29 Feb:  Mainly clear skies with some westerly clouds.  Winds moderate to fresh west to north-west.

Ringing Totals

 A Kingfisher was present at the GSLA Pavilion.

A five hour watch from Europa Point produced 17 Gannets, seven Cormorants, 55 Black-headed Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls, five Audouin's Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls three Sandwich Terns, a Swallow, two Blue Rock Thrushes and a Black Redstart, together with an Osprey, 22 Short-toed Eagles, three Marsh Harriers, two Sparrowhawks, and 39 Black Kites.  Raptors added to the totals below.

 Again Black Kite numbers were seen after 18:00hrs, with Short-toed Eagles throughout the afternoon.  In total there were single Osprey, a Buzzard, 32 Short-toed Eagles, three Marsh Harriers, a Booted Eagle, five Sparrowhawks, 961 Black Kites, a Kestrel and a male Lesser Kestrel.

 Also seen were eight White Storks.

28 Feb:  Clear skies with a moderate to fresh west-north-west wind.

Ringing Totals

Two Little Egrets were seen off Westview Promenade.

Raptor passage was again thwarted by northerly winds with Black Kite numbers late in the afternoon.  Only eight Short-toed Eagles, two male and a female Marsh Harriers, 563 Black Kites, a Lesser Kestrel, three Swallows and three Goldfinches.

A visit to North Front cemetery produced a Kestrel, Hoopoe, two Chiffchaffs, two Blackbirds and three Black Redstarts.

An afternoon watch at Europa Point produced  18 Gannets, a Cormorant, two Shags, a Common Sandpiper, 50 Black-headed Gulls, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three Audouin's Gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull at Europa Point.                                                      C. Fortuna.

27 Feb:  Clear skies with a moderate to fresh northerly wind.

Ringing Totals

A Hoopoe was observed in the Nature Reserve, another at Spur Battery and another was seen at North Front Cemetery together with four Chiffchaffs, a Sardinian Warbler and three Black Redstarts.

Two Mediterranean Gulls present at Europa Point together with the regular seabirds.

26 Feb:  Overcast skies with rain showers in a fresh and sometimes strong  north-westerly wind, clearing by the afternoon to give sunny intervals.

No significant raptor passage due to strong north winds in the Strait. Despite this four Egyptian Vultures, flock of 20 Black Kites and a Lesser Kestrel were seen heading north. Also a flock of 83 White Storks heading north over the Bay.

A Pallid Swift was seen from Europa Point, and another was over town mid afternoon.  there were two Hoopoes in the Nature Reserve and another at the Alameda Botanic Gardens.

An evening watch at Europa Point produced 19 Gannets, 39 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, five Audouin's Gulls, an Egyptian Vulture and a Lesser Kestrel.

Audouin's Gull with a white colour ring with the letters CTWP.       C. Fortuna.

This gull was ringed as a chick at Punta de la Banya (Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre; Tarragona) on the 21/06/2020 with the metal ring GX21397.

25 Feb:  Very cloudy with only a few sunny intervals in the afternoon.  Some light showers. Winds predominately fresh west-north west, becoming fresh west in the late afternoon and south-west in the Strait with strong gusts.

Ringing Totals

Only 20 Black Kites were counted mid morning, with no other birds until winds veered to south-west in the Strait with accompanying sunny intervals.

Totals were two Egyptian Vultures, a Griffon Vulture, 23 Short-toed Eagles, a Booted Eagle, 842 Black Kites and two Black Storks.

Along Green lane there were two Blue Tits, two Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, a Wren,  a Robin, a Black Redstart, the Peregrine and a Raven.

24 Feb:  Mainly clear skies with some westerly cloud and sunny intervals.  Winds fresh northerly.

Ringing Totals

North winds prevented any raptor migration and only one Black Kite was seen in the morning and another in the afternoon.

A Short-eared Owl was observed perched on a rock above the Crematorium.

Short-eared Owl.                                             R. Harris

23 Feb:  Overcast skies with high cloud until mid morning when some sunny intervals were experienced.  Winds fresh north-westerly during the morning and most of the afternoon when by mid afternoon winds veered to more westerly.

Some raptor migration in the early morning until 09:00hrs, when northerlies picked up.  Then some sporadic raptors until winds changed to west by 16:30hrs and Black Kites headed north, with a tail-off in the evening.

There were three Egyptian Vultures, 27 Short-toed Eagles, a Booted Eagle, a Sparrowhawk,  1455 Black Kites and a Buzzard.  Also seen were six Spoonbills.

 A 40 min watch at Europa Point after midday produced 12 Gannets, three Balearic Shearwaters, a Cory's Shearwater, a Common Sandpiper, a Razorbill, 160 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls west, and two Sandwich Terns. Also seen were 204 Black Kites, seven Short-toed Eagles, a Sardinian Warbler and a Black Redstart.

22 Feb:  Cloudy with some sunny intervals during the late morning and a blanket of high cloud.  Winds moderate to fresh south-westerly in the Strait, becoming west and then north-west in the early afternoon.

There was a good raptor passage from mid morning until early afternoon when winds turned northerly.  

There was an Egyptian Vulture, three Short-toed Eagle, a Sparrowhawk, five Marsh Harriers, , 1331 Black Kites, a Common Kestrel and a Lesser Kestrel.

A four and a-half hour watch at Europa Point produced 34 Gannets, six Cormorants, six Shags, 105 Black-headed Gulls, four Audouin's Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls, four Sandwich Terns, two Swallows, a Blue Rock Thrush and five Serins. The Moroccan White Wagtail was still at Europa Point.

21 Feb:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in the morning in a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

A Hoopoe was observed around Europa Point. A Long-legged Buzzard was observed from Catalan Bay where a Grey Heron flew south offshore. 

A Jackdaw was seen at Varyl Begg Estate, and at Europa Point there were 13 Gannets, six Balearic Shearwaters, five Cormorants,  two Shags, two Razorbills, eight Turnstones, 247 Black-headed Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls, four Sandwich Terns, and a Swallow, and at the foreshore, three Collared Doves, two Chiffchaffs, five Sardinian Warblers, two Blackbirds, nine Black Redstarts, two Stonechats, a Meadow Pipit, seven House Sparrows,  four Goldfinches and two Serins. 

At Camp bay there were six Cormorants, a Shag, a Common Sandpiper , two Sandwich Terns, eight Chiffchaffs, four Blackbirds, a Wren and a Blue Rock Thrush.

The slopes above Sandy Bay held seven Barbary Partridges, two Chiffchaffs, three Sardinian Warblers, four Black Redstarts, and nine Serins.

In the afternoon at Europa Point there were 11 Gannets, 10 Cormorants, a Shag, 14 Black-headed Gulls, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Moroccan White Wagtail.

Moroccan White Wagtail, Motacilla alba subpersonata at Europa Point.                                      R. Perez.

20 Feb:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind, clearing in the afternoon to give a very warm and sunny day.

Ringing Totals

 A morning visit to Europa Point produced four Gannets, a Shag, a Cormorant, 140 Black-headed Gulls, and two Mediterranean Gulls, one with colour ring 32A9 which was ringed as a chick on the24/06 2010 in De Kreupel Island, in the Netherlands.

19 Feb:  Mainly clear skies with some levanter cloud over the Rock.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

A Swallow was seen from Jews' Gate.

An afternoon visit to Windmill Hill produced 17 Barbary Partridges, a Cormorant overhead west, a Sparrowhawk, three Hoopoes, five Crag Martins, 19 Chiffchaffs, 33 Sardinian Warblers, a Subalpine Warbler, two Wrens, 27 Spotless Starlings, 23 Blackbirds, 31 Black Redstarts, eight Stonechats, five Blue Rock Thrushes, 18 Meadow Pipits, three Greenfinches, a Linnet and six Goldfinches.

18 Feb:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with sunny intervals away from the Rock.  Winds fresh easterly.

Ringing Totals

A mid morning visit to Europa Point produced 10 Gannets west, three Cormorants east, two Shags, nine Turnstones, 150 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull and an Audouin's Gull east.  At the Europa foreshore there was a Hoopoe, two Chiffchaffs and four Spotless Starlings.

In the afternoon a one and a half hour watch at Europa Point produced 14 Gannets, two Cormorants, two Shags, 23 Balearic Shearwaters west, 21 Razorbills west, a Common Sandpiper, 43 Black-headed Gulls, four Mediterranean Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and five Sandwich Terns east.

A very early Subalpine Warbler was seen by the frontier.

Subalpine Warbler on the Frontier fence.                             C. Fortuna.

17 Feb:  Clear skies with a light north wind.

Ringing Totals

An early morning visit to Europa Point produced 36 Gannets, 15 Cormorants, 13 Shags, a Whimbrel, five Turnstones, six Collared Doves, two Crag Martins, a Swallow, four Chiffchaffs, four Sardinian Warblers, a Blackbird, three Stonechats, three Black Redstarts, a Serin and a Corn Bunting.

Six Razorbills flew past Europa Point mid afternoon.

Two Hoopoes present at the Botanic Gardens.

A visit to North Front Cemetery produced a Hoopoe, five Chiffchaffs, six Sardinian Warblers, four Black Redstarts, a Stonechat and a Blue Rock Thrush.

Three Lapwings were observed resting on a pool of rainwater just north of the air terminal and across the frontier fence in view from Gibraltar.  This species has long been absent from Gibraltar, with the last record one cold day on the 30/01/2005.

16 Feb:  Hazy sunshine with high cloud in a light northerly wind.

In the early morning there were 29 Black Kites heading north.  An hour at Europa point in the morning produced 10 Gannets west, three Cormorant, four Shags east, 22 Flamingoes west, 120 Black-headed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull below the Point, and two Sandwich Terns.  At the foreshore there were a nine Turnstones, two Hoopoe, a Scops Owl, four Chiffchaffs, and a Blue Rock Thrush.

Hoopoe R. Azopardi

Scops Owl R. Azopardi

A two hour watch from the Observatory produced 26 Swallows, 27 House Martins and three Red-rumped Swallows.

A mid afternoon visit to the Botanic Gardens produced two Peregrines, a Black Kite, two Hoopoes, 15 Collared Doves, six Blue Tits, three Great Tits,  24 Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, three Sardinian Warblers, 19 Blackbirds, two Robins, a Black Redstart, 26 House Sparrows, two Chaffinches and nine Greenfinches. 

15 Feb:  Overcast skies with some wisps of levanter cloud remaining over the Rock, and alto stratus from the west.  Winds easterly in the morning, dropping and turning to light, to moderate south-west in the afternoon with rain showers, clearing late afternoon.

Ringing Totals

An early morning visit to the Europa foreshore produced four Cormorants, three Shags, about 20 Black-headed Gulls, three Sandwich Terns, a Hoopoe, two Chiffchaffs, two Sardinian Warblers, two Black Redstarts, three Stonechats, a Blue Rock Thrush and a Meadow Pipit.

 In the late afternoon at Europa Point there were 24 Gannets, 243 Black Kites heading north, 36 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, and an Audouin's Gull.

14 Feb:  Mainly clear skies with some high cloud but increasing Saharan dust throughout the morning, becoming hazy.  High cloud in the afternoon with Saharan dust clearing.  Winds fresh easterly.

Ringing Totals

At Europa Point there were approximately 20 Black-headed Gulls, two Turnstones, a Common Sandpiper and a Hoopoe.

An afternoon visit to North Front cemetery produced four Chiffchaffs, three Blackbirds, three Black Redstarts, a Robin and a Blue Rock Thrush.

13 Feb:  Clear skies with a slight levanter cloud over the crest of the Rock in the early morning.  Winds light north-easterly.

A Whimbrel was present at the Europa foreshore, together with a Hoopoe, two Chiffchaffs and a Meadow Pipit.

Whimbrel at Europa foreshore.                                        C. Fortuna.

12 Feb:  Overcast skies with light rain throughout the morning in a strong south-westerly becoming strong west.

Ringing Totals

A three and a half hour watch at Europa Point produced 213 Gannets west, a Cormorant east, three Shags east, a Great Skua west, 115 Black-headed Gulls west with only 12 feeding, a 3rd/w Mediterranean Gull west, 17 Lesser black-backed Gulls west, 46 adult Audouin's Gulls west, and nine Sandwich Terns west.  Also seen were 52 Black Kites and a Swallow north.

A two hour watch in the afternoon produced 45 Gannets, a Balearic Shearwater, two Cormorants, three Shags, a Great Skua, 57 Black-headed Gulls, 29 Audouin's Gulls west, four Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three Sandwich Terns.

Adult Audouin's Gull

Adult Black-headed Gull

First year Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gulls resting at Europa Point

Second year Mediterranean Gull

11 Feb:  Overcast skies with a light northerly wind, becoming increasing cloudy with showers late in the morning with westerly winds increasing to a strong south-westerly with rain throughout the afternoon.

At Europa Point there were 10 Gannets west, three Cormorants east, three Shags west, 80 Black-headed Gulls and an adult  Lesser Black-backed Gull east.  At the Europa foreshore there were single Meadow Pipit, two Stonechats and a Black Redstart.

A visit to upper Windmill Hill produced a Cormorant overhead east, two Sardinian Warblers, five Black Redstarts, three Stonechats two Blue Rock Thrushes and 13 Meadow Pipits.

10 Feb:  Cloudy skies with sunny intervals and some rain showers.  Winds westerly becoming northerlies in the afternoon.

A two hour watch at Europa Point produced 45 Gannets, three Cormorants, three Shags, three Razorbills, 100 Black-headed Gulls, eight Mediterranean Gulls, eight Audouin's Gulls, six Lesser Black-backed Gulls and two Sandwich Terns.  A Barbary Partridge was heard calling its mating call on the slopes behind the Mosque.  This is extremely early.

Black-headed Gulls with colour rings RKSF and E6PT were again present on the rocks below Europa Point.

There was a Stone Curlew seen at the Europa foreshore, and a Black Kite and two Egyptian Vultures were observed heading north over the Rock. In the afternoon five Black Storks flew north followed by a Black Kite in the evening.

In the afternoon, at Europa Point just over an hours watch, produced eight Gannets, two Cormorants, three Shags, two Razorbills, 72 Black-headed Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls, nine Audouin's Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Sandwich Tern and two Swallows.

09 Feb:  Severe gale overnight and the morning with heavy rain showers.  Winds gale force south-westerly, becoming strong westerly in the afternoon, with rain continuing.

A break in the weather allowed for an hours watch at Europa Point with 102 Gannets, 6 1st.tr, 5 2nd/yr, two 3rd yr and the rest adults heading west), three Cormorants west, two Shags, 16 Black-headed Gulls, three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls west, three adult Audouin's Gulls west, and two Sandwich Terns west.  Also seen a Lesser Kestrel which escaped the clutches of four Yellow-legged Gulls that chased it incessantly.

In the afternoon there was a Cattle Egret roaming around the mound at Harding's Battery at Europa Point.

Cattle Egret at Harding's Battery mound.                         R. Azopardi.

08 Feb:  Overcast skies with high cloud and hazy sunshine.  Winds light westerly.

Ringing Totals

 A Magpie was seen over St Joseph's School.

 Around the old KGV Hospital there were five a Blue Tit, two Great Tits, Chiffchaffs, a Blackbird and two Black Redstarts.  Green Lane held a Blue Tit, three Chiffchaffs, two Sardinian Warblers and two Blackbirds, and the Jumpers area held three Chiffchaffs and two Sardinian Warblers.

At the Europa foreshore there were 8 Turnstones, three Sandwich Terns, two Stonechats and a Meadow Pipit.

Two of eight Turnstones at Europa foreshore.                           C. Fortuna

07 Feb:  Mainly clear skies with some high cloud in the afternoon.  Winds moderate westerly.

Four Black Kites flew north over the Rock in the early afternoon.

At Europa Point there were 25 Gannets, three Cormorants, three Shags, 16 Black-headed Gulls, an Audouin's Gull and a flock of 52 Cattle Egrets flying east in the evening.

Flock of Cattle Egrets east at Europa Point.                            S. Morgan.

06 Feb:  Clear skies with some high cloud in the morning.  Misty in the Strait with plenty of cloud over the Moroccan shore.  Winds Moderate north-westerly but moderate to fresh south-westerlies in the Strait. picking up to fresh north-west in the afternoon.

Ringing Totals

 The first Black Kite of the season flew north over the Observatory just before midday.  Three Swallows heading north.

05 Feb:  Clear skies with some wisps of levanter cloud over the Rock in the morning.  Winds moderate easterly, falling light mid afternoon and becoming light westerly in the evening.

Ringing Totals

 An early afternoon watch at Europa Point produced four Gannets east, a Cormorant east, three Shags west, 80 Black-headed Gulls feeding and two Sandwich Terns.

04 Feb: Overcast skies with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind with some strong gusts.

An hours watch at Europa Point produced 14 adult Gannets west, three Cormorants west with one east, two Shags east, 85 Black-headed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern.

A Great Tit was seen by Referendum Gate and two Little Egrets were present off Westview Promenade.

03 Feb:  Overcast skies with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind with some strong

At Western Beach there were single Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull and a White Wagtail.

In the morning at Europa Point foreshore there were three Chiffchaffs, three Black Redstarts, a Blue Rock Thrush and four Goldfinches.

In the afternoon an hours watch at Europa Point produced 10 Gannets, mainly eastwards, five Cormorants, three Shags, 18 Black-headed Gulls, two Mediterranean Gulls,  an Audouin's Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Black Redstart.

Second winter Mediterranean Gull.                                             R. Perez

Five Sandwich Terns were seen offshore at Little Bay.

02 Feb:  Overcast skies with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind with some strong gusts.

Ringing Totals

 A Hoopoe was observed in the Nature Reserve.

01 Feb:  Overcast skies with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a moderate easterly wind with some strong gusts.

Ringing Totals

Two Sandwich Terns were present at mid Harbours marina.