A Pleasant Day of Birding with Mike Jeffrey

 

January 23rd

Today was a great day spent birding with Mike, a British birder now living in the Netherlands. Mike is an experienced birder with an impressive global bird list, so it’s always a significant achievement to spot a new species and add another tick to the Book of Life.

We planned to hit all the local hotspots to give Mike the best chance to add to his already extensive list of Spanish birds. With such a solid list already, adding new species was going to be a challenge, but we were up for it!

We didn’t start early, as overnight rain (which hadn’t been forecast) left things a little damp. But we set off at 9 o’clock towards Santa Pola Salinas. The sky was partly cloudy, and with the forecast calling for full sun, the day was looking promising.

Santa Pola Salinas

Our first stop was productive, with a good mix of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Audouin’s Gulls, and a near-full summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull. We also spotted Black-headed Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls, and a few distant waders. At our next stop, we had distant views of Great White Egrets and around 20 Spoonbills, with Marsh Harriers gliding over the reed beds.

El Pinet

Unfortunately, the water levels were too high due to the recent rains, and there were hardly any birds around. Mike had hoped to spot a Little Owl, which we did manage to find at Lower La Marina Tracks, along with a few Meadow Pipits and a Southern Grey Shrike. It was a bit slow, but we kept going.

Palm Farm Road

I suggested we try Palm Farm Road. Historically, this area has been great for birding, although it hasn’t been as productive lately. Reluctant to skip it, we decided to give it a go and we were glad we did. Out of nowhere, a Great Spotted Eagle appeared, putting on an incredible show as it was mobbed by a Booted Eagle and a Marsh Harrier. I didn’t even attempt to get photos; I was too caught up in the spectacle. We jumped back in the car and chased it down the road, and unbelievably, the eagle turned back toward us for a few more minutes of viewing before drifting away. It’s always a treat to see such a massive bird of prey. We also spotted a large flock of Skylarks more than 100 in total.

On the way to San Felipe, we managed to get a few glimpses of Zitting Cisticolas, a species Mike had on his list to see.

San Felipe

San Felipe didn’t disappoint. As usual, we spotted Red-knobbed Coots, Marbled Teals, Snipes, Green Sandpipers, and Water Pipits. We also enjoyed an impressive aerial display from a group of Craig Martins, with a single House Martin in the mix. At St Aguada, around lunchtime, the sun finally came out, and we managed to catch sight of a small flock of mobile Little Stints and there was probably a Temminck's Stint with I over looked initially. A quick stop at the Bellavista Hide revealed a massive flock of Greater Flamingos probably a few thousand and 20+Cormorants.

Clot de Galvany

Our final stop was Clot de Galvany, where we spotted a variety of species, including:

Red-crested Pochard

White-headed Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Gadwall

Teal

Shoveller

Sparrowhawk

Grey Wagtail

By around 4 p.m., we decided to call it a day.

It was a wonderful day of birding, and I’m grateful to Mike for the company. The highlight, without a doubt, was the Great Spotted Eagle. It’s been a while since I’ve re- connected with the Great spotted Eagle, and I had forgotten just how massive these birds are.

I haven’t mentioned every bird we saw, but overall, it was a memorable day.

Happy birding,

Cheers, Bryan

Montnegre and Maigmó

Montnegre

Montnegre & Clot de Galvany – 2 January

Yesterday, 2 January, Steve Saunders and I decided to explore the mountains of Montnegre. Mountain birding is never easy, and in winter it can be even more challenging. That said, conditions were pleasant: around 16°C, hazy cloud, and hardly any wind.

Our first stop got things off to a good start with a confiding Blue Rock Thrush, plus another more distant bird. A very close Black Wheatear showed extremely well, while Dartford Warblers were contact-calling but frustratingly difficult to see. A few Serins announced themselves, and Crag Martins passed overhead.

We spent some time at the Trumpeter Finch site—not that we were expecting them, but it’s usually productive. Not today, unfortunately. Moving further up the valley, Steve picked up Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit, and Black Redstart. Robins were everywhere, as usual.

At the top end of the valley we had a real highlight: 16 Griffon Vultures perched right on the summit. I’ve never seen that before—normally they’re just gliding along the rock faces. No sign of any other raptors today, though.

We then crossed to the other side of the valley to Maigmó, but by now the weather had turned very cloudy and dull, and so had the birding. Coal Tit, Crested Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch were about the best we could manage. With that, we cut our losses and headed for Clot de Galvany.

Clot de Galvany – 30 minutes later

Birding at the Clot was much more productive. Along with the usual suspects, we were able to add several good species to Steve’s list, including:

Gadwall

Marbled Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Common Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

White-headed Duck

Black-necked Grebe

Teal

Shoveler

Steve’s species total now stands at 99, and with a few more days to go, he should comfortably crack the century mark before heading home.

Thanks to Steve Saunders for the company and the birds.

I’ve not mentioned every species seen—but you get the idea.

Make some news… go birding.

Cheers Bryan