The #levante has kicked and whilst some passage was continuing this morning from mid-morning the wind increased and the departure gate was all but closed ! The huge collection of Black Kites is now once again forming their awesome collective #Milanada
This strong gusting wind will stay with us until Sunday - a challenging time for these #Birds - do they risk attempting the crossing or wait for better conditions?
As the mist cleared the Jbel Moussa in Morocco this morning the waiting Black Kite #Milanada could see their goal and went for it!
Between 11 and 12 today over 5,000 of them ventured out into the challenging #Straits and onto Africa!
Everywhere the sounds of migrating European Bee-eaters now fill the air as they cruise through our watchpoints busily feeding up before making their own journey!
A BIG day for Black #Kites for our guests !
With an easing levante wind the #Milanada had formed and the departure gate into Africa was jumping!
We counted 6,434 Black Kites - with well over 10,000 in total making the crossing! 1,000+ White Stork swirled over our-heads before stretching out towards Africa!
Joining the migratory party Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Montagu´s Harriers, Egyptian Vulture, European Bee-eaters, Pallid and Common Swifts, hirundines and more! .....#FlywayMagic
With the #Levante wind easing the departure gate opened for the increasing #Milanada😊
11,400 Black #Kites, 1,900 White #Storks, 29 Short-toed #Eagles and 8 Booted Eagles powered across The #Straits into Africa!
Absolute #KiteFest!
These stunning juvenile Black Kites making the crossing for the first time !
A clear morning enabled the migratory gate to be briefly open on the eastern side of The #Straits yesterday with Short-toed and Booted #Eagles with hordes of Black #Kites crossing. However soon conditions deteriorated and rain swept in from the West blocking further north bound passage.
Shutting the gateway of The Straits this impressive #Milanada of c.1,200 Black Kites formed on private land to roost and wait for conditions to improve before heading further into the #Iberian peninsula!
Another awesome day among the #FlywayHighway !
We started with a nice flow of Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles, Black #Kites and more.
Then along the coast we encountered Bonelli’s #Eagles and this handsome zooming nr-adult Rüppell’s #Vulture!
The #Levante continues and more and more Black #Kites, European Honey #Buzzards, Short-toed and Booted #Eagles arrive in The #Straits waiting for their turn to cross to Africa as the wind drops !
We estimated today there maybe well over 10,000 Black Kites waiting and desperate to make the crossing !
This #Milanada and bottling up of soaring migrants is ONLY possible due to wind and geography here at the very epicentre of migration ! #TheStraitsofGibraltar
The #Milanada is on !!
#KiteFest2023 takes hold again with over 5,000 Black #Kites waiting for the #Levante wind to drop and the departure gate of The #Straits to open soon !
It’s #Migrationmagic - it’s awesome !
The arrival of Black #Kites continues as they soar in from high altitude arriving from the north west to join the masses of others now waiting at the departure gate here in The #Straits
.....Soon the wind will drop and then it will be #MigrationMayhem!
#FlywayBirding #Milanada #Kitefest2023 #IngloriousBustards #migrationspecialists
High #FlywayDrama here as the continuing #Levante is making some Black #Kites impatient and we watched as some attempted to cross in crazy cross winds only to turn back and thankfully make it to try in better conditions!
European Bee-eaters are also joining the #Milanada making for quite a fabulous windy #spectacular #MigrationParty !
IngloriousBustards