2024 has been a particularly dry year in the Spanish Levante thus far, and the water shortage becomes especially noticeable as summer looms. Over the past few weeks, I have joined family and friends in hiking various spots throughout the interior of Alicante, gaining insight into how wildlife copes with and overcomes the struggles of drought.
On June 7th, I joined Pep Cantó and Jorge Verdú for an early bird-ringing session along the Serpis River near Muro de Alcoy. As we were accompanied by a primary school group eager to learn about ornithology during their excursion, we managed to capture several Cetti’s warblers (Cettia cetti), common nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos), a juvenile gray wagtail (Motacilla cinerea), and a stunning male common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) who stole the show.
The Pyrenean saxifrage (Saxifraga longifolia) is an Ibero-Maghrebi endemic plant whose marvelous flowering takes place for only a few weeks in June in the nearby Serra d’Aitana, where a relict population remains in isolation from its main range in the Pyrenees. Pep makes a yearly ‘pilgrimage’ to enjoy this explosion of flower columns, and this time Jorge and I joined him that same afternoon.
We reached the mountain at Font de l’Arbre, where we spotted the first melodious warblers (Hippolais polyglotta), red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), and western Bonelli’s warblers (Phylloscopus bonelli). A common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), some common firecrests (Regulus ignicapilla), short-toed treecreepers (Certhia brachydactyla), and families of coal tits (Periparus ater) could be heard and seen as we walked through the Austrian pine (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra) forest.
Font de Forata is located at the boundary between the pine forest and the montane Mariola sage (Salvia blancoana subsp. mariolensis) scrub. As some water still flowed, numerous Eurasian linnets (Linaria cannabina) and common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) visited the fountain unafraid of our presence. Walking through the open scrub and checking out the ridge, we had good looks at Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata), Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), and several blue rock-thrushes (Monticola solitarius) and spectacled warblers (Curruca conspicillata).
We approached a rocky area where the only individuals of Andalusian barberry (Berberis vulgaris subsp. australis) in the region were flowering. As we reached it, an undetermined bat in a cave and a group of Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) were agitated by our presence. Around these rocks, Jorge spotted at least two western Orphean warblers (Curruca hortensis).
As we got close to the rock walls of the ridge to observe the Pyrenean saxifrage flowers with the sun almost set, the jewel of this mountain range made an appearance: a male rufous-tailed rock-thrush (Monticola saxatilis) descended from the peak while performing a nuptial flight in front of us. This stunning species is in a critical situation in the Alicante region, where it has become extinct in most of the mountain ranges except Aitana, where only 1-2 pairs have been seen thus far this season. Walking and driving back home in the dark, we bumped into three obliging stone martens (Martes foina), two wild boars (Sus scrofa), a red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and heard the distant calls of a Eurasian scops-owl (Otus scops).
Three sudden rainy days afterwards brought more water to some places than the rest of the year altogether. Following that, on June 16th, Darío Gijón and I repeated a visit to Serra d’Aitana from Font de l’Arbre. Font de Forata was more plentiful, and the vegetation took good advantage of the rains. While coal tits were busy feeding their youngsters on our first visit, this time it was blue rock-thrushes and black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros). In terms of raptors, we spotted five Eurasian griffons (Gyps fulvus) and a very vocal peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).
Although we dipped the western Orphean warbler, we noticed many more warblers in the montane scrub, including numerous pairs of melodious warblers, spectacled warblers, and several western subalpine warblers (Curruca iberiae). A small fallow land at the base of the ridge attracted several rock buntings (Emberiza cia), rock sparrows (Petronia petronia), and Eurasian linnets, as well as several cardinal butterflies (Argynnis pandora). Above us, a plentiful flock of western house-martins (Delichon urbicum) and common swifts (Apus apus). Looking upwards, Darío spotted a pair of rufous-tailed rock-thrushes, now male and female, motionless some 250 meters above us.
Unlike last time, we hiked up Pas de la Rabosa to reach the peak of Serra d’Aitana. The views were awesome at all times. We did not manage to relocate the pair of rufous-tailed rock-thrushes, but as we walked to the mountain top, an Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba) gave us incredible looks as it cut through the air at arm’s length. Increasing in altitude, we managed to spot four tawny pipits (Anthus campestris), another localized montane bird in our region.
In the afternoon, we joined Miguel Sabio, Irene Melero, Marina Climent, Paula Santos, Jorge, and Pep for a late bird-ringing session at Finca Buixcarró, in Serra de Mariola. Besides capturing a Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius), we managed great views of a local booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) which might breed somewhere in Buixcarró. After the sun set, we spotted a natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita), my first-ever southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica), and a common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) around the ringing station close to a lagoon, as well as up to three Eurasian scops-owls, one at a very close range. Darío worked hard on his regional ‘big year’ today, even after Aitana, adding additional forest-dwelling species such as the crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) and a tawny owl (Strix aluco) heard at night around Font Roja. On that night drive, we spotlit a wild boar and a locally unusual Granada hare (Lepus granatensis).
On June 17th, Darío and I visited the grain fields in the Villena area. Before reaching Partida de las Moratillas, we spotted different summer specialties including European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster), Eurasian golden orioles (Oriolus oriolus), woodchat shrikes (Lanius senator), and European turtle-doves (Streptopelia turtur) between vineyards and other croplands, as well as Iberian green woodpeckers (Picus sharpei), Eurasian hoopoes (Upupa epops), and red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) with fledglings.
This year, a hacking project aims to help establish new populations of lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) in the area. Besides watching different juveniles and adults flying around, the open fields held several Thekla’s larks (Galerida theklae), greater short-toed larks (Calandrella brachydactyla), and some obliging pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata). A short visit to the saltpans in Laguna de Villena provided sightings of several corn buntings (Emberiza calandra), great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), zitting cisticolas (Cisticola juncidis), two little ringed plovers (Thinornis dubius), a gray heron (Ardea cinerea), and a green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) on the way, as well as an unexpected yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) as the only bird in the saltpans.
I have taken care of our small orchard in Mas dels Capellans with my family in Serra de Mariola. Although I mostly go there to work in the field (rarely with binoculars and always without a camera), there is always time to look around. On June 2nd, a Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis) flew over an Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forest some 2 km south of the property, and a golden oriole called for hours among the fruit trees. On June 9th, in the almond fields, three wood larks (Lullula arborea) and five red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) came to drink from a little puddle I had set up, and four nestlings of crested tit were about to leave a nest box. On June 30th, I spotted a distant golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the first peregrine falcon I have seen in the area, both from the orchard.
I have the feeling that this year has not been great for tits in the area, usually plentiful, although I noticed short-toed treecreepers breeding in a roof some months ago. I am encountering more Eurasian jays than usual, and the local little owls (Athene noctua) seem to be doing quite well. On a side note, also with my family, we enjoyed great looks at a Lataste’s viper (Vipera latastei) during a hike in Font Roja on June 28th.
Last but not least, Darío and I have been trying to find a lifer for both of us: an extremely localized bird in Alicante only known from a tiny section in the Monnegre river gorge, the trumpeter finch (Bucanetes githagineus). On our first attempt on May 30th, we walked through the Monnegre riverbed, managing views of the local Thekla’s larks, blue rock-thrushes, red-rumped swallows (Cecropis rufula), and black wheatears (Oenanthe leucura), as well as Cetti’s warblers and a viperine snake (Natrix maura) in the river reeds — definitely not the habitat for this desert-dwelling finch.
On a second attempt, now with a better understanding of the area and the habitat of the birds, we walked a different section of the gorge on June 18th, covered in semiarid scrub. We found Miguel and Irene as we reached the area late in the evening. They had seen the finches right before our arrival! We saw active flocks of European serins (Serinus serinus), pairs of black wheatears, rock sparrows, and blue rock-thrushes, and a Dartford warbler (Curruca undata) calling from some furze, but no trumpeter finch by the time it got dark.
Finally, the third time was the charm: on June 25th, we visited the area just a bit earlier, seemingly early enough to spot two adults and a juvenile trumpeter finch among a flock of European serins. Great!
Despite the drought and my time spent abroad, I managed to connect with most of the breeding birds in the inland areas of my region. I am happy to focus on visiting these areas — my short stays at home had made me prioritize watching birds in the diverse coastal wetlands, the prime birdwatching spots in Alicante. Observing all these creatures has been a great homecoming gift.