Having spent much of the summer birding around the area surrounding my house in the highlands of the interior of Alicante, last week I was happy to enjoy a change of scenery and to visit one of the region´s premium wetland sites with Wendy McNeill. A keen birder, Wendy is also an accomplished musician, and often finds inspiration in nature for much of her work. She is currently working on a number of projects where she uses art as a vehicle to get across the message of how we should value and protect nature. Today was about discovering a new area for her but also to provide such inspiration from what she saw. So, instead of working to develop a tick list, we focussed much more on looking carefully at the environment, its bird life and some of the stories behind its key species.
Our first stop was to simply watch with amazement the thousands of Greater Flamingo that were feeding and resting in the salt marshes. This year, Greater Flamingo has successfully bred in Alicante – the first time in 37 years!
Greater Flamingo
As we watched them, we were also treated to good views of Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Slender Billed Gull, Audouin´s Gull, Avocet and Black Winged Stilt. We then moved to another reserve area, stopping on the way to watch a small flock of Bee Eaters that were gathering, more than likely in readiness to begin their migration. (The Bee Eaters that nested next to our house all left by the first week of August).
Bee Eater
Having enjoyed these spectacular birds for a while, we moved to the next wetland site. One of the key target species that I wanted Wendy to see was the Red Knobbed Coot, a very rare aquatic bird of Southern Europe and North Africa. There have been several successful conservation projects focussing on this bird throughout the Valencia Region, and the wetlands of Alicante are some of the best sites in Europe to see it.
Red Knobbed Coot
The first lagoon that we visited held plenty of Common Coot, Squacco Heron and Little Ringed Plovers. Zitting Cisticolas were flitting around in the reeds and House Martins, Barn Swallows and Swifts were all feeding on the wing. A small flock of House Sparrows in a nearby tree caught my attention, and as I carefully checked through them, I was delighted to spot a pair of Spanish Sparrows with them.
Then we turned our attention to another of the region´s key wetland species, the Purple Swamphen. This resident bird breeds throughout the wetlands of the Valencian Community and is always a firm favourite with visiting clients. With a little patience we were able to enjoy some fabulous views.
Purple Swamphen
We then headed for a couple of hides, the first giving views across a lake. I usually get great views of Squacco Heron from here, and as this was a bird that I really wanted Wendy to see, I was disappointed not to see any. More on that later. However, we enjoyed watching Black Necked Grebes, Red Crested Pochard and really good numbers of Great White Egret. As we scanned further across the water we also found a pair of Marbled Teal.
Marbled Teal
The second hide gave yet more views of huge numbers of Greater Flamingo feeding in the water, and now and again one or two would fly into view, the striking pink and black on the wings showing beautifully. We also saw Purple Heron, Green Sandpiper, Black Headed Gull, Slender Billed Gull and two Little Stints.
Little Stint
It was getting quite hot so we decided to walk back to the car, grab the coolbox and have lunch. On the way, as we chatted about the options for the afternoon, Wendy spotted a Kingfisher darting past us. Having enjoyed lunch in the shade, we moved to another site where we were to end the trip in an excellent little hide built on stilts over the water. As we had plenty of time, we decided simply to wait, be quiet and patient, and to see what turned up. Initially, there was a Squacco Heron right in front of the hide, but as we arrived, it flew off. Then, as we calmly and quietly waited, it gradually made its way back, giving excellent views. I´m particularly fond of this bird, as to fully appreciate it, one has to look carefully at it. Only then does it reveal its full beauty.
Squacco Heron
As the time passed, we also saw Great Crested Grebes with young, Little Egret, Black Necked Grebe, lots of Whiskered Terns and a Marsh Harrier. Eventually, we decided to head for home. It had been a fabulous day with some wonderful birds, beautiful Mediterranean habitats and great company. The different approach to the trip had also being very interesting and rewarding and I hope the whole thing gave Wendy food for thought and inspiration.
Written by Dave Warrington of Valencia Birding.