Day trip 21st May 2021 – Swifts and swallows galore!

Guide of the day: Karline Martorell accompanied by Philippa Benson
Participants: 6
Weather conditions: Cloudy with sunny intervals and a light wind, temps ranging from 10°C to 20°C

Highlights of the day: Alpine swift, Red-rumped swallow, Crag martin, Blue rock thrush, Woodchat shrike, Golden oriole eating cherries. Another highlight was having our coffee break actually at a café!!!

The aim of the day was to see nesting species of hirundines and swifts and see them we did! Common swift, Alpine swift, Crag martin, House martin, Red-rumped swallow, Barn swallow all in good numbers swirling around our heads. The Crag martins were particularly cooperative, swooping around below us over the dry river bed and settling on a buttress just below us as we looked down from the bridge.

The muggy weather was a challenge, as was the misinformation about the car park and the café opening late.. but we struggled on and had a good day despite the challenges.

Just click on the link below to read or download the detailed trip report and bird list.

Trip report and bird list 2021.21.05 Minervois spring