Almost any scan over the reed beds would find quartering marsh harriers.

The commonest passerines were Cetti's warblers.

The hirundine flocks included several crag martins.

Yellow wagtails were mainly of the race iberiae.

The bird list is below - all sightings refer to S'Albufera unless otherwise mentioned.

Little grebe. Common, with chicks.

Great crested grebe. Up to 4.

Cormorant. Fairly common.

Shag. Offshore at Port de Pollenca and Colonia de Sant Pere.

Little bittern. Pair, 6 April.

Night heron. Often seen especially in evening. Roosting along main channel.

Cattle egret. A few around cattle and 3 over villa.

Little egret. Common.

Great white egret. 1, 4 and 5 April.

Grey heron. Common.

Purple heron. Fairly common – one flock of 7 seen.

Shelduck. One, Depuradora.

Wigeon. 1 from villa.

Gadwall. Common

Teal.

Mallard.

Garganey. Seen on 3 days, max 2.

Shoveler.

Red-crested pochard. Common.

Pochard. Several.

Tufted duck. 1.

Marsh harrier. Often seen.

Osprey. Up to 2.

Kestrel.

Water rail. Often heard.

Moorhen.

Purple gallinule. Fairly common.

Coot.

CRESTED COOT. Some with chicks in reintroduction programme.

Black-winged stilt. Probably commonest wader.

Stone Curlew. Maximum 2.

Little ringed plover.

Ringed plover. Heard.

Kentish plover.

Golden plover. One.

Little stint. Flocks of up to about 20.

Dunlin. Up to about 5.

Ruff. Up to 3.

Snipe.

Black-tailed godwit. 1.

Spotted redshank. Often seen as singles or small numbers.

Common redshank.

Greenshank.

Green sandpiper.

Wood sandpiper. Occasionally seen.

Common sandpiper. 2.

Black-headed gull. Up to ca. 10.

AUDOUIN'S GULL. Often seen along coast: bathing at pond near villa.

Yellow-legged gull.

Sandwich tern. Up to 2 at Playa de Muro, including a first summer bird.

Feral pigeon.

Wood pigeon. Groups of migrants moving north.

Common swift. Large flocks.

Pallid swift. Occasional in swift flocks.

Hoopoe. Singles seen most days.

Sand martin.

Crag martin.

Swallow. Large numbers sometimes resting in poor weather.

House martin.

Meadow Pipit. One.

Water pipit. One, summer plumage.

Yellow wagtail. Common, one large flock of 50+. Most were iberiae , at least one flava.

White wagtail. One around villa, several Depuradora.

Wren.

Dunnock.

Robin.

Stonechat.

Blackbird.

Song thrush.

Cetti's warbler. Probably the commonest passerine.

Fan-tailed warbler.

MOUSTACHED WARBLER. Surprisingly difficult to find. One male singing from villa, one from Watkinson Hide.

Sardinian warbler.

Blackcap.

Western Bonelli's warbler. One 4 April.

Chiffchaff. All singing birds were collybita .

Willow warbler.

Goldcrest. One heard, villa.

Great tit.

House sparrow.

Serin.

Greenfinch.

Goldfinch.

Linnet.

Reed bunting.

Corn bunting. Depuradora and Colonia de Sant Pere.

86 species.

Back to April 2007