My brother and I have both been working fairly long hours recently and have had no annual leave for the last 6 months. So we took a couple of days off and looked for somewhere on the continent that was not too far to travel. The plan was for some relaxing birding (not dawn to dusk) and for some good food and drink. We were not disappointed in our choice. We decided to fly to Girona, our plan being to visit the Aiguamolls D’Emporda and surrounding area.. It turned out to be a good plan. We stayed at Can Selleretas in the small village of Villamacolum just 4 miles from the reserve. We would recommend the accommodation to anyone visiting the area. The rooms are basic but clean and ensuite and the host Xavi has excellent English and was quite prepared to prepare meals as early or late as it suited us. The price of 45 euros included evening meals and wine and was good value.
We used Steve West’s Where the Birds are in North East Spain and his excellent website for guidance on where to go. With our limited time we stuck to 2 areas.
Aiguamolls D’Emporda
This is a RAMSAR site and is a large impressive area. The terrain is varied and includes riverine woodland, rough grassland, meadows, saltmarshes, fresh water pools, cultivated land and coast. It lies between 2 rivers the Muga and the Fluvia. Large parts of the park are inaccessible to visitors. There are 2 main paths and it takes a good 45 minutes to walk from the car park to the coast. There are around a dozen or so hides.
The weather was not great when we visited-cool and windy with many beefy showers on the first day and dull, cool and grey on the second (only around 10 degrees). On arrival at the visitors centre we learned that an amazing 21 red throated pipits and 5 Richards pipits had been seen on the reserve. We were given rough directions to an area of open grassland around a ruin where the birds had been seen. The area was huge and we spent an hour or so patiently scanning the area. We picked up decent birds-50+ wood sandpipers, 10+ yellow wagtails, 3 whimbrel, crested larks, whinchat, stonechats but sadly no pipits. Even stranger seemed to be the fact that no one else seemed to be looking for these prize birds-all of the other birders we saw were looking on the wetlands. It was the one downside of the holiday
Waders seemed to be what Aiguamolls does well. Very well indeed. We visited all 10 or so hides and legged it as far as the beach where no access is allowed until July to allow kentish plover to breed. The beach was free of birds other than yellow legged gulls. No kentish plovers to see there but…..
On the reserve itself some hides and lagoons seemed almost bereft of birds-most of the action seemed to be around 2 areas-El Cotralet and ?El Matar. It was breathtaking seeing so many waders together in an array of plumages.
My notes record 8 temminck’s stints, 20 little stints, 14 curlew sandpipers, 5 black tailed godwits, 3 bar tailed godwits, 5 kentish plovers, 8 little ringed plovers, 20 ringed plovers, spoonbill, 2 avocets, green sandpiper, 100+ wood sandpipers, common sandpiper, too many stilts to mention, 3 knots, 10 spotted redshanks, 4 greenshanks plus a number of other common waders. There were not many ducks around but 4 smart male garganey were present and 4 gadwall. The real highlight though was seeing 2 collared pratincoles. We got decent views of one flying over the lagoons before it flew away but then a second bird flew in and landed around 30 metres away giving great scope views. A lifer for both of us. We were also treated to the sight of 2 Audouin’s gulls courting and mating. There was a large supporting cast of expected birds around-numerous nightingales, cetti’s, fan tailed and reed warblers etc. There were a number of pied flycatchers passing through, we picked up 2 squacco herons and many yellow wagtails. One disappointment was hearing a great spotted cuckoo calling but we didn’t manage to see it
Those of you that are familiar with my photographic skills will be relieved to know that I did not take my camera-all the attached pics are courtesy of my brother.
Some more oics
And a couple more pics