What a magnificent morning birding at this wetland site. Having travelled from the direction of Santa Pola we were on the lookout to get a good start on this grey morning, but we saw very little until we were in the car park by the information centre at El Hondon. Here there have been new lagoons created and now the birds there. The good news is that they are close by and easily viewed.
Without getting out of the car we could see the ubiquitous Black-winged Stilts who seem to have made this wetland their own. We saw Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, but the more eye catching waders were Curlew Sandpipers in their colourful plumage. A Wood Sandpiper fed at the waters edge. Little Stints were there to be easily seen with a Temminck's among them. It was a first for me. Flying overhead noisily were many Whiskered Terns that were a joy to watch. We also saw Common Terns too. A gorgeous bird of the day was a Squacco Heron that stayed close by for a good length of time and allowed itself to be photographed.
Photograph by Bryan Thomas
Among the waders there was Ruff and a good number of Collared Pratincoles of which some were nesting while a Common Cuckoo called. On the water there were the usual Pochard, Red-crested Pochards, Shell Duck, and Marbled Ducks and Great-crested Grebe.
We scanned the gulls and found both Black-headed and Mediterranean on a sand bank. One flew overhead 'meowing' as it went.
Warblers were not that plentiful, but there were many Great-Reed Warblers singing and perching in clear view. We also heard several Nightingales in full voice.
We did not see one raptor as it is now the time for them to be inland although the Montague's should have been evident, but they were not.
On the way home we saw a perched Roller in a palm tree on the side of the road. My first for this year.
A few hours spent in good knowledgeable company with some photographs to prove what we had seen. Thank you Bryan Thomas for all your input.
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