After picking up all members of the group from their respective accomodations, we first headed to the north-west coast of Gozo. En route to our first stop, we had already seen our first Common Kestrels and Western Yellow Wagtails of the day. Shortly after arriving and starting our walk, we saw the first of many migrating Northern Wheatears which we would see throughout the day, while a pair of Grey Herons were seen migrating offshore. Other migrants besides Barn Swallows were thin on the ground, but we still were happy to see some of the local residents such as Blue Rock-thrushes and Zitting Cisticolas, while a Common Sandpiper was also spotted. We then decided to cross to the south-west of the island, hoping that it will be more sheltered from the brisk easterly winds. This turned out to be a good move, since shortly before arriving a juvenile Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush flew across the road and later gave good close views. This species is a very scarce autumn migrant in Malta, while it is more regular in spring. During our walk in this area, we spotted many more Northern Wheatears as well as multiple Tawny Pipits, Tree Pipits, Greater Short-toed Larks, a Willow Warbler and a Whinchat. The Blue Rock-thrushes here were more cooperative than earlier, while we also managed to spot multiple Spectacled Warblers, which had eluded us earlier. An Eleonora’s Falcon flew quickly along the cliff but disappeared before everyone could see it.
After a lunch break, we opted for a change in habitat and headed to one of the few areas on Gozo with large trees. Although there were not many birds around, we added Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Subalpine Warbler and House Martin to our list for the day. Unfortunately things were getting quiet at this point, as is typical on a sunny afternoon. Nevertheless, instead of getting disheartened, we headed to one last spot before calling it a day. This spot is an agricultural area with a lot of food availability for insectivorous birds. Indeed, this spot was very productive, with many Western Yellow Wagtails of different ages and plumages, more Northern Wheatears, Willow Warblers and Wood Warblers, as well as two surprises in the form of a relatively late Common Hoopoe and an out of place Little Ringed Plover, all of which gave great close view from inside the car, while a Cattle Egret flew low overhead. All in all, considering the weather was not ideal, we managed to see a good number of species and got our fair share of surprises.