We were back in Gran Alacant for a short break in February.
Day 1 – we spent a few hours in the Clot and it was great to be back there again.
First we went to hide A (see map below) where we saw plenty of Shoveler, Pochard, White-headed Duck, a pair of Gadwall and a Grey Heron.
Moving round to hide B we saw more White-headed Duck, in fact there were loads of them, far more than we’ve ever seen in the Clot before. A few Black-necked Grebe and Little Grebe were in the water and a Marsh Harrier was flying over the trees in the distance.
Moving on to hide C, there was a lot of water, considering this used to be known as ‘the scrape’ and had margins to encourage waders. Today, it seemed to be the main pool for Red-crested Pochard, plus Shoveler and Gadwall. John stood up to look down the edge of the pool and called me over to look at a bird. A Wryneck was feeding on the ground which gave us some of the best views we’ve ever had of this species. Definitely the bird of the day.
Finally moving on to hide D, or the main hide as we call it. There were more Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Shoveler, White-headed Duck and the second best bird of the day, a pair of Ferruginous Duck, which are always great to see.
Species List – Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, White-headed Duck, Marsh Harrier, Coot, Western Swamphen, Moorhen, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Hoopoe, Wryneck, White Wagtail, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blackbird, Cetti’s Warbler (HO), Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Serin.
