BirdingInSpain

A Whitethroat in an almond tree, a Willow Warbler calling from deep in the thicket, a Booted Eagle spiralling over the town of Balaguer. In the last few days the signs have been there for those who can read them: these migratory birds are flying south because they can feel the ripples of autumn, and the sight of them in my part of southern Europe conveys the message to me and people like myself.

I have been hearing Bee-eaters calls from my flat since early July, but now their calls seem irregular and impatient. Last evening a party of 12 Honey Buzzards flew low over our terrace with their characteristic, almost laboured, flapping flight. My wife and I interrupted our game of ping pong to watch them pass.

Dotterel have appeared on their passage through the drylands of Lleida. I’m sure they do so every year, although some years no local birder gets out and looks for them.

I’m now approaching my 20th autumn in this Mediterranean land. Time enough for me to have studied the local bird migration and to know what to expect. I could say the same about the spring migration. I tell myself that these birds will return next spring, although the uncertainties of our world make me hope more than expect.