31 Oct:  Overcast skies with  light drizzle after midday with some spots of rain later.  Winds light variable to light westerly.

 There were three Grey Herons flying around Camp and Little Bays, and a Sparrowhawk hunting on Windmill Hill.

 Ringing Totals

The two retrap Blackcaps were sporting a Dutch ring and a UK ring.

30 Oct:  Overcast skies with light rain showers.  Winds fresh westerly.

There was only six Red-rumped Swallows and two Blackcaps ringed today in what was a blustery ans wet day qt the Observatory.

29 Oct: Mainly clear skies with high cloud and sunny intervals.  Winds light westerly.

 RingingTotals

The Red-billed Chough was observed again along Mediterranean Steps.

28 Oct:  Clear skies with a light to moderate west to north-westerly wind.

Ringing Totals

A trip in a boat inside the harbour produced two Grey Herons, a Little Egret, five Common Sandpipers, 14 Sandwich Terns and a Lesser Crested Tern.

Lesser Crested Tern wintering in the harbour.                                  R. perez

Around Western Beach there were three Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, two Kingfishers, 10 Cormorants and six Black-headed Gulls.

 There were single Sparrowhawk, 11 Swallows, two Red-rumped Swallows and over 100 Crag Martins at O'Hara's Battery.

 A Red-billed Chough was seen  from Jews' Gate.

27 Oct: Cloudy skies with sunny intervals in the morning clearing in the afternoon.  Winds light westerly to light to moderate north-westerly.

A windy day at the Observatory hampered the ringing operation, and only three Red-rumped Swallows, two Chiffchaffs and 10 Blackcaps were trapped and ringed.

 A visit to North Front Cemetery produced three Chiffchaffs, a Sardinian Warbler, two Black Redstarts, a Stonechat and eight Goldfinches.  A Crested Lark was present around the Power Station on North Mole.

26 Oct:  Cloudy skies in the morning with sunny intervals in the afternoon.  Winds moderate westerly.

A visit to Windmill Hill produced 14 Barbary Partridges, 15 Crag  Martins, three Blackcaps, 13 Sardinian Warblers, nine Blackbirds, a Wren, four Spotless Starlings, a Robin, three Black Redstarts, six Stonechats and 26 Siskins.

At North Front Cemetery there were single Kestrel, three Chiffchaffs, two Black Redstarts and a Stonechat.  Around 30 Siskins were seen from Europa Point.

Three Sandwich Terns were observed along Rosia Bay to Little Bay.  A flock of six Cormorants were seen flying over Harbour Views in the early afternoon.

25 Oct:  Overcast skies in the morning with sunny intervals later.  Winds light westerly becoming moderate in the afternoon.

A Scops Owl was seen opposite Naval Hospital road. An Arctic Skua was seen from Europa Point and a Lesser Crested Tern was flying along Camp Bay and two Gannets and eight Shags were present at Little Bay.

The Osprey was back at Western Beach.

24 Oct:  Mainly clear skies with high cloud.  Winds light westerly becoming moderate north-westerly.

 There were five Gannets, three Shags, three Serins and a White Wagtail at Camp Bay in the morning.

A one hour watch from Europa Point produced two Cory's Shearwaters, two Balearic Shearwaters, a White Wagtail, three Blue Rock Thrushes catching emerging flying ants, two Linnets and the first Siskin of the autumn.

A visit to North Front Cemetery produced a flock of 47 Griffon Vultures and two Booted Eagles overhead, two Kestrels, five Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, two Blackcaps, eight Sardinian Warblers, four Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, a late Nightingale, three Black Redstarts, a White Wagtail,  nine House Sparrows and 11 Goldfinches.

The returning Osprey was once again back at Western Beach with its colour ring blue with white letters NSO.  This bird was one of two chicks ringed at Loch Eye in Ross-shire in Northern Scotland by Bob Swan on the 10th July 2022.

23 Oct:  Overcast skies in the morning with some showers, but some sunny sunny intervals and rain showers in the afternoon.  Winds moderate westerly becoming  moderate north-westerly.

A one and a half hour watch at Europa Point in the morning produced 15 Cory's Shearwaters, six Balearic Shearwaters, 54 Gannets, two Shags, an Arctic Skua, eight Glossy Ibises, a Marsh Harrier, a Black-headed Gull, three Slender-billed Gulls, 11 Audouin's Gulls, two Common Scoters, seven Sandwich Terns, four White Wagtails, the first Meadow Pipits of the season heard, four Goldfinches and eight Linnets.

22 Oct:  Overcast skies with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour.  Winds fresh easterly in the morning, becoming strong and south easterly.  Cloud increasing in the afternoon with winds turning to gale south-westerly, with torrential rain, and winds increasing to strong gale, with severe gusts.

 Little Egrets were sheltering from the winds with one on the roof of Ocean Village and another on pontoons in the harbour.

Crag Martins were struggling over town to get to the Gorham's Cave Complex roost.  There were single Stonechat and three Black Redstarts at North Front Cemetery.

21 Oct:  A mainly sunny day with increasing high cloud, and westerly cloud in the afternoon.  Winds light variable in the morning, with a moderate south-westerly in the afternoon.

A morning visit to North Front Cemetery produced two Sardinian Warblers, two Blackbirds, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Stonechat and five Goldfinches.

Two Grey Wagtails were present at GibDocks, and a Grey Heron flew over Europa walks.

A watch from Catalan Bay in the morning produced 10 Cory's Shearwaters, 12 Balearic Shearwaters, 15 Gannets and two Great Skuas.  An hours watch from Europa Point in the afternoon produced12 Cory's Shearwaters, eight Balearic Shearwaters, five Gannets, two Black-headed Gulls and three Turnstones.

A Wheatear was seen around the Lathbury site.

20 Oct:  Mainly cloudy skies with sunny intervals and a heavy shower in the morning.  Sunny intervals with high cloud in the afternoon.

 A Common Sandpiper was seen at Western Beach  car park.

19 Oct:  Overcast skies with some sunny intervals and rain showers.  Winds gale force to severe gale south-westerly.

 Three Robins present at Rock Cottage.

18 Oct:  Cloudy skies in the morning with some showers overnight.  Sunny intervals in the afternoon.  Winds moderate southerly.

 There was a Spotted Flycatcher at North Front Cemetery among local species.

17 Oct:  High cloud with a light south-westerly wind.

Ringing Totals

 There was a Black Redstart at North Front Cemetery among other local species.  Three Little Egrets were present at the Extension Jetty in the harbour, and three Ringed Plovers at the western end of the runway.  Also a Kingfisher by the rocks at Europlaza, three Cormorants at the mid harbour Marina, with another at the extension jetty.

A House Bunting was seen at Hardings Battery at Europa Point

16 Oct: Mainly clear skies with a light westerly wind.

 A visit to the Botanic Gardens produced 31 Collared Doves, six Blue Tits, a Chiffchaff, nine Blackcaps, two Sardinian Warblers, 6 Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, a Wren and three Robins. 

15 Oct:  Mainly clear skies with high  cloud throughout the day.  Winds light variable to a light westerly.

14 Oct:  A rain shower before dawn was a surprise, as the winds had turned to a light westerly.  The frontal system passed over early but cloudy skies remained mid morning clearing to give a sunny day.

At Europa Point there were 25 Cory's Shearwaters, three Gannets, two Turnstones, nine Black-headed Gulls, a Blue Rock Thrush and a White Wagtail.

A morning visit to the area of Seven Sisters produced two Cory's Shearwaters,  2 Turnstones, 12 Shags, a Collared Dove, seven Spotless Starlings and two White Wagtails.

 Two Marsh Harriers were observed during the morning.  A walk along Green Lane in the evening revealed single Blue and Great Tits, three Blackcaps, nine Blackbirds, four Robins, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Greenfinch,

13 Oct:  Heavy levanter first thing in the morning, clearing by late morning to give sunny intervals with high cloud.  Winds moderate to light easterly becoming light variable by mid afternoon.

Ringing Totals

Mid morning some 15 Booted Eagles and four Short-toed Eagles were seen from the Observatory.

A visit to Europa Point in the morning revealed 10 Cory's Shearwaters, two Gannets,  a Great Skua a Common Sandpiper and a Black-headed Gull. Two Chiffchaffs were observed on the Aloes at Europa.

Two Chiffchaffs and three Stonechats were present at North Front Cemetery.

12 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with a moderate easterly wind.  Some sunny intervals away from the Rock.

Ringing Totals

 A Black Redstart and two Stonechats were present at North Front Cemetery.

11 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with a moderate easterly wind.  Some sunny intervals away from the Rock.

Ringing Totals

About 20 Booted Eagles and a Short-toed Eagle were seen over the Rock in the morning.  Two White Wagtails were seen around the airport terminal.  Two Stonechats and a Black Redstart were present at North Front Cemetery. A European Nightjar was seen in the Nature Reserve.

10 Oct:   Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with a fresh easterly wind.  Some sunny intervals away from the Rock.

Ringing Totals

Approximately 25 Booted Eagles were seen from Jews' Gate Observatory.  Two Grey Herons were observed at Rosia Bay, and one at Camp Bay, with one heard by Ocean Village Marina.

A Pied Flycatcher, a Stonechat and six Crag Martins were seen in the area of Jews' Gate.

09 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with a fresh easterly wind.  Some sunny intervals away from the Rock .

Ringing Totals

 Five Phylloscopus warblers were seen in the Nature Reserve,  a Redstart was present at North Front Cemetery and a Black Redstart was observed at the top of the Rock.

08 Oct:  Overcast skies for most of the morning with sunny intervals away from the Rock.  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with moderate to fresh easterly with strong gusts in town.

Ringing Totals

Approximately 48 Booted Eagles, and single Short-toed Eagles and a Sparrowhawk were seen from the Observatory.  Seven Red-necked Nightjars, three European Nightjars and five Scops Owls were seen in the Nature Reserve.

07 Oct:  Overcast skies with a moderate to fresh levanter wind and cloud over the Rock, town and harbour.

Ringing Totals

At least 200 Booted Eagles, 18  Short-toed Eagles and three Sparrowhawks were observed from the Jews' Gate Observatory.  Two Red-necked Nightjars and four Scops Owl were observed in the Nature Reserve.

06 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the  Rock, town and harbour, with a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

A few Booted Eagles were seen over town in the morning.

05 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the  Rock, town and harbour, with a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

 Over 60 Booted Eagles flew in towards the Rock, and then headed back north around midday.  Six Sparrowhawks were also seen, including one that nearly captured a bird at the pond at Tovey Cottage.

A Red-rumped Swallow was seen around the airport.  Six Swallows, a Sparrowhawk and a Redstart were seen in the Nature Reserve.  A Little Egret was observed by the GSLA pools.  It may be the returning bird seen last year.

A flock of 30 Cory's Shearwaters were seen foraging close inshore at Eastern beach.

04 Oct: Levanter cloud over the  Rock, town and harbour, with a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

A Blackcap with a Belgian ring was controlled at the Observatory.

Over 20 Booted Eagles flew in towards the Rock, and then headed back north around midday.  Some Sparrowhawks were also seen.

Two Redstarts and a Whinchat were present at North Front Cemetery, among other local birds.  An adult Mediterranean Gull was seen at Europa Point in the afternoon.

03 Levanter cloud over the  Rock, town and harbour, with a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

Approximately 20 Booted Eagles, four Short-toed Eagles and two Sparrowhawks were observed from Princess Caroline's Battery in the morning.

A Redstart and a Pied Flycatcher were present at North Front Cemetery among other local birds.

02 Oct:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind becoming light in the afternoon.

Ringing Totals

A Booted Warbler Iduna caligata was trapped and ringed at the Jews' Gate Observatory.  This is the first record of this species in Gibraltar, with very few records from the Iberian Peninsular.

Booted Warbler Iduna caligata

Booted Warbler Iduna caligata

Booted Warbler Iduna caligata

Booted Warbler Tail

Booted Warbler Wing

Booted Warbler Head

Booted Warbler Iduna caligata

The morning begun with the arrival of Booted and Short-toed Eagles over the Rock, with several Sparrowhawks. At least 80 Booted Eagles and 12 Short-toed Eagles were involved.  A Pied Flycatcher was present at Commonwealth Park, and a Willow Warbler was seen at the Botanic Gardens.  A Tawny Owl was heard around the Jews' Gate Observatory, and two Redstarts were present at the Nature Reserve.

An afternoon visit to Windmill Hill produced the following:-

An afternoon watch from Europa Point produced 500 Cory's Shearwaters in a feeding frenzy after flying fish which tuna put up, two Shelduck that were chased by the shearwaters but eventually landed with them on the sea, an adult Gannet also joined the feeding frenzy,  a Great Skua chased a Cory's Shearwater and managed to disgorge a fish and two Audouin's Gulls were also seen.

01 Oct:  Clear skies in the morning at first with levanter cloud developing mid morning and covering part of the town and harbour, with sunny intervals during the afternoon.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

Several hundred Booted Eagles with some Short-toed Eagles and Sparrowhawks were observed over the Rock.  An Egyptian Vulture was observed high over the Rock, and a juvenile Bonelli's Eagle was mobbed by the Peregrine along the east side of the Rock.

A Tawny Owl was heard from Jews' Gate.  A Jackdaw was seen along Landport Ditch, and the two Ravens were observed over the Apes Den.

At North Front Cemetery there were single Chiffchaff, nine Sardinian Warblers, two Blackbirds, a Pied Flycatcher, a Nightingale, a Blue Rock Thrush and 11 House Sparrows.

At Europa Point the feeding frenzy of Tuna on the flying fish continued with Cory's Shearwaters attracted to the event,  A Black-headed Gull was also seen.

There were 15 Crag Martins over Jews' Gate in the evening.  Five Yellow Wagtails were present in the Europa point area.