Airport Time

Clot de Galvany, Alicante - 2.3.20

Clot de Galvany is a small reserve comprising one large and two smaller reed fringed lakes quite close to Alicante Airport but not particularly close to my base in Murcia so visiting is generally only when I using the airport assuming the flight times work out.

Today I'm collecting my wife at the airport who's flying out to Spain early evening giving me the opportunity of a full day at the reserve, one target I'm hoping to see is a Ferruginous Duck that's been present for a couple of weeks so fingers crossed for a connection. It's a sunny day but blowing a whooly but at least I have the benefit of permanent hides on the three lakes.

Arriving at the first small lake I'm surprised to find it's been completely drained to allow re-profiling works of the various islands, with just a couple of White Wagtails present I press on the main small lake at the Clot. The wind is so strong most of the wildfowl are on the far side sheltering behind a couple of islands, I count 32 Red-crested Pochard, a couple of White-headed Ducks, some Cattle Egrets Spanish specialties but they aran't coming anywhere near, the rest very much what you would you would find back in the UK.

Cattle Egret

Pandemonium erupts as a female Marsh Harrier makes a low swoops at some unsuspecting duck but also scattering the Cattle Egrets very obligingly landing right on some dead trees right in from of the hide, the light is a little harsh but this is the closest I've been to these somewhat wary egrets in a long time, it's fill your boots time !

Coot

After all the excitement of the harrier spooking the wildfowl things settle down a little and I turn my attention to the ever squabbling Coots trying for "walking on water" images, it's a bit like when I was photographing White Wagtails earlier in February shooting hundred of shots for a couple of successes.

Red Crested Pochard

Occasionally a pair of Red-crested Pochard venture to my side for a very short period giving some sort of shot, with the strong wind and the sun angle now wrong I do my best, there's always another day.

The weathers deteriorated with even stronger winds, dark clouds appear and the heaven open up just making it back to the car before I get a soaking...few ! it not all sun in Spain. Time to call it a day and head off to the airport to collect my wife.

Foot note: At the airport I didn't realise that there was an international U23 football tournament being held at the Pinatar Arena at Pilar de la Horadada, several teams coming through included Scotland, Netherlands and Russia...well I never !

Time For A Change

17th April - Los Belcones / Salinas De San Pedro / La Finca Golf

I've tried several times to catch up with the small group of Azure Winged Magpies that are in residence around a garden of a large house on the edge of the Lagunas de la Torrevieja without success. Armed with some new location information I'm off to try again for some images.

Azure Winged Magpies are generally found through out Sourthern Spain but in the area around Alicante they are not that common, why they are in this location is a mystery. But before I head for Los Belcones I'm going to have a quick look down at the Salinas at San Pedro.

Scanning the salinas it looks very much as per the last couple of days with little about apart from the odd screeching Tern overhead and several pairs of Shelduck, as it's good light I get some images of the Shelduck and call it quits. Time to head up the AP7 motorway towards Torrevieja

Click image to view

Shelduck - male

The directions given take me are essentially the same location as I already know about albeit on a parallel road. Parking up I walk passed a large walled property surrounded by tall conifers, then a call I'm not familiar with attracts my attention, I look up, bingo....it's a Azure Winged Magpie.

Now with the 100-400 installed I'm concentrating on flight shots as the birds are too well hidden in the conifers for static shots. The birds are visiting an area about a hundred meters away bringing back material for nesting, so I'm standing against a wall camera ready. But the AWM are getting a little wise to my actions and start deviating around me making the shot more difficult.

Mediterranean Gulls, probably up to thirty in number are circuling overhead screeching their characteristic "kyau" call, Turtle Doves are flashing around and whole variety of finches and Linnets are feeding in the nearby scrub.

With more time spent at this location than I intended I'm now off to La Finca Golf Resort where I've read reports listing bird species thats makes it worth a visit.

Azure Winged Magpie

La Finca Golf Resort is not the place you'd think would be good for birding, has a small lake used for irrigation parts of which have been left to nature, this small lake has resident breeding species such as Black Necked Grebe, White Headed Duck, Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis amongst others.

I start with the big white but I can't get close to anything and the Egret colony is well hidden in the reed bed so I change strategies and use the 100-400 for some flight shots.

Cattle Egret

Glossy Ibis

With little else on offer I call time and head back home.

Lagunas de lo Monte

New location for me today, a small wet land reserve just outside Pilar near the Hotel Lo Monte on the N322. The reserve which has two small reed fringed lakes not too dissimilar to the Clot de Galvany in Grand Alicant but a little bigger and thirty miles nearer home.

Arriving at the first hide which is located on the lower lake, within seconds flying towards me and landing in the reeds four metres in front of me, not one, but two Squacco Herons, unfortunately as the hide viewing slots are a little on the large side the herons took one look at me and were off further up the reserve.....no shot there then !

Onwards to the third hide which is located on the upper lake, "ground hog day" again the Squacco Herons where flying around looking to settle near the reed fringed scrape in front of the hide finally opting for the reeds on the far side

Birds of note include....Purple Heron, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Squacco Heron, White Headed Duck, Little Egret, Pochard, Mallard, Gadwall, Little Grebe, BWS, Coot, Moorhen, Spotted Redshank.

On the road back through Pilar, the famous goats/sheep (its hard to tell!) that frequent the crop fields gave good photo ops of an accompanying Cattle Egret comically jumping from one animal to another. Orange trees had numerous Serins singing and on the ground Red Legged Partridge can be seen scuttling around between the trees.

Click image for clarity.....