This morning I watched the sun rise over the Mediterranean Sea as I drove toward Malaga airport, it was beautiful and I was sad to be leaving Spain behind and raptorfest that is Tarifa in September.
I saw 22 species of bird of prey, 24 if you include owls. There wasn't huge numbers for the most of the days, but last Saturday was a mega day, the very strong levante wind had ceased and thousands of bird of prey and storks made the crossing to Africa.
Whilst I was in tarifa I got a call from my friend Richard Dunn, he was at Druridge, I feared the worst... rare birds have a habit of turning up on the patch when I am overseas...but it wasn't a rare bird, it was one of the Exmoor ponies on the Budge fields caught in the fence. You can read the account here http://richarddunn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/september-9-2012.html
I told Richard where it was, because it was there on the Tuesday evening before I left for Spain, I presumed it was being stupid. Poor thing must've been pretty grumpy when Richard and the farmers knacked the fence to free it, it had been there for five days, it is lucky that Richard investigated, or it might have been much worse for the unfortunate beast.
A strong wind and showers this afternoon. I had no motivation to go to Druridge whatsoever.
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Finally caught up with rufinus. Last bird of the trip as one hovered by Cazalla on Wednesday when we drove back to the apartment from a final look at La Janda. Dipped on little bustards that everyone else seemed to see on the cut field, but a bald ibis has been hanging around there since at least Sunday.
There were at least 12 black-shouldered kites at La Janda, 6 on the same irrigator.
23 raptors.
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