Strong windstorms throughout February swept in kittiwakes, little and common gulls. While looking for different targets (and failing some), I connected with mega isabelline wheatear, citril finch and phalarope.

Mild winters in Alicante draw Alpine accentors, thrushes, finches and buntings to the mountains, raptors and waterfowl to wetlands and provide some good seawatching along the shores, plus some winter oddities.

I started a challenge trying to see a different bird every single bird this 2026. January brought nice sights in northern Spain, mountains and wetlands of Alicante and ultimately frozen forests in Finland.

On a legendary seawatching day with friends, while twitching Richard’s pipit and ring-billed gull, we connect with great skua, black-legged kittiwake and Castellón’s 4th red-throated loon and 10th velvet scoter.

Estaca de Bares is the ultimate seawatching location in the Western Palearctic, offering dozens of shearwaters, skuas and jaegers, two fulmars, a Wilson’s storm petrel and a cracking brown booby.