Back from the wet; books; Cabo de Gata and yellow-billed tern

Back from the wet after a week in England and I think that I am finally dry after 24 hours down here on the coast. The Bird Fair was very interesting and, as usual, I saw several old friends, including Manolo Rendon from Fuente de Piedra and Antonio Román Muñoz of the Migres Fundación (Tarifa); my co-author of Where to watch birds ... Ernest García and his wife and he gave me a copy of the new edition of Where to watch birds in northern and eastern Spain by Michael Rebane and himself, as well as Richard and Pat Gunn of Almería who for some obscure reason have gone back to live in the UK in Lincolnshire.

Two days on the east coast just south of Bridlington at my sister's huge immobile caravan with two wet dogs showed few birds of interest between the heavy rain squalls except a few waders, the best being 2 Grey Plovers still in breeding plumage, plenty of Common Terns and a single Arctic Tern, a single Arctic Skua, 1000+ small ducks in Bridlington Bay , of which at least 200 were Teal, and a single Merlin which must have forsaken the North Yorkshire moors and which came over the cliff at about Mach 0.95 on full afterburn and frightened the living daylights out of the few remaining Sand Martins.

Thank heavens I had bought the dvd of Sir Alec Guinness in the superb BBC version of Smiley's People by John Le Carré and which we greatly enjoyed whilst the rain battered down!

Books As usual any thoughts of not buying any books went out of the window, and apart from the one Ernest gave me, I forked out on the rather neat little Waders of Europe, Asia and North America by Message & Taylor in the Helm Field Guides series (25 GBPs) and which should be in the library of all birders. Rather more expensive was the Petrels night and day. A sound approach guide by Robb & Mullarney, this impressive tome with two CDs being rather more expensive (I daren't put down the price in case my wife happens to read this) and specialist for seabird maniacs like myself.

20 August; Cabo de Gata: The attached, slightly edited note, from Dave Elliott-Binns, the photos are Dave's (Little Stint on right; Curlew Sand. on left). I should add that I fully concur with Dave's retail therapy comment!

Hi Andy, ( + Arboleas Group),
As most group members had guests, were away or finding the oppressive heat too much, Gilly and I popped into Cabo de Gata on our way to Almeria for some retail therapy ( or boredom, depending on your gender!). The autumn southerly migration is definitely on. Many waders, Dunlin, Redshank, Sanderling, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit were there in numbers plus the resident Avocet and Black Winged Stilt. 575 Greater Flamingos counted. On the 'little' bird list we saw Melodious, Subalpine and Orphean Warblers feeding up for their 100 mile flight to Algeria. A family of Woodchat Shrikes were doing likewise as was a pair of Northern Wheatear.

The yellow-billed tern which I mentioned as being at Cabo de Gata just before I went to off to upset England is now rated as being a 99% certainty as Elegant Tern! And I didn't go and see it!!!! Aagh!!!!!