25-26/03/2008 at Kabd Reserve

by Gary Brown · Published 27 March, 2008 · Updated 28 May, 2022

Spring migration has now started in earnest – visiting birders are turning up daily from various parts of northern and central Europe.

An early morning trip to Kabd on the 25.03.2008 yielded

1 Booted Eagle, 3 Dunn’s Larks, 1 possible Black-headed Bunting and 1 European Bee-eater, as well as the following, which a visiting group of Finnish birders were later able to see:

2 Short-toed Eagles, 1 Steppe Eagle, 2 male Pallid Harriers (involved in a tangle over some prey), 1 Lesser Kestrel, 3 Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, 1 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, 25 + Black-crowned Sparrow-lark (making for some very happy Finns), 1 Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and the usual shrikes, wheatears, larks etc.

26/03/2008: The visiting birders from Germany were luckier than the Finns on the previous day, as I was able to locate 1 pair of Dunn’s Lark, of which they got excellent views. Black-crowned Sparrow-lark was also very much in evidence, and good close-ups were also obtained. Apart from several Pallid Harriers, a male Montagu’s Harrier flew by. A small group of Pale Rockfinches was also observed.