Today was my best watch of the count so far, with a stunning 4549 birds over my watchpoint, most of which were concentrated into a few hours. There were constantly birds pouring South overhead, mainly Honey Buzzards (3200), followed by Black Kites (760), Levant Sparrowhawks (450) and a smattering of Lesser Spotted Eagles, Montagu's Harriers, Booted Eagles and 4 Egyptian Vultures. At times it was totally overwhelming, with birds streaming overhead while I struggled to identify, count and record them (and take a few cheeky photos) at one time. At one point a well-meaning farmer dropped in for a chat and to give me some grapefruits, right while a huge wave was passing over, my conversation/observation balance was tested to the limit!
Apparently this is still just the beginning, I can't quite imagine what 10X this number will look like, expect superlatives galore and possible profanity when the real big numbers start.
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| Egyptian Vulture |
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| Honey Buzzard swarm |
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| Lesser Spotted Eagle |
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| Lesser Spotted Eagle |
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