Bird watching holidays Spain - Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain

A Day in the Mountains

19th May 2023 My second day with Maria and Jane was spent in the mountains of Valencia. We made the comfortable journey into the highland interior, stopping for a coffee and to pick up sandwiches before we enjoyed a walk along a wooded riverside path. Searching for Golden Oriole! A raptor soon flew into view before circling above us, and turned out to be a dark-form Booted Eagle. A Black Wheatear made a brief appearance before disappearing into a nest crevice on a crag above the woods. We then heard the wonderful song of Golden Oriole, my first of the year. These stunning birds, despite their bright colours, have an amazing ability of disappearing once they fly into the treetops! However, we were determined to find them, and eventually succeeded. Our walk continued, the woods full of the song of Nightingale and Wren, both of which we saw. A Spotted Flycatcher was catching insects in flight before returning to its perch, and Blackcaps were flitting through the undergrowth. Spotted Flycatcher We returned to the car and drove up into the mountains from where we enjoyed some fabulous views of Griffon…

2-Day Birding Trip : Wetlands & Mountains

8-9/5/2023 At the beginning of this week, I had the pleasure of spending two days with a fabulous couple from the UK. They were travelling around the region, and as keen birders and environmentalists, were eager to discover the region´s bird life. To provide two very different days, we spent day 1 at the wetlands and day 2 in the mountainous interior of the area. Day 1 – Wetlands Our first day began with blue skies and very little wind – perfect for our intended walk. Highlights of the morning included Purple Heron, Night Heron, Great Egret, Great Reed Warbler and eventually good views of Zitting Cisticola! Zitting Cisticola We spent some time in a hide from where we had great views of Mediterranean Gull, Little Bittern and Collared Pratincole. Collared Pratincole After a further walk into the reed beds, we watched across a small lagoon which held Purple Swamphen, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and a Greater Flamingo with young. Greater Flamingo We had lunch in another hide, enjoying our sandwiches whilst watching Squacco Heron, Marsh Harrier, Spoonbill, Common Tern and Whiskered Tern. Common Tern The return leg…

Day 3 & 4 of a 4-day birding break

Having being based in the beautiful old town of Xativa for the first half of their break, Alan and Jeanette now moved to Valencia for a few days where they stayed in the historical quarter of the city. We had two more days of birding together, and as the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia is so huge, we opted to spend both days there, focussing on different parts (and therefore habitats) each day. Spoonbill On day one we focussed on the rice fields and canals first which gave us the chance to see Spoonbill, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret and huge numbers of Glossy Ibis. We also had the pleasure of watching large flocks of Greater Flamingo flying across the park. A small lagoon that we visited held Purple Swamphen. Cattle Egret In the afternoon we spent some time beside the Albufera Lake where highlights included Audouin’s Gull, Whiskered Tern and Sandwich Tern, all of which breed here in Valencia. Audouin´s Gull On our final day we visited one of the park’s reserve areas where we had great views of Mediterranean Gull which were within a mixed colony…

Day 1 of a 4-Day Twin Centre Birding Break

I have recently come to the end of a great little trip that I designed together with a couple of clients from the UK. Alan and Jeanette were looking for a birding trip that could include a few free days during which they could enjoy some cultural sites. Therefore, we designed something that included a stay in the historical town of Xativa followed by a few nights in the city of Valencia. This all worked out beautifully and our birding trips included steppe, mountains, forest and wetlands. Day 1 – Steppe We left Xativa on our first day together and made the comfortable journey up onto the steppe. Here we saw the first Swifts of the year, both Common and Pallid, as well as Red-Rumped Swallow and Sand Martins. The fields held quite a few Northern Wheatears as well as a Black-eared Wheatear. Black Eared Wheatear Other highlights included a pair of passing Black-bellied Sandgrouse that flew above us, and a flock of Great Bustards, one of which was displaying. The old farm buildings held Rock Sparrow and the cereal fields gave us fabulous views of Calandra Lark and Red-legged…

A morning at Albufera de Valencia

14th February 2023 Earlier this week I was able to fit in a morning´s birding at Albufera de Valencia for Ted who was visiting his family in Valencia. As we drove from the city centre past the port, a Booted Eagle glided over the car, surely a good omen for the day ahead! Our first stop was at a nature reserve with a couple of hides that looked over lagoons and reed beds. Chiffchaffs were flitting around in the scrub in huge numbers, as is usual here in winter. Black Redstarts seemed to be everywhere we chose to look! A pair of Stonechats were feeding on insects in flight, and a Cetti’s Warbler made a brief appearance too. Black Redstart The first lagoons held Shoveler, Shelduck, Teal, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt and good numbers of Black Tailed Godwits. A Marsh Harrier caused a panic amongst them as she passed low over the islands where they were resting. Black Tailed Godwits in flight We then headed out across the lanes between the now-flooded rice fields. Large groups of Glossy Ibis were feeding together with Black Headed Gulls, with a few Lesser…

2-Day Trip : Steppe & Albufera de Valencia.

Just before Christmas, I had the pleasure of welcoming Larry and David from the USA back to Valencia. I met them last winter and we spent a day at the coastal wetlands of Valencia. This year, Larry spent a day with me on the steppe, followed by a day at Albufera when David also joined us. Day 1 – Steppe We had originally planned to go to the steppe the previous year, but bad weather had forced a change of plan. So, when the day dawned bright and with no wind, it was somewhat a relief! Our first stops on farmland gave us views of the usual suspects including Red-legged Partridge, Rock Sparrow, Crested Lark, Black Redstart and Spotless Starling. Then, as we were scanning across the fields, a beautiful male Hen Harrier came into view. It made a few passes, giving us fantastic views, before it eventually disappeared behind some low hills. Rock Sparrow We drove cross-country to a couple of lagoons where we had views of Greater Flamingo, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull and wildfowl including Shoveler, Gadwall and White Headed Duck. In the afternoon, we turned our…