Eastern coastal Spain 14-23 September 2005

Matti Koivula

I made a congress trip (XII ECM) to Murcia, Spain, but birded for a few days also. Weather was fine almost every day: +20...25 C, slight winds, semi-coudy, except for a very hard afternoon-evening rain near Valencia on 17 September. Route:

14 Sept --- Alicante - La Manga (near Cartagena)
15 Sept --- La Manga - Los Alcazares - Salinas de San Pedro - Torrevieja - Embalse de Pedrera
16 Sept --- Santa Pola - western sierras of Alicante - Calpe
17 Sept --- Calpe - Cap de la Nau - Pego - Albufera (Valencia) - Cullero
18 Sept --- Cullero - Sueca - Alzira - Alcoy - Balsarez - Alicante - Murcia
19 Sept --- Murcia (congress day)
20 Sept --- Murcia (congress day)
21 Sept --- Congress trip: Elche - El Hondo - Sierra Espuna
22 Sept --- Murcia (congress day)

I was requested to write down a few general comments and tips on touring and birding in Spain, so... Please note that these concern only the area I visited i.e. the coastal region from Valencia to Cartagena, and nearby sierras.

• Spanish people are very friendly and helpful, which helps in many situations. However, you must speak at least some Spanish to survive: English is spoken basically only at airports and in hotel receptions of big cities. Lonely Planet has published a Spanish phrase book that is a good starting point.
• Siesta causes difficulties when trying to find food or drinks during afternoon hours (ca. 1-5 PM). Luckily, most of the gas stations - often with a small cafeteria - are still open. Of course no birder who takes her/himself seriously rests during daytime hours, as night hours are for this purpose. However, in the night when a birder wants to rest a bit, the Spanish people wake up and start making horrible noise!
• Food and gas are rather cheap, compared to many other European countries. (Gas price still way exceeds that of Canadian or U.S.) Especially bread and fruits are delicious and cost very little. Coffee is very good, and you can get a nice cup from almost anywhere.
• Travel guides warn that car rental can be expensive at airports. As the airport rental companies in Alicante airport had no vehicles whatsoever for customers other than those that had booked a car beforehand, I took a taxi to Elche where I rented a small Skoda Fabia (diesel!) from Hertz for four days with 200 EUR (max 2000 km, full insurance).
• Some trip guides warn about criminals, but these may only be a problem in big cities and airports with huge crowds of people. Still, normal precautions are recommended: keep cameras, bins, scopes etc. out of sight when leaving your car, or carry them with you.
• Traffic is aggressive compared to Albertan (but not to e.g. Finnish or U.S.). At first glance, speed limits seem to be more like guidelines than instructions. Follow them anyway.
• Electricity is 220 V and the electric plugs are funny-looking, but you can buy a cheap adapter for your lap top, battery charger etc. from airports or big supermarkets. Most more-or-less new electric equipment work fine with either 110 or 220 V, so a 110/220 converter may not be necessary.
• Camping with a tent/trailer is several times cheaper than living in motels/hotels. However, official camp sites are scarce and the soil often rock hard (for tenting).
• There are no "every man's rights" that would allow a general access to private lands, like there are e.g. in Finland. Therefore, respect the will of land owners (that is usually indicated by barb wires, locked gates etc.) to avoid conflicts. However, locals seem to be uninterested in birders that walk on private lands.
• Many good birding areas have poor access and/or visibility, such as the Santa Pola salt ponds. It is unbelievable that despite being among the World's top sites there are hardly any watching towers or viewing areas! Be careful when making the necessary stops at the few widenings of highways.

The birds

Nr	Species	Scientific	Information
1	Cory's (Mediterranean) shearwater	Calonectris diomedea	17.9. Cap de la Nau 3 + ca40 shearwater sp
2	Crested grebe	Podiceps cristatus	Total 20+
3	Black-necked grebe	Podiceps nigricollis	15.9. Salinas de San Pedro ca 120
4	Little grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis	Total 20+
5	Greater flamingo	Phoenicopterus ruber	Total 3000+
6	Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 7
7	Grey heron	Ardea cinerea	Total 100+
8	Purple heron	Ardea purpurea	17.9. Pego 1 juv, 18.9. Cullero 1
9	Little egret	Egretta garzetta	Total 100+
10	Cattle egret	Bubulcus ibis	Total 400+
11	Least bittern	Ixobrychus minimus	18.9. Cullero 1
12	Coot	Fulica atra	Total 200+
13	Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Total 100+
14	Purple gallinule	Porphyrio porphyrio	21.9. El Hondo 2 ad
15	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	15.9. Rebate -/1
16	Shoveler	Anas clypeata	21.9. El Hondo -/1
17	Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola ca60
18	Pochard	Aythya ferina	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 7
19	Red-crested pochard	Netta rufina	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola a5, 17.9. Pego -/1
20	Booted eagle	Hieraeetus pennatus	18.9. Balsarez 1 dark, 21.9. El Hondo 1 light 1 dark, Sierra Espuna 2 pen/fas
21	Bonelli's eagle	Hieraeetus fasciatus	16.9. Northern Sierras 4 ad, 18.9. Alzira-Xativa-Alcoi 2 pen/fas
22	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Total ca5
23	Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus	Total ca10
24	Common buzzard	Buteo buteo	21.9. El Hondo 1, Sierra Espuna 1
25	Marsh harrier	Circus aeruginosus	Total 30+
26	Montagu's harrier	Circus pygargus	16.9. Northern Sierras -/1 ad, 1 Cir sp (not C. aer)
27	Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Total 30+
28	Lesser kestrel	Falco naumanni	18.9. Alzira-Xativa-Alcoi 3/-
29	Hobby	Falco subbuteo	21.9. Sierra Espuna 1 juv
30	Peregrine	Falco peregrinus	22.9. Murcia city center a2
31	Stone curlew	Burhinus oedicnemus	14.9. La Manga 3, 15.9. Torrevieja 6
32	Curlew	Numenius arquata	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 1
33	Bar-tailed godwit	Limosa lapponica	Total 20+
34	Black-tailed godwit	Limosa limosa	14.9. La Manga 3, 16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 4
35	Common snipe	Gallinago gallinago	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 1
36	Avocet	Recurvirostra avocetta	Total ca500
37	Black-winged stilt	Himantopus himantopus	Total ca250
38	Common sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	Total ca10
39	Green sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	15.9. Punta Brava 1, 21.9. El Hondo 1
40	Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	Total 5
41	Redshank	Tringa totanus	Total ca30
42	Spotted redshank	Tringa erythropus	Total 5
43	Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Total ca30
44	Little ringed plover	Charadrius dubius	Total 5
45	Ringed plover	Charadrius hiaticula	Total ca10
46	Kentish (Snowy) plover	Charadrius alexandrinus	Total ca30
47	Grey (Black-bellied) plover	Pluvialis squatarola	15.9. Punta Brava 2
48	Ruff	Philomachus pugnax	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola -/1
49	Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Total 100+
50	Little stint	Calidris minuta	Total 100+
51	Curlew sandpiper	Calidris ferruginea	14.9. La Manga 2
52	Yellow-legged gull	Larus michahellis	Total 1000+
53	Lesser black-backed gull	Larus fuscus graellsii	Total ca30
54	Black-headed gull	Larus ridibundus	Total 500+
55	Slender-billed gull	Larus genei	Total ca40
56	Mediterranean gull	Larus melanocephalus	14.9. La Manga 1 ad, 16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola ca120, Calp 2 ad
57	Audouin's gull	Larus audouinii	14.9. La Manga 36, elsewhere total ca20
58	Common tern	Sterna hirundo	Total ca15
59	Little tern	Sterna albifrons	15.9. Los Alcazares 7, Salinas de San Pedro 3, 16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 12
60	Sandwich tern	Sterna sandvicensis	Total ca30
61	Black tern	Chlidonias niger	15.9. Salinas de San Pedro 8, 16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 4, 21.9. El Hondo ca10
62	Red-legged partridge	Alectoris rufa	15.9. Embalse de Pedrera 17
63	Rock dove	Columba livia	Total 500+
64	Wood pigeon	Columba palumbus	Total 200+
65	Turtle dove	Streptopelia turtur	Total 50+
66	Collared dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Total 300+
67	Monk parakeet	Myiopsitta monachus	14.9. La Manga 28, 17.9. Calp 3 parakeet sp
68	Bee-eater	Merops apiaster	14.9. Elche 6, 15.9. Embalse de Pedrera a70, 16.9. Northern Sierras calls
69	Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	16.9. Salinas de Santa Pola 1, 17.9. Pego 5, 18.9. Alzira 1
70	Hoopoe	Upupa epops	15.9. Embalse de Pedrera 1, 16.9. Sierra de Santa Pola 3
71	Common swift	Apus apus	15.9. Los Alcazares 1, San Javier ca 15 + ca20 Apus sp
72	Pallid swift	Apus pallidus	15.9. San Javier 2
73	Alpine swift	Apus melba	15.9. San Javier ca 10, Embalse de Pedrera 2
74	Green woodpecker	Picus viridis	16.9. Northern Sierras 1 (Font Roja)
75	Jackdaw	Corvus monedula	18.9. Balsarez a40
76	Magpie	Pica pica	16.9. Northern Sierras 2
77	Cough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	17.9. Rd 332 to Cap de la Nau 4, 18.9. Alcoi 2
78	Black starling	Sturnus unicolor	Total 5000+ (best sum 21.9. Murcia university campus ca2000)
79	Southern grey shrike	Lanius meridionalis	Total ca25
80	Blackbird	Turdus merula	Total 5
81	Bluethroat	Luscinia svecica	17.9. Pego 2 (of which 1 ad male cyanecula)
82	Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes	17.9. Rd 332 to Cap de la Nau 1 singing
83	Robin	Erithacus rubecula	Total 2
84	Redstart	Phoenicurus phoenicurus	15.9. Embalse de Pedrera 1
85	Black redstart	Phoenicurus ochuros	17.9. Cap de la Nau 3
86	Crested lark	Galerida cristata	Total 50+
87	Thekla lark	Galerida theklae	15.9. Embalse de Pedrera 1-2
88	Woodlark	Lullula arborea	16.9. Northern Sierras 2
89	Lesser short-toed lark	Calandrella rufescens	21.9. El Hondo a3
90	Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Total ca10
91	Black wheatear	Oenanthe leucura	16.9. Northern Sierras 1/-
92	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra	Total ca25
93	Stonechat	Saxicola torquata	Total 5+
94	Wagtail	Motacilla alba	Total 100+
95	Yellow wagtail	Motacilla flava	Total 20+
96	Grey wagtail	Motacilla cinerea	15.9. La Manga 1 juv
97	Tree pipit	Anthus trivialis	Total 4
98	Tawny pipit	Anthus campestris	18.9. Cullero 1
99	Barn swallow	Hirundo rustica	Total 300+ (plus ca2000 Hir/Del/Rip)
100	Red-rumped swallow	Hirundo daurica	Total 50+
101	House martin	Delichon urbica	Total 50+
102	Bank swallow	Riparia riparia	15.9. Los Alcazares 2, 18.9. Cullero 4
103	Crag martin	Ptyonoprogne rupestris	16.9. Northern Sierras 3
104	Spotted flycatcher	Muscicapa striata	15.9. Embalse de Pedrera 1, 16.9. Sierra de Santa Pola 1
105	Pied flycatcher	Ficedula hypoleuca	16.9. Northern Sierras 1
106	Fan-tailed warbler	Cisticola juncidis	Total 10+
107	Reed warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus	16.9. Sierra de Santa Pola 3
108	Lesser whitethroat	Sylvia curruca	14.9. La Manga 1
109	Whitethroat	Sylvia communis	17.9. Cap de la Nau 1
110	Sardinian warbler	Sylvia melanocephala	Total 15+ (plus ca25 Sylvia sp)
111	Subalpine warbler	Sylvia cantillans	18.9. Alzira 3
112	Great tit	Parus major	Total ca20
113	Coal tit	Parus ater	Total ca10
114	Long-tailed tit	Aegithalos caudatus	Total ca25
115	Firecrest	Regulus ignicapillus	Total ca5
116	Willow warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus	Total ca10 (incl. Phyll sp)
117	Red crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	16.9. Northern Sierras a35+a15 + calls, 21.9. Sierra Espuna 2+2 + calls
118	Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	16.9. Northern Sierras ca15
119	Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis	Total 300+
120	Greenfinch	Carduelis chloris	Total 100+
121	Serin	Serinus serinus	Total 15+
122	Cirl bunting	Emberiza cirlus	18.9. Sueca 4-5
123	Tree sparrow	Passer montanus	17.9. Pego 1
124	House sparrow	Passer domesticus	Total 3000+