Sand Martin

Small numbers occur on passage amongst the other hirundines.

Sardinian warbler

Resident breeder in good numbers and readily visits gardens. Late adult seen well 12/11/01.

Scops owl

Summer visitor, "first" date 15/03/02(and same date in 2008) and continuing to call until about mid August, although 2 birds heard calling to one another on the late date of 5/09/04. Several pairs thought to be present annually. I found a newly fledged juv floating, dead, in a swimming pool in the village,early Aug 2008.

Serin

Local breeder (has bred in our garden), numbers augmented in the autumn, when they join the other passerines roving the vine fields.

Short toed eagle

Spring passage commences in mid March (first 03/03/08) and lasts for the next two months, max number seen together was a remarkable 13 on 14/04/02, heading north. A small population of summering/breeding birds remains in the area. A loose group of 6, passed through in improving weather after rain, calling, 2/10/07 and my "last" record was of one over the village 09/10/07.

Short-toed treecreeper

Present in deciduous woodland areas around the village.

Siskin

Male and female in our garden, feeding on the ground, 17/12/02. As serin is so common locally, perhaps overlooked previously - we are well within the species' wintering range here.

Song thrush

Comments for wren apply to this species also. Some may stay to breed in very small numbers (one in the garden 11/05/06).

Southern grey shrike

An uncommon species, most likely to be found in the winter months, when individuals appear during cold snaps, but a very small number seen at other times of the year. In 2004, at a site on the village edge where an individual was regularly present, 2 birds were seen together during the spring, suggesting a possible breeding attempt and another 2 seen at a different site on the village edge in 2010, again suggested possible breeding.

Sparrowhawk

Mainly seen as a winter visitor, hunting the fields for passerines, but evidence of passage in both seasons. Many dozens were seen passing over and around the village on 2nd and 3rd April 2004, heading north, and 1st and 2nd April 2007, in periods of heavy raptor passage, which involved also marsh harriers and black kites on both occasions and the same spectacle, in reverse, occurred on 29/08/05 when large numbers of honey buzzards were passing south.

Spotted flycatcher

Very small numbers on spring passage in April/May. One in our garden 07/08/01.

Starling

Breeder in small numbers, but a hugh influx took place in October 2000, when migrants plundered the remains of the grape harvest. They moved on, but there was a second wave in November, the birds then feeding on olives. This invasion was repeated in the autumn of 2002, with perhaps even greater numbers than 2 years previously. The number of sparrowhawks, not surprisingly, increased during this influx.

Stonechat

Resident in small numbers. Particularly numerous in winter 2001/02, presumably due to birds from further north escaping the worse of the harsh winter weather that affected much of Europe.

Subalpine warbler

Summer breeder to village surrounds in good numbers from the 2nd week in April - first was a very early bird which turned up in our garden 22/03/10, a day of low cloud and light rain, where it fed on the ground along with other grounded migrants, such as chiffchaffs, chaffinches and black redstarts. Late adult seen well 12/11/01.

Swift

Local breeder in large numbers, first birds arriving in early April. First 02/04/07, last 9/09/01.