Neighbours are moving in

A number of birds, normally associated with being residents of continental Africa, have chosen to expand their range to now include Andalucía, a turn of events that quite possibly is attributable to changes to the climate. Higher temperatures and drier conditions have produced changes to the Spanish landscape and have certainly had an influence on attracting a few birds to attempt to gain a foothold within this part of Europe. Most notable among these birds are the Cream-coloured Courser, Laughing Dove, Common Bulbul and House Bunting, with a higher frequency of observations related to others such as the colourful Moussier's Redstart (the national bird of Morocco).

The beautiful Cream-coloured Courser was first confirmed as breeding in the region during 2001. My many visits to Morocco have taught me that this bird is nomadic and an opportunist taking advantage of suitable conditions to breed, remaining faithful to sites only if suitable conditions prevail. Given the abundance of suitable habitats here it is highly likely more pairs have gone unnoticed, especially as many of these areas are remote.

In the 1990s, the Laughing Dove expanded its range northwards and westwards and by 2010 had been recorded across Morocco, reaching the north and more particularly the Tangier Peninsula by 2013. Not unexpectedly, sightings in Andalucía increased during this period, and during 2020 the first confirmed breeding here was reported. I would expect this bird to become more common in the future.

The Common Bulbul had been reported during the early years of the 2000's and the first nesting record was in 2012 in an urban area of Tarifa. Since this confirmed breeding, it has attempted to increase its presence and expand its range beyond Tarifa.

The House Bunting has been recorded here as far back as 1987 but since then, regular sightings have occurred, especially in urban areas of Tarifa and Algeciras. Breeding was first confirmed in 2023. I fully expect an expansion in the range of this bird as recent sightings further north on the coast indicate.

In addition to the above, the Rüppell's Vulture has, for the past 20 years, become a regular and constant feature in the region and the Little Swift started to breed (their most important colony in Europe is in the town of Chiclana). So, I wonder what new immigrant we shall be seeing in the future.