2 Day Birding Break in Valencia

Last week we were delighted to provide a 2-day birding break in Valencia for a group of 3 clients with whom we´ve been in touch with for a while.  All living apart (France, England and Wales) they had arranged to meet up in Valencia and to include in their holiday a 2-day guided birding trip with us.  We´d been fortunate enough to meet one of the group at Birdfair in the UK in August, so were really looking forward to welcoming them to Valencia. To provide two very different trips, we´d decided to spend one day at the extensive wetland site of Albufera de Valencia and the second up on the high steppe.  Very different habitats indeed. On day one, I collected the group from their apartment in the city and we made the short journey to Albufera, discussing their wishes and priorities for the trip.  We drove into the Natural Park and made our first brief stop by some rice fields where we discussed the rice growing cycle whilst watching Cattle Egrets and Marsh Harriers.  A Lesser Black Backed Gull passed over us and a large flock of Spotless…

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Birding at Albufera & Valencia´s Coastal Wetlands

This week, I was fotunate enough to meet David and Susan from UK.  They were taking a city break in Valencia and had previously arranged a day of guided bird watching with me. Both scientists and keen nature lovers, they were interested to see the diverse bird life of Albufera de Valencia and the surrounding wetlands.   We began our day at Tancat de la Pipa, a fantastic reserve within the Albufera Natural Park.  Run by an extremely dedicated team, this reserve provides critical habitat to a huge array of bird species, as well as supporting a fantastically diverse eco-system.  As we walked through the reserve, we enjoyed close views of Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet and huge numbers of Little Ringed Plovers. Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins were feeding above the reedbeds.  Fan Tailed Warblers were also flitting around the reeds and we heard the beautiful song of Cetti´s Warbler. As we walked further into the reserve, we had a stunning view of a Glossy Ibis in flight, the sunlight picking out the green, purple and bronze colouration of its plumage.  We also had great views of…

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