We checked it out yet again, Alicante’s Wildlife Wonderland. The temperatures are still high, but maybe tailing off a little. We believe in going out early when we know we can see something special and not get blasted by the heat. We were finished and satisfied by ten thirty.
We left home at six thirty in the cool and our birding started before we got into the car. Not everyone has Barn Owls (Lechuza Común) opposite their front gate. Our neighbours see and hear them too. I think there is two and possibly both adult by the sounds.
We started in the large comfortable hide with an amazing expanse of water and reeds in front of it. It was busy with numerous Black-crowned Night Herons (Martinete Común), Squacco (Garcill Cangrejera) and Little Bittern (Acetorillo Común) There are very good sized populations of all three here. We counted sixteen Black-crowned! Its Heron city! A mass of Black-headed Gulls (Gaviota Reidora) fed in the distance although we did not witness the feeding frenzy of last week. Little and Cattle Egrets (Garceta Común & Garcilla Bueyera) were scattered through the reed beds.
Two Purple Herons (Garza Imperiel) were seen separately and then two more flew in together. And that was a great sight. Maybe our last of this summer.
Bryan did his usual ‘due diligence’ and searched for anything that was or could be different. He paid a lot of attention to two ducks that could be Garganey (Cerceta Carretona) and there is no reason why they should not be passing through. They were very distant, sometimes obscured when swimming through vegetation and maybe the ‘long-shot’ photo will be enough to establish or not what these two ducks were.
I mentioned sightings of Kingfishers (Martin Pescador) before and again we saw them flying past us back and forth.
At two locations we observed Reed Warblers (Carricerro Común) as they flew between clumps of reeds and climbed up them. While watching two closely we then saw a Moustached Warbler (Carrecerin Real). We should have recognized it as it was feeding at the the base of the reeds and not higher up the stem. We could see clear markings too. The photos will prove it. They have been seen at Clot before but there is another location where they nest and can be visited by entering through the north gate at El Hondo. Also Great Reed Warbler - without its full call - (Carricero Tordal) was heard.
I have not mentioned all our sightings and Hirundines were hardly seen at all. The season is a-changing. Another three hours well spent again -thanks to nature.
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