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…

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A short “birding break” in Valencia.

I´ve often said and written that it´s a real privilege to welcome back returning clients, and last week was one of these special occasions.  I´d first met Alexia from Sweden a couple of years ago when she booked a day´s birding with us.  She subsequently returned a year later, this time in Spring and with her friend Lena, and we enjoyed a fabulous day in the mountains and a day at the wetlands.  This was her third time with us, and she´d carefully designed a break to include a couple of days in the historical town of Xativa and a short stay in the city of Valencia as well as two days of birding with us.   As we´d planned to visit the steppe, I collected Alexia from her hotel in the historic quarter of Xativa as it´s on the way from Valencia.  It was such a pleasure to welcome her back!  We continued the journey and after a quick coffee stop, we began exploring.  Numerous flocks of Linnet were flitting around, and we also had good views of Crested Lark, Black Redstart, Stonechat and Rock Sparrow. Some scanning of…

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A Birding Break from Valencia.

I recently provided a 2-day trip for Gordon and Heather from the UK. They are very experienced birders who we met at the British Bird Fair last year.  They had planned a trip in their motorhome and wanted to include two days of birding with us when they were in the Valencia region.  We agreed on a day in the mountains and a day on the steppe. First, to the mountains… After I collected them at their campsite beside the beach we made the relaxed drive to our first stop in a quarry surrounded by natural crags too.  Our targets were Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheater, Rock Sparrow and Bonelli’s Eagle. We did succeed with most of them except for the eagle. We decided to keep going and try again on the way back. Then, after a drive up to a high peak, followed by a short walk, we arrived on the summit of a 1,000m mountain.  Here, our goal was Alpine Accentor.  Sadly, they were nowhere to be seen, so we continued with our planned route, agreeing to return to the peak in the afternoon.  When we did, they…

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4 Day Birding Break in Alicante and Valencia

The recent weeks have been especially fulfilling as we´ve been fortunate enough to welcome back many returning clients and friends.  Alastair and Christine had previously spent a few days birding with us and this time they were looking for a 4 day birding break in Alicante and Valencia. They had enjoyed visiting the cultural sites in Alicante including the castle, museums, roman sites and art galleries and wanted to follow this with 4 days of birding and later a few days in the historical centre of Valencia…a great combination! On day one I collected them from their hotel in Alicante and we made the short drive to one of the region´s inland sierras.  The previous week had seen temperatures plummet and a little snowfall but despite being cold, today had dawned bright and with very little wind.  They were keen to see Alpine Accentors, a very popular bird for clients who visit in winter.  Having stopped for a morning coffee and to collect sandwiches, we started our walk. We made our way up through a forest where we saw Coal Tits and Long Tailed Tits.  A Mistle Thrush swooped up…

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Autumn birding on the steppe

Last week, I enjoyed a super day of autumn birding on the steppe with two returning clients from England.  Both very keen birders, they were keen to see the fabulous species that this unique habitat holds.  Within just over an hour´s drive from Valencia, the high steppe and lagoons provide a completely different habitat from those found at the coast or the mountains. Our first stop beside an area of floodwater gave views of Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, and a huge flock of Spotless Starling.  The day had started well and the weather was on our side too – sunny and thankfully not windy!  The next stop was by some old farm buildings where we enjoyed views of Rock Sparrow, Corn Bunting and one of the highlight species Great Bustard! The next lagoon, provided us with views of Booted Eagle, Red Kite and White-headed Duck. Lunch time was approaching, so we parked in a sheltered spot by a favourite lake and whilst we enjoyed a picnic, we saw White-headed Duck, Gadwall, Black Necked Grebe, Marsh Harrier and Flamingo. The rest of the day was to be spent exploring…

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Guided Bird Watching on the Steppe of Eastern Spain

Last week I had the pleasure to provide a guided bird watching trip to the steppe for two experienced birders from Poland. They brought with them a wish list of target species for this habitat, so we focused the trip on that. After I collected them from the railway station in Valencia, we drove for around an hour to the magnificent plains that provide a variety of habitat including cultivated fields of different cereals and vineyards, inland brackish lagoons and wooded areas, the perfect habitat for Little Bustard, White-headed Duck and Great Spotted Cuckoo … our goal for the day. The first stop was by an irrigation pond, where we had good views of nesting Avocet, Great Reed Warbler, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck and Black-winged Stilt. Next stop was at a vantage point on top of a hill, which gave the chance to enjoy stunning views of Little Owl, Black Kite and Crested Lark. After a short drive, we arrived at a lagoon where we expected to spot one of the wish list species… White-headed Duck. We were delighted to get good views of a pair of this beautiful bird. During the evening,…

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