The transition between summer visitors and wintering birds brings numerous species that are only seen during fall passage in Alicante. Chats, warblers, raptors, waders and seabirds all oblige during autumn.
A Cape gull from Southern Africa and a laughing gull from the Americas have shown up in Northern Spain. We enjoyed awesome birding while twitching these stunners on a roadtrip.
Estaca de Bares is the ultimate seawatching location in the Western Palearctic, offering dozens of shearwaters, skuas and jaegers, two fulmars, a Wilson’s storm petrel and a cracking brown booby.
I recently started collaborating in teaching at university during field courses. We visited Murcia region and monitored Barbary sheep, Greek tortoise and griffon vultures with students on the way.
A quick stopover in Kuwait provided WP specialties using public transport: white-tailed and spur-winged lapwings, isabelline and masked shrikes, white-throated kingfisher, clamorous reed warbler and more.
Firecrests are working hard to defend their territories during my morning walk in El Romeral urban park in Alcoi today. A female hawfinch returns to this wintering hub for the species.
A Siberian migrant next to home: Birdwatching rarely gets as exciting as this! Only the 4th record of the species in Font Roja, the only inland place in the region where the species has been recorded.
Different seabirds seek shelter in the rocky shore of Cabo Cervera during a stormy day . Audouin’s and Mediterranean gulls, ruddy turnstones, sanderling and gray plover are seen at close range.
An intense full day watching birds in Alicante delivers a great final count for our party of three. Different migrant birds seen include four different Eurasian hobbies, definitely the top species of the day.
September brought the opportunity to look for long-awaited species: dotterel and northern bald ibis. Bee-eaters, wheatears, flycatchers, honey buzzards, and whinchats showed up everywhere.
I visited São Miguel Island during the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdown. Besides incredible landscapes and a welcoming atmosphere, I looked for endemic plants and birds and went on a pelagic outing.
