The sun has come out, rain has abated, temperatures are good and wildlife is on the move.
On Friday morning 4th February we took our usual route from Gran Alacant, stopping at the Salinas on way to El Pinet. There is not much I can report. Two Sandwich Terns - Charran Patinegro perched and those two are sometimes around. Spoonbills - Espátula Común were not in view but our attention became focused on ‘a Zoom gathering of’ Cormorants - Cormorán Grande who were very active so much so it was difficult to count them. There was a lot of them. A few Wigeon - were around still.
I don't need to mention El Pinet and we moved inland quickly. At ‘The Monastry’ ruin we got lucky. A non-adult Blue Rockthrush - Roquero Solitario sat on a wire and was photographed. It did not appear fazed by us. We thought a juvenile bird or possibly a young female. Little Owls - Mochuelo Europea flew, one sat in a hole under a tile, and was photographed too. Two Common Kestrels - Cernicalo flew around as usual. There’s plenty of nesting sites in that ruin.
We had heard of a flooded field with birds on. There was water in some but nothing to see. At Santa Aguada we had a very good spell. We always hear Blackcaps - Curruca Capirotada on the first corner and today at least one was singing and two males flew. From the same Tamarisk a Zitting Cisticola - Buitrón.
Around the water and on the mud at least three Bluethroats - Pechiazul and the same number of Snipe - Agachadiza Común. Raptor wise it was quiet Buzzard - Busardo- Ratonero, Marsh Harriers - Agilucho Luganero and a couple of Booted - Aguilillia Calzada.
It was good to get out and to see it’s on the move.
On one side of the Vistabella Road the numerous fields have been covered in and that can only be for very intensive agriculture. Large coverings weighed down by a multitudes of white bags. Does this mean more man made substances going into the soil and waterways? It will do two things, food will be produced in large quantities and there will be no room for anything that is natural. It was photographed by us, and by a media team we saw. It has been posted on Face Book and Apoyo al Parque Natural de el Hondo is a very good site to follow.
We have a similar site between San Miguel and Los Montesinos that had remained uncultivated for years and where we have watched Eagles and Harriers. No more now though.
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