We arrived in Gran Alacant on Saturday and were keen to see some birds and add a few new species to the 2019 list.
Sunday 13th – Arenales – A nice walk along the seafront and then a drive down to Carabassi beach found us a few easy birds, namely White Wagtail, Sardinian Warbler, Audouin’s Gull, and a few Turnstones. In the gardens of our rented house in Costa Hispania we were visited by Black Redstart, Chiffchaff, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling and Robin.
Later in the afternoon we walked over to El Clot, which was a bit busy with people, it being Sunday, but it was still nice to see a few good birds, including two Purple Swamphens and two White headed Ducks on the main pool. Around 20 Cattle Egrets came in to roost in the scrape where we also saw a Common Snipe and a Grey Wagtail. As we walked back along the outside of the Clot it was nice to see a Green Woodpecker perched on a distant tree trunk inside the Clot.
Species list – Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, White headed Duck, Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Common Snipe, Hoopoe, Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Robin, Black Redstart, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow.
Monday 14th – A short walk around the lake at the Santa Pola Salt Museum, found us Yellow legged Gull, Greater Flamingo, Little Grebe, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Black winged Stilt.
Black Redstart by Mary Brazier© 
Purple Swamphen by Mary Brazier©