Mary’s Blog – El Hondo fields, El Clot – 3/12/22

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We took a drive out to look for a few birds in the countryside. As we drove by the Santa Pola Salinas I spotted a Great White Egret and some Shelduck. At the old monastery the hoped-for Blue Rock Thrush made an appearance and a Booted Eagle was sitting in a palm tree. At least three Little Owls were seen as we drove around.

We drove along ‘crane alley’ where no Cranes were seen but a Zitting Cisticola sat up nicely at the edge of the road. At the south gate on Vistabella Road around 20 Glossy Ibis flew over along with two Booted Eagles.

After lunch back at the apartment we walked over to the Clot. At the big lake,as well as the usual Little Grebe and various ducks a Black-necked Grebe was distant and Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle flew over.

At the main hide all the usual suspects were there but more excitingly we had great views of two juvenile Night Herons and a male Little Bitterns. There were two females in the reeds to the far right of the area and a male was just around the corner in the same patch of reeds. A small Starling murmaration was flying over the reeds before plunging down into them making a hell of a noise.

Species list – Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, shelduck, Mallaard, Shoveler, Teal, Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Cott, Western Swamphen, Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Yello-legged Gull, Woodpigeon, Little Owl, Kingfisher, Hoopoe, White Wagtail, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blue Rock Thrush, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Zitting Cisticola, Blackcap, Iberian Grey Shrike, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch.