We arrived back at Heathrow early yesterday morning and were home by noon. After unpacking and sorting out the things that happen when you are away for a month we finally turned in at 9.00pm. We awoke this morning at 10.00! Looking back over our GABRaT lV / Neil’s Big Birthday Bash / Tex-Az trip it turned out pretty well. Despite a very average Spring migration along the coast (universal agreement from those birders we talked to) caused by continuous gentle south-easterlies and a lack of bad weather to ground migrants we did see a lot of good birds – our provisional final tally of 373 far exceeding our pre-trip target and, after week one on the Gulf coast, our real-time expectations. After our early success of twitching the Siberian (Amur) Stonechat at Anahuac on day three we did miss a few ‘sitters’ but still managed to add a dozen new birds to our all time USA list: Siberian Stonechat, Berylline & Costa’s Hummingbird, Botteri’s, Five-stripped & Rufous-winged Sparrows, White-rumped Sandpiper (mad that I’d see a good few in the UK before I finally catch-up with them in America!) Whiskered Screech Owl, Sulphur-bellied & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Montezuma Quail (only heard previously) and the comparatively recent split of Chihuahuan Meadowlark. I’ll take that…
Trevor On Tour 
Pleased that you had a good trip. My wife wants me to ask about housemartens/martins (?) We have been watching a pair making home beneath our roof tile, bringing stuff for the nest and food. (Incidentally, when one flies away, he is absent for an average of 24 seconds; no really, we have timed and averaged it) (Did you know that magpies are content to walk over fifty half steps before flying off?) However, Christine would like to know when our rent-free lodgers are likely to leave us. Hope all is well Retired, as you can see, is beautifully lazy! Malcolm.
Hi Malcolm, Good to hear from you and to know you still follow my travel blog. House Martin build mud nests under the eaves (Swifts go under the roof tiles) If the former then in a warm summer birds can have several broods and perhaps stay as late as October. House Martin on in decline – you are very lucky hosts!