A Cape gull from Southern Africa and a laughing gull from the Americas have shown up in Northern Spain. We enjoyed awesome birding while twitching these stunners on a roadtrip.
Summer season is the prime time for waders in south Alicante, with marsh sandpipers, godwits and curlew sandpipers in El Hondo and black tern, pratincoles and regular rarities as elegant terns in El Pinet.
Exceptional days in Santa Pola — four different Caspian gulls hit the regional record of the species. Kittiwake, razorbill, eider, dolphins and hundreds of shearwaters have also been noted in the area lately.
Two common eiders showed up in south Alicante after the deadliest storm of the century casted over Valencia. Looking at the sea seems promising this incoming winter, with jaeger, gannets, and shearwaters seen too.
Different seabirds seek shelter in the rocky shore of Cabo Cervera during a stormy day . Audouin’s and Mediterranean gulls, ruddy turnstones, sanderling and black-bellied plover are seen at close range.
An intense full day watching birds in Alicante delivers a great final count for our party of three. Different migrant birds seen include four different Eurasian hobbies, definitely the top species of the day.
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.
