 1 1
1-OCT 1 1
4-OCT 1 1 2
10-OCT 1 1
16-OCT 60 60
24-OCT 400 400
25-OCT 1 300 4 305
1-NOV 30 30
8-NOV 1 135 1 137
10-NOV 1 1
4-DEC 1 1
TOTALS 11 301 289 3 928 3 6 3 163 280 1987
Short-toed Eagle
Marsh Harrier
Montagu’s Harries
Sparrowhawk
Booted Eagle
Day Totals

GONHS
CONTRIBUTING TO THE GIBRALTAR BIRD REPORT
All records of birds seen in or from Gibraltar are welcomed for incorporation into the
Society’s archives and for publication in the annual reports. Records from adjacent
regions of Spain are also gratefully received.
Records should be sent to the Recorder, Mr Charles E. Perez, Gibraltar Ornithological
and Natural History Society, PO Box 843, Gibraltar, email Records@gonhs.org.
Records of rarities should be accompanied by a full description. The list of species
for which such documentation is required may be viewed on the GONHS website.
Other contributions for the Report should be sent to the Editor, preferably on disc or
via email to ernestgarcia@gonhs.org
69

70 Bird Report 2010
THE GIBRALTAR ORNITHOLOGICAL &
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS) was founded in
1976. Its aims are to promote the study and protection of the natural history of
Gibraltar, the Strait and its hinterland.
GONHS, a Gibraltar Registered Charity, is a membership-based non-governmental
organisation. It is the Gibraltar Partner of BirdLife International, and a member of
The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Iberian Council for the Defence of Nature
(CIDN) and the Bird Club Partnership of the British Trust for Ornithology.
The Society is active in many fields of biological research, nature conservation, and
wildlife management.
We very much welcome membership applications from persons who support our
aims. The annual subscription is £15 for individuals (£5 for under-18s and senior
citizens), £20 for families and £100 for Business Supporters. Join on-line via the
Society’s website (www.gonhs.org) or send your name, address and and a cheque,
made out to “GONHS”, to the Membership Secretary, GONHS, c/o The Gibraltar
Botanic Gardens, The Alameda, Red Sands Road, P.O.Box 843, Gibraltar.

GONHS
71

72 Bird Report 2010
GIBRALTAR BIRD REPORT 2010
EDITOR
Published by the
GIBRALTAR ORNITHOLOGICAL
AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
PO Box 843, Gibraltar
Tel. 00 350 200 72639
Fax. 00 350 200 74022
Email info@gonhs.org
Web Site www.gonhs.org
Together for birds and people
Dr Ernest Garcia
CONTENTS 6
Editorial
Acknowledgements
BIRDS IN GIBRALTAR 2010
Compiled by Ernest Garcia
Review of the Year
The weather 2010
The Systematic List
List of Contributors to Birds in Gibraltar 2010
An exceptionally heavy passage of Black
Kites Milvus migrans over
Gibraltar on August 2 nd 2011
Mario Mosquera
Wing-tagging of Griffon Vultures Gyps
fulvus
Charles Perez and Ernest Garcia
Gibraltar Ringing Report 2010
Charles Perez
Erratum
Appendices
Appendix 1 : Daily counts of migrant raptors
and storks 2009.
Appendix 2 : Monthly totals of seabirds at
Europa Point 2009.
Appendix 3: Daily counts of migrant raptors and
storks 2010.
Contributing to the Gibraltar Bird Report
The Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural
History Society
8
9
11
13
50
51
54
56
61
62
65
66
69
70