(Locations in brackets where we stayed the night)
Sunday 17 March (Santa Pola)
Arrived at Alicante Airport mid-afternoon for my 13th visit to Southern Spain, the first since 2017.
Drove south to our first night’s stay at Santa Polo along the coast road. Disappointed to find the sand dunes covered in hundreds of camper vans for most of the length, was hoping to find some larks, pipits etc.
Yellow-legged Gull, Little Egret
Santa Polo Saltpans
Greater Flamingo, Coot, Pochard, Little Grebe, Audouin’s Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Shelduck, Little Bittern, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Egret.
About
Collared Dove, House Sparrow.
Monday 18 March (Hornos)
Santa Polo Saltpans
Green Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sub-alpine Warbler, Magpie, Hoopoe, Cormorant, Mallard, Grey Heron, Avocet, Moorhen, Blackbird,
Parque Regional de Sierra Espuña
Very dry and parched. A Red Squirrel showed well for a short time. Only new bird was a few Chaffinch.
Drove to Hornos a mountain village in NE Andalucía, our home for the next 5 nights.
Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Iberian Shrike. A number of distant raptors looked like eagles, but too far away for identifying. A few Spanish Ibex by the side of the road.
Hornos
Scops Owl calling.
Tuesday 19 March (Hornos)
Hornos
Early morning walk found a small bat out still flying, which repeatedly kept flying up to a small hole in the roof of the local Pharmacy, until it eventually found a way to enter. A walk through olive groves/pine woods found little other than Chaffinch, Great Tit and Ravens overhead. From our apartment balcony Crag Martin and Black Redstart.
Spent over 5 hours exploring the upper Guadalquivir River Valley. Griffon Vultures were out by late morning, but were all flying very high along the top of mountain ridges. Along the river Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Grey Wagtail, Jay. A Crayfish believed to be White-clawed, was observed on the riverbed for a short time before it hid under a rock.
Back at Hornos a Short-toed Eagle flew over the village. Just after 6 pm another or the same Short-toed Eagle was observed from our balcony catching a small snake/lizard, which it ate on the wing. A single Black Kite also flew past.
Wednesday 20 March (Hornos)
Hornos
New birds around the village today were House Martin, Blackcap and Blue Rock Thrush.
Refugio C.F. El Campillo Hornos de Segura
Hit a good patch this morning when we arrived at a picnic spot on an area of open mature Scots Pine. Several Common Crossbill kept coming to the ground, with the exception of a female, all were juveniles. They were picking over some stony ground, but on inspection I could find no vegetable matter, but they do occasionally eat insects. Also around Siskin (Also feeding on the stony ground with the Crossbills), Cirl Bunting, Short-toed Treecreeper.
As a non-conventional twitcher who finds his own birds, I did not go to see the Peak District Lammergeier the other year. I have seen and photographed Lammergeier in South Africa. As part of my quest to see all the European raptors, this was the main purpose of this trip. The area is a large National Park called Parque Natural de las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas. I had known for some years that a reintroduced project to bring back Lammergeier had been taking place here. So, with no idea where the Lammergeier where, it came with some surprise when I identified one flying below a group of Griffon Vultures around 11 am this morning. I then chanced upon a Park Ranger, who was monitoring the Lammergeier. I was told they are doing well and there are 10 breeding pairs. This is good news, as historically Lammergeier occurred all the way to Gibraltar. Driving further on, we had prolonged views of an immature and adult tussling in the air together, above the snow line. Another treat followed when an immature Spanish Imperial Eagle flew by low.
Thursday 21 March (Hornos)
Hornos
Only new bird today White Wagtail.
Refugio C.F. El Campillo Hornos de Segura
Returned to the area where so many birds were present Wednesday, only to find it much quieter today. Two adult Lammergeier flew over high to the east.
Just a few new birds found driving around Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Coal Tit.
Friday 22 March (Hornos)
A very quiet day only new bird a Swallow. A Griffon Vulture was seen from our balcony and the strange sight of a dead male Sardinian Warbler on the road near our apartment.
Saturday 23 March (Santa Pola)
Hornos
Spotless Starlings finally came close enough to positively identify.
On the way back to Santa Pola a male Rock Bunting, the first and only roadside Buzzard and a couple of Kestrel.
Sunday 24 March (Santa Pola)
Santa Polo Saltpans
Only songbirds were Blackbird, Sardinian Warbler and a distant calling Hoopoe. Green Sandpiper, Avocet and Black-winged Stilt were the only waders.
Returned to the Salt pans midday. Soon picked up on some Slender-billed Gulls amongst the Mediterranean Gulls. A Yellow Wagtail then put in a brief appearance.
Monday 25 March (Santa Pola)
Santa Pola Saltpans
New birds today Little Egret, Redshank, Shoveler, Cattle Egret.
Tabarca Island
Boat trip out to the Isle of Tabarca. On the sea just Yellow-legged Gull, Cormorant and Sandwich Tern. On the island little other than, Sardinian Warbler, House Sparrow and, Spotless Starlings.
Tuesday 26 March (Santa Pola)
Parque Natural el Hondo A superb wetland nature reserve run by the local government, puts UK government/local council reserves to shame.
Red- knobbed Coot, Purple Gallinule, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck, (First time I have seen these 4 Southern Spain specialities together at one location. Although their origin may be a bit dubious!) Glossy Ibis, Cetti's Warbler, Red-Crested Pochard, Teal, Snipe, Red-rumped Swallow, Snipe, Black-necked Grebe.
Santa Polo Saltpans
Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gulls, particularly common this afternoon. Kentish Plover, Sanderling.
Wednesday 27 March
Santa Pola Saltpans
New bird on arrival, a Purple Heron came out of a ditch at sunrise. As most days despite doing an hours walk through varied habitat, no songbirds.
Roadside Goldfinch on the return to Alicante Airport. Plane, Trains and busses home all departed on time.
Sumary
Although I found a number of key Spanish species. the variety and number of songbirds and raptors was well down on previous visits. The only larks were a couple of passing roadside larks, probably Crested. A few swifts were observed in the distance most days at Santa Polo, but could not be identifed to species. Highlights the Lammergeier and good numbers of the more uncommon gulls.
Butterflies
Red Admiral, Spanish Festoon, Wall Brown, Scarce Swallowtail, Clouded Yellow.
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