September always feels like a month of new beginnings, but this year, it feels even more so. I’m finally back in Spain, settled in Elche, and easing into my new routine. Weekdays are now split between working on my recently started PhD research and joining Darío Gijón until dusk on his quest to spot Eurasian dotterels (Eudromias morinellus) south of Alicante — a task harder than we initially thought. On weekends, I drive back to Alcoy to ring birds with friends and tend the orchard, all while flocks of migrating European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) pass overhead. This postnuptial migration has been particularly exciting, as we’ve been fortunate enough to see a bird that’s becoming emblematic of migration yet hasn’t been spotted in our area for many years.
The last few days have been exciting. Most of it started last Tuesday 10th, when some friends and I spent a couple of days birdwatching together. Jorge Verdú, Marina Climent, Dani Icazategui, Paula Santos, Darío, and I gathered well before dawn at the El Hondo visitor center. In the pre-dawn darkness, we could already hear black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus) and European coots (Fulica atra).
A short walk along the boardwalk provided views of the usual suspects: greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), red-knobbed coots (Fulica cristata), Eurasian moorhens (Gallinula chloropus), little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis), and glossy ibises (Plegadis falcinellus). The call of a common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) gave away its location, and we spotted a couple of whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida) flying around. It’s not every day that you get to see both common pochard (Aythya ferina) and white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala) close to the boardwalk. In the reeds, we spotted numerous common reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), some obligingly showing themselves.
Things got even better after we left the boardwalk. A cooperative little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) gave us great views for a change. On the way back to the parking lot, while scanning a flooded field teeming with western cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and glossy ibises, two small waders caught my eye. We set up the scope, and I quickly identified a smart young ruff (Calidris pugnax) alongside a pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)! An individual of this species had been seen a few days earlier, off-limits in a private part of El Hondo. Fortunately, it ventured into this accessible field, joining the ruff and a couple of wood sandpipers (Tringa glareola), allowing us great views. As we continued, red-rumped swallows (Cecropis daurica) and western yellow wagtails (Motacilla flava) flew overhead, and my first bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) of the season appeared, hopping along a ditch. Spotting this American vagrant so close to home — and so unexpectedly — was a fantastic start to the morning.
We then continued our typical drive-and-stop routine through the fields around El Hondo. Although there wasn’t much else to note, we did see groups of western jackdaws (Corvus monedula), bank swallows (Riparia riparia), common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), zitting cisticolas (Cisticola juncidis), and Eurasian hoopoes (Upupa epops).
The lagoons near half the bird towers in southern El Hondo were dry, so we headed to the still-flooded La Anguila, near the south gate. Greater flamingos, black-winged stilts, and black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) were abundant, and we also spotted a northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata), a black tern (Chlidonias niger), a yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), and more whiskered terns. A great egret (Ardea alba) fished near the tower. Overhead, we saw a booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), purple heron (Ardea purpurea), squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides), and several gray herons (Ardea cinerea). On the distant shore, we scoped a little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius), a common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), a slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei), and three black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa limosa), while Darío glimpsed a water rail (Rallus aquaticus) in the open.
By midday, the heat had become too much, and the birding had slowed, so we took a break before rejoining later in the afternoon to visit El Pinet in the Salinas de Santa Pola. Dozens of common terns (Sterna hirundo hirundo) flew back and forth, as they are the only species still breeding in the seabird colony at this time of year. Several juvenile collared pratincoles (Glareola pratincola) gather near the parking lot, while Mediterranean gulls (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) soared overhead. Black terns were also plentiful, with around 50 birds mixed in with the common and sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Among the waders, we saw sanderlings (Calidris alba), a common greenshank (Tringa nebularia), a common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula), and half a dozen Kentish plovers (Anarhynchus alexandrinus), with four Eurasian thick-knees (Burhinus oedicnemus) flying overhead.
We wrapped up the day at Clot de Galvany, where Darío and I had seen a striking European honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus) juvenile fly over a few days earlier. There weren’t many migrants today, apart from a European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) and up to seven European turtle-doves (Streptopelia turtur), along with the usual bee-eaters overhead.
The highlight of these days has been the main lagoon at Clot de Galvany, where a small shore hosted a pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), common greenshank, little ringed plovers, and common ringed plover. Further out, the water level was perfect for several northern shovelers, gadwalls (Mareca strepera), marbled ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris), and five scarce migrant garganeys (Spatula querquedula) — a personal record number! As the sun set, hundreds of jackdaws and cattle egrets flew in to roost, bringing a peaceful end to the day.
The following day, Wednesday, September 11th, Darío and I responded to a dotterel alert from fellow birdwatchers at El Hondo. Whinchats (Saxicola rubetra), northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), and a likely willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) were all present in the field vegetation, but nothing else. This marked day 8 on our dotterel quest, thus far to no avail.
After lunch in Elche, we rejoined our friends for the real adventure of the week: tracking the reintroduced northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita). In Austria and Spain, efforts are underway to reintroduce this species, including human-led migrations. This year, several birds trained to follow ultralight aircraft have embarked on their transalpine journey. Three radio-tracked birds from last year, joined by a few from the Spanish colony, wandered into cropland in Yecla (Murcia), just 8 km from Alicante’s border, where they’ve stayed for several days. Darío, who has been interested in the species for long, closely following these reintroduction projects, was particularly excited about the opportunity to see them so close to home, so we couldn’t pass up the chance to pay them a visit.
Using the AnimalTracker app to follow their transmitters, we headed to the area. After some initial false starts, we finally spotted them — four northern bald ibises foraging under almond trees. Though they flew off as we approached, we eventually caught up with them again and had the chance to observe them at close range. Among them were three adult birds from Austria — Picket, Hel, and Alphie — and a juvenile Spanish bird ringed yellow (LNA). Seeing these birds so close was a profound experience. Though extinct in Europe for 300 years, conservation efforts have given this species a second chance, allowing us to witness a migratory spectacle that once seemed lost. Just an hour from home, we got to see this symbol of migration, much like the whooping cranes (Grus americana) in North America. Regardless of the ongoing debate surrounding these conservation projects, the global population of the northern bald ibis is surely making a remarkable comeback.
Despite the excitement brought by the ibises, the weekend held its own thrills. On Saturday, September 14th, I joined Pep Cantó, Miguel Sabio, and Marina Climent for a full-day bird ringing session in the forests of Font Roja. In the morning, we hosted an outreach event, where many local families with children came by, eager to learn about ornithology and witness birds being caught in the mist nets. Among the species we ringed were European robins (Erithacus rubecula), European serins (Serinus serinus), great tits (Parus major), and a Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala). The highlight of the morning was undoubtedly the ringing and release of four raptors from the local wildlife rescue centre: two common kestrels, a common buzzard (Buteo buteo), and a dark-phase juvenile Eurasian honey-buzzard. Coincidentally, as we released the honey-buzzard, we spotted two more soaring off in the distance.
The afternoon session, now without visitors, was more productive. We ringed several Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius), Eurasian blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), and a rock bunting (Emberiza cia). Among the migrants, we caught a western subalpine warbler (Curruca iberiae) and a European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). The local young golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) called from the slopes around us but did not show up. As the sun set, the temperature decreases close to 10 ºC, announcing the end of summer.
Sunday, September 15th, was dedicated to the almond harvest at Mas dels Capellans with my family. Although I usually don’t have much time for birdwatching during harvest, this corner of the Serra de Mariola Natural Park often surprises me. This time, at least two very vocal European pied flycatchers called from different almond trees — my first time spotting the species on the property.
In the afternoon, I headed back to Elche. A rather impromptu birdwatching session at El Hondo with Marcos Real and Darío Gijón finally paid off, as we finally came across a flock of seven Eurasian dotterels in a field where we had searched for them several times before. The birds were stunning, offering spectacular views as they flew over the field and got closer to us for the last hour of daylight. Having missed this species during two trips to Lapland, spotting them here after such persistent effort felt like closing the loop.
The dotterel field was also teeming with European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and northern wheatears and whinchats in numbers I had never seen before in Alicante. We ended the day with a night drive through nearby pine shrubbery, surrounded by red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) while looking for European nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus). All in all, migration at its finest.
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