The past couple of months have been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to post any trip reports! This is by no means a complaint and I’m extremely grateful to everyone for making this spring such an intense time. We’ve had some fabulous trips, seen some great birds, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with such lovely people.
Here are a few shots taken during three recent visits to the wetlands of Alicante. This area has to rate amongst the best birding sites in Spain, not only for the birds that thrive here, but for the conservation projects that continue to protect key species such as Marbled Teal, White Headed Duck and Red Knobbed Coot.
White Headed Duck
Marbled Teal
Red Knobbed Coot
I’ve had some fabulous trips to Alicante this spring, all with returning clients who I count as friends. Firstly with John, an English birder who lives here in Spain, with Cheryl and Diane from the USA, and with Sally and Pete, a couple from the UK who have a second home in the region.
Whiskered Tern
On each trip, we were blessed with great weather, and good views of some of the area’s classic species, including Roller, Collared Pratincole, Little Bittern, Kentish Plover, Slender Billed Gull and Whiskered Tern.
Roller
Squacco Heron
As always, each trip was different and had its highlights, but species seen across all three included…
Alpine Swift, Barn Swallow, Bee Eater, Black Headed Gull, Black Necked Grebe, Black Winged Stilt, Blackbird, Cattle Egret, Cetti’s Warbler (h), Collared Dove, Collared Pratincole, Common Coot, Common Pochard, Common Reed Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Common Swift, Common Tern, Crested Lark, Cuckoo (h), Glossy Ibis, Great Crested Grebe, Great Reed Warbler, Greater Flamingo, Green Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Hoopoe, House Martin, House Sparrow, Kentish Plover, Little Bittern, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Magpie, Mallard, Marbled Teal, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Pallid Swift, Pied Avocet, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Red Knobbed Coot, Roller, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sardinian Warbler, Shelduck, Slender Billed Gull, Snipe, Spotless Starling, Squacco Heron, Whiskered Tern, White Headed Duck, White Wagtail, Yellow Legged Gull, Zitting Cisticola.
Writing this brief blog has brought back many happy memories for me, as I hope is the case for John, Cheryl, Diane, Sally and Pete, and I look forward to seeing them all again soon.
Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.