"Incredibly Stephen was able to show me my most hoped for birds and much more. Being a birder who had only birded in the US, Stephen was patient and kind. His enthusaium and help with birding inspired me to register myself on Birdpal to help others who come to visit my home in Georgia.

My favorite birds were Bluethroat, the beautiful Lapwing, Hoopoe and the Wheatears. Thanks Stephen for everything, and the next time I come to Barcelona I hope to have either converted my husband or left him at home so we can bird for more than one day".

Darlene Moore, Georgia, USA

Apart from ‘everything’ Darlene had come all the way from the USA with only four birds on her wish list.  One of them, a Bluethroat, gave us a disappointingly brief but nonetheless grateful viewing within seconds of arriving at the Gola de Migjorn on the Ebro Delta as it scuttled beneath the observation tower.

Greylag Geese, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret and a flock of twelve end-of-season Black-winged Stilt all stopped in by way of compensation but there was a distinct lack of ducks, soon explained by the sound of sustained gunshots.

So we headed off to the small reserve at Riet Vell, via a very sick Purple Heron, to discover a Water Rail skulking beneath the hide even as we made ourselves comfortable.  A Kingfisher ventured past on numerous occasions whilst we were meanwhile entertained by Little and Great Crested Grebe, Reed Warblers and a Purple Gallinule or two stripping back the reed stems to feed on their more succulent centres.

On the approach to La Tancada we stopped to watch and photograph a Hoopoe, high on the list of anyone visiting from outside Europe, and accidentally stumbled upon a Whinchat with a pair of the closely related Stonechat.  And whilst we were taking a moment to observe the numerous Crested and Skylarks flitting between the low vegetation here, a mid-distant view of a Northern Wheatear chalked up the second of Darlene’s ‘hoped for’ birds but better views were promised along the beach so we packed up to see if we could find one.

Actually several were in evidence and a flock of restful Audouin’s Gulls at the end of the beach road provided the penultimate species on the deviously short wish list.  This area also donated three plovers to the day, the Kentish, Grey and Ringed, together with Ruddy Turnstone, the odd Mediterranean Gull and a flyby Common Tern.

Because of the relatively high water level, drowning out many of the lagoon edges used for feeding, waders and shorebirds were picked off one by one but in the end a handsome list boasted Little Stint, Dunlin, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted and Common Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and (Pied) Avocet.

A last look over the lagoons revealed fishing Caspian and Sandwich Tern, Darlene’s (supposedly) final target bird, the Slender-billed Gull, and a supposed hybrid Little Egret x Western Reef Heron, which I managed to photograph rather badly.

At El Clot, as well as Flamingos, we found the missing ducks and amongst all the Red-crested Pochard we also picked out Gadwall, Shovelor and handful of Common Pochard.  A few juvenile Black Tern swooped and dipped overhead and the reeds below offered great views of Cetti’s and Great Reed Warbler, the latter surely soon to depart for its wintering grounds in Africa.

Our outbound route from the delta took us past a small flock of Ruff hidden amongst a field of Lapwing and a stunning Osprey perched on a post by the river. 

A good day in the Ebro Delta meant we arrived in the mountainous Garraf with barely two hours of daylight left so it’s a good job La Falconera is a great little spot.  Incredibly we managed to line up almost the full party of usual suspects here and with no fleeting glances to boot.  Our timely arrival coincided with dozens of Crag Martin coming in to roost whilst three equally active Black Wheatear pottered about at the base of the cliff, Blue Rock Thrush seemed to be everywhere and Black Redstart foraged on the beach.  Add to that a flyover Grey Wagtail and a cursory scan of the cliff section overlooking the ocean revealed a Peregrine perched at the top and a lone Shag silently seated at the bottom.

Another reliable destination was nearby and, with farmland and adjacent woodland providing new habitats for the day, we still had a good chance to reach our real target of ‘everything’.  At least three Hobby flying about catching dragonflies was a great start and Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk quickly followed.  Several migrants we’d seen on the Ebro Delta, such as Redstart and Whinchat, were evident here also but new ones included a few Swallows and a Common Whitethroat.

Blackcap, Jay and a small gathering of noisy Corn Bunting made up still more much appreciated new species for Darlene and we even had time for two final twilight additions, Dartford and Sardinian Warbler, in a scrub area on the way back to the airport.

We hadn’t quite seen ‘everything’ as Darlene had jokingly demanded but we’d had a pretty good try.  A day I really enjoyed.

“Thanks again for the excellent two days we birded together and the information you provided for the rest of my holiday. It was very useful to travel with a knowledgeable birder who understands the natural history of the birds and their distribution when visiting new areas and looking for specific species.

Both Lucy and I found both days nicely paced with plenty of variety and many opportunities to not just simply tick off the birds but to observe them as well.” 

Brian and Lucy Coleman, England