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Southern Costa Blanca
May 9th - 23rd 2009
by Mike Wakeman
This was a two week holiday in Gran Alacant with my non-birding partner Louise. We stayed in an apartment rented from Worcestershire birder Trevor Hannington. Details of both apartments owned by him can be found here. We flew to Alicante airport with Monarch Airline at a cost of £271.73 return for the two of us. Car hire was via Carjet, from whom we rented a 1.4 Renault Clio with air-con at a cost of 224.44. This was perfectly adequate for our requirements as we only had a couple of long journeys planned as most of my birding would be fairly local as this wasnt a birding holiday!
Sites visited:
Clot de Galvany a nature reserve less than five minutes drive from the apartment. It has two pools, one natural and one man-made, extensive scrub, marshland when wet and some arid, rocky areas. I visited this site on five occasions on the 10th, 11th, 13th, 16th and 21st.
Santa Pola Coast Road (Coast Road) there was one specific site for Rufous Bush-chat plus various beaches and rocky shores. I made four visits to this area, on the 11th twice, 16th and 20th.
Santa Pola Lighthouse (Lighthouse) the lighthouse is on a cliff that is actually about half a kilometre from the coast and is surrounded by scrub and some open rocky areas, as is the four kilometre road leading to it. I visited here on the 13th.
Santa Pola Sewage Works (Sewage Works) accessed from the main road between Gran Alacant and Santa Pola. The turning is just beyond the turning for the lighthouse. Two or three shallow man-made pools surrounded by open scrubby areas. There appeared to be no access to the pools, but these could be viewed from a couple of points around the perimeter. I visited on the 13th only.
El Hondo an extensive wetland area about 30 minutes drive from Gran Alacant. We came here for one afternoon only, on 15th, which was not nearly enough to explore the area to any great extent.
Santa Pola Salinas (Salinas) not an easy site to do as the main road to the south runs through the Salinas. There are a couple of pull-ins from which you can scan the lagoons, but extensive birding is not really possible as it is advised, in the site guides I had, to stray far from your car! I came here only once, on the 18th.
El Pinet this is the southern end of the above site. Here there are hides and much closer views over the lagoons that lie behind the beach at La Marina. I came here on the 12th and 18th.
Crevillent I followed directions to this mountain site from one of two site guides I borrowed for the trip. It is about an hours drive from Gran Alacant.
Pétrola Steppes I again followed directions from borrowed site guides to explore this general area. It takes around two hours from Gran Alacant and takes an entire day to explore thoroughly. This we did on the 19th. The areas/sites visited were:
La Higuera Lagoon a medium sized area of water just west of La Higuera village.
Laguna de Pétrola sign-posted from the CM3255 just west of Petrola.
Farm tracks south of the CM3255 between Pétrola and Corral Rubio most tracks seem to interconnect, but those closest to the junction with the CM3211 seem the best.
Laguna del Salobralejo accessed from a farm track east of the CM3209 just north of the A31.
Estación de Bonete the area adjacent to the old railway station north of the A31.
Carabassi Beach not exactly a birding site, but we spent part of each day relaxing here.
Species list:
The species highlighted in red were lifers for me.
Shelduck two seen at the sewage works between Gran Alacant and Santa Pola; two at El Fondo.
Gadwall three seen at Laguna del Salobralejo.
Mallard small numbers seen at Clot de Galavany on each visit.
Shoveler a pair was seen at Clot de Galvany on 16th.
Marbled Duck one to three birds were seen on each visit to Clot de Galvany.
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Marbled Ducks at Clot de Galvany.
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Red-crested Pochard two pairs seen at El Fondo; at least six at the lagoon close to La Higuera; at least ten at Laguna de Pétrola; a pair at Laguna del Salobralejo.
Pochard resident in small numbers at Clot de Galvany, with up to ten seen. Noted also at El Fondo and Laguna de Pétrola.
White-headed Duck two males and three females were seen on my first visit to Clot de Galvany. That was the maximum number seen, subsequent visits seeing two to four birds.
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White-headed Ducks (female left & male right).
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Red-legged Partridge four at Clot de Galvany on 21st; several around the farm tracks south of the CM3255 Petrola-Corral Rubio road.
Little Grebe numerous at the Clot de Galvany, with a maximum of a dozen seen on 13th. At least three pairs were nesting.
Great Crested Grebe seen only at Santa Pola Salinas.
Cormorant seen from Carabassi Beach on 14th and from the Santa Pola coast road on 20th.
Squacco Heron one seen at El Hondo.
Cattle Egret nine or ten seen at El Hondo.
Little Egret one at Santa Pola Salinas.
Greater Flamingo several thousand at Santa Pola Salinas; several hundred at Laguna de Pétrola; 80+ at Laguna del Salobralejo.
Honey Buzzard two seen at Crevillent; one north of Laguna del Salobralejo; two heading north off Carabassi Beach on 20th; one over Clot de Galvany on 21st.
Black Kite one north of Laguna Salobralejo.
Short-toed Eagle one north of the CM3255 Petrola-Corral Rubio road.
Bonellis Eagle a pair seen at Crevillent gave good but slightly distant views. We viewed from the crossroads mentioned in Critchell.
Kestrel one seen at the lighthouse.
Moorhen up to 15 seen at Clot de Galvany; two at the sewage works.
Purple Gallinule one seen on each visit to Clot de Galvany.
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Purple Gallinule at Clot de Galvany.
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Coot small numbers seen at Clot de Galvany, one pair with young; small numbers at Laguna del Salobralejo.
Great Bustard two groups seen south of the Petrola-Corral Rubio road on 19th, one of 16 or 17 and one of nine.
Black-winged Stilt seen at almost every wetland visited, with up to 20 on the scrape at Clot de Galvany, two pairs with young.
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Black-winged Stilts at Clot de Galvany.
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Avocet also seen at every wetland apart from Clot de Galvany.
Collared Pratincole two seen in flight at El Hondo.
Little Ringed Plover one or two seen on each visit to Clot de Galvany; singles seen in fields in the Pétrola area.
Kentish Plover up to four were seen at El Pinet.
Lapwing one at Laguna de Pétrola.
Curlew Sandpiper one in breeding plumage at El Pinet on the 12th.
Dunlin two were seen at Laguna de Petrola on the 19th.
Curlew one on the beach at Santa Pola on 9th.
Redshank one at Lagun de Petrola on the 19th.
Wood Sandpiper one at Clot de Galvany on the 11th.
Common Sandpiper one at Clot de Galvany on the 13th & 16th.
Turnstone three at El Pinet on the 12th and one at Clot de Galvany on the 21st.
Black-headed Gull two or three at El Fondo.
Slender-billed Gull seen on both visits to El Pinet, with a maximum of ten on the 18th.
Audouins Gull 25+ on one small beach along the coast road on the 9th; one or two seen at Carabassi Beach on several occasions.
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Slender-billed Gull (left) at El Pinet & Audouins Gull (right) along Santa Pola coast road.
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Lesser Black-backed Gull one seen on the beach at Santa Pola on the 9th.
Yellow-legged Gull seen in good numbers at El Pinet, the Salinas and El Fondo. One or two on Carabassi Beach.
Sandwich Tern three at El Pinet on the 18th.
Common Tern 40+ seen at El Pinet.
Little Tern 15-20 at El Pinet; ones and twos seen fishing off Carabassi Beach.
Whiskered Tern two or three see at El Fondo.
Feral/Rock Dove one or two seen in the Crevillent area.
Wood Pigeon common in scrubby coastal areas.
Collared Dove single birds on two occasions at Clot de Galvany.
Turtle Dove one or two seen on three of the visits to Clot de Galvany; up to three seen on each visit to the coast road; one seen along the road to Santa Pola lighthouse.
Great Spotted Cuckoo one seen in flight whilst travelling between Montealegre del Castillo and La Higuera on the 19th.
Cuckoo one seen at Clot de Galvany and at least one seen on each visit to the Santa Pola coast road.
Little Owl one or two seen on the last three visits to Clot de Galvany; several seen in the Petrola Steppes area.
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Little Owl at Clot de Galvany.
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Red-necked Nightjar one seen at dusk on both the 12th and 19th on pylons in the small gorge in front of the apartment.
Alpine Swift four or five around the Crevillent area.
Swift present in good numbers around the coastal strip.
Pallid Swift at least two seen from the apartment on several mornings with the above species; noted on a couple of occasions above the pines on the Santa Pola coast road.
Bee-eater - five at Clot de Galvany on the 10th; one just south of the Crevillent crossroads; at least four just north of Laguna del Salobralejo.
Hoopoe seen from the apartment balcony on the nightjar-pylons; one or two at Clot de Galvany; singles at El Pinet and the pines on Santa Pola coast road.
Green Woodpecker a pair of the race sharpei seen at the Clot de Galvany and one seen from the road to Santa Pola lighthouse.
Calandra Lark two seen in song-flight from the farm tracks south of the CM3255 Prola-Corral Rubio road.
Crested Lark present in the dunes behind Carrabassi beach.
Thekla Lark one or two noted in the areas around the Santa Pola coast road and the lighthouse; two seen at Estación de Bonete.
Swallow - regular in small numbers at Clot de Galvany.
Red-rumped Swallow up to four seen at Clot de Galvany; two or three seen en route to the Crevillent area.
House Martin seen in small numbers at Clot de Galvany.
Yellow Wagtail males of the race iberiae seen at El Fondo and at El Pinet.
White Wagtail up to three, including juveniles, seen at Clot de Galvany.
Rufous Bush-chat a singing male seen in pines along the Santa Pola coast road behind Carabassi Beach on the 16th and 20th.
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Rufous Bush-chat in pines behind Carabassi Beach.
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Robin one seen at Clot de Galvany.
Nightingale heard in the valley below the apartment and also along the Santa Pola coast road.
Black Wheatear a pair was seen from the apartment balcony; one seen on buildings in Gran Alacant.
Blackbird reasonably common around scrubby areas by the coast.
Mistle Thrush one seen adjacent to a church/convent between Estación de Bonete and the A31.
Zitting Cisticola several heard and two seen well at El Fondo; one heard calling at Clot de Galvany on the 21st.
Reed Warbler small numbers in the reed-beds at Clot de Galvany.
Great Reed Warbler several heard singing, and one seen, at El Fondo.
Sardinian Warbler common in all vegetated areas.
Chiffchaff one at Clot de Galvany on the 10th.
Spotted Flycatcher see on each visit to the pines along Santa Pola coast road, with at least three on 20th.
Pied Flycatcher a female in the pines along Santa Pola coast road on the 16th.
Long-tailed Tit a small party in the pines on the Santa Pola Coast road on 11th and a family party of 9+ at Clot de Galvany on 21st.
Great Tit ones and twos seen at Clot de Galavany.
Golden Oriole one heard at the lagoon just to the west of La Higuera on the 19th.
Southern Grey Shrike one along the Santa Pola coast road on the 9th; one at Clot de Galvany on the 10th, with two there on the 21st; one in the dunes behind Carabassi Beach on the 10th; two on wires beside the road the Santa Pola lighthouse; one from the road to the Sewage Works; also noted on roadside wires on several occasiuons whilst driving.
Woodchat Shrike four seen at the arches en route to Crevillent; one seen along the road to the lighthouse; also noted on wires on several occasions whilst driving.
Magpie seen only in the Petrola Steppes areas and then only in ones and twos.
Jackdaw seen in fields along the N332 between Gran Alacant and Santa Pola.
Carrion Crow small numbers seen in most coastal areas.
Raven one south over Carabassi Beach car park on 10th; one at Santa Pola lighthouse.
Spotless Starling small numbers at Clot de Galvany where they often came to bathe in the late afternoon.
House Sparrow commonly seen in all areas.
Rock Sparrow at least two, possibly four, seen near Estacion de Bonete in the Petrola Steppes area on the 19th.
Serin commonly seen in almost all areas.
Greenfinch seen in the pines along the Santa Pola coast road.
Goldfinch groups of up to a dozen seen at Clot de Galvany.
Linnet small numbers seen from the apartment and Clot de Galvany.
Corn Bunting several seen and heard at El Fondo.
Bibliography
Where to Watch Birds in North East Spain Michael Rebane
Where to Watch Birds in the Southern Costa Blanca & surrounding areas Graham Critchell
A Birdwatching Guide to Eastern Spain Malcolm Palmer & Luis Fidel | 
