April was a fantastic month for my little challenge of observing and reporting a different bird species every single day. Spring migration reached full intensity, and several species that I usually encounter only once or twice a year suddenly became regular features in the field. On more than one occasion, multiple excellent candidates appeared on the same day, forcing me to leave genuine highlights aside for later dates.
Prenuptial migration dominated much of the month. As expected, good numbers of willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus), European pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and common redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) moved through the region. A small tamarisk woodland along the river north of Elx, close to where I now live, became one of the most productive migrant traps of the spring. Darío Gijón and I spent several memorable mornings there, including our first urban-area observations of Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) within the city itself.
Perhaps more unexpected was the remarkable presence of wood warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) across the region this year. Several appeared in the tamarisk grove, accompanied by an unexpected western Orphean warbler (Curruca hortensis) and a woodchat shrike (Lanius senator) belonging to the locally rare Balearic badius form.
Several visits to the island of Tabarca delivered some typical quality migration birding. This time we visited during more favorable dates, and the island was noticeably more active. An outing on 21st April was especially productive, with dozens of grounded northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), good numbers of western yellow wagtails (Motacilla flava) and whinchats (Saxicola rubetra) alongside lingering common chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus collybita), a tawny pipit (Anthus campestris) and an unexpected nightjar crossing the island in active migration.
A trip to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands added a completely different set of targets, many of which I am unlikely to encounter again this year (read about it here). Among the highlights was a vagrant eastern yellow wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis), a species more typically associated with winter records. Around Tindaya (read about it here), I connected with both African houbara (Chlamydotis undulata) and red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), two iconic birds of the island. On the return journey, I also caught up with a red kite (Milvus milvus) in Madrid — followed unexpectedly by another individual days later in Villena, where the species remains scarce.
Indeed, several visits the steppe habitats of Villena and Murcia proved equally rewarding. April is one of the best periods to experience these open landscapes at peak activity. I enjoyed excellent views of some of the very last little bustards (Tetrax tetrax) males displaying in both regions, alongside black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) in Saladares de Guadalentín and pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata) around Villena. These areas also produced migrating Eurasian hobbies (Falco subbuteo) and one of the few Spanish eagles (Aquila adalberti) reaching Villena during the spring.
The biggest migration surprises of the month came in the form of crakes. The spotted crake (Porzana porzana) is theoretically the commonest of the three regularly occurring crakes in Spain, and yet I have only connected with the species a handful of times. An individual discovered by Marcos Real at El Hondo motivated several visits to the area, which also yielded a variety of spring migrants in one of the few wetlands in the region still holding suitable muddy margins, including Temminck’s stint (Calidris temminckii). The crake remained for several days, delivering prolonged, excellent views. Another lingering individual later appeared at the wastewater treatment plant of Alhama de Murcia, found by Susana Noguera, which we also managed to see on our day visiting the region.
Even more memorable was a female little crake (Zapornia parva) at Clot de Galvany — a lifer for both Darío and me. We learned about the bird while birding together up north in Villena, and after some hesitation we ultimately decided to drive back south immediately. The decision paid off: we enjoyed prolonged views of the individual, which disappeared after that same day. Repeated visits to Clot de Galvany during the month also produced passerine migrants, including my only common whitethroat (Curruca communis) of the spring so far.
This little crake was not the only lifer obtained close to home. The breeding colony of Sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis) and slender-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus genei) at El Pinet, within Santa Pola Natural Park, is now fully established. The area also hosted regular species such as curlew sandpipers (Calidris ferruginea), Mediterranean gulls (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus), gull-billed terns (Gelochelidon nilotica), collared pratincoles (Glareola pratincola) and up to three elegant terns (Thalasseus elegans). The standout bird, however, was a roseate tern (Sterna dougallii), a species recorded several times in the area over recent years but one that had somehow always eluded me until now.
Many of the species observed this month were clearly fresh arrivals settling into breeding territories. Short-toed snake eagles (Circaetus gallicus), western Bonelli’s warblers (Phylloscopus bonelli), western subalpine warblers (Curruca iberiae) and melodious warblers (Hippolais polyglotta) returned to Alcoi and surrounding areas, while trumpeter finches (Bucanetes githagineus) once again occupied their localized strongholds around Monnegre. Across wetlands and river corridors, the songs of common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos), Eurasian reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) have now fully taken over the soundscape.
Here is the archive of the birds of the day for April 2026. Birds are reported in scientific, English and Valencian names (in the local variety of my hometown, as requested for the challenge), together with the location of each sighting.
- 1 Apr 2026: Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) xatrac gros (PN El Fondó, Alacant)
- 2 Apr 2026: Iberian gray shrike (Lanius meridionalis) botxí (Elx, Alacant)
- 3 Apr 2026: Trumpeter finch (Bucanetes githagineus) pinsà trompeter (Xixona, Alacant)
- 4 Apr 2026: Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis) astor (PN Serra Mariola, Alacant)
- 5 Apr 2026: Eurasian linnet (Linaria cannabina) paixarell (PN Serra Mariola, Alacant)
- 6 Apr 2026: Spanish eagle (Aquila adalberti) àguila imperial ibèrica (Villena, Alacant)
- 7 Apr 2026: Spotted crake (Porzana porzana) picardona (PN El Fondó, Alacant)
- 8 Apr 2026: Elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans) xatrac elegant (PN Salines de Santa Pola, Alacant)
- 9 Apr 2026: Woodchat shrike (Lanius senator) capsot (Elx, Alacant)
- 10 Apr 2026: Little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) sisó (Saladares de Guadalentín, Múrcia)
- 11 Apr 2026: Western yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) cueta groga (Tabarca, Alacant)
- 12 Apr 2026: Eastern yellow wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) cueta de Txukotka (Tuineje, Fuerteventura)
- 13 Apr 2026: African houbara (Chlamydotis undulata) hubara africana (Tindaya, Fuerteventura)
- 14 Apr 2026: Red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) cua de jonc bec-roig (Fuerteventura)
- 15 Apr 2026: Red kite (Milvus milvus) milà reial (Madrid)
- 16 Apr 2026: Sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) xitxarra dels joncs (PN El Fondó, Alacant)
- 17 Apr 2026: Wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) mosquiter xiulaire (PN El Fondó, Alacant)
- 18 Apr 2026: Little crake (Zapornia parva) picardó (Clot de Galvany, Alacant)
- 19 Apr 2026: Short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) àguila marcenca (PN Serra Mariola, Alacant)
- 20 Apr 2026: Melodious warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) xenna (Alcoi, Alacant)
- 21 Apr 2026: Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) bitxac rogenc (Tabarca, Alacant)
- 22 Apr 2026: Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo) falcó mostatxut (Villena, Alacant)
- 23 Apr 2026: European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) papamosques blanquet (Elx, Alacant)
- 24 Apr 2026: Mediterranean shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) baldriga mediterrània (Sant Joan, Alacant)
- 25 Apr 2026: Roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) xatrac rosat (PN Salines de Santa Pola, Alacant)
- 26 Apr 2026: Sand martin (Riparia riparia) parpalló (PN El Fondó, Alacant)
- 27 Apr 2026: Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) mosquiter de passa (Elx, Alacant)
- 28 Apr 2026: Common whitethroat (Curruca communis) busquereta vulgar (Clot de Galvany, Alacant)
- 29 Apr 2026: Red-knobbed coot (Fulica cristata) fotja banyuda (Clot de Galvany, Alacant)
- 30 Apr 2026: Western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) arpellot de marjal (Tibi, Alacant)
