Hi
Anyone out there intimate with the birdlife, going with the family for two weeks in August ( yes, the best time ! ), will have some time birding while wife and kids fry poolside, so would appreciate any help, or team up with local birder or birding holidaymaker, or attractive blonde, whatever... will have access to vehicle, so once again any help would be great,
Scodger
Hi Scodger,
I know a bit of the area you're talking about, and there are a couple of good birding sites around there. A fellow BF member, Jules Sykes has an excellent website detailing his sightings - he does guided trips, though he's a fair bit north of where you're staying. have a look at this - http://www.olivaramatours.com - he also posts a sightings diary.
A few miles up the coast are the salinas of Santa Pola - Audouin's Gull is fairly easy here along with Slender-billed gull and plenty of terns. Just inland of here is El Hondo, you have to make an appointment to get in, but you can see an awful lot from the roads around the edge - Montagu's harrier, with cattle egret by the thousand (or so it seemed!)
A bit south from you are the salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar, at the end of July last year I had little Stint and Curlew sandpipers almost under my feet by the old windmill there where the Spanish take the mud - that's good for a giggle if you want a break from the birding - it's supposed to cure just about everything, though I still have my wrinkles and beer belly! There's also likely to be plenty of terns passing through and a good chance of Whiskered and Black. Found little bitterns fairly easy to see here too, especially around the roundabout at the entrance (signposted to the Port of San Pedro).
At the other end of the Mar Menor there are some hills behind the La Manga golf course. Around the disused mine workings at Portman I found several pairs of Black Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush.
There are Steppe species to be found as well, but these are further inland and involve a journey of about 120km each way - worth it if you want to see Great Bustard. Good spots around Petrola and Corral Rubio.
A couple of words of warning - it'll be hot, but I guess you know that, and the N332, which is the coast road that runs down from Alicante, can get extremely busy at times. Allow for this when travelling, or take the motorway - but there are a couple of tolls.
It would be good to see a trip report when you get back.
All the best
Ken.