Over the last years, I have set some personal birding goals that ended up crystallizing as months went by. In 2024, I managed to connect with over 1,000 bird species, mainly thanks to different trips across continents (read about it here), and then 2025 took a more local-based turn, allowing me to connect with over 250 species in Comunitat Valenciana (read about it here).
This 2026, I have joined a challenge organized by the Catalan Institute of Ornithology (ICO) and the Valencian Ornithological Society (SVO). The idea is to report a different bird species seen each day, without repeating species, for as long as possible. This means dedicating some attention and time to connecting with birds every day, with a special focus on species typical of each season. Catalan birdwatchers have been doing this challenge for years through ICO and sharing the results on their blog. With SVO joining, I thought this could be a nice challenge to take on in 2026. No one has ever managed to conclude the year, although some hardcore players have made it to November and December in the past. In my case, I’m taking it as an opportunity to encourage myself to get out every single day and summarize my reports in these monthly archive posts, for as long as I can manage. This is, therefore, the first of (hopefully) several monthly posts regarding my bird of the day for this challenge.
My year started in northern Spain. A trip to Santoña and surroundings provided several specialties that I might find hard to see again soon (read about it here). I initially planned on choosing red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) or horned grebe (Podiceps auritus) due to their extreme rarity back home, but both species had very recently been spotted in Comunitat Valenciana — although not again over the month. Instead, I noted memorable views of brant geese (Branta bernicla) and flyby European rock pipits (Anthus petrosus), both equally rare in my home region.
Quick outings during the trip on subsequent days provided black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) and greater scaup (Aythya marila) around Santander, and a lifer male lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) within a large flock of tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula) on a reservoir close to Madrid on our way south.
After that, most of January has been shared between Alcoi and Elx. In the former, I was eager to connect with wintering passerines in different areas of Serra de Mariola Natural Park. This resulted in flocks of rock sparrows (Petronia petronia), numerous chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) and goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis), and eventually connecting with some bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla).
I also scouted forested areas with limited success. While managing to connect with wintering goldcrests (Regulus regulus) and territorial tawny owls (Strix aluco) in Alcoi, I also ended up choosing some easier, more reliable birds on some days. This included wintering European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and siskin (Spinus spinus), and resident peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). Alcoi green areas granted me what I think might be the only species I chose this month that I could reliably see from under 10 minutes walking distance from home all year round: the coal tit (Periparus ater).
On the other hand, I have also spent a good deal of time in Font Roja Natural Park, as I’m currently undertaking fieldwork in the area. This ensured connecting with local winter specialties such as ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) and Alpine accentors (Prunella collaris), as well as resident golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and the local pair of Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) flying around their soon-to-be-occupied nest.
The other half of my time was spent in Elx, where Darío Gijón is usually up for some after-work birding. Being in the middle of southern Alicante wetlands, this allowed me to connect with local wintering specialties including greater spotted eagles (Clanga clanga) and common cranes (Grus grus) in El Hondo, and scarce residents including ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) in Clot de Galvany. Although we are not engaging in seawatching as much as last year’s season, we still managed to connect with great skua (Stercorarius skua), among other specialties.
Some wintering vagrants were located during January across Alicante. A notable sight was the red-breasted flycatcher (Ficedula parva), which I found with Marcos Real, Tati Pessano and Darío in El Hondo, and which eventually stayed for a week (read about it here). Additionally, Mario Marcos and José Luis Carretero reported a Richard’s pipit (Anthus richardi) in a traditional wintering spot for a few individuals right at the outskirts of Alicante, obliging the following day when Marcos, Darío and I visited the area.
My January finished with a visit to Helsinki for some days. A short visit to my previous home could have granted exciting northern specialties including long-staying parrot crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus), smews (Mergellus albellus) and white-backed woodpeckers (Dendrocopos leucotos), all birds I have seen in past winters. On my arrival, I was greeted by particularly cold weather, in which birdwatching proved hard and often not too rewarding. Eventually, none of those above-mentioned species obliged.
However, I did manage to connect with other long-awaited northern dwellers. Heading to a parrot crossbill stakeout right after my arrival and failing miserably, I connected with more abundant bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) and Eurasian treecreepers (Certhia familiaris), which are anyway absent in my home region and could make strong choices too. Then, a visit to Lauttasaari to scout my typical spots for Bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) merely offered good views of a lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor), although I was eventually obliged to choose a flock of long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) that I struggled to spot in the very distant open sea, surrounded by an extensive ice bank along the Baltic coast.
The smews had unfortunately long left Töölö Bay by the time I made it to Helsinki. However, this convenient spot in the middle of the city usually gathers a diversity of waterfowl in one of the few open-water areas around. No goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula), mute swans (Cygnus cygnus) or tufted ducks this time, so I had to get satisfied with the local Canada geese (Branta canadensis) among thousands of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).
Although I did not have the time to look for (or the luck to find) white-backed woodpeckers this time, a visit to Haltiala old-growth forest resulted in connecting with my lifer three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) after a long hiking day in the scenic frozen forest with Giorgio Zavattoni, Valeria Valanne, Mebin Varghese and Amaia Gonzaga. Ending the month with this long-expected lifer was pure joy.
Here is the archive of the birds of the day for this January 2026. Birds are reported with 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 Jan 2026: European rock pipit (Anthus petrosus) titeta costanera (Santoña, Cantabria, Spain)
- 2 Jan 2026: Brant goose (Branta bernicla) oca de collar (Laredo, Cantabria, Spain)
- 3 Jan 2026: Black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) esparver d’espatlles negres (Rubayo, Cantabria, Spain)
- 4 Jan 2026: Greater scaup (Aythya marila) morell buixot (Astillero, Cantabria, Spain)
- 5 Jan 2026: Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) morell petit (Galapagar, Madrid, Spain)
- 6 Jan 2026: Rock sparrow (Petronia petronia) torredà (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain)
- 7 Jan 2026: Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola) xerlovita camagroga (El Hondo Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 8 Jan 2026: Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus) gavatxet (Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain)
- 9 Jan 2026: Richard’s pipit (Anthus richardi) titeta de Richard (Alicante, Alicante, Spain)
- 10 Jan 2026: Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) àguila xotera (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 11 Jan 2026: Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) falcó pelegrí (Serra de Mariola Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 12 Jan 2026: Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) picot garser gros (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 13 Jan 2026: Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) pinsà mec (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 14 Jan 2026: Coal tit (Periparus ater) primavera (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain)
- 15 Jan 2026: Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) safraner (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 16 Jan 2026: Great skua (Stercorarius skua) paràsit gros (Santa Pola, Alicante, Spain)
- 17 Jan 2026: Tawny owl (Strix aluco) caro (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain)
- 18 Jan 2026: Common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) bequeruda (Alcosser, Alicante, Spain)
- 19 Jan 2026: Alpine accentor (Prunella collaris) cercavores (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 20 Jan 2026: Common crane (Grus grus) grua (El Hondo Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 21 Jan 2026: Red-breasted flycatcher (Ficedula parva) papamosques menut (El Hondo Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 22 Jan 2026: Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) roget (Clot de Galvany, Alicante, Spain)
- 23 Jan 2026: Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) àguila de panxa blanca (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain)
- 24 Jan 2026: Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) passaforats (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain)
- 25 Jan 2026: European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) estornell (Serra de Mariola Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 26 Jan 2026: Ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus) merla de collaret (Font Roja Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 27 Jan 2026: Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga) àguila cridanera (El Hondo Natural Park, Alicante, Spain)
- 28 Jan 2026: Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) raspinell pirinenc (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
- 29 Jan 2026: Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) ànec glacial (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
- 30 Jan 2026: Canada goose (Branta canadensis) oca del Canadà (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
- 31 Jan 2026: Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) picot tridàctil (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
