Costa de la luz birding (1 Viewer)

Going to Melia Alantico Isla Canela next may . Any suggestions on birding around here . Is it worth hiring a car. Looks very interesting from brochures etc. Any advice appreciated Kevin o

birdmankev said:

Going to Melia Alantico Isla Canela next may . Any suggestions on birding around here . Is it worth hiring a car. Looks very interesting from brochures etc. Any advice appreciated Kevin o

Click to expand...

We have been to this hotel two years running-it was that good!

Can only speak for September but the birdwatching is so good locally you can do all your birdwatching on foot,locally.I don't think we could have seen more birds if we had hired a car.
If you can wangle a high up room[3rd or 4th floor] on the east wing ,overlooking the estuary-then all the better.You get tremendous views of the intertidal mud flats which come into their own at high tide.You can see hundreds of birds from your balcony-but you will definitely need a scope.
We usually go when the children have returned to school-so the hotel is dead quiet then, filled with retired couples.
I have pasted my 2015 and 2015 reports below[not very good at doing links!]
There is a massive path around the marshes.Head to the roundabout where the Ayamonte bus stop is stuated[Punta De Moral]then head up the road to Ayamonte.Within a few hundred yards you will see the main entrance to the marshes on your right- a locked iron gate marks the start.Don't be put off by the dog poo at the beginning.The locals use this area as a dog toilet{great!].Carry on clockwise northwards and the dog dirt soon disappears.The most productive area is where the path turns east as it runs parallel to the river.Best visited before high tide.
The rough track to the left of the bus stop roundabout is worth walking.It eventually comes to a dead end but you get some good views of the marshes and the shrubbery bordering the track is usually full of birds.
If you walk down the main promenade you will notice numerous boardwalks crossing the dunes.It is well worth walking up and down each one-some are better than others for birds.

Report 2015
‘Never go back’, or so you are warned.

Well we went back to the same hotel[the Melia Atlantico] during more or less the same week as last year, and had no regrets.

In fact,the bird watching was even better the previous year, maybe because the weather was more settled and there were more migrants around.
We were there from 20th to 27th September 2015.

For those who don’t know the area,it lies just across the Portuguese border and those staying there generally fly into Faro.



The Isla Canela Marshes.

These marshes are vast and stretch from Ayamonte to the eastern edge of the island.

There is a track at Punta Del Moral which circumnavigates a large area but they can be observed from many different locations.
If you take the track to the west of the roundabout at Punta Del Moral there is a short dirt track which overlooks some of the marshland.

One of the best viewpoints is from the road to Ayamonte just west of the Iberostar Hotel.
Walk west,beyond the roundabout and find a dirt track on your right.Follow your nose till the dirt track briefly turns into a tarmac road.
This is where I found the Greater Flamingo flock.The maximum number was 56 on the 26th and they were still there on our last day,the 27th September.
A lonely juvenile was in one of the old saltpans near Punta Del Moral on the 23rd.

A male Marsh Harrier flew past when I first located the Flamingos here.Either a male or female/immature were seen on every visit to the marshes.

Black Winged Stilt were seen on three days;the most seen was 9 on the 23rd.They were regularly spotted both this year and last year too.

Spoonbill peaked at 12, on the 22nd and the following day.

There were several, Black Tailed Godwit around and the most seen on one visit was 26, on the 23rd.

Anyone who knows the area will be aware just how many Kentish Plover can be seen here.They were well into double figures on every visit.

There are two sounds you will hear over and above all:the calls of Whimbrel and Common Redshank.Both species are numerous and Common Redshank totalled over a hundred most days.

There were good numbers of Grey Plover,Oystercatcher,Turnstone,Little Egret,Grey Heron,Ringed Plover and Dunlin.

Also, at least 3 Greenshank were around on each visit.

Black Stork, in small numbers, were often flying around or feeding in the ditches and saltpans.

Only 2 Knot were seen and a just few Curlew too.

Common Sandpiper were not as evident as last year with just a handful observed.

Common Kingfishers were noted every time we went.

A Caspian Tern flew down the river at the northern edge on the 23rd.This was like deja-vu.I saw a Caspian Tern in the exact same spot last year!

Common Terns were present every day and a Little Tern was fishing then feeding a juvenile which was waiting on the riverbank.The Terns roost at Punta Del Moral on high tide perched on wooden poles. There were some Sandwich Tern as well.

I have often seen Yellow Wagtail on the edges of the banks and three appeared near the hide on the 22nd.

There are good numbers of Sardinian Warblers all over the marshes as well as a few Fan Tailed Warbler.A couple of Willow Warblers were recorded.

Other birds recorded were,Cormorant, Yellow Legged Gull,Black Headed Gull,Lesser Black Back Gull and Mediterranean Gull,Stonechat,Hoopoe,Crested Lark,Serin,House Sparrow,Red Rumped Swallow,Barn Swallow and Magpie.


The Promenade to the Ayamonte Road.

Despite the presence of hotels and appartments credit must be given to the planners for maintaining a long stretch of dunes with a dense coverage of trees and shrubs.They achieved this by creating a border of lawns and palm trees next to the promenade bordered by a long fence on the edge of the dunes.They then built long board walkways to the beach.

The result:a huge area attractive to resident birds and migrants.The dunes are still in great shape and generally large areas are left undisturbed by human interference.

The most noticeable species throughout the week was Pied Flycatcher.

They used the dune fence as a launching pad and I recorded 28 sightings over 6 days, including 9 individuals on the 26th.

They were vying with Spotted Flycatchers which peaked at 6 on the 24th.

Stonechats were seen in good numbers with a maximum of 9 on the 24th.

A Common Nightingale was seen peeking out of the dune trees one evening.

Crested Lark and Hoopoe were always around and the latter reached a maximum of 6 on the 25th of September.

Sardinian Warbler were here there and everywhere.

Other warblers noted were:Spectacled Warbler,Garden Warbler[maximum 4 on the 26th]Willow Warbler[common] Chiffchaff[2 seen],Blackcap,Melodious Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler.

There were big flocks of House Sparrow,Serin and Common Waxbill.

Every day migrating Red-rumped Swallow and Barn Swallow were passing through in vast numbers.

Other birds recorded were Great Tit,Robin,Blackbird,Spotless Starling, and Collared Dove.

You can extend this walk to the Ayamonte Road.I used to cut through the well -kept park area just past the Iberostar Hotel.

Just past the Iberostar there is a roundabout on the road to Ayamonte.Keep on heading west till you see an open flat field on your right[about 250 yards west of the roundabout].

I recorded Great Grey Shrike,Northern Wheatear,Pied Flycatcher,Hoopoe,Stonechat,Crested Lark and Serin here.
Serin are clearly thriving hereabouts with large flocks common and widespread.

Mention is made in the description of the Isla Canela marshes how you can also see the Greater Flamingo from this area-so it is well worth the extra walk!


The River Estuary and Stone Jetty.

Yet another wonderful habitat!

The area east of the estuary is a massive roosting location for Yellow Legged Gull and Lesser Black Backed Gull.
There were several Mediterranean and Black Headed Gulls around.It is also the resting place for Common Tern and one or two Little Tern.

Two Audouin's Gull were spotted on the 21st.

It comes into it’s own around an hour after peak high tide.

Suddenly waders appear from nowhere.

There was one Little Stint on the 26th preceded by 3 on the 24th.

A flock of up to 8 Bar Tailed Godwit were there all week.

An impressive flock of 21 Grey Heron turned up on the 21st.The Little Egrets were out in force too.

Inevitably there were several Kentish Plover-you see them all over the place here!There also many Ringed Plover scurrying around.

There were many other waders including: Oystercatcher,Redshank,Greenshank,Sanderling,Turns tone,Whimbrel,Grey Plover, Dunlin and Curlew.

Grey Plover are particularly attracted to the estuary and the Isla Canela marshes.Always numerous and some still in breeding plumage.

Common Kingfishers were seen perching on the rocks or flying across the estuary nearly every day.

If you wander out to the end of the Stone Jetty you will inevitably spot Gannets,not too far out.If there is a strong onshore wind you should also see a few Cory’s Shearwater.


The Beach

A great place to see Sanderling,Turnstone,Little Tern,Common Tern,Crested Lark and……..you’ve guessed it! more Kentish Plover

Amongst a mixed flock of Gulls I also found three more Audouin’s Gull on the 21st of September.

Massive numbers of passing Red-rumped Swallow and Barn Swallow were seen here most days.

It was a wonderful week.The bird watching was brilliant-all within a couple of miles of easy walking from the hotel.
It was that good we might go back again next year!

2014 Report

Isla Canela Costa De La Luz,Spain


September 14th to 21st 2014

If you enjoy staying in a peaceful, beautiful hotel with birdwatching within walking distance, then the Melia Atlantico, Isla Canela might fit the bill.

It is wonderfully positioned next to a long stone jetty,ideal for seawatching, and less than 15 minutes from the huge Isla Cristina nature reserve.
The developers have saved the dunes and vegetation in front of the hotel.
They are fenced off and can only be crossed by wooden walkways.They stretch along the length of a huge wide sandy beach for 3 miles.

There were three separate habitats each full of birds.

The Isla Cristina Marshes

This area is massive, stretching from Ayamonte to Isla Cristina.
A raised dirt track has been created and there is one poorly maintained hide.
It is affected by the tides and is best visited at low tide first thing in the morning or late afternoon when there are fewer people around.
A scope is essential.

The most rare bird I saw was a Bluethroat which appeared on top of a riverside bush on the 17th.It provided a good view before disappearing in the undergrowth.

On the day we arrived there were reports of 35 Greater Flamingos on the reserve.
I finally caught up with them on the 19th when there were 64 in a flock.
In the adjacent lagoon there were 17 Spoonbill which were seen on other days[6 on the 16th,17 on the 19th,and 1 on 21st].

Kentish Plover were seen most days often into double figures.

Ringed Plover were very common and I counted 38 on the bird hide marsh alone on 20th September.
The marsh opposite the hide was brilliant at low tide,always full of birds.
On the 16th there was a flock of 100 Dunlin and 50 Common Redshank.
Dunlin and Common Redshank were seen in big numbers every day.

Another good area is the sunken boat on the river edge alongside the northern edge of the reserve.
Again low tide was the best time.
I saw 3 Curlew Sandpiper here amongst the Kentish Plover and other waders.
There were also sightings of 2 Osprey and 2 Caspian Tern on two days along this stretch of the river.

Black Winged Stilt were seen on two days:3 on the 17th and 2 on the 20th

Singles of Greenshank were observed most days and 4 were spotted on the 20th then 6 on the 21st.

Whimbrel,Grey Plover,Grey Heron,Common Sandpiper,Turnstone and Little Egret were very common, seen all over the reserve every day.

Common Kingfishers were seen every day with a maximum of 3 seen on two days.

Occasionally a few Curlew could be heard in the distance.
Four Ruff appeared on 16th September and another one was seen two days later.

Yellow Legged Gull,Lesser Black Back Gull,Mediterranean Gull,Common Tern and Sandwhich Tern were seen regularly.

Towards the end of the week singles of Northern Wheatear started to appear along the tracks with 4 seen on the last two days.

As we walked around the reserve numerous Sardinian Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler appeared amongst the dense shrubs.

A pair of Stonechat guarded the main entrance where I also saw Crested Lark,Goldfinch and Serin.

Small numbers of Yellow Wagtail were seen every day apart from the first visit.

White Stork were common around here and often seen on the lagoons.

Punta Del Moral

This area consisted of the causeway road, the road through the village and the end of the dirt track where it meets the Isla Cristina Marsh.

The causeway road was often productive at low tide.
Two Green Sandpiper appeared on the 15th and the area was favoured by Kentish Plover and Common Sandpiper
A Greenshank was seen here on the 20th.
An Osprey was fishing at high tide on the 18th and a Common Kingfisher was often hanging around the banks of the causeway.

Fan Tailed Warbler and Sardinian Warbler were seen in the shrubs bordering the water- edge.

There were 2 Black Redstart near the fishing docks.

The end of the dirt track beyond the houses was a great place to view resting birds on the wooden posts-a roosting spot for Sandwich Tern,Common Tern and Mediterranean Gull.
It was also another wader area frequented by Turnstone mainly.A Sanderling was seen here on the 21st.
There was another pair of Stonechat here along with Fan - Tailed Warbler,Sardinian Warbler and Crested Lark

The Stone Jetty and promenade

If the winds were right it was well worth a walk to the end of the jetty.
On the 17th and 18th a brisk westerly blew in several Gannet,Cory's Shearwater and Balearic Shearwater
Another observer noted an Artic Skua and Sooty Shearwater on the 17th.

The Isla Cristina fishing boats would return after 5 pm with hundreds of Yellow Legged Gull,Lesser Black Back Gull and a few Med Gulls following behind-quite a sight!

A Kittiwake came in on the 18th, following one of the boats.

The jetty and promenade was a wonderful location to observe the Common and Sandwich Terns fishing.
A Black Tern was loitering around most of the week too.

There was a large flock of Sanderling and Turnstone on the beach where it met the jetty.This was yet another area to see Kentish Plover:they are obviously doing well around here.

Towards the end of the week more warblers appeared in the trees and bushes on the promenade.
Willow Wabler,Melodious Warbler,Blackcap and Chiffchaff were recorded.

This area was very popular with Red Rump Swallow which were very common here[very few Barn Swallow seen].
On the last day two Pallid Swift were seen.
A Hoopoe was in the hotel grounds most of the week.
Other birds seen-
Spotted Starling,Spotted Flycatcher,Stonechat,Blackbird,Serin,Sardinian Warbler and House Sparrow

Ayamonte

A very pleasant typical Spanish town.
Looking across to Castro De Marim I saw a Marsh Harrier on the 15th.
There was also a Caspian Tern with some Common Terns near the ferry terminal.
A flock of Cattle Egret was seen by the river.

Thanks for all the information and directions Pratincol you saved me a lot of time and enabled me to find my way around immediately. We visited for a week Sept 17th to 24th staying at the Iberostar Hotel where incidentally the flamingos could be seen every day from the hotel entrance.(50+ on the last day) I think we were unfortunate as our visit coincided with high tides so the channels in the marshes were underwater for the first 4 days and almost dry on the last day which was the day we had the most waders on it. Sightings very similar to yours, for me seeing Caspian Terns and a Gull billed tern both lifers for me were the hi-lights, though seeing 17 Spoonbills flying over when we walked through the harbour area was very memorable.

Johnny1 said:

Thanks for all the information and directions Pratincol you saved me a lot of time and enabled me to find my way around immediately. We visited for a week Sept 17th to 24th staying at the Iberostar Hotel where incidentally the flamingos could be seen every day from the hotel entrance.(50+ on the last day) I think we were unfortunate as our visit coincided with high tides so the channels in the marshes were underwater for the first 4 days and almost dry on the last day which was the day we had the most waders on it. Sightings very similar to yours, for me seeing Caspian Terns and a Gull billed tern both lifers for me were the hi-lights, though seeing 17 Spoonbills flying over when we walked through the harbour area was very memorable.

Click to expand...

Fantastic!
Hope you liked the hotel-we've been in there and it looked quite nice..
Yes the mashes get inundated on high tide.I forgot to mention that you can get details of high tides by googling Ayamonte high tides.They go down again after a couple of hours, when as you say, the waders all arrive.I used to time my visits as the tide ebbed away.
We saw too the Flamingos mostly from the Iberostar area.
It must be a good area for Caspian Terns as I saw them on both visits.
Its a great place to see Spoonbills-they were in a lot of the nooks and crannies in the marshland.
Great to see you found a Gull Billed Tern- I half expected to see one but never did.
Glad to have been of help.

I know a few birdwatchers stay here or visit when passing through so just a note about the tides here.
When the tide is in the marshes are inundated and some of the birds disappear.Thousands end up on the mud and sand banks on the estuary.The best place to then view them is from the 3rd or 4th floor of the Melia Atlantico.With a scope, you can make out the distant birds even the Little Stints.Ask for a room on the east wing on the 3rd or 4th floor overlooking the estuary.As the tide rises any walkers and fishermen disappear to be replaced by the birds.The rooms all have a balcony.
It is almost impossible to see what's going on from the west side of the estuary, from the promenade, below the hotel, because of the stone flood defences.
If you aren't staying there then take the little ferry boat from the harbour which runs every hour.Get off on the east side and the estuary should easier to watch from here.The is a long board walk and a promenade here.Time your visits for an hour or so before the peak of high tide.Times can be found on the internet if you google 'Ayamonte tides.'
The birds then return to the marshland as the tide ebbs- this is the best time to visit the marshes
If you stay at the Iberostar I would think a room overlooking the marshes,above the entrance, might be good for viewing the marsh area.
The best time for seawatching is from around 4 pm.The fishing boats start to return followed by hundreds of birds.Walk along to the end of the long stone jetty for the best views.It doesn't matter about tide times for this.

We stayed on the 4th floor of the hotel overlooking the marsh so could birdwatch from the balcony which was ideal! I couldn't fault the Iberostar and would certainly go back there again. There was one weird thing about the marshes that I noticed this is the first wetland I've visited where I didn't see one duck species! not even a mallard!

Johnny1 said:

We stayed on the 4th floor of the hotel overlooking the marsh so could birdwatch from the balcony which was ideal! I couldn't fault the Iberostar and would certainly go back there again. There was one weird thing about the marshes that I noticed this is the first wetland I've visited where I didn't see one duck species! not even a mallard!

Click to expand...

There you go then!
We had a look around the Iberostar and we liked the look of it.
You know what?- I don't think we saw any ducks either.Isn't that odd?
If you enjoyed your holiday you might like Robinsons Hotel on the Algarve.We used to stop off there on the way to the Costa De La Luz and I thought,'This might be quite good for a nice hotel with a bit of birdwatching'- and it was.
If you would like more details,just ask.
It is halfway between Faro and Ayamonte set in some lovely countryside and coastal locations in the Ria Formosa National Park.