After picking up James and Judy early in the afteroon, we headed to our first location on the northern coast of Gozo. Although the conditions were not favourable for seeing large numbers of birds, being very hot and sunny, we were not disheartened. Shortly after arriving, we were greeted by the first of a decent number of Greater Short-toed Larks, which were gathering in flocks before departing for the winter. Migrants were mostly represented by several Northern Wheatears, Barn Swallows and Western Yellow Wagtails, while we also found two Tawny Pipits, which are relatively uncommon in autumn. We also spotted a few Western Marsh-harriers, which had probably just made landfall after arriving from Sicily to the north. Local residents were represented by the always popular Blue Rock-thrush and a few Spectacled Warblers, the latter being quite skulking in the hot conditions.
We then crossed over to the southern coast of the island. Things where a bit quieter here than the previous location, with mostly more Barn Swallows, Western Yellow Wagtails, and Greater Short-toed Larks, while we also spotted a single European Turtle-dove. Despite the lack of birds, we were happy to find a very obliging Mediterranean Chameleon. We then tried our luck at one of Gozo’s mainy hills to try to spot some new birds for this short tour. Although luck was not on our side, we manged to see yet another Mediterranean Chameleon from very close range, while we also spotted another European Turtle-dove. All in all, it was not the most productive tour, with the early date and the weather not being on our side, but we put in a good effort and still enjoyed some of Gozo’s most iconic landscapes.