I spent the first two weeks of August at La Zenia, Spain, on a family holiday, a location where we have had many holidays before. The weather was very hot, as expected, temperatures reaching the lower thirties (c) on some days. Birding wise it was fairly quiet. Around our accommodation there was MONK PARAKEET, PALLID and COMMON SWIFT, SARDINIAN WARBLER, LONG TAILED TIT, SWALLOW, HOUSE SPARROW, COLLARED DOVE, YELLOW LEGGED GULL, AUDOUINS GULL, LITTLE GULL, BLACK HEADED GULL, CASPIAN TERN, GULL BILLED TERN AND 4X GREATER FLAMINGO, which flew past just off shore.
I did manage two birding trips, the first was to Laguna De La Mata, a fifteen minute drive away by car. As it was a very hot day, I only stayed for a couple of hours, but whilst there I managed to see, SWIFT, SHORT TOED LARK, HOUSE SPARROW, WOODPIGEON, HOOPOE, BLACK WINGED STILT, AVOCET, SHELDUCK, BLACK HEADED GULL, YELLOW LEGGED GULL, KENTISH PLOVER (150+), COMMON WAXBILL, DUNLIN, KNOT, SANDERLING, KESTREL AND BEE-EATER. I met another birder at the lagoon, who told me of a large sewage settlement pond, which was virtually 5 minutes from La Zenia, which I didn't know existed. So a few days later I set off to find it. It was situated not far away from a golf course, surrounded by a wire fence. The birds there were, SQUACCO HERON, GREY GERON, LITTLE BITTERN, CATTLE EGRET, MONK PARAKEET, BLACK HEADED GULL, GULL BILLED TERN, SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, BLACK WINGED STILT, HOOPOE, WOODPIGEON, LITTLE GREBE, MALLARD, GREY WAGTAIL and WOODCHAT SHRIKE, well worth the visit and my thanks go to the unknown birder that told me about this place.
On the 20th, I went to Keyhaven/Pennington, hoping to see the LONG BILLED DOWITCHER, that had been there for a few days. After much searching I saw it, on the far side of the lagoon. A short while later an OSPREY flew close by, being mobbed by a HERRING GULL. After finishing our birding, Gordon Duffus and myself had walked back to the car to depart for home, when another birder, also returning to his car, asked us if we had seen the BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER on the Jetty Lagoon, which was a very short walk away. We reached the lagoon in double quick time and had good views of the bird before it flew off to the east. How lucky was that.
I did manage two birding trips, the first was to Laguna De La Mata, a fifteen minute drive away by car. As it was a very hot day, I only stayed for a couple of hours, but whilst there I managed to see, SWIFT, SHORT TOED LARK, HOUSE SPARROW, WOODPIGEON, HOOPOE, BLACK WINGED STILT, AVOCET, SHELDUCK, BLACK HEADED GULL, YELLOW LEGGED GULL, KENTISH PLOVER (150+), COMMON WAXBILL, DUNLIN, KNOT, SANDERLING, KESTREL AND BEE-EATER. I met another birder at the lagoon, who told me of a large sewage settlement pond, which was virtually 5 minutes from La Zenia, which I didn't know existed. So a few days later I set off to find it. It was situated not far away from a golf course, surrounded by a wire fence. The birds there were, SQUACCO HERON, GREY GERON, LITTLE BITTERN, CATTLE EGRET, MONK PARAKEET, BLACK HEADED GULL, GULL BILLED TERN, SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, BLACK WINGED STILT, HOOPOE, WOODPIGEON, LITTLE GREBE, MALLARD, GREY WAGTAIL and WOODCHAT SHRIKE, well worth the visit and my thanks go to the unknown birder that told me about this place.
On the 20th, I went to Keyhaven/Pennington, hoping to see the LONG BILLED DOWITCHER, that had been there for a few days. After much searching I saw it, on the far side of the lagoon. A short while later an OSPREY flew close by, being mobbed by a HERRING GULL. After finishing our birding, Gordon Duffus and myself had walked back to the car to depart for home, when another birder, also returning to his car, asked us if we had seen the BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER on the Jetty Lagoon, which was a very short walk away. We reached the lagoon in double quick time and had good views of the bird before it flew off to the east. How lucky was that.
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