Petrola, Mountains, San Felipe Clot de Galvaney .

Winters here?

A few mornings out and a day trip to Petrola -Yecla.

Santa Pola Salinas to San Felipe, a grey overcast day with drizzle, birds seen 10 + Great White Egret, about 20 distant Spoonbill, several Marsh Harriers, lots of Avocet, Bluethroat, big rafts of Great Crested Grebe, Audouin's Gull,  Slender Billed Gull, Sandwich Term, Cettis Warbler, Meadow Pipits, 

Marsh Harrier

El Pinet 

Little Owl

Not for the first time.

 Was completely lifeless, and lower Marine wasn't much better, a few Little Owls, Dartford Warbler, Hoopoe, Black Redstart, Common Buzzard, and Booted Eagle.

 Hoopoe

On route good views but brief of Spotted Eagle 

San Felipe

Red knobbed Coot

Water Pipits, European Snipe, Kestrel, Bluethroat, Chiffs, lots of Purple Swamp Hen, Glossy Ibis, Red knobbed Coot, Red Crested Pochard, Teal. Heard only Penduline Tit, Water Rail.

Purple Swamp Hen

Detour to Clot de Galvaney

I'd heard that the Little Crake had been seen again, but after an hour or so, I'd had lost the will to live, also there Common Pochard, Marbled Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Gadwall, Kingfisher, Long Tailed Tits, Marsh Harrier.

Petrola Area

Early Start and birding by 8.45 

It was as you'd expect cold grey and windy, not the best condition's for Birding, but undeterred we carried on a Golden Eagle fly past,  5 Common Cranes, Great Bustards these were not easy and took some effort to find. Thousands of Calandra Lark, a few Sky Lark, Corn Bunting, Mistle Thrush, Lapwing, Dunlin, and big flocks of Rock Doves.

Common Crane

Great Bustards

The seasonal lakes have all dried out after the incredible heat of this summer and only the first signs of them filling up again after the recent heavy rains. And this is probably the main reason why the Great Bustards have moved off/ away. To where I've not a clue.

I've mentioned before that Petrola hasn't been at its best for a few years, this visit hit rock bottom, the only birds on the water were a few Greater Flamingos and that was it.

 Around the water edges was a white foam that was roughly 10 meters wide and a few centimeters deep and completely covered the causeway,  it looked like snow blowing around in the strong wing. Not so good for birding!

white foam

From google an explanation of why?

The foam often appears during and after windstorms along the shoreline. the deep foam piles don't appear at fresh-water lakes, leading many to believe that the foam is said formation of foam is caused by surfactants, organic compounds similar to soap.

white foam

We cut our losses and headed to Yecla I thought it couldn't get any worse. Wrong. It was completely dead all that was seen was Black Redstart, Thekla's Lark, Crested Lark, and Black Wheatear,  heard only Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, we also bumped into Costa Blanca Bird Club at the same venue struggling in the high winds. But I think they had better luck than us.

Kestrel

Mountains 

It was blowing a gale, to say the least.

Blue Rock Thrush, Griffon Vulture, Chough, Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit. Coal Tit, Crag Martin, Chaffinch,

Not the best birding days I've ever had but among the sighting, there were some good birds.

Go birding and make some news

 Cheers Bryan