On day two, we enjoyed a leisurely drive up onto the steppe of Castilla de la Mancha.  After a coffee-stop we headed out across the plains to the day´s first lagoon where we had good views of Avocet, Lapwing, Black Winged Stilt and Shelduck.  The fields around the lagoon gave good close views of one of the day´s target species, Calandra Lark.  Further scanning revealed perhaps the key species for the day, the Great Bustard. By now the wind was blowing hard, so we headed back to the van and visited another, more sheltered lagoon.  Here we enjoyed views of [read more]

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of providing a couple of days of guided bird watching for a couple from Kent, UK. Having previously discussed their wishes, we designed a two day schedule that included a trip to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands followed by a day up on the Steppe & Lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha. The first day was ideal for birding, good light and very little wind. After a drive through the beautiful city of Valencia we arrived at the wetlands. A walk beside the coastal lagoons gave great views of Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Common [read more]

On Tuesday 9th April, I was especially happy to provide a day of guided birding for a family from UK…especially happy as their young son came along on the trip and it´s always great to see children and young people getting involved and showing interest in nature. After meeting in Valencia city centre, we made the short trip to the coastal wetlands and after the obligatory morning coffee, we set out along the beach, behind which is a series of lagoons.  We were fortunate enough to start the day with a Buzzard overhead closely followed by a Sedge Warbler in [read more]

On Wednesday 13th February, we had the pleasure of providing a leisurely day of guided birding for a couple from our local area together with their friends who were visiting from the UK.  We chose to explore the lakes, lagoons and rice fields of Albufera de Valencia, a coastal wetland of international importance. Our first stop was by a small, sheltered lake and as soon as we got out of the van we were treated to a spectacular sight – a flock of over 500 Greater Flamingoes in flight, the pink, crimson and black of their plumage contrasting beautifully with [read more]

On Tuesday 8th January, together with two local birders, I enjoyed a leisurely day in the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia.  We began our day by generally exploring some of the rice fields on the west side of the park. The usual Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Grey Herons were in abundance in amongst which were a five Great Egrets. A female Marsh Harrier passed low over the stubble, flushing out a Snipe. A pair of Stonechats were flitting around the edges of a field and an Iberian Grey Shrike spent a few minutes on an overhead cable close [read more]

On 22nd December, we provided a guided bird watching trip to the steppe and lagoons for a client from the Netherlands. Norbert, a very well travelled and experienced birder was holidaying in the Valencia area and was keen to see the bird life that this superb region has to offer. The morning had dawned bright and clear but as we climbed up onto the steppe, it became quite cloudy with a little light drizzle in the air. After a coffee in a local farming village, we set out across the fields towards the day´s first lagoon. Something caught our eye [read more]

On Tuesday 11th December we provided a guided trip for a local group of birders. We decided upon the steppe and lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha as the venue. Despite being a little chilly, we were fortunate in that there was no wind and a clear blue cloudless sky.  As we scanned the surrounding plains from our first stopping point we saw a distant flock of Great Bustards although they were too far away to provide good views, even with the scopes. We hoped for further sightings later in the day so set off to check out what was [read more]

On 4th December, we arranged a trip to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands for a group of 8 local birders. After the obligatory morning coffee, we parked the van near the beach. The day got off to a fantastic start the moment we got out of the van with immediate views of a Kingfisher perched on a reed overhanging a small canal. Things then turned from the sublime to the ridiculous as a bright green bird flew by…one that we identified as a budgerigar!! After some discussion about whether we could include it on the list, we headed to the first [read more]

On Sunday 21st October, I spent a very enjoyable day with some great clients from Kidderminster, UK.  Stella and Richard are both keen nature lovers and in recent years have been particularly interested in birds.  They were keen to explore the Valencian wetlands and to see the classic species of this diverse area. We started our day at one of the reserves within the natural park of Albufera de Valencia where we began by scanning the lake for wildfowl. We soon had good views of Red Crested Pochard, Shelduck and Teal. We also had great views of both male and [read more]

On 16th October I enjoyed a day of guided birding with a couple of clients from Canada. Ingo and Kiran were keen to see the classic species of the Valencian coastal wetlands. Having met them at their hotel in the city centre we made the short journey to the natural park of Albufera de Valencia. The first bird of the day was a Sandwich Tern perched on a pole on the main Albufera Lake. We then headed for one of the reserves where we had superb views of Marsh Harrier, and interestingly noted flocks of European Starlings arriving for the [read more]

On 11th October I had the pleasure of providing a guided bird watching trip for a couple from Ringwood, UK.  They were staying in Valencia and wanted a day´s birding as part of their holiday.  Both very experienced birders they had been visiting Spain for many years and had travelled throughout the world on other birding expeditions. They had specifically requested a day out on the steppe to see the distinct bird life this unique habitat holds.  Unfortunately, conditions were not ideal as the water levels in the area´s lagoons were very low, and coupled with a strong wind, this [read more]

On 10th October we provided a guided bird watching trip for a couple from Berkshire. Both keen nature lovers, David and Elizabeth were staying in Valencia as part of a trip around Spain. They had requested a tour of Albufera, as they wanted to see some of the classic wetland species of Valencia. As they were only here for a short while, we combined Albufera with another local wetland with the aim of improving our chances of spotting some of the target birds. We began the day with a visit to one of the reserves within the natural park of [read more]

After an interesting drive around the narrow streets of the historic quarter of Valencia, I met up with today´s clients Hannah and Alex. They were on a short break in Valencia and had previously arranged a day of guided bird watching with us.  Both keen birders, and obviously well-travelled they were keen to see some of the key species that the Valencian wetlands hold. We took a short drive along the coast and after the obligatory morning coffee we began our walk along the coast to visit some small lagoons. The day started very well, with good views of Little [read more]

On Wednesday 19th September we provided a “tailor made” trip to the natural park of Albufera de Valencia.  The group comprised experienced birders and general nature lovers so the trip was designed to offer something for everyone.  The day began with a visit to a reserve that not only provides a superb habitat but also serves as an open-air laboratory in which a great deal of valuable conservation work takes place. The reserve staff gave a fascinating presentation on the ongoing projects at the reserve and the history of the area. Following that, we spent some time in and around [read more]