53 species were seen in the Alcossebre area in May, 2018. The bird of the month was a first winter Golden Eagle. A first record for the Alcossebre area. It brings the Alcossebre species list to 244 species. An impressive total for this part of Spain. Other highlights this month were;- first spring records for Red Kite, Red-necked Nightjar and Pied Flycatcher. I missed three days observation due to the weather and the last 13 days due to a leg injury. On the 1st May one Glossy Ibis and 23 Yellow- legged Gulls flew east, and five Turtle Doves were new arrivals. The 2nd May saw one Great Egret and five Grey Herons fly east. Overnight arrivals One Black-crowned Night Heron, one Common Sandpiper, and the first Spotted Flycatcher of spring. Very quite on the 3rd May, only five Barn Swallows flying east, and two new Spotted Flycatchers arrived. A strong north east wind on the 4th May kept me house bound. No passage birds on the 5th May, but seven Turtle Doves and two Spotted Flycatchers, were new arrivals. 18 Black-headed Gulls, 19 Bee eaters and two Red-rumped Swallows flew east on the 6th May. 12 Turtle Doves were new arrivals. A quite day for birds on the 7th May, only three Great Cormorants flying east, and six Sandwich Terns flying south. 11 Barn Swallows and nine House Martins flew east on the 8th May. Overnight arrivals one each of Woodchat Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher, and the first Pied Flycatcher of spring, and the first Red-necked Nightjar of spring. 24 Glossy Ibis, one Booted Eagle and 24 Black-headed Gulls flew east on the 9th May. One new Woodchat Shrike arrived. The 10th May was one of the best of the month for birds. Seven Grey Herons, one Great Egret, 12 Little Egrets, 19 Barn Swallows and 10 Sand Martins flew east. Hundreds of Pallid and Common Swifts flew into a moderate north east wind. Overnight arrivals three Common Sandpipers, two Great Spotted Cuckoos and one Northern Wheatear, and seven Blue-headed Wagtails. In contrast the 11th May had only two Grey Herons flying east. Nothing of note on the 12th May. A Red Kite flying over the house on the 13th May, was the first this spring. Seven Great Cormorants and 10 Glossy Ibis flew east on the 14th May, and one new Pied Flycatcher arrived. The 15th May gave me a new record for Alcossebre. I was playing bowls when a first winter Golden Eagle soared above, low enough to see it´s plumage clearly without binoculars! Overnight arrivals, four Woodchat Shrikes and one Spotted Flycatcher. The 16th May was quiet, with only one each Grey Heron and Red-rumped Swallow passing through.
I missed out the 17th May because I was doing a workshop for the local schoolchildren - see separate blog. There was nothing of note on the 18th May my last day of observation for the month Alcossebre Weather in May 2018. We were heading for the driest month of the year so far, until thunderstorms on the 28th and 30th brought us torrential rain. The first week in May was mixed. The first three days fine, sunny and warm. There was more cloudy spells in the other four days. Two days had a trace of rain, the 5th and 6th. Winds were mainly gentle east or south easterly, with a moderate north east winds om the 1st and 3rd. Temperatures 3C below night average, and 2C below the day average. The second week in May gave us four days of fine, sunny and warm weather. Three days were overcast with bright spells. There was only one day with a moderate north easterly wind, the 10th. Temperatures were average for night 15C, and day 24C. The third week in May was settled with fine, sunny and warm weather. Winds were light/gentle, east or south east. There was a moderate north east wind on the 15th. Temperatures were 2C below average night, but 1C above day average. The fourth week in May was the poorest of the month, with only one day of sunshine - the 24th. The rest were overcast. Winds were gentle east or south east, with the exception of the 25th when there was a moderate north easterly all day. A thunderstorm on the 28th delivered the first heavy rain - 0.4 inches (10mm). Temperatures were 4C above the night average, and 1C above the day average. The last three days brought us more rain with another thunderstorm and torrential rain - 2.4 inches (61mm) on the 30th. Average day temperature was 24C (75F). Average night temperature was 15C (59F). Highest day temperature was 27C (80F) on the 3rd. Highest night temperature was 23C (73F) on the 24th. Lowest day temperature was 20C (68F) on the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th. Lowest night temperature was 7C (44F) 2nd. Total rainfall was 2.8 inches (71mm), over two days. Average rainfall for May is 3.1 inches (79mm).
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