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MEMBERS REPORTS

This section of the website contains reports on members birding trips around the Costa Blanca and surrounding area. This contains the information previously found in the section 'Latest News'.

Members Travels       Members Stories

2010-11

Click here for 2009/10 Members Reports.

Red Necked Phalarope at San Pedro - 28th July 2011 - By Mike Smith

On the 28th July I went to San Pedro after seeing on the rare birds in Spain website that a Red Necked Phalarope had been seen there. On my arrival I saw two other birders who were also looking for the bird. We eventually found it and had some really splendid views so I phoned Barry who eventually arrived and he too had reasonable views. We spent several hours looking around because there was also supposed to be a Wilson’s Phalarope around, but we didn’t find that one. We also had good views of Ruff and Black Tailed Godwits as well as one Bar Tailed Godwit which appeared to be a very pale light grey, we had never seen one so pale, but we did see it well so we are confident that our identification was correct. We also saw Curlew Sandpiper (some of them still in their lovely rich breeding colours) Gull Billed Tern and Greenshank amongst other things, and about 30 species in total, so all in all we had an interesting couple of hours.

The photos show Red Necked Phalarope, including one next to a Slender Billed Gull to show the size difference. The first photo of the Bar Tailed Godwit shows how pale it was and the second is of this bird feeding with Curlew Sandpipers.

All photos by Michael Smith©.

Looking for a Rufous Bush Robin - 11th June 2011 - by Mary Brazier

Today, with our friends Dave and Linda, we took our chairs and paid a visit to the wooded area at the back of Carabassi beach on a mission to see a Rufous Bush Robin. We saw plenty of Spotted Flycatchers, Serins and Goldfinches and after sitting there for about an hour we were rewarded with a visit to a nearby tree of the target bird. The Rufous Bush Robin sat on a branch for quite a while allowing all of us to get a good view of it and then it continued to show well on the ground. It was great to be able to take in the amazing rufous colour that gives the bird its name. As we were leaving Dave spotted a small brown bird in a bush about a metre away from us and this turned out to be another Rufous Bush Robin, possibly a young bird, which did not seem to be at all disturbed by us being there. A very successful morning!

Rufous Bush Robin photo by Bryan Thomas©.

Two Mikes go Birding! - 2nd March 2011 - by Mike Smith

We set off across country past Dolores towards El Hondo. While in the Dolores area stopping and starting on the country roads, we suddenly came across a flock of 21 Cranes. Two of the Cranes were first winter birds, they had brown heads and some brown on the body, but the joy of it was that they were only about 50 metres away and as a result we had superb views and were able to get a couple of photos.The guy who was with me was amazed at the wonderful close views we had of the Cranes and also of low flying Booted Eagles. While watching these eagles fly over a waterlogged field, we noticed the field was filled with 100s of birds, including White Wagtails, a few Golden Plovers, Water Pipits, Spotless Starlings with 1 Common Starling, Meadow Pipits, Cattle Egrets and Grey Heron, it truly was an amazing sight!!

My friend said you can’t get much better than this!! But we did, what with 3 Marbled Duck, 40/50 White Headed Duck, Tufted Duck, Bearded Tit and Gadwall, to name but a few (we had 51 species in total). If the CROWN of our trip was the Cranes being so close, the JEWEL in the CROWN was TONN, THE GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE flying over and around our heads at a mere 50ft, this was indeed an amazing sight. Mike said that was the closest he had ever seen this eagle (were both Mikes). You can’t get a much better day than that, it was lovely weather wise, and it was wonderful bird wise, WHAT A WONDERFUL HOBBY WE HAVE!!!

A little light birding - 7th March 2011 - by Mary Brazier

This week John and I decided to have a drive around the Santa Pola and El Hondo area with our photographer friend Bryan. Our first stop was alongside the Salinas where we encountered the ‘usual suspects’ including, Greater Flamingo, Slender billed Gull, Great Crested Grebe and a flock of Dunlin on the other side of the road. Our next stop was El Pinet where we found a good number of Avocets and there must have been about 100 Black tailed Godwits in several groups, most already changing into their breeding plumage. They were busy feeding which enabled us to have great views of them from the first hide. While we were there we saw one or two waders including Redshank and Kentish Plover. Just as we were about to leave the hide Bryan got quite excited and pointed out a large white bird flying towards us. It came very close to us, and it’s general shape, size, colouring and chunky red bill confirmed it as a Caspian Tern, could this be our bird of the day?

We left El Pinet and headed for the El Hondo area, stopping briefly to check for Bee eaters at the place where we had seen them last year, but sadly no sign of them yet. A brief stop on top of the bridge by the ‘little reserve’ revealed not a lot, other than a Grey Heron, a Kestrel and a few larks. From here we drove along the lane and past the ‘Little Owl’ house but the bird was not showing today. On next to the Vista Bella area where there was not much to see so we headed back to the road which runs along the edge of El Hondo where a few House Martins and Crag Martins were in evidence. On the way back to the car we spotted a large raptor which I thought might be a Buzzard but on closer inspection seemed to be a much bigger bird. Bryan took a few quick photos which enabled us to zoom in on the camera screen and from the general shape and size of the bird we decided it was the Great Spotted Eagle which has been wintering here again this year. Maybe this would be our bird of the day?

We were feeling a bit tired and hungry by now (or at least I was) so we moved on to the reserve at San Felipe. As we walked towards the information centre two large waders flew up to the left of us and were quickly identified as Stone Curlew. Next we found a picnic bench and enjoyed a quick snack and ‘a nice cup of tea’! Suitably refreshed we set off around the path, which was a lot less muddy than when we were here on last CBBC Field Trip, and had a look at the lake through the new viewing screen. This gave us good views of a few Red Crested Pochards and Shovelers. Next we walked to a new hide that is well positioned for another lake which seemed to be a very popular place for a variety of birds. Despite a keen wind blowing on this corner we managed to see a good number of species including, about 10 White headed Duck, and numerous Little Grebe, Black necked Grebe, Shoveler and Coot. On the far banks of the lake there was a group of Greater Flamingo, plenty of Black headed Gulls, and a few Mediterranean Gulls. On leaving the hide we noticed there seemed to be a lot more Swallows and Martins around, feeding on the various pools, as if they were just arriving here on their migration. I was delighted to pick out a Red Rumped Swallow, which was shortly joined by quite a few more of these along with one or two Swifts, probably Pallid Swift. Could either of these be candidates for bird of the day? We managed to amass a list of about 50 species and had a very enjoyable day. As for the bird of the day, I think it has to be the Caspian Tern which was a lifer for John and I.

Great Spotted Eagle, Stone Curlew and Red Rumped Swallow photos by Bryan Thomas©.

In search of Great Bustards - 28th February 2011 - by Mary Brazier

There was a distinct chill in the air when we left home on 28th February and set off to meet Bryan Thomas at Supervalu in Gran Alacant. From there we were to rendezvous with Brian and Barbara Hunt at their home in Moralet. Our quest for the day was to find Great Bustards on the open plains of Pétrola. We left the motorway at Bonete and drove through the village towards Corral Rubio. We had not travelled far along the road before Bryan spotted some distant birds on the fields to our right. After finding a suitable place to pull off the road, we all dived out of the car and immediately wished we hadn’t, as the wind was both strong and very cold! It had to be done, however, so we all checked out the birds with binoculars and scopes and soon confirmed them as a flock of about 25 Great Bustards. Barbara, John and Bryan set off along the track to try to get closer to the birds, while Brian and I rather sensibly stayed by the car donning warm coats, and in my case a hat, scarf and gloves! As always, the birds soon spotted the three walking towards them and promptly started walking in the other direction. A group of four birds took off which was a spectacular sight. Finding our target bird so soon was a good start and we all piled back into the car and set off again, noting a group of about 10 Magpies, a Buzzard and a few Red legged Partridge.

Just outside Corral Rubio we stopped to check out the small lake there where we found plenty of Shovelers and Mallards while a few Lapwings flew around nearby. Next we headed towards Pétrola and drove down the road on the far side of the lagoon where we could see a large group of Greater Flamingos in the middle of the lake. There were great views across to the lagoon from here with many of the trees still in blossom. While photographing this scene Bryan gave a shout to tell us that a large group of flamingos were flying towards our end of the lake which was another great sight. We decided it was too cold to stay here long so we set off back to the main road and took the next track on the left to take us down the other side of the lagoon. Here we found a place to park and ate our lunch in the warmth of the car. On the way back we stopped for Bryan to photograph a wader which has now been identified as a Ruff

Our next move was to see if we could get better views of Great Bustards from the track on the left just past the Corral Rubio turn off. As soon as we entered the track we noted quite a few flocks of small birds on the fields consisting mainly of larks which we judged to be Crested Lark. Despite driving slowly along this track for some way we found neither of our other target species; Black bellied and Pin tailed Sand Grouse. After making a left turn John spotted another group of Great Bustards in the distance so we stopped for a quick look at these. On our way back along this track there was water on both sides of the road and using the car as a mobile hide we had good views of Greater Flamingo, Common Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Water Pipits. We were able to sit here watching these birds for quite a while as they were undisturbed by the presence of the car.

By this time it was getting quite late and we noted that the sky was looking very dark and grey with the appearance of heavy rain not far away, so we set off back towards home. On entering the village of Bonete the heavens opened and we were ‘treated’ to not rain but sleet! Driving along we noted some of the fields were white over, which seems quite surprising when you consider that the sun was shining brightly when we arrived back at the coast. Anyone planning to go on the next bird trip to Pétrola on 15th March should take note and carry a warm coat! We didn’t manage a huge species list but we all had an enjoyable day. Many thanks to Brian for providing a comfortable car and doing all the driving.

Great Bustards, Greater Flamingo, Green Sandpiper, Ruff and Water Pipit photos by Bryan Thomas©.

Searching for the Eagle Owls - 3rd December 2010- by Mary Brazier.

Following on from Barry's recent success in finding the Eagle Owls at Sierra de Escallona, John and I set off last night to see if we could see them at the same location. On arrival at the parking area at about 5.10pm, we found three other people on the same mission. Two of them were CBBC members Rod and Paul, along with their friend George, and they already had their binoculars trained on a Golden Eagle soaring above the trees at the top of the ridge. We stayed until about 6.20pm, by which time it was practically dark, but sadly no Eagle Owl showed up on it's usual perch.

We had some consolation, however, in the form of up to four Golden Eagles flying, and at one time we had all four birds in the same view through our binoculars - fantastic! It was a lovely bright evening and the sun shining on the birds made them look amazing. A high point came when one of the birds landed on the dead tree where the Eagle Owl is supposed to perch, and with it's wings outstretched we had a brilliant view of it. Rod managed to get a few photos, which although the bird was a long way off, give some idea of the great views we had.

Photos by Rod Loveday.©

Eagle Owls - 24th November 2010 - by Barry Chambers.

Following the recent CBBC visit to Sierra de Escallona we were given information by Pablo, an Elche university student, that the dead tree on the crest of the ridge opposite the area where we parked was a song post for Eagle Owls. On Wednesday 24th November I went to visit the area again arriving at the car park at 5.20pm. During the next 20 minutes I had five sightings of Golden Eagles, although they may have been same bird. At 5.40 an Eagle Owl flew along the ridge and disappeared into the pines. I could hear at least two owls calling and at 5.50 one landed on the dead tree giving great views, especially showing its ear tufts. Shortly after a second Eagle Owl, a larger bird, landed alongside the first one, they sat together for about 30 seconds before the first one flew off into the pines, where they remained calling to each other. On 25th November Michael Smith went to the site again and although the weather was bad he still managed to see one Eagle Owl on the dead tree.

A Visit to La Mata - 19th September 2010 - By Barry Chambers

I visited La Mata on a Sunday morning, not the best day to visit given the number of cyclists, walkers and dogs present. Despite this, I had a good morning seeing many resident and migrating birds. This is always a good place for migrants in spring and autumn. I started at the north end, walking from the road with the wire fence and lake on my right, moved on to the hide and then passed by the cemetery and into the pine plantation. An Osprey sat on a post in front of the hide for the duration of my walk and as I approached my car a flock of 57 Stone Curlews circled around and landed near the edge of the lake.

The total species list for my visit was as follows:- Bee eaters (40+), Blackbird, Blackcap, Cormorant, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Pied Flycatcher (3), Spotted Flycatcher, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Black headed Gull, Slender billed Gull, Montague’s Harrier (male), Grey Heron, Hoopoe, Kestrel, Crested Lark, Osprey, Red legged Partridge, Grey Plover, Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Common Redstart (2) Sanderling, Serin, Great Grey Shrike, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Little Stint, Stonechat, Stone Curlew, Swallow, Great Tit, White Wagtail, Fan tailed Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Subalpine Warbler (5+), Whinchat, Iberian Green Woodpecker (6+), Woodpigeon. 42 Species.