TonyTwinTwine
Member
50 Bee Eaters between Encebras and Tres Fuentes yesterday. Lots of Corn Bunting, a rock Bunting, red rumpled swallow. Cuckoos calling
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Birding in Alicante Province (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Mark Etheridge
- Start date
TonyTwinTwine
Member
Great Spotted Cuckoo flitting around the car park at the El Hondo visitor centre yesterday
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Hi Paul
I didn't know about the grid ref on Google maps but here it is:
38.154535, -0.722533
It is an obvious bridge over an irrigation canal, the Nightingales are in the reeds either side
Be aware this is a track but it is a fairly good one, known to local birders as the Palm Farm Track and quite driveable. The whole length of this track is good for birds, and at the east end where there is a T-junction, a turn north takes you along "Green Sandpiper Alley", the scrub on one side is excellent for warblers, the phone lines on the other side held Rollers last year, haven't seen them so far this year. This track takes you to the Vistabella Road which needs no introduction! (See previous messages).
A good little circuit nearby starts on the CV853 La Marina - Elche road at 38.166885, -0.667870, proceed along a metalled road eastwards (Bee-eaters and Shrikes on wires along here) until you get to a ruined monastery at 38.153489, -0.689799, turn right and park behind the monastery for a breeding pair of Kestrels, Hoopoes and another Roller site from last year. Continue along the track northwards to 38.159428, -0.697739, park here and look at the three medium-sized trees east of the track and the low bushes on the far side of the crossroads, this is currently a reliable site for Great Spotted Cuckoo. Take the right-hand track onwards (the sandy yellow one) and move along this track slowly for Stone Curlew, overflying Bee-eaters and all sorts in the orchards, when you get to a group of three or four villas look carefully at the wires for Rollers (not here yet but a reliable place for the past three years).Continue onwards and you rejoin the metalled road just short of where you started.
HTH
I didn't know about the grid ref on Google maps but here it is:
38.154535, -0.722533
It is an obvious bridge over an irrigation canal, the Nightingales are in the reeds either side
Be aware this is a track but it is a fairly good one, known to local birders as the Palm Farm Track and quite driveable. The whole length of this track is good for birds, and at the east end where there is a T-junction, a turn north takes you along "Green Sandpiper Alley", the scrub on one side is excellent for warblers, the phone lines on the other side held Rollers last year, haven't seen them so far this year. This track takes you to the Vistabella Road which needs no introduction! (See previous messages).
A good little circuit nearby starts on the CV853 La Marina - Elche road at 38.166885, -0.667870, proceed along a metalled road eastwards (Bee-eaters and Shrikes on wires along here) until you get to a ruined monastery at 38.153489, -0.689799, turn right and park behind the monastery for a breeding pair of Kestrels, Hoopoes and another Roller site from last year. Continue along the track northwards to 38.159428, -0.697739, park here and look at the three medium-sized trees east of the track and the low bushes on the far side of the crossroads, this is currently a reliable site for Great Spotted Cuckoo. Take the right-hand track onwards (the sandy yellow one) and move along this track slowly for Stone Curlew, overflying Bee-eaters and all sorts in the orchards, when you get to a group of three or four villas look carefully at the wires for Rollers (not here yet but a reliable place for the past three years).Continue onwards and you rejoin the metalled road just short of where you started.
HTH
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Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Hi Paul - update to my previous message.
Sadly it appears that the Nightingales have moved on from the location I gave you - I have been there three times recently but there has been no sign (or sound) of them. It is still a good area for birds in general, but for Nightingales you are now better off searching along any of the side tracks and roads off the road circling the north of the El Hondo area.
The good news is that a Roller pair have reappeared in the area around the villas on the circuit I described previously, and the GS Cuckoos are still regular at the crossroads. Attached photos taken today.
Sadly it appears that the Nightingales have moved on from the location I gave you - I have been there three times recently but there has been no sign (or sound) of them. It is still a good area for birds in general, but for Nightingales you are now better off searching along any of the side tracks and roads off the road circling the north of the El Hondo area.
The good news is that a Roller pair have reappeared in the area around the villas on the circuit I described previously, and the GS Cuckoos are still regular at the crossroads. Attached photos taken today.
Attachments
TonyTwinTwine
Member
Wonderful Roller pic that. Just come back from 9 days in Tres Fuentes near Pinoso.
Highlights, three Nightingales singing at once (only saw one). Four Alpine Swift, lots of Bee Eaters, Corn Buntings, Crested Tit, Little Owls, Chough, Black Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike.
Two Eagles flew over the villa on Monday, have just got round to identifying them, Short Toed. Soft focus pic attached.
Anyone know what the bird on the bush is. Spotted Flycatcher?
Highlights, three Nightingales singing at once (only saw one). Four Alpine Swift, lots of Bee Eaters, Corn Buntings, Crested Tit, Little Owls, Chough, Black Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike.
Two Eagles flew over the villa on Monday, have just got round to identifying them, Short Toed. Soft focus pic attached.
Anyone know what the bird on the bush is. Spotted Flycatcher?
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Spotfly it is. We had Pied Flycatchers here for about two weeks, but as expected they have now moved on. Actually it all seems a little quiet at the moment, but I did have an unexpected find in the Clot de Galvany the other day in the shape of a Spectacled Warbler, my first in that area.
I suppose things will liven up once eggs are hatched and youngsters are being fed....
I suppose things will liven up once eggs are hatched and youngsters are being fed....
Attachments
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
A few updates for anyone arriving in the area soon - the GS Cuckoos mentioned above have now dispersed and are no longer regular at the crossroads, you could see them almost anywhere now!
El Hondo from the Vistabella Road is now very good indeed, avoid the first hide unless you are mozzie-proof, the second hide yesterday produced plenty of birds including Bearded Tits, Little Bittern and Purple Heron flypasts, White-headed Ducks, Black-necked Grebes and a Lesser Flamingo has been reported (although I failed to get it!).
There is a surprising lack of raptors in the area at the moment, even the regular Marsh Harriers failed to appear.
The Rollers at the monastery are now well settled in and were showing extremely well yesterday.
Plans for the next few days include Monnegre and a new site which has got local birders somewhat excited - I'll give full details next week.
El Hondo from the Vistabella Road is now very good indeed, avoid the first hide unless you are mozzie-proof, the second hide yesterday produced plenty of birds including Bearded Tits, Little Bittern and Purple Heron flypasts, White-headed Ducks, Black-necked Grebes and a Lesser Flamingo has been reported (although I failed to get it!).
There is a surprising lack of raptors in the area at the moment, even the regular Marsh Harriers failed to appear.
The Rollers at the monastery are now well settled in and were showing extremely well yesterday.
Plans for the next few days include Monnegre and a new site which has got local birders somewhat excited - I'll give full details next week.
Attachments
Shall look forward to that Mark.
Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Hi Paul, if you visit the monastery you are as certain as anything can be in this birding world to see them - which means they will probably have taken a day trip elsewhere! 
If they are not at the monastery itself, look on the wires to the east, there is a very rough track about 100 yards back eastwards along the main road leading to a villa - my pair were on the telephone wires along that track.
Went to Monnegre today, which was frankly a bit of a disappointment! It started off well with good views of Black-eared Wheatear at the start of the mountainous section of the road (a reliable spot for them), but as we went along it became obvious that there wasn't much around, probably due to the heat! We had very distant views of Griffons near the "lonesome pine", but none of the area's specialities (Bonelli's Warbler and Eagle, Trumpeter Finch, Rock Sparrow etc) were in evidence. We gave it up as a bad job and continued on to Maigmo where things were a lot better. At the campsite "El Melonero", we saw/heard Crossbill, Crested Tit, Jay, Short-toed Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Firecrest and just a glimpse of Rock Bunting, which was a little frustrating as my companion particularly wanted to photograph one.
We went on along the forest track to the top, a viewpoint known as Balcon d'Alacant which gives fine views over the city of Alicante on a clear day, with Coal and Great Tits aplenty. At this location there is a raised concrete base for everyone to stand on and admire the view, and on the city side of the base there were one or two water leaks coming from the concrete which attracted the birds. Imagine our delight when this bird turned up to compensate for the poor views at the campsite!
Further details of how to get to Monnegre and Maigmo can be found at the CBBC website. Look under Site Guides.
If they are not at the monastery itself, look on the wires to the east, there is a very rough track about 100 yards back eastwards along the main road leading to a villa - my pair were on the telephone wires along that track.
Went to Monnegre today, which was frankly a bit of a disappointment! It started off well with good views of Black-eared Wheatear at the start of the mountainous section of the road (a reliable spot for them), but as we went along it became obvious that there wasn't much around, probably due to the heat! We had very distant views of Griffons near the "lonesome pine", but none of the area's specialities (Bonelli's Warbler and Eagle, Trumpeter Finch, Rock Sparrow etc) were in evidence. We gave it up as a bad job and continued on to Maigmo where things were a lot better. At the campsite "El Melonero", we saw/heard Crossbill, Crested Tit, Jay, Short-toed Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Firecrest and just a glimpse of Rock Bunting, which was a little frustrating as my companion particularly wanted to photograph one.
We went on along the forest track to the top, a viewpoint known as Balcon d'Alacant which gives fine views over the city of Alicante on a clear day, with Coal and Great Tits aplenty. At this location there is a raised concrete base for everyone to stand on and admire the view, and on the city side of the base there were one or two water leaks coming from the concrete which attracted the birds. Imagine our delight when this bird turned up to compensate for the poor views at the campsite!
Further details of how to get to Monnegre and Maigmo can be found at the CBBC website. Look under Site Guides.
Attachments
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Mark Etheridge
Bird Shooter (With A Camera)
Mark
I was around the San Filipe, El Hondo, Vistabella Road, Old Monastery areas yesterday and managed to see 4-5 Rollers at the old football pitch at San Felipe and a single at the Old Monastery. Get out of the car a your scuppered !
This image was the best I could get
I was around the San Filipe, El Hondo, Vistabella Road, Old Monastery areas yesterday and managed to see 4-5 Rollers at the old football pitch at San Felipe and a single at the Old Monastery. Get out of the car a your scuppered !
This image was the best I could get
Attachments
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