This typical but idyllic month of April brought typical migrating passerines, several great encounters with displaying bustards and sandgrouse in the steppes, a couple of lifers at home and some others on a short trip.

Flooding and plowing of rice paddies brings thousands of gulls to l’Albufera. Despite the intense winds, we connect with several common gulls, Caspian gulls, herring gull, little gull plus bonus ring-necked ducks.

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.

A long drought is especially evident by June. Rufous-tailed rock thrush, tawny pipit, pin-tailed sandgrouse, stone martens, and Lataste’s vipers are some specialties found with friends and family.