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In February this year the Costa Blanca Bird Club invited members to participate in a 'Bird Race'. Three teams of 'serious birders' entered, led my Malcolm Palmer, Julian Sykes and Brian Conduit, respectively. They have each written reports which are included here for your information.
Perhaps next year more teams would like to take part, and maybe more 'enthusiastic amateurs' like myself might get involved. If, like me, you think the idea of birding from dawn to dusk might be a bit too much for you, then maybe some teams could take part in four hour sessions, at times of your choice.
Another idea might be for the teams to do their bird race in different parts of the Costa Blanca, e.g, the north, including Pego Marshes, Calpe area etc, the centre including El Clot, the Salinas, El Hondo etc, and the south, e.g. La Mata to The Mar Menor. This would reduce the amount of driving needed and might give an interesting comparison between of birds to be found in the different areas. These are just my ideas which the Committee can discuss and decide upon in due course.
Report by Malcolm Palmer
Birders are quite mad, and to prove it, we entered the ‘bird-race’ organised by Julian Sykes. Personnel; Barry Chambers (secretary), Bryan Thomas (photographer), and myself (driver, though the only thing I have in common with Fernando Alonso is the make of car!)
We started pre-dawn, and made straight for the Playa de Gola, where our big prize was a Richard’s Pipit, but we also logged a fine Mediterranean Gull and a Wryneck there – great start. Our next stop, in the middle of the Salinas yielded an early Yellow Wagtail, an overflying Spoonbill and lots of waders, including a surprising flock of Stone Curlew,which we added to at El Pinet, before moving inland.
At Vistabella, an elusive Lesser Short-toed Lark finally showed up, and the long walk to the hide provided us with great views of Bearded Reedling, and a huge number of diving ducks, including White-headed Duck and Tufted Duck. After seeing an unexpected Night Heron, we walked into reedbeds further along, and were rewarded by a singing Moustached Warbler, before the real bird of the day flew right overhead, the overwintering Greater Spotted Eagle looking enormous and powerful. Bryan went into ectasy, as it was a new bird for him!
We drove back across the fields, seeing scarce Tree Sparrows and several other species, and back to Santa Pola, where we took the coast road, eating our sandwiches in sight of Audouin’s Gull, having just added Whimbrel to the list. The Clot brought us more birds, including a Carrion Crow (local rarity), and we made for the mountains. Maigmó was good for Crossbill, Firecrest and Crested Tit, and Alcoy was next on the agenda. There we had Griffon Vultures and Blue Rock Thrush, but my colleagues missed the Dunnock I saw, so we couldn’t list that one!
Mist descended as we crossed the Carrasqueta, but cleared sufficiently for us to see two Song Thrushes as we headed for Busot, and the last stop of the day. As we waited for dusk, a Sparrowhawk flew over, and we capped the day with a good view of the resident Eagle Owl. Total: 106 species. I remarked that if anyone beat that, they’d be weary (not my precise word!)
Stone Curlew and Greater Spotted Eagle photos by Bryan Thomas©
Report by Kathy Dowsett
We were delighted to find that day we had agreed for our bird race was forecast to be fine and dry. Although we had visited several sites in the area with the Costa Blanca Bird Club we live some distance away and were therefore relying on Jules’ local knowledge to help us out. We started out at first light, glad that this early in the year it did not mean getting up at a ridiculous hour. Leaving the B&B in Oliva we could already hear a variety of bird calls, including Great Tit, but nothing to keep us from heading off towards the beach recording our first sighting, a Blackbird, on the way. The beach proved to be disappointingly quiet but we did add Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gull to the list.
We then wandered round an area being developed, hearing birds all around but seeing little. Perseverance resulted in House Sparrow (but not the elusive Tree Sparrow) and Feral Pigeon WOW! Things were moving slowly at this point but a decision to return to the beach gave us Spotless Starling calling from the top of a crane followed by Balearic Shearwater, Northern Gannet and a solitary Sanderling. Trying for the Tree Sparrow again we saw a flock of Chaffinches and two Mallards fly over and then added Chiffchaff, Robin, Black Redstart, Serin, Sardinian Warbler, Collared Dove and a Stonechat to our list. European Starlings were now much in evidence. Our third visit to the beach at 8.20am proved more productive with Kentish Plover, Sandwich Tern and a White Wagtail feeding at an inlet. These held our attention long enough for Jules to spot a spectacular Great Skua winging its way across the water before we moved off, and driving back through Oliva we added Cormorant to the list.
Pego Marsh was our next destination and as we entered we were lucky to see a perched Common Buzzard close by. Plenty to see here including flocks of Crag Martins with a few Swallows and House Martins mixed in with them. Moustached Warblers called from several spots, Robert and Jules managed to see one whilst I was looking the wrong way! We saw a Grey Wagtail and heard Cetti’s Warbler. There were flying views of a Green Sandpiper with Robert and Jules both seeing a Moorhen. Would I? As we headed for another area of Pego Marsh we saw a Hoopoe fly across and then found Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Snipe and Grey Heron. Then we spotted Marsh Harrier closely followed by Booted Eagle. As we were returning to the road I noticed a Squacco Heron obligingly searching for food in a ditch at the side of the track. There were numerous Reed Buntings and Jules made us aware of the call of the Penduline Tit which we were then fortunate to have good views of – this was a lifer for us! Continuing on we saw a Meadow Pipit, Jackdaw and a Great Tit and a small number of feeding Goldfinches followed by Bluethroat and Water Pipit. Alerted by its call we found a Zitting Cisticola and then scanned a field full of Audouin’s Gulls which also contained a Lesser Black-Backed Gull and further along a Lapwing and a flock of Cattle Egrets.
We were a bit peckish by now and headed for Vall de Gallinera where we ate a picnic lunch as we watched a pair of Golden Eagles circling over the peaks. What more could you want? On the road through Vall de Gallinera we stopped at a roadside café in the hope of seeing Chough. We were out of luck for these but a pair of Blackcaps flitted around and we added Kestrel and Southern Grey Shrike to the list before driving to Alcoy. Jules spotted a Sparrowhawk as we drove along and even Robert managed to see it, as well as a Magpie, even whilst concentrating on the road. On reaching Alcoy we parked in a garage where we had good views of a number of Griffon Vultures. Time was getting short and having made a wrong turn it was decided to abandon a trip to the forest and try for the Trumpeter Finch at Monnegre instead. The target species in this area must have been having a siesta but we did see Dartford Warbler, Linnet, Thekla Lark, Mistle Thrush and Little Owl. We had planned to go to the Clot de Galvany but as the gates to the hides were closed and the area was heaving with people we continued on to Santa Pola picking up a Carrion Crow on the way. The beach was our first stop and Jules immediately saw a Whimbrel, followed by a Turnstone before heading to the Santa Pola Salinas. Close to the Saltworks Nature Reserve we found plenty of waders and identified Redshank, Little Stint, Dunlin with Mediterranean and Slender-billed Gulls. We parked near the old tower and watched Greater Flamingo, Shelduck, a feeding Osprey and Avocet, being lucky to see a single Spoonbill fly over. We moved further on and found Black-winged Stilts, Black-tailed Godwits, Greenshank and two Stone Curlews in flight.
It was 4.15pm and we decided we were running too late to visit Crevillente in the hope of Bonelli’s Eagle so it was El Honda next. The Spotted Eagle was not to be found but we watched Booted Eagle and Buzzard before seeing Little Grebe. Driving on we saw a Pheasant and a had a great view of a Hen Harrier as it flew along side the car. We drove up to the gate opposite the visitor’s centre and walked far enough along to see the water. The sun was somewhat low but we observed Teal, Shoveler, Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Common Sandpiper and huge numbers of Coot. Robert finally saw a Greenfinch, having missed several earlier, and I added Moorhen to the list of birds we had all seen. What a relief! Walking back to the car we watched a flock of Lesser Short-Toed and Crested Lark, on the adjacent fields. It was time to set off for the hills around Elche for a final effort to reach one hundred. We parked at the best spot for seeing the Eagle Owl and watched and waited as the light and our hopes began to fade. We managed to see Red-legged Partridge which we had heard previously and a Black Wheatear perched on the wires above the hill. We scoured the hill in vain and with a sense of anti- climax walked back to the car. Jules, determined not to give up until the last, turned for a final check, discovering the Eagle Owl perched high up on the fence at the top of the hill. It was the end of a very enjoyable if tiring day. The final tally of 98 was only two short of our target – Robert will just have to drive faster next time!
Squacco Heron and Red legged Partridge photos by Bryan Thomas©
Report by Rosemary Read
Our team comprised of Brian Conduit (leader), Alec Morris (Brian's friend from the U.K.), and me, Rosemary Reid. The day started at 6.am. with Brian and Alec driving from Santa Pola to Benissa to pick me up - lost about 3 hours of valuable birding time both ways but the birds in my garden got our list off to a good start with 100 Siskins feeding. The weather was on our side and we raced back south to get on with the serious stuff, stopping at the Dingley Dell, and the Clot de Galvaney, the latter producing good views of Snipe, Purple Swamp Hen, White-headed Duck, and others. The walk around the Clot was very fruitful and we had good views of a Green Woodpecker (who obligingly posed for us -and this used to be a bogey bird of mine!) and we heard the call of a Moustached Warbler, well identified by my two experts! On to the Smelly pool (named aptly by Brian) and there we had a very fine moment …. excellent views of a Common Gull ... spotted and positively identified by Alec ('common' birds where he comes from!)
Further sites we visited included the Salinas, El Hondo, etc. all producing the usual species, nothing exceptional. At a certain point, in the middle of the day, there seemed to be a lull. No new birds to be spotted and we got a little nervous. Was our team going to be a huge letdown? So on the Vista Bella fields where we stopped for lunch and consoled ourselves with smoked salmon and roast beef sandwiches (Alec and I). Brian managed a small amount of carrot soup and yogurt, as he poor fellow was having difficulty swallowing - a problem which we are now all aware of. After lunch I actually nodded off in the back seat and missed seeing a Reed Bunting ... fortunately another one was spotted later, so it could count as a tick (thank goodness!) I later made up for this lapse by spotting a party of Common Cranes (36 in all) at the 'football' fields. We had actually gone there to see Lesser Short-toed Larks but ended up seeing a Cuckoo instead - a great view! In the late afternoon Brian spotted more birds on the wires - ones we had already seen? Out came the telescope and lo and behold there was a Brambling - another 'lifer' for me - just a lone one sitting with a bunch of Greenfinches!
Our last port of call was the Eagle Owl site up in the desert-like mountainous region behind Elche. Temperatures had dropped considerably by now and it was cold. We finally heard the foghorn-like sound of the Eagle Owl, who in the meantime had flown from his usual site to the other side of the valley. It was a fitting end to a fantastic day of bird counting. Brian and Alec brought me back to Benissa, and they finally got back to Santa Pola at midnight - exactly 18 hours and 81 birds later! P.S. it should be mentioned that the one bird we did not see, and should have seen, was a Crested Lark ... can you believe it!! .
Audouin's Gull and Booted Eagle photos by Bryan Thomas©