johnmoonie
Well-known member
My first trip abroad (if you do not include a golfing trip).
We had booked a week in a private villa on an urbanisation in the Jalon Valley, 100kms north of Alicante, Spain. We were hoping for a week of relaxtion, experience Spanish culture with a little bird watching thrown. (Ann, my wife, certainly did not want to spend the week birdwatching). Before travelling we had made contact with Jules Sykes (a BF member and local professional bird watching guide) and arranged my treat for the holiday – a days bird watching with him.
Saturday
The first birds seen were a group of 10 Collared Pratincoles on the runway apron at Alicante airport. Journey to villa was thankfully uneventful managing to keep to the “wrong side” of the road. The area immediately around the villa urbanisation was a dry hillside of scrubby bushes with a few pines lower down before valley bottom full of fruit groves. I soon began to feel inadequate in identification of birds with so many songs and calls I did not recognise. However whilst relaxing after the journey I managed to get good views of Black-eared Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush. After dark we were treated to a frog chorus combined with a Scops Owl.
Sunday
We popped down to Calpe and found the Penyal d’Ifac but in view of coach loads of visitors decided to come back another day. The Yellow-legged Gulls on the slopes before visitor centre had well grown young and I was pleased to get a good view of a Serin, and become a little more familiar with its song. We had a stop at the Salinas which provided good views of the noisy Black winged Stilts, first Flamingoes, and 2 Audouins Gulls. An early return to the villa enabled a walk around our hillside and the sight of Sardinian Warbler, a pair of Stonechats feeding young and a good view of a Melodius Warbler.
Monday
On the way to visiting Denia we popped down to Pego/Oliva Marsh which is Jules home site, on which he keeps a very good diary on his website. We parked up at the side of the road by the paddyfields and really did not know which way to look. Little Egrets, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Herons all around. In the reeds Yellow Wagtails, Reed Warbler and Savi’s Warbler and overhead Whiskered Terns and Purple Herons. After the intial excitement a male Little Bittern flew only 10 yards from us only to be repeated by another one a few minutes later. Closer examination of the paddy fields later revealed 2 Glossy Ibis and a pair of Red-Crested Pochard. Later in the day our hillside produced a Black Wheatear along with the other birds I was becoming familiar with.
Tuesday
We headed off for Cap San Antonio and Javea but unfortunately got a bit lost. Eventually found the Cap and saw Pallid Swifts, amongst the common Swifts, together with Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear and Sardinian Warbler near the lighthouse. Further inland and had a brief stroll in the pines, with some very noisy goldfinches feeding their families from pine cone seed. Also in the woods were Serin, Long-tailed Tits, Spotted Flycatcher, and brief glimpse of a Crested Tit and good view of a Firecrest.
Wednesday
Not a bird day being a trip to Guadalest. However at last got reasonably close to confirm Spotless Starling and saw a Little Owl in broad daylight perched on overhead wires. Stopping in Jalon on way back greeted by 3 Rose ringed Parakeets. Back at the villa in the usual evening gathering of swifts, martins and swallows I spotted 6 Alpine Swifts.
Thursday
This was my day out with Jules and whilst I could write all day about it I will be very brief as he had put down the details on his website diary www.olivaramatours.com
Suffice to say we were shown 68 species on the day, which included Rufous Bush Robin, White-headed Duck, Great Reed Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike, Kentish Plover, Marbled Duck, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Little Tern, Roller, Zitting Cisticola, Purple Gallinule, Collared Pratincole, Greater Flamingo, Black-necked Grebe, Crested & Thekla Lark, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Montagu’s Harrier, Woodchat Shrike, Pallid Swift and Trumpeter Finch.
The day will remain with me for a very long time with perhaps the most lasting memories of the Rufous Bush Robin displaying at the beginning of the day and the sight of a male Trumpeter Finch in full summer plumage “trumpeting” away from the top of a bush.
If anyone is ever in the area look Jules up and treat yourself to a day or even half a day out. His knowledge of birds and the area is invaluable.
Friday
Decided to have a look round Pego marsh again, but on guidance of Jules a different part to before, combining with a trip to the local market at Oliva. Abundance of Purple, Grey and Squacco Herons, Little Egrets, Black-winged Stilts, Whiskered Terns, and also managed to see a Spoonbill and Common Sandpiper.
Summary
A marvellous holiday with over 80 species of birds and 30 new species which reflects the very different nature of terrain and climate. Very odd to see only 2 Jackdaws, and no kestrels, wrens, robins, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks, crows and many other British birds.
If you like me are not familiar with foreign travel and birds, then the services of a local professional birdwatching guide are invaluable, but even if you are, you will never see as much as they can show you.
It is possible to combine bird-watching and a family holiday. I’m certainly looking forward to the next trip abroad, and hoping Jules will come up with an expedition later in the year that I can join.
Happy holidays.
John Moon
We had booked a week in a private villa on an urbanisation in the Jalon Valley, 100kms north of Alicante, Spain. We were hoping for a week of relaxtion, experience Spanish culture with a little bird watching thrown. (Ann, my wife, certainly did not want to spend the week birdwatching). Before travelling we had made contact with Jules Sykes (a BF member and local professional bird watching guide) and arranged my treat for the holiday – a days bird watching with him.
Saturday
The first birds seen were a group of 10 Collared Pratincoles on the runway apron at Alicante airport. Journey to villa was thankfully uneventful managing to keep to the “wrong side” of the road. The area immediately around the villa urbanisation was a dry hillside of scrubby bushes with a few pines lower down before valley bottom full of fruit groves. I soon began to feel inadequate in identification of birds with so many songs and calls I did not recognise. However whilst relaxing after the journey I managed to get good views of Black-eared Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush. After dark we were treated to a frog chorus combined with a Scops Owl.
Sunday
We popped down to Calpe and found the Penyal d’Ifac but in view of coach loads of visitors decided to come back another day. The Yellow-legged Gulls on the slopes before visitor centre had well grown young and I was pleased to get a good view of a Serin, and become a little more familiar with its song. We had a stop at the Salinas which provided good views of the noisy Black winged Stilts, first Flamingoes, and 2 Audouins Gulls. An early return to the villa enabled a walk around our hillside and the sight of Sardinian Warbler, a pair of Stonechats feeding young and a good view of a Melodius Warbler.
Monday
On the way to visiting Denia we popped down to Pego/Oliva Marsh which is Jules home site, on which he keeps a very good diary on his website. We parked up at the side of the road by the paddyfields and really did not know which way to look. Little Egrets, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Herons all around. In the reeds Yellow Wagtails, Reed Warbler and Savi’s Warbler and overhead Whiskered Terns and Purple Herons. After the intial excitement a male Little Bittern flew only 10 yards from us only to be repeated by another one a few minutes later. Closer examination of the paddy fields later revealed 2 Glossy Ibis and a pair of Red-Crested Pochard. Later in the day our hillside produced a Black Wheatear along with the other birds I was becoming familiar with.
Tuesday
We headed off for Cap San Antonio and Javea but unfortunately got a bit lost. Eventually found the Cap and saw Pallid Swifts, amongst the common Swifts, together with Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear and Sardinian Warbler near the lighthouse. Further inland and had a brief stroll in the pines, with some very noisy goldfinches feeding their families from pine cone seed. Also in the woods were Serin, Long-tailed Tits, Spotted Flycatcher, and brief glimpse of a Crested Tit and good view of a Firecrest.
Wednesday
Not a bird day being a trip to Guadalest. However at last got reasonably close to confirm Spotless Starling and saw a Little Owl in broad daylight perched on overhead wires. Stopping in Jalon on way back greeted by 3 Rose ringed Parakeets. Back at the villa in the usual evening gathering of swifts, martins and swallows I spotted 6 Alpine Swifts.
Thursday
This was my day out with Jules and whilst I could write all day about it I will be very brief as he had put down the details on his website diary www.olivaramatours.com
Suffice to say we were shown 68 species on the day, which included Rufous Bush Robin, White-headed Duck, Great Reed Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike, Kentish Plover, Marbled Duck, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Little Tern, Roller, Zitting Cisticola, Purple Gallinule, Collared Pratincole, Greater Flamingo, Black-necked Grebe, Crested & Thekla Lark, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Montagu’s Harrier, Woodchat Shrike, Pallid Swift and Trumpeter Finch.
The day will remain with me for a very long time with perhaps the most lasting memories of the Rufous Bush Robin displaying at the beginning of the day and the sight of a male Trumpeter Finch in full summer plumage “trumpeting” away from the top of a bush.
If anyone is ever in the area look Jules up and treat yourself to a day or even half a day out. His knowledge of birds and the area is invaluable.
Friday
Decided to have a look round Pego marsh again, but on guidance of Jules a different part to before, combining with a trip to the local market at Oliva. Abundance of Purple, Grey and Squacco Herons, Little Egrets, Black-winged Stilts, Whiskered Terns, and also managed to see a Spoonbill and Common Sandpiper.
Summary
A marvellous holiday with over 80 species of birds and 30 new species which reflects the very different nature of terrain and climate. Very odd to see only 2 Jackdaws, and no kestrels, wrens, robins, blue tits, chaffinches, dunnocks, crows and many other British birds.
If you like me are not familiar with foreign travel and birds, then the services of a local professional birdwatching guide are invaluable, but even if you are, you will never see as much as they can show you.
It is possible to combine bird-watching and a family holiday. I’m certainly looking forward to the next trip abroad, and hoping Jules will come up with an expedition later in the year that I can join.
Happy holidays.
John Moon
