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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 1d

This ringed Caspian #Tern we encountered recently on our #BirdingTwoContinents #Tour on the fabled Merga Zerja lagoon in #Morocco was ringed as a chick on the Kvädö peninsula in Sweden! 3,101km away, 7 years and 118 days before our observation!

#FlywayBirding

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 2d

Arrival day for our guests yesterday and our first area to explore on our #Ronda and The #Straits tour is the #mountains!

Here we were greeted by masses of Black #Redstarts and White #Wagtails seeking lower altitudes.

#FlywayBirding

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 4d

Early winter vibes here in The #Straits with squadrons of young Griffon #Vultures making their way across the continental divide and into #Africa as a massive flow of passerine migration is also clearly underway!

Common Eider is back for a 2nd yr, Pipits, Wagtails and Finches are pouring over!

Northern Bald Ibis © Inglorious Bustards

Slender-billed Gulls © Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 13d

First new #Bird of our final day in #Morocco 🇲🇦and what a stunning view of this Black-crowned (Hooded)#Tchagra

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 15d

1st leg of our #Moroccan section of our #BirdingonTwoContinents tour has been magic!

Greeting us and arriving Short-toed Eagles into Africa were African Blue Tits, African Chaffinch and Common Bulbuls.

The fabled Merga Zerja lagoon gave us magical encounters with #Gulls, #Terns and #Shorebirds!

Lesser Crested Term © Inglorious Bustards

Slender-billed Gull © Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 19d

We encountered with glee on our #BirdingTwoContinents tour this week the stunning 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐛 𝐎𝐰𝐥!

On mtDNA it has been shown to be sister to the fairly genetically homogeneous Tawny Owl of Europe. This species is darker and markedly larger than Tawny Owl with a 20% bigger wingspan.

#FlywayBirding

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · 28d

El parque de Reina Sofía #LaLinea is jumping right now! Fab urban #flyway #Birding before farewells at #Gibraltar Airport

Encounters with Common #Redstarts and both European Pied and Spotted #Flycatchers - the park an ornithological gold mine and absolutely buzzing with migrant #Birds!

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 30

We moved from the campo with thousands of mesmerising Spanish Sparrows to #UrbanBirding in #Tarifa.

Here a Little Owl peered at us and the loneliest Common Bulbul in the world hung out with us! As the rain stopped it was time for hundreds of Booted and Short-toed #Eagles to pour out over #Tarifa

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 29

Great day among the #Marismas of the western end of The Straits yesterday among a mass of migratory #Shorebirds

Spotted Redshanks, Wood Sandpipers, Ruff and masses of Little Stint among many highlights as Greater Flamingoes, Slender-billed Gulls and Caspian Terns also delighted our guests.

Black-winged Stilt © Inglorious Bustards

Greater Flamingoes © Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 26

608 Booted Eagles & 339 Short-toed Eagles soared just overhead and at eye level and out over The #Straits onto #Africa beyond.

Alongside European Honey Buzzards, Black #Kites, Egyptian #Vultures, groups of both Black & White #Storks

A vagrant Atlas Long-legged (North African) Buzzard too!

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 23

Mega #StraitsBirding day among #Shorebirds here y´day - The first #Bird we got our optics on was a vagrant Lesser Yellowlegs alongside Ruff, Wood Sandpipers, Little Stints & Curlew Sandpipers.

Migrant passerines - European Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 21

With the strong levante wind making the crossing of The #Straits even more challenging for soaring migratory #Birds many have been cruising the coast looking for a way to cross or lingering in the campo waiting for their moment.

This stunning rare dark morph Montagu´s Harrier was among them!

Dark morph Montagu´s Harrier © Inglorious Bustards

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Reposted by IngloriousBustards.bsky.social

Jonny @suffolkseawatcher.bsky.social · Sep 16

Get up! This will be a good listen... @batability.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social

Neil Middleton - BatAbility @batability.bsky.social · Sep 16

\o/ Available now on Talking Bat Podcast \o/
Excellent interview with Simon & Niki of Inglorious Bustards
Listen here batability.podbean.com/e/talking-bi...
Once you finish listening, check out all the other brilliant people we have spoken to in the series ^o^
@ingloriousbustards.bsky.social

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 18

With a moderate to strong levante we positioned ourselves at the sweet spot where those attempting the crossing would come low over us.

European Honey Buzzards, Booted & Short-toed #Eagles, Egyptian #Vultures, Montagu´s #Harriers + more, a spectacular #FlywayBirding experience for our guests!

European Honey Buzzard © Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 17

The levante kicked in and so we took ourselves to the Western side of The Straits among an ever increasing passage of #Shorebirds

In the campo Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Common Redstarts and Northern Wheatears arrive on their own journey! #FlywayBirding

Common Ringed Plover © Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 15

Yesterday Short-toed and Booted #Eagles lingered before taking the leap into The #Straits right out from our watchpoint joined by Egyptian #Vultures and Black #Storks and then the #HoneyTrain began to flow! European Honey Buzzards storming out over The divide and our gathered optics!

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 13

The campo was also hopping with small migratory passerines like this European Pied Flycatcher

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 13

The nearby #wetlands were teaming with migratory #Shorebirds - Curlew Sandpipers, Ruff, Red Knot, Whimbrel among the masses.

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 13

Yesterday a steady flow of European Honey Buzzards right over our heads as Booted Eagles crossed the valley right below us as gathering groups of White Storks interspersed with Black Storks arrived and Short-toed #Eagles soared among them!

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 12

Yesterday our guests were out in The #Straits as migratory raptors crossed over Long-finned Pilot Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins, our lunch spot was swarmed with migrating European Bee-eaters and a late afternoon encounter with the ultra rare - 2 Rüppell´s Vultures!😎

#FlywayBirding

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 11

As European Honey Buzzards streamed out high we got ourselves high alongside them as they left their roosts and continued their journey towards Africa right over us!

+ Egyptian Vultures, Osprey, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Marsh and Montagu´s Harriers, European Bee-eaters and Alpine Swifts

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 9

Over a couple of hours observing with guests 😎

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 9

947 European Honey #Buzzards poured out on Sunday + 322 Short-toed & 251 Booted #Eagles, 153 Black #Kites, 48 Egyptian #Vultures, Marsh & Montagu´s #Harriers, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, 27 Black #Storks + 652 White Storks.

565+ European Bee-eater crossed - with them a vagrant 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗲-𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿!!

European Honey Buzzards ©️ Inglorious Bustards

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 5

Another day of mind-blowing encounters on this #FlywayHighway!

Reams of European Honey #Buzzards stretched out overhead to cross to Africa with Booted and Short-toed #Eagles riding the increasing wind as Egyptian #Vultures passed close to us + a dark morph Montagu´s Harrier - the 3rd this week!

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IngloriousBustards.bsky.social @ingloriousbustards.bsky.social · Sep 5

Among the marismas of the W. end of The Straits y´day - the vagrant Elegant Tern + Sandwich, Caspian & Little Terns and masses of migratory #Shorebirds with Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Ruff & Whimbrels.

The shaded woodlands dripping with Spotted & Pied Flycatchers & Common Redstarts and more!

Spotted Flycatcher © Inglorious Bustards

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