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

Bird of the Day end up a Garden Bird

One week on, we thought we'd give Montnegra another go and see if the Trumpeter Finch's had re turned ? There wasn't any sign at the few historical sites that we know of, but there was a mixture of new arrivals?

Black eared Wheatear, Rock Sparrow some female Black Restarts still moving through.

Black Restart

A brief call of Bonnelli's Warbler rattle from a bank of pines? A grey heron gave us a fright as I thought it might of been a Greater Bitten, for a second or two as it followed along the river bed, We tried out our new route 4+ Sub Alpine Warbler's, showed but always difficult and sulking, we gave it our best and also time  quite a few Sardinean Warbler's popped out on our search.

Sub Alpine Warbler

We left GA around 8.30 but not before the resident Black Wheatear (Garden Bird) put on a mega show for us, this bird is always around and displaying this time of the year.

Black Wheatear

Back at Montnegra

Griffons Vultures, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel, Raven briefly at the mountain range.

All the usual suspects about

Black Wheatear

 Green Finch, Gold Finch, Serin, Chiffs, Great Tit, Red legged Partridge and more.

really nice day on the mountains away from, the norm with the chance of finding something good.

A few butterflies, a Skipper,  (unidentified ) A probable 2 Tailed Pasha a, Scares Swallow Tailed, a few small white,

Have a great day

quick update heard my first Bee Eaters yesterday

Cheers Bryan

The Clot Submerged

It's rained all last night and been persistent throughout the day light hours and tonight the havens have opened yet again.

The clot is underwater, there's now 3 big lakes. The gun inplacements left over from the spanish civil war, are almost underwater, and only just viewable I use to walk across the dried out Clot to theses gun inplacements a few years ago today you would now need a boat.

Extreme weather?

 A month from now it's a plague of mosquitoes.

Stand by.

Wales v Austria resent Football Match

Amazing

Spine tingerling moment before and after the game

Its called the Red Wall

Amazing watch

Link below

 Before the Match

Montnegra

Thursday 31st March

It promised to be a better day today after resent downpour, nice blue sky to start with but it quickly clouded up and the breeze picked up sharply and it was cold. 

 Sardinian Warbler

No sigh of the Trumpeter Finch's. Surprise of the day was full summer plumage Common Redstart, wow a very smart bird, Rock Bunting showed briefly, double figures for Sardinian Warbler's, and 4 Sub Alpine Warbler's, one or 2 showed very well but the wrong side of the car for photos, although I did snatch a snap, of one of the other birds, but it was always back on, another bird was singing from inside a bush less than a meter away.

Sub Alpine Warbler

We  found a interesting new route today which will produce a few birds in due course, we're still finding more to exploring in this valley that never ceases to amaze.

All the usual suspects we're there Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Griffon Vultures, Kestrel, Raven, Hoopoe, Swallow, Craig Martin, heard only Spectacled Warbler.

Sub Alpine Warbler
from my catalog

Now the weather improves let's see what next week brings.

 Cheer's Bryan