DAN FORDER WILDLIFE

Male Honey Buzzard flying in off the Mediterranean sea on spring migration, at Atalaya Isdabe, Estepona, Spain. 15/05/22 On the 15th of May, the wind was blowing through the western Mediterranean quite strongly from the west - this can cause migrant raptors heading north, attempting to cross the sea at the Strait of Gibratar, to drift eastwards, missing their targets of Gibraltar or Tarifa, & instead making 'landfall' further east along the Costa del Sol. Positioned about 70km north-east, at Atalaya Isdabe, Estepona, I was able to watch good numbers of European Honey Buzzards come in off the sea, pass over the coastal urban areas, & continue on their way north into Andalucia, with this one passing low & close enough to me for a decent photo. They continued to come in to the bay here on a few days throughout the week depending on the wind, usually in small groups, but numbers stated to fizzle-out by the end of the week - in past years it has usually the week prior th...

I was a bit surprised to see this 1st Summer (?!) ARCTIC TERN feeding a couple of hundred yards from my flat at Watermead last night, especially in June - this is very unseasonal as the Artic Terns that do wander inland should be moving through north between end of April & beginning of May, but making it even more unusual is the fact that 1st year birds usually don't migrate north from their wintering grounds, & are rarely seen in Europe. 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 It was feeding far out on the large lake from 19.55 at least, until 21.25, when it circled-up very high, until only just visible as a dot to the naked eye, then headed off slowly S/SSE. 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 Although the light was very nice, it was tricky to photograph, especially at distance - the light was actually not that bright with the sun just dipping behind the tree-tops, so with such an active bird I n...