28 Sept:  Overcast skies with steady light rain in the morning ceasing and becoming brighter in the early afternoon.  Winds light easterly.

27 Sept:  Heavy levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

A flock of approximately 200 Red-rumped Swallows were seen over the Observatory.

Three Grey Herons were at the Detached Mole, with another at the Mid Harbours Marina.

At least 15 Booted Eagles were observed from Princess Caroline's battery in the morning.

26 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock and town in the early morning, but dissipated by late morning to give a sunny day.  Winds moderate to light easterly.

Ringing Totals

There were eight Booted Eagles over the harbour at midday.

25 Sept:  Levanter cloud over he Rock and town in the early morning, but dissipated by late morning to give a sunny day.  Winds moderate to light easterly.

Ringing Totals

A German Blackcap with a Heligoland ring was processed at the Observatory.

The Booted Eagles that had been held up by the strong easterlies, now made the crossing this morning.  Several hundred birds were involved. Around Middle Hill there were 15 Pallid Swifts, four Booted Eagles, a Honey Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and a Swallow. 

Migrants at the Alameda Botanic gardens consisted of a Robin and a Pied Flycatcher among resident species.

Three Tawny Owls were heard, with individuals form the KGV area, the Mount gardens and the Alameda Botanic gardens.

Three Little Egrets were present at the New Harbours Marina, with another at Rosia Bay.  Grey Herons were also present at Rosia and at Camp and Little Bays.

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

Ringing Totals

Thirty-one Booted Eagles were seen over the Rock in the morning, together with three Pallid Swifts and a Red-rumped Swallow.  Four Jackdaws were seen at Moorish Castle estate.

There was a Kingfisher and a Grey Heron at Rosia Bay.  A Honey Buzzard was seen from Princess Carolines battery, and a few Booted Eagles flew in towards the Rock in the early afternoon.

23 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with sunny intervals away from the Rock.  Winds moderate easterly.

A large arrival of Blackcaps in the region produced a significant number of individuals ringed.

Ringing Totals

Several Booted Eagles were seen over the Rock. A Kingfisher was observed at Europa foreshore.

Three Crag Martins were observed from Jews' Gate.  The Alameda Botanic gardens held a Chiffchaff, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Robin, a Redstart and two Grey Wagtails.

22 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour with sunny intervals away from the Rock.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

Several Booted Eagles were seen over the Rock. A Night Heron was seen in the early morning from Trafalgar Heights.

 From the top Cable Car Station there were 22 Pallid Swifts, five Booted Eagles, four Swallows and two Red-rumped Swallows.

Five Jackdaws were seen at Moorish Castle estate.

An afternoon visit to the Alameda Botanic gardens produced the following:-

21 Sept: Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

Two Booted Eagles over the Rock in the morning.

A morning walk along Camp & Little Bays produced the following:-

20 Sept:  Overcast with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh easterly wind.  Some sunny intervals in the late afternoon.

Ringing Totals

A late afternoon walk in the Alameda Botanic Gardens produced the following:-

19 Sept: Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

Several Booted Eagles flew over the Rock before returning north.

An early afternoon walk in the Alameda Botanic Gardens produced the following:-

18 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock and town clearing by midday.  Winds moderate becoming fresh easterly.

A European Nightjar was ringed in the evening.

A Grey Heron and four Shags were present at Little Bay.  Two White Wagtails were observed along Rosia road.

An Iberian Chiffchaff was present at Europa Mews.

Iberian Chiffchaff at Europa Mews.                                            D. Parody.

At Europa Point two Turnstones, an immature Gannet and 14 Cory's Shearwaters.

An evening visit to North Front cemetery produced the following:-

A walk along the Alameda Botanic gardens produced the following:-

17 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock and town clearing by midday.  Winds moderate easterly.

Camp & Little Bays held an Audouin's Gull, 14 Shags, two Cattle Egrets  flying west, a Sardinian Warbler, a Blackbird, a Nightingale and 28 House Sparrows.

There were two Turnstones, a Pied Flycatcher and three Blue Rock Thrushes at Europa foreshore.  A Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper were on the cliff below the Point.

Whimbrel at Europa Point.                                                           T. Vinet.

North Front cemetery held the following:-

A walk along the southern end of the Rock produced the following:-

An late afternoon visit the the Alameda Botanic gardens produced the following:-

16  Sept:  Clear skies with a moderate south-westerly, but fresh in the Strait.

Ringing Totals

There was a Turtle Dove at Varyl Begg Estate. A Hoopoe was observed along Europa Advance road, and a Green Sandpiper, an Olivaceous Warbler and a Wheatear was present at Europa foreshore. Five Cattle Egrets flew west past Europa Point.

A morning watch from Europa Point produced the following:-

The Alameda Botanic Gardens held a Turtle Dove, a Spotted Flycatcher and three Pied Flycatchers.

A Whimbrel was seen at Little Bay. A Hoopoe and two Blue Rock Thrushes were present at Windmill Hill.

A Grey Heron and a Kingfisher were present at Western beach.  Another three Grey Herons, two Little Egrets and a Kingfisher were observed at the Detached Mole.

At least 13 Yellow Wagtails and the first Crag Martin of the season were seen at Europa Point.  Europa Mews held a Iberian Chiffchaff and a Pied Flycatcher. A Booted Eagle was seen around Windmill Hill.

A Lanner was seen from Princess Caroline's battery.

15 Sept:  Clear skies with a light easterly wind turning to light variable to light south-westerly.

Over 280 Booted Eagles, a Sparrowhawk and three Short-toed Eagles together with a Black Stork flew over the Rock in the morning.

A Subalpine Warbler and a Redstart were seen on the Upper Rock,, among other local birds.

Two Turtle Doves were present at Commonwealth Park. Three Pied Flycatchers were observed at Princess Caroline's Battery.

A morning walk along Signal Station road produced the following:-

Redstart along Signal Station road.                                                   J. Perera.

North Front Cemetery held the following:-

Ortolan Bunting at North Front cemetery.                                            M. Figueras.

 14 Sept: Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh easterly.  Some sunny intervals in the afternoon.

Ringing Totals

A few Booted Eagles were observed in the morning, as well as over the southern end of the Rock in the afternoon as winds calmed to a moderate easterly.

An afternoon walk along the Alameda Botanic gardens produced the following:-

A Myna was seen by Waterport by the Customs club.

13 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh and at times strong easterly.

A Spotted Flycatcher was present at Witham's .  Six Booted Eagles were observed around Middle Hill in the early afternoon, with one settling on the cliff behind the Mosque at Europa.

A male Golden Oriole was observed along Douglas Path. North Front Cemetery held a Woodchat Shrike, an Iberian Chiffchaff and a Pied Flycatcher.

12 Sept: Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour in a fresh and at times strong easterly.

Ringing Totals

Blustery at Europa Point with only a Common Sandpiper, and a Whimbrel on the cliff below the Point, a flock of 51 Spoonbills heading north-west and a few Cory's Shearwaters offshore, with a solitary Bee-eater seen over Europa Walks.

Part of a flock of 51 Spoonbills at Europa Point.                                                           S. Morgan

There was a very tame  Turtle Dove walking opposite Queensway Quay.  There was a Reed Warbler in the Nature Reserve, as well as Willow Warbler, a Pied Flycatcher and two Redstarts.  Another Pied Flycatcher was present at Europa Mews.  A Robin was observed at the Alameda Botanic Gardens.

North Front Cemetery held the following:-

Wryneck at North Front Cemetery.                                                          C. Fortuna.

11 Sept:  Heavy levanter cloud over the Rock and Strait, with some sunny intervals late morning and afternoon.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

One Booted Eagle observed from Jews' Gate.  A Wryneck and a Pied Flycatcher were present at North Front Cemetery.

The Alameda Botanic Gardens held the following:-

10 Sept:  Overcast skies in the morning becoming clear by mid morning.  Winds moderate to light westerly, becoming light to moderate easterly after midday.

Ringing Totals

Icterine Warbler and Sudan Golden Sparrow ringed at Jews' Gate Centre.

Sudan Golden Sparrow

Sudan Golden Sparrow

Sudan Golden Sparrow

An afternoon visit to Windmill Hill produced the following:-

09 Sept:  Clear skies with some westerly cloud.  Winds north-west in the morning becoming moderate south-westerly in the afternoon.

A poor ringing session due to unfavourable windy conditions.

Ringing Totals

A trickle of raptors seen over the Rock consisted of a Honey Buzzard, an Osprey, a Sparrowhawk, a Short-toed Eagle, and a Booted Eagle.

A Spotted Flycatcher was present at Commonwealth Park.  A flock of five Cormorants flew south over town, and two Spoonbills flew south over the Bay and a Flamingo flew east over the runway.

The Alameda Botanic Gardens held a Pied Flycatcher and a Redstart.  A Grey Heron was seen on the revetment opposite the Rowing clubs.

08 Sept:  Clear skies with a light variable to light and moderate south-westerly in the afternoon.

Ringing Totals

The Alameda Botanic gardens held some migrants, with a Reed Warbler, an Iberian Chiffchaff and two Spotted Flycatchers.

The Vineyards estate held two Garden Warblers and a Pied Flycatcher, and at Europa foreshore there was a Turnstone, a Hoopoe and two Yellow Wagtails.

Grey Herons were present at Rosia and Little Bays.  Two Jackdaws were again present at Moorish Castle estate.

Europa foreshore held a Turnstone, a Hoopoe and a Yellow Wagtail. A Common Sandpiper was seen at Western beach, and a juvenile Woodchat Shrike and a Spotted Flycatcher were observed at North Front cemetery.

A trickle of raptors seen over the Rock and at Europa Point consisted of four Honey Buzzards, a Montagu's Harrier, three Marsh Harriers, four Booted Eagles, a Sparrowhawk and three Black Kites.

An evening watch at Europa Point produced three Black-headed Gulls, four Audouin's Gulls, 150 Cory's Shearwaters, an immature Gannet, 22 Shags and a Yellow Wagtail.

07 Sept:  Clear skies at dawn but overcast soon after with levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour.  Clearing at midday to give a sunny afternoon.Winds light to moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

There was a Norwegian Garden Warbler trapped at Jews' gate.A couple of Booted Eagles were seen from Jews' Gate in the late morning.

Migrants included a Spotted Flycatcher was present at Governor's Lookout area, together with a Hoopoe, an Iberian Chiffchaff, a Nightingale, two Spotted Flycatchers and a Pied Flycatcher along Signal Station road, among resident species.  another Hoopoe was present at the Alameda Gardens, and a Whitethroat was seen on St. Michael's road.

An afternoon walk along the Alameda Botanic gardens produced the following:-

Raptors observed mainly over the Bay included at least 13 Short-toed Eagles, 15 Booted Eagles, a Buzzard, two Sparrowhawks and a Black Kite.

06 Sept:  Fresh easterlies overnight, but easing to a light to moderate at dawn.  High westerly cloud with hazy sunshine. Levanter cloud developing just before midday, but dissipating later with high westerly cloud remaining.  Sunny intervals mid afternoon.

Ringing Totals

There were several migrants scattered around Gibraltar, with a Nightingale in the Nature Reserve and two more around the Jews' Gate area.  A Redstart male and  Pied Flycatcher was also seen in the Reserve, and two Collared Doves, a juvenile Woodchat Shrike and a Greenfinch were present at North Front Cemetery.

Europa Point held the following:-

A Spotted Flycatcher and a White Wagtail were observed near Queensway. A Redstart and two Blue Rock Thrushes was seen at Hole in the Wall area.

A walk around Governor's Lookout produced the following:-

05 Sept:  Overcast skies with heavy levanter cloud and some fog earlier on.  Levanter remained over the Rock and town, but overcast with westerly cloud.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

Six Yellow Wagtails flew overhead at Jews' Gate in the early morning.  Some flocks of Bee-eaters were also heard.Around midday at least 12 Booted Eagles were observed there, with some more at the northern end of the Rock.

At Europa Point the following were observed:-

A juvenile Woodchat Shrike was observed near Mount Alvernia residence. A Grey Heron and six Shags were at Little Bay, with 13 more swimming off Camp Bay.

A Black-eared Wheatear was present at Europa foreshore.

A visit to Windmill Hill in the morning produced the following:-

04 Sept:  Overcast skies with fog and misty conditions.  Levanter cloud over the Rock, town and harbour.  Some sunny intervals in the afternoon with high cloud.Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

At least 30 Booted Eagles flew in towards the Rock around midday, together with two juvenile Egyptian Vultures and a Sparrowhawk.

A large flock of Bee-eaters were heard in the dark just before dawn at Jews' Gate. At least four Iberian Chiffchaffs were heard in the Middle Hill and Poca Roca areas.

Three Pallid Swifts, six Booted Eagles, a Swallow and a male Black-eared Wheatear were seen around O' Hara's Battery. A dark morph Eleonora's Falcon was seen low over Morrisons shopping Centre.

03 Sept:  Levanter cloud over the Rock and town, with fog over the airfield and Europa Point.  Levanter cloud increasing mid morning in a moderate easterly wind.

Ringing Totals

At midday several Booted Eagles and two Sparrowhawks were observed over Jews' Gate.

A flock of 15 Bee-eaters landed in the Nature Reserve but later flew on.  Also seen were single Willow Warbler and Redstart.

02 Sept:  Overcast skies with heavy levanter cloud in the region and some fog during the morning,  becoming brighter in the afternoon with some sunny intervals.  Winds moderate easterly.

Ringing Totals

Just before dawn three Purple Herons flew low over Jews' Gate.  This was followed by a flock of 15 Swallows lost in the clouds. A Yellow Wagtail was also heard, as was more Bee-eaters just before dawn and midway in the morning. A Turtle Dove flew out of the net.

As the morning brightened, an Egyptian Vulture, 12 Honey Buzzards, a Short-toed Eagle, 53 Booted Eagles, two Black Kites, 22 Bee-eaters, a Kestrel, a Peregrine and 34 Swallows were seen from Princess Caroline's battery in the morning.  A Short-toed Eagle and six Booted Eagles were seen overhead at Jews' Gate.

Eleven Shags were swimming off Camp Bay.  Windmill Hill held a Woodchat Shrike, a Garden Warbler and a Common Redstart but there was too much disturbance to see more.

An early morning watch at Europa Point produced the following:-

 A Whitethroat was present at Europa foreshore. Another Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen among Yellow-legged Gulls on Eastern beach. A Common Sandpiper and a Whimbrel were present at Little Bay, where three more Shags were seen.

Camp and Little Bay scrub and offshore held the following:-

A Little Egret flew east at Camp Bay. A Willow Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Pied Flycatcher were present at Vineyards estate.

At least 18 Booted Eagles remained over the Rock in the afternoon.

01 Sept: Mainly clear skies at dawn, with some levanter cloud over the Rock.  Levanter cloud increasing with overcast skies over the region during the day in a moderate easterly wind. Some sunny intervals in the afternoon.

Ringing Totals

A Little Egret and a Grey Heron at Mid Harbours marina, with another Little Egret and a Grey Heron at Rosia bay and two Grey Herons on the Detached Mole.

Several flocks of Bee-eaters were seen over the Rock, low down below the levanter cloud.  Also 15 Black Kites over the Rock.

There were two White Wagtails at Windmill Hill, and a Little Owl in the area of Europa Point, and a Common Sandpiper on the rocks below the Point.