La Marina - Santa Pola Salinas

I was awake at 5 o'clock, looked through the bedroom window to a Heavy Sea Fog and visibility of only a few meters and our plan to stay local and bird our patch might have, to be a rethought. John, Michelle and I weighed up the options. We bit the bullet and hoped the fog would burn off quickly. 

We set off across our local patch Santa Pola Salinas, our first stop we couldn't see anything  but could hear plenty of Little Terns, by the time we reached the Salt tower the fog had lifted a little and a Purple Heron flew overhead, a few Yellow Wagtails we're seen, Whiskered Terns were common, 

The Standing Stones

It was now misty and burning off fast another pair of Yellow Wagtails and that was it, besides the residents breeding birds.

El Pinet

All the usual suspects there and good numbers of Avocets, Black-winged Stilt, Slender-billed Gulls, Sandwich Tern, the odd Kentish Plover,  15 Collard Pratincole, Stone Curlew, lots of Little Tern, and Common Tern, 2 more Purple Herons flyovers. Common Swift, Pallid Swift, House Martin, Red Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow.

Avocet
Early days but already showing the sign of moulting and breading fatigue.

Lower La Marina

Happy Days

 A Mega moment of the day was a pair of European Rollers at about 5 meters. Perched on the top of the fence taking in the heat from the warming sun.

 It was almost an emergency stop." Well done John"

 ( John was a driver, for the Police rapid response team so his training kicked in ) 

European Roller

 I didn't spot them till late hence our closeness, we must have had this pair of Rollers for the best part of 15 minutes the birds were completely content with our close presence, even falling asleep in front of the busy cameras.  A massive moment, I don't think I (we) have ever been allowed this very honoured privilege to be so close and observe them so closely for so long, "simply a wonderful moment" and never to be forgotten. A few times they responded to the clicks from the camera shutter noise.

Unbelievable.

European Roller

 Also in the surrounding area 2 Great-spotted Cuckoo and a total of 7 Rollers in that area,  a few Bee-Eaters on wires and a few more Turtle Doves, Gull-billed Terns, and Stone Curlew and just a single Nightingale and a stunning flock of Green Finch. ( I don't know why they don't split this bird to Iberian Green Finch, as I think they are so much brighter and bigger) who knows they must have done the DNA test?

Turtle Dove

It's getting hot and with high humidity. 

It's a bit Sweaty and there are plenty of mosquitoes about.

Have fun

Make some news

 have a great week

Go Birding

Cheers Bryan

Maigmo Mountian

Today's plan 

A quick visit to Maigmo Mountain was very good for the amount of time that was spent there. 

Firecrest

Wren, Firecrest, Bonelli's Warbler, Woodlark, Treecreeper, Rock Bunting, Crested, Long-tailed, Coal, Great, Jay, Mistle Thrush, Chaffinch. 

 Rock Bunting

 Rock Bunting

Heard only Robin.

So not bad for a few hours we're there was also a Giant bee which I didn't manage to get a photo off,  but I have a good memory off in my mind so I'll bee...... look the internet for an ID

 Rock Bunting

Petrola ..... Montnegra..... Benejuzar

Friday 29th April

 Interesting day in more ways than one?

 A day I thought would eventually occur at some point.  I / We would bump into each other.

You'd think the person in question would have a real go at me, for calling the person out ( A Stringer ) But No sheepishy asked where my Camera was?

I was a little bit abrupt and shrill ( I shouldn't of, I wasn't brought up that way ) The Camera in the car? "I said" then the silence, we just looked at each other for 30 seconds or so and nothing was said, 

  It was like something out of an old late 60s Western movie like The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Both eyeing each other up and down,  Lee van Cleef vs Clint Eastwood.  I can hear the whistles of the Theme music from the film. Anyway, the standoff continue and both eventually went our separate ways down the Dusty town.

You've got to laugh.

 There was a similar issue with Scotty Mc boatyface who fabricated sightings of birds and although an exceptionally good birder and had all the skills under the belt just couldn't help himself.

In the end, lost everything including his job as (Tour leader) and any credibility they had.

Back to Birding

Nice weather blue skies and fluffy white clouds. it only took 

5 minutes and we were on 35+ Great Bustard, 

A Crap photo I only took one shot and too far away 
Thinking I'll get a better chance later in the day
which didn't happen.

 15+ Marsh Harriers, 30+ Gull-billed Terns,  10 Whiskered Terns,

 Mediterranean Gulls,  Golden Orioles, 

Gull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle,  2 Black Kites, Lesser Kestrel's, Buzzard,  Bonelli's Warbler's there's plenty.

Black Kite
 Note the notch in the Tail

Note no notch in the tail and missing feather in the left-wing
just record shot for ID

Calandra Lark

Curlew Sandpiper's, 30 Glossy Ibis,  Common Sandpipers, loads of Calandra larks, Tree Sparrows,  20+Rock Sparrow,  Great reed Warbler's,  quite a few pairs of Yellow Wagtails.

And not forgetting the abundant unmentionables. If you name this bird you pay a forfeit and so the game goes on.

I've not mentioned every bird seen or heard

More fun tomorrow have fun.

Sunday 30th April

Today at Montnegra

An amazing twenty minutes of payback, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, no sigh again of Trumpeters Finch at the favoured locations. Or any of the other claimed sightings.

But at the moment. Fantastic view of  2 Bonelli's Eagles.

  One of the Adult Bonelli's flew off chasing / mobbing a Sub-adult Golden Eagle,

  We debated the ID of the 3rd bird which swang from Honey Buzzard.... to Common Buzzard and back again, towing and throwing which we debated time and time again? checking the camera screens and Collin's guide but I think we ended up with the right ID. It was a third Bonelli's Eagle unusual plumage some juvenile secondary still there, but anyway we sorted it in one way or another.

Bonelli's Eagle

Bonelli's Eagle

Trevor and Mark were delighted with the views we had. Mark managed some fantastic photos.

Some Nightingale's around and Red-rumped Swallows no sigh of any Sub-alpine Warbler's today.

Benejúzar 2 May

Karma

what goes around comes around.

We're out a lot of the time Birding and put plenty of time in, and now and again it's payday.

And so it was, one of those days.

Today we toss the coin and Benejúzar won,  Nightingale's every 50 meters, or so  Turtle Doves, Cetti's Warbler, Common Cuckoo's Purple Heron, and Melodious Warbler are going ballistic.

Melodious Warbler

Melodious Warbler

 Stand out moment of the day, Golden Orioles and plenty of them along the side of the river, together we must have seen more than 10 males and heard even more but only one female.

Golden Oriole

Golden Oriole

 We spent 30 minutes watching one adult male singing his Flutie head off completely oblivious to us in the car close by,  absolutely a Mega moment.

Golden Oriole

Golden Oriole

 I must have taken at least a couple of hundred photos most of the first 70 + or so were wasted as Mark having multiple orgasms in the back seat and gyrating trying to find the extension for his new toy.

Golden Oriole

 It's the biggest smile I've ever seen on Marks's face, you'd think just scored for Aberdeen.

No big deal plenty of photos to choose from

Unbelievable.

Turtle Dove

 And not a weather'S original insight, so Liquorice All Sorts had to do.

A quick dash to La Mata for Montague's Harrier and a no show, to be honest, we hardly saw anything of note.

Plan B

Hoopoe

Let's go get the Rollers a the back of La Marina "good idea"  and yet another Blank. With a few Turtle Dove and Bee-eaters, things perked up a bit, Trevor spotted a Male Pied Fly. And so we call it a day and headed off across Santa Pola Salinas along the N332 Trev said we're leaving it late for Montague's Harrier? 30 seconds later you've guessed it?  A Male Montague's Harrier drifted across the N332 right in front of us and over the top of the car (very Close).

Unbelievable and true

30 seconds earlier or later we would have missed it

karma

Mega Day 

Trevor's total 115 species in just 4 short mornings out and one long day at Petrola.

Not bad for a bunch of old cranky amateur Birders.

Combined birding knowledge of well over a 130 years

Gotta make more news

have a great day

Cheers Bryan 

San Felipe

 

Yesterday at San Felipe and the surrounding areas we went to our furthest point and Birded back to GA.

On the road passed the north gate (El Hondo) we decided a quick visited to the fish farm our first of 3 squacco Herons pasted by also a Common Sandpiper on a muddy margin.

Things got a little better at San Felipe.

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper's 25+  Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Black tailed Godwit, Redshank, Collared Pratincole, 150+ Whiskered Terns, Common Sandpiper, Little Bittern.

Curlew Sandpiper

All the usual suspects,  including Marbled Duck, Red knobbed Coot, Purple swamp Hen, Great reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler.

Whiskered Terns

Marbled Duck

We hit a bit of a dead patch for an hour or so after we left San Felipe, we did come across  a few Stone Curlew and one of, who thought  he was concealed

Stone Curlew
we can see you

Stone Curlew 

 But little did he know he was being blasted by Canon and Nikon. 3 Common Cuckoo sounding off along Bellavista road.

Common Cuckoo

 We approached lower la Marina more Great spotted Cuckoo's these were very vocal and easy to locate and a completely different area to the previous day sighting, and more birds heard much further away. 

Great spotted Cuckoo

 We always like to end on a high sometime we do sometimes we don't  light rain had started and decided to call it a day, hang on Trevor said is that a Roller sure enough there it was, there we're at least 2 around the monastery. Happy Days.

Roller

Also few Bee-eaters about.

Another good mornings Birding

                         Ibrean green woodpecker                                   

Have a great day

More fun tomorrow but where?

Watch this space

Cheers Bryan.

Coming soon a review Canon 30d 8.2 maga pixel a twenty year old camera? Any good in 2022

Summery of last week's birding

Overly busy last week and did not have much time to update the blog and it looks that way for a while.

19th April

The 3 Amigos went to Yecla.

There's been major road works around this area for 2 years now and the road number has changed and easy to miss the exit it's now renumbered to exit 171.

Black-eared Wheatear

We worked hard for what got and no major moment of the day and nothing out of the unusual, Short-toed, Thekla's, Crested, and Calandra seen, Black-eared Wheatear, Black Wheatear, Chough, Jackdaw,  Black Cap, Lesser Kestrel's, Common Kestrel's, Woodchat Shrike, Mistle Thrush, Corn Bunting's everywhere, Rock Sparrow, Tree Sparrow seen in Good numbers and also Linnet and Gold Finch,

Short-toed Lark

Calandra  Lark

Heard only Bonelli's Warblers.

Friday 22nd

Lower La Marina, Pallet Road, El Pinet.

Mark and I went searching for European Roller? We manage to locate 2 birds which promptly flew off.  Bee-eaters seem to be settling in now with plenty around. A Common Cuckoo was sounding off, also heard in several different places Great-spotted Cuckoo. The highlight was the 6 Monk Parakeets at Pallet Road. We did see 2 birds there in the same place last week.

 Monk Parakeets

 Monk Parakeets

Not mentioned every bird seen.

Sunday 24th April

Montnegra

A morning birding there to see if the Trumpeters Finch's have arrived back?  No show again that's twice. Nightingale singing in the reed beds, a Black-eared Wheatear showed off in front of us.  Black Wheatear, Red-rumped Swallow, Coal Tit, Great Tit seen.

Black-eared Wheatear 

 Alpine Swift's was the surprise of the day and despite chasing the cloud of Pallid Swift's they were mixed in with, we didn't catch up with them again, blimey they can shift when they want to. We did find good numbers of Subalpine Warbler and one bird sat on the fence when I was having a pee? I think probably 6 in total along just one track, not very obliging singing from within the scrub/bushes. I wonder just how many birds are in this Valley?  Earlier we had some fun trying to photograph a very mobile pair of Spectacled Warblers

Black-eared Wheatear 

Today 26th

Out Birding with Trevor, Mark and myself was a bit of a better day nothing mega but the views of the birds were very good.

Birds seen

Santa Pola Salinas including El Pinet.

Maybe 10+ Great White Egrets, Little Terns, Whiskers Tern, Sandwich Terns, Common Tern, Yellow Wagtails in very smart plumage, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Greenshank, Collared Pratincole, Mediterranean Gulls almost everywhere around El Pinet and sounding off.

And all the usual breeding suspects.

Lower La Marina, Pallet Road.

Great Spotted Cuckoo

It was good around this area Common Cuckoo, Woodchat Shrike, Great-spotted Cuckoo, Monk Parakeets, 14+ Turtle Dove,

No sigh of Rollers anywhere but tomorrow another day

Mediterranean Gull

Not had a chance to go through all the photos but at some point

I'll update

Thank you to all who keep logging into Birding Costa Blanca.

 Of interest.

Photos were taken with a Canon 30d. 8.2-megapixel 20-year-old camera or the Canon 1D MK ll 10-megapixel camera. review coming soon. To be honest these cameras never miss a flying bird and log on fast to the flying subject with no problem (So Easy)

thank you

Have fun

Cheers Bryan

A Re up by popularity ( most viewed ) 2025

                                              Misuse of Images and Fabricated Bird Sightings

Google Reverse Image Search is a powerful tool for uncovering the origins of photographs online. By uploading an image to Google Images, you can quickly find visually similar photos, locate the original source, and often determine when and where the picture first appeared.

For journalists, this helps verify authenticity and publication dates. For photographers, it’s a way to track whether their work is being reused without permission.

Unfortunately, fake news doesn't only appear in politics or media—it’s now making its way into bird sightings, birding websites, and even wildlife photography. It’s disappointing to see individuals feeling the need to fabricate sightings or use stolen photos to support claims.

I know several birders who have spent valuable time searching for species based on these reports, only to discover that the supporting images were not legitimate. The website involved has repeatedly used photos taken from elsewhere on the internet to bolster false sightings.

The most recent example involves a supposed Trumpeter Finch photographed at Montnegre. However, a simple reverse-image search reveals that the photo is actually from Morocco, April 2010, taken by photographer Michel Carré.
Here is the source:
https://www.oiseaux.net/photos/michel.carre/trumpeter.finch.2.html

So how can a photo from Morocco in 2010 be presented as evidence of a bird seen in Montnegre, Alicante, in April 2021?
It can’t—and that’s exactly the point.

I haven’t named the person or website involved to spare them further embarrassment, though some might argue that repeated falsification risks labeling them a stringer—someone who intentionally fabricates bird sightings rather than simply making honest mistakes.

Hopefully, highlighting this issue will help put an end to the fake reports and the misuse of photographs. With nearly 40,000 views on Birding Costa Blanca, the word is already spreading.

At least there’s a bit less fog surrounding the truth now.


Here is a more formal, report-style version of your text. I’ve preserved your message while tightening the structure, clarifying key points, and ensuring the tone is objective, factual, and suitable for publication.
Formal Report: Misuse of Images and Fabricated Bird Sightings

Introduction

Reverse image search technology, such as Google Reverse Image Search, has become an essential tool for verifying the authenticity of online photographs. By uploading an image, users can quickly locate visually similar photos, identify the original source, and determine when the image was first published. This capability is particularly valuable for journalists seeking to confirm the provenance of an image and for photographers monitoring the unauthorized use of their work.

Increasing Concern Over Fabricated Bird Sightings

The prevalence of misinformation on the internet has extended beyond general media and into the birding community. In recent years, instances of falsified bird sightings and misappropriated photographs have been reported. Such practices have misled birders, wasted valuable time, and undermined the credibility of local birding networks.

A number of birders have travelled considerable distances in search of species allegedly observed and photographed—only to later discover that the accompanying images were not authentic. In several cases, images have been sourced from unrelated websites and used without permission to substantiate fabricated reports.

Recent Case: Trumpeter Finch Misidentification

A recent example concerns a purported sighting of a Trumpeter Finch at Montnegre, Alicante, reported on 19 April 2021. The photograph presented as evidence was quickly revealed—through reverse image search—to be identical to an image taken in Morocco in April 2010 by photographer Michel Carré.

The original image can be found here:

https://www.oiseaux.net/photos/michel.carre/trumpeter.finch.2.html

This confirms that the photo used to support the alleged Montnegre sighting was not produced locally and does not correspond to the date or location claimed.

Implications

While the individual or website responsible has not been publicly identified here, repeated incidents of this nature risk leading to the perception of intentional deception. In birding terminology, such behaviour is often associated with the term stringer—someone who knowingly falsifies sightings rather than making unintentional identification errors.

These practices can erode trust within the birding community and diminish the reliability of local reports, which many birders depend on for planning fieldwork, travel, and species monitoring.

Conclusion

The exposure of falsified sightings through reverse image search underscores the importance of verification in the digital age. Birders are encouraged to make use of available tools to confirm the authenticity of images and reports. With widespread attention—nearly 105,130 views on Birding Costa Blanca at the time of writing—it is hoped that greater transparency will discourage the spread of misleading information.

An Unexpected Journey

An unexpected email arrived? fancy a few hours Birding this afternoon, okay I answered see you later on.

And so very productive 3 hours Birding with No bins member and top Photographer Mark Etheridge link below. 

Mark Etheridge web site 

Mark also writes a monthly Birding Article for the very popular Gran Alacant magazine link below,and read his article

Gran Alacant Advertiser

To be honest  it was a bit of a flat start with, but it only takes one bird to get it going.

We crossed the Santa Pola Salinas, water levels are very high after resent rains, so there are very few muddy margins,

El Pinet

Common Terns are back, a few Stone Curlew sounding off, plenty of Sandwich Terns and Slender billed Gull's there, and the resident usuals.

Lower levels around the back of la Marina

It was quiet with few bird's, and at Pallet Road a new bird for that area, nothing special a pair of Monk Parakeet, and distant single Bee-eater.  The high point was the possessed crazy dog who goes mad everytime we see him, I tease him a lot.

Whinchat

Anyway we persevere and found a Whinchat, a good migrant to find and it was showing off in front off us, "we're on a roll now"

Corn Bunting

 A point blank Corn Bunting, there almost everywhere, around  grassland's and crops. So no big deal,  Woodchat Shrike x 2, Nightingale sounding off in most reed beds or water area's Great reed Warbler's cracking off, also Reed Warbler in several places.

Whinchat,

Common birds seen or heard Zitting Cisticola, Stone Curlew, Marsh Harriers, Kestrel, Serin, Gold Finch, a drive by of Dunlin ? on the Salinas or could they be Curlew Sandpiper?

Serin

We like to end on a high

And today we bump into a Male Montague's Harrier on the way home on the M332 A stunning male and no chance to stop the car in the traffic, maybe next time?

And with migration now in full swing and most birds are in, who know what next?

Woodchat Shrike

Cheers Bryan