Alicante, Spain. 21-29 June 2013 This was not a birding holiday, more a spot of birding whilst on holiday! Having rented a hire car for our 8-day summer holiday to Alicante, the opportunity presented itself for some pre-breakfast bird watching at El Hondo, Clot de Galvany, Santa Pola salt pans and Pinet lagoons. Six early morning (6am - 9am) birding sessions barely scratched the surface of the impressive birdlife in these coastal wetland habitats. I only managed 60 species! On a freshwater pool on the Vistabello road (CV861) en-route to El Hondo, I saw Black-winged Stilts noisily pursue a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, and yet the same birds didn’t seem concerned by the presence of Slender-billed Gull, Little Bittern, Whiskered Tern, Squacco Heron and Cattle Egret.

Vistabello road

Black-winged Stilt

Night Heron

Whiskered Tern

Squacco Heron

Slender-billed Gull

Night Heron

At a small bridge crossing the Vinalopo River on the CV851 road, I added Red-rumped Swallow, Common Swift, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Cattle Egret, Corn Bunting, Zitting Cisticola, Thekla Lark, Woodchat Shrike and Hoopoe to my holiday list.

At the El Racons visitor centre observation deck overlooking a marshy pool at El Hondo, I observed Red-knobbed Coot (which were wing-clipped and sported ID tags around their necks), Purple Swamphen, Reed Warbler and another Whiskered Tern before the mosquitos got the better of me.

Sunrise at El Hondo

Vinalopo river Red-rumped Swallow

Hoopoe

Reed Warbler

Red-knobbed Coot

Purple Swamphen

Swift Cattle Egret

Whiskered Tern

Multiple trips to Clot de Galvany nature reserve (near Gran Alicant) produced Little Owl, Hobby, Kestrel, Marbled Duck, White-headed Duck, Pochard, Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Sardinian Warbler, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Serin, Barn Swallow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Spotless Starling, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, White Wagtail, House Martin, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow and Blackbird, as well as Red Fox, Rabbit and Iberian Red Squirrel.

Goldfinch

Little Owl

Hobby

Barn Swallow

White-headed Duck

Serin

Spotless Starling

Serin

Iberian Green Woodpecker

The main N332 coast road passes right through the Santa Pola salt pans which held large numbers of Greater Flamingos but there are very few good viewing points. The tower by the layby (half way between Santa Pola and Pinet) attracted roosting Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed, Black-headed and Audouin's Gulls, as well as Spanish Yellow Wagtail and Kentish Plover.

Pinet lagoons on the coast near Pinet beach is also part of the Santa Pola Natural Park. After parking near the saline lagoon, screened off to allow a stealthy approach, I enjoyed good views of Greater Flamingo, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Little Egret, Common Tern, Shoveler, Mallard and Spotted Flycatcher. The terns were busy feeding their young, running the gauntlet of the gulls each time they returned from a successful fishing trip. The footpath led away from the car park to a wooden hide and then along a boardwalk towards the dunes. Unfortunately time was against me so this remains a path to be explored some other time.

Rabbit Iberian Red Squirrel

Yellow-legged Gull Santa Pola salt pans

Yellow-legged Gull

Audouin’s Gull

Spanish Yellow Wagtail

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Common Tern Little Egret

Avocet

Spotted Flycatcher

Greater Flamingo

Common Tern

Kentish Plover Kentish Plover

On the one day during our holiday that it was too windy to sit on the beach without being sandblasted, we opted for a scenic drive into the Serra de Cabezon del Oro hills north of Alicante.

Our first stop was the Coves de Canelobres, named after the candlestick-shaped stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. The view from the cave entrance over the valley below was also excellent. We continued along the CV775 through the scenic mountain villages of Aigues, Relleu and Finestrat before heading downhill towards the sky-scrapers of Benidorm.

During our drive the birds were few and far between, with only Jackdaw, Jay and Pied Flycatcher being notable and disappointingly no raptors. We did however see plenty of butterflies on the wildflowers by the roadside including Swallowtail, Painted Lady, Small White, Clouded Yellow, Marbled White, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown and Dingy Skipper. We also saw a large hornet-like insect and an unidentified dragonfly.

Wall Brown Marbled White

Common Blue

Dingy Skipper

Hornet sp. Dragonfly sp.

Finestrat

Butterfly sp.

ALICANTE BIRDING TRIP LIST (21st -29th June 2013) Grey Heron Little Grebe Slender-billed Gull Sardinian Warbler

Purple Heron Mallard Black-headed Gull Reed Warbler

Black-crowned Night Heron Eurasian Coot Audouin’s Gull White Wagtail

Little Bittern White-headed Duck Iberian Green Woodpecker Spanish Yellow Wagtail

Little Egret Marbled Duck Eurasian Jay Common Blackbird

Cattle Egret Pochard Jackdaw Spotless Starling

Squacco Heron Northern Shoveler Magpie European Goldfinch

Greater Flamingo Woodchat Shrike Collared Dove European Greenfinch

Black-winged Stilt Little Owl Wood Pigeon Serin

(Pied) Avocet Common Kestrel Eurasian Hoopoe Spanish Sparrow

Kentish Plover Hobby Barn Swallow House Sparrow

Ringed Plover Whiskered Tern Red-rumped Swallow Corn Bunting

Red-knobbed Coot Common Tern House Martin Thekla Lark

Purple Swamphen Yellow-legged Gull Common Swift Spotted Flycatcher

Common Moorhen Lesser Black-backed Gull Zitting Cisticola Pied Flycatcher

OTHER NOTABLE SPECIES Swallowtail Painted Lady Wall Brown Common Blue

Small White Marbled White Gatekeeper Clouded Yellow

Dingy Skipper Butterfly sp. Dragonfly sp. Hornet sp.

Iberian Red Squirrel Red Fox Rabbit Bat sp.

Suggested itinerary for next time:

Day 1: am = Fly London to Alicante > Pick up hire car pm = Clot de Galvany

Day 2: am = Clot de Galvany pm = Santa Pola saltpans and Pinet lagoon

Day 3: am = Vinalopo river bridge (CV851), Vistabello road (lagoon) and El Hondo pm = Lagunas de la Mata and Torremundo (Sierra de Escalona)

Day 4: am = Font Roja and Alcoi pm = Villena, Yecla and Claudette

Day 5: am = Isle of Tabarca (boat trip from Santa Pola) pm = Drop off hire car > Fly Alicante to London

Useful references:

• Costa Blanca Bird Club (www.costablancabirdclub.com) • Birdforum (www.birdforum.net/opus/) • A Birdwatching Guide to the Costa Blanca (Malcom Palmer, 1994)