Yesterday morning we headed for El Hondo Visitor Centre, as the day before we had heard a Bittern booming there. As this was the second time we had heard the unmistakable call from the boardwalk, in as many days, we thought it was worth an hour surveying the reed beds.
Criss-crossing the many camino's on the way we eventually ended up at the South Gate on the Vistabella Road. From here we could see and hear Med Gulls and Terns just to the east of where we were parked. Our planned hour at El Hondo was put on a back burner, as curiosity got the better of us and we wanted to know what was getting so many birds so excited. We followed the birds and the noise to a large field in front of a goat farm that we regularly stop at.
The farmer was flooding his fields and there were birds everywhere! It looked as though the water had not long been released and it was still flowing steadily into the field. A 10 minute stop turned into 3 hours as birds just kept dropping in to feed.
(Full list of the species seen below the pictures)
Part of the Flooded Fields
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Greenshank and Redshank
Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Cattle Egret
Species List
Redshank
Greenshank (4)
Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Wood Sandpiper (7)
Common Sandpiper (5)
Green Sandpiper
Black-winged Stilt (25+)
Little Stint (1)
Collared Pratnicole (40+)
Purple Heron
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Great Egret (2)
Cattle Egret
Southern Grey Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Hoopoe
Gull-billed Tern (4)
Whiskered Tern (30+)
Mediterranean Gull (12)
Black=headed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Kestrel
Marsh Harrier
Montagues Harrier
Hobby
Quail (heard)
Nightingale (heard)
Stonechat
Bee-eater
Booted Eagle
Glossy Ibis (13)
Common Swift
Pallid Swift
House Martin
Sand Martin
Red-rumped Swallow
Barn Swallow
Corn Bunting
Cormorant (2)
Fantail Warbler
Cuckoo
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