David Warrington, Author at Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain

3-Day Birding Trip from Valencia

April 2024 Early this month, I planned a 3-day birding trip for Jason, an experienced birder from the USA who was spending some time with his wife near Valencia and wanted to include a birding trip in their plans. Day 1 – Albufera. Our first day together was spent at Albufera de Valencia, a huge wetland and rice growing area just to the south of the city. We spent the morning at a reserve where we enjoyed the sights and sounds of a mixed breeding colony that included Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Slender Billed Gull. Whiskered Terns were also feeding on the wing and Cetti’s Warbler were singing from the nearby scrub. Shorebirds included Pied Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Glossy Ibis. Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean Gulls, Slender Billed Gull and Black Headed Gull In the afternoon, we moved closer to the coast where visited a small lagoon and enjoyed views of Purple Heron plus other shorebirds such as Kentish Plover, Little Stint and Little Ringed Plover. Audouin’s Gull were also around in good numbers, obviously preparing to nest. The…

Multiple Visits to the Steppe and Cereal Plains.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve spent quite a few days up on the steppe, enjoying this unique landscape and the fabulous bird life that thrives here. The first trip was for 4 lovely clients from Barcelona, well travelled nature lovers who were visiting the area and were keen to see Great Bustard above all. Another day was part of a 3-day trip for Jason from the USA and the other was simply a day´s birding with my partner Itziar to enjoy the spectacle of Great Bustard courtship displays. Great Bustard Each day was a great success in that we found and enjoyed superb views of good numbers of Great Bustards, but as with birding anywhere, no two days are ever the same! On the first trip, we were delighted to see recently arrived Woodchat Shrike and passing Bee Eaters. The Lesser Kestrels that breed in this area had indeed returned from their wintering grounds and gave us some great views as they swooped and hovered around the semi ruined buildings where the colony was already established. After a little searching amongst a pile of rocks, we finally located the…

2 Fabulous Days Exploring Alicante’s Wetlands & Coast

Having established Valencia Birding back in 2011, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting an array of lovely people along the way, many of whom have become firm friends. Jan and Rab from the UK spend a considerable amount of time on the Costa Blanca and have been loyal friends and supporters of Valencia Birding since the early years. Together we’ve travelled through the regons wetlands, mountains, steppe and forests and have shared many special birding moments together. Earler this month I was delighted to get together with them again. Firstly, we spent a morning together, walking around Oliva Pego Marsh, where we had great views of Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier and huge flocks of Glossy Ibis before I gave a brief talk on the Osprey reintroduction project there, a venture that I’m honoured to be involved in. We then strolled alongside the river to a cafe bar where we enjoyed a late breakfast together. Marsh Harrier It was a week or so later when we set out together again on a 2-day trip around some of Alicante’s southern wetlands and coastal sites. Our first stop was at a small reserve…

Two days of wetland birding in Valencia and Alicante

6th & 7th March 2024 I recently provided a 2-day birding trip for a couple from Lewes in the UK. They had spent a few days in the city of Valencia, before moving to the historical town of Xativa, from where we arranged our birding. They had previously been on birding trips in Spain, but never in this region, so we began with a day at Albufera. Rice fields of Albufera The rice fields were in the process of being drained, prior to being ploughed and levelled in readiness for sowing of seed, so it was important that we knew which areas still held some water. We visited a couple of spots in the northern area of the park where highlights included good views of Bluethroat. We headed to another area of shallow water where we enjoyed views of an array of shorebirds including Snipe, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Little Stint, which were together with good numbers of White Wagtails and Meadow Pipits. Little Ringed Plover After lunch, we visited a salt lagoon where we watched more wading birds, this time Greenshank, Redshank and Green Sandpiper. Gulls of…

Birding at the Wetlands of Alicante

I recently spent a very special day with two great clients from Scotland. Brian and Maria were staying close to Alicante on a short break, and wanted to include a day’s birding. The day was especially important as it was Brian’s birthday and he’d asked if it would be possible to see three specific species. He’s a very experienced and well travelled birder, and was eager to see White Headed Duck, Red Knobbed Coot and Greater Spotted Eagle. One of Alicante’s many coastal wetland sites. We spent the day at one of Alicante’s many wetland sites, which always provide excellent birding, and began with a walk around one of the reserves. The sightings began however before we even got out of the car, with an Iberian Green Woodpecker that flew in front of us into a stand of trees. Iberian Grey Shrike. As we strolled between reed beds and lagoons, the surrounding scrub held Black Redstart, Sardinian Warbler, Chiffchaff and Stonechat. Crag Martins were feeding on the wing, and a couple of Barn Swallows flew by, my first of the year. A nearby bare tree provided a perch for an…

Two more January days in the wetlands of Valencia

I’ve spent the past two days out in the field with clients, both at the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. I was honoured to spend these days with two lovely couples, from Sweden and the UK respectively. Flooded rice fields and big, blue skies provide typical Albufera winter scenes Greater Flamingos At this time of year, the majority of the rice fields are flooded, and many of them contain huge gatherings of Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets, Lapwings and mixed flocks of gulls, namely Lesser Black Backed, Black Headed and Yellow Legged. Perhaps the most striking of these spectacles however, are the Flamingos which gather in their thousands! Marsh Harrier We also enjoyed great views of some of the area’s wintering species, including Water Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Bluethroat, Crag Martin and Marsh Harrier. The latter is present in small numbers throughout the breeding season too, but the population rockets in winter, when central and northern European birds move south to spend the cooler months here. Slender Billed Gull A stroll along the beach gave us views of Crested Lark, Stonechat, Sardinian Warbler and Black Redstart in the scrub…