The transition between summer visitors and wintering birds brings numerous species that are only seen during fall passage in Alicante. Chats, warblers, raptors, waders and seabirds all oblige during autumn.

A Saturday with my brother in Tabarca resulted in some fun snorkeling but few birds. However, migration is in full swing, and a flock of dotterels has returned to El Hondo again.

What started as a joke ended up as a quest. Through living between Finland and Spain and travelling across Africa and Asia, I managed to find 1,000 bird species in 2024.

September brought the opportunity to look for long-awaited species: dotterel and northern bald ibis. Bee-eaters, wheatears, flycatchers, honey buzzards, and whinchats showed up everywhere.