Santa Pola Salinas, Palm Farm Track, San Felipe and El Pinet

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After yesterday’s rain it was nice to get out and find a few birds. As we left the house we heard a Green Woodpecker, our first bird of the day. We stopped off at the Salinas where we saw all the usual suspects, such as, Greater Flamingo, Sandwich Tern, Slender billed Gull and more. We moved onto the palm farm track which was quiet but we added Zitting Cisticola, Southern Grey Shrike and our first Red rumped Swallows of the year, good numbers of them, together with Swallows, House Martins and Crag Martins. We stopped a while to enjoy watching all the hirundines feeding over the fields.

Next we headed to San Felipe where our first bird was a Purple Swamphen out in the open. At the first hide we saw a Great Crested Grebe, several Red Crested Pochards, and about a dozen Marbled Ducks. On the lagoon in front of the second hide there were Greater Flamingo, Little Grebe, Shelduck, Shoveler and more. On the way back down the path we spotted a Bluethroat on the edge of the lagoon and a Cetti’s Warbler called nearby. After lunch we set off homewards stopping briefly on the Vistabella road to look at a flooded field containing 50+ Glossy Ibis along with many Cattle Egrets and Black headed Gulls.

On the way back we stopped at El Pinet where there were plenty of Black tailed Godwits close to the fence, along with many Little Stint, Dunlin and the odd Redshank, Greenshank and a Wood Sandpiper. As we drove back across the Salinas I spotted a Green Woodpecker against the trunk if a tree, which was good, having only heard one earlier in the day.

Species list – Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Shelduck, Mallard, Shoveler, Marbled Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel, Coot, Red knobbed Coot, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Black winged Stilt, Avocet, Sanderling, Little Stint, Dunlin, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Greenshank, Black tailed Godwit, Black headed Gull, Slender billed Dull, Yellow legged Gull, Sandwich Tern, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Green Woodpecker, Crag Martin, Swallow, Red rumped Swallow, House Martin, White Wagtail, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Southern Grey Shrike, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Serin.