Today´s trip was my first since my illness caused by the tick bites that I suffered in June, so it felt good to be back in the field with clients, especially as Bruce and his son Archie were returning clients, so we already knew one another. As Red Knobbed Coot was on their list of priority species, we headed for the southern wetlands of Alicante, one of the best areas in Spain to see this bird. Birding in Alicante is often surprising, and it’s also home to some of Spain’s most successful conservation projects.
After a quick coffee, we got straight to work, looking across a small lagoon that held Squacco Heron as well as a pair of Moustached Warblers that were flitting around at the base of the reeds. Within minutes we had our first views of Red Knobbed Coot – a pair with young.
Red Knobbed Coot
A stroll across a raised boardwalk gave us views of Purple Swamphen, Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt and Glossy Ibis, all extremely regular species throughout the region. Although it was quite hot, there seemed to be some quite good bird activity, so we continued our walk and visited three hides. From these, the highlights were Purple Heron, Black Necked Grebe, Mediterranean Gull, Night Heron and Little Bittern. Bee Eaters were calling to each other as they passed overhead and Zitting Cisticola were busy feeding on insects in flight.
By now it was rather warm and were hungry, so we headed for a shady spot by a pond and enjoyed lunch. Afterwards, we drove across farmland to visit another hide that looks out across a large lagoon that held huge numbers of Greater Flamingo, as well as Red Crested Pochard, more Black Necked Grebe and Great Crested Grebe. Whiskered Terns were feeding and a small group of Pallid Swifts passed through.
We brought the day to an end with a visit to a salt marsh, primarily looking for gulls, and had views of Audouin´s, Mediterranean, Yellow Legged and Slender Billed plus an Avocet and Common Tern. It had been great to see Bruce and Archie again, and to share with them more great birding experiences. I hope to see them again soon.
Our species list for the day included…
Squacco Heron, Moorhen, Red Knobbed Coot, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Moustached Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Black Headed Gull, Zitting Cisticola (h), Black Winged Stilt, Great Reed Warbler, Audouin’s Gull, Greater Flamingo, Little Egret, Purple Swamphen, Barn Swallow, Purple Heron, Tree Sparrow, Black Necked Grebe, Great White Egret, Bee Eater, Mediterranean Gull, Little Grebe, Night Heron, Red Crested Pochard, Little Bittern, Whiskered Tern, Common Swift, Crested Lark, Pallid Swift, Shelduck, Yellow Legged Gull, Kestrel, Avocet, Slender Billed Gull, Common Tern.
Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.