Bird Watching Tours Eastern Spain - Page 2 of 8 - Valencia Birding

Guided Bird Watching on the Steppe of Castilla de la Mancha

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 meant that we had to work hard in order to find the birds. Our first stopping point gave views of Skylark, Crested Lark and Wheatear. There wasn´t much flying thanks to the stiff breeze so we headed off to spend some time beside a lake. There we enjoyed views of Teal, Greater Flamingo and Marsh Harrier. By now it was becoming clear that conditions were against us so we decided upon a strategy of driving across the high steppe and making periodic stops to scan the vast landscape. After a…

Guided Bird Watching in Valencia

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 Albufera de Valencia where we had great close-up views of Marsh Harrier and Purple Gallinule. Wildfowl included Mallard, Pochard, Red Crested Pochard and Shoveler. Later, we enjoyed good views of Greater Flamingo and Yellow Legged Gull before one of the highlights of the day – superbly clear views of a pale morph Booted Eagle which kindly circled above us for long enough for us to take in the beautiful tones of this stunning raptor. We then headed a little further along the coast where we saw the very rare White…

Guided Birding in Valencia.

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 Ringed Plover, Black Winged Stilt and Marsh Harrier. Hannah´s keen eye sight soon picked out a Water Rail in the reeds by the shore. We also spotted a few small flocks of Grey Wagtail heading south along the coast. Then one of those great moments occurred…whilst watching the Water Rail a Kingfisher flew in and perched beside it! Then within a further 5 minutes we saw two more of the day´s target species – Purple Gallinule and White Headed Duck. The Purple Gallinule has made real progress over the past…

Albufera de Valencia

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 the reserve and immediately were able to enjoy good views of a flock of Spoonbill. We also had great views of Marsh Harrier, Greater Flamingo, Great White Egret and Purple Gallinule. We then moved across to the other side of Albufera where we stopped at another reserve and had views of Black Winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Ruff. We made a brief stop along the way to watch an Iberian Grey Shrike that was perched quite close to the road. As Albufera de Valencia is the “birth…

Birding on the Steppe.

Following a long, hot and very dry summer a few of us spent last Thursday (6th Sept) up on the steppe of Castilla de la Mancha. It was clear that the recent prolonged dry conditions had left water levels much lower than usual, and some of the smaller lagoons had dried up completely. This of course meant less birds, but as always with this area, if you put in the effort there are always some interesting species to see. After a brief road-side stop to watch Crested Lark, Skylark, Hoopoe and Woodchat Shrike, we began at one of the larger lagoons that holds water throughout the year. The Coots were there in good numbers as always but scanning across the water revealed a lone juvenile Shelduck, Black Winged Stilts, Little Grebe and a Greater Flamingo. The shoreline held a few Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper. A little more time spent waiting and watching resulted in good views of Barn Swallow, Red Rumped Swallow, House Martins and Sand Martins. A male Marsh Harrier then appeared and spent a good 15 minutes hunting over the reed beds in front of…

Birding at Albufera de Valencia

On Wednesday 27th June I provided a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for a local walking group. All nature lovers, the group also included a couple of experienced birders who regularly watched their own patch but were keen to explore Albufera. After a drive across the labyrinth of tracks that cross the rice fields, we began at one of my favourite sites, where we had the opportunity to watch the Albufera classic species – Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Night Heron. The reed beds held Great Reed Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler whilst the lakes gave good views of Red Crested Pochard, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt and Great Crested Grebe. The group were interested in the ecology of the area as well as its bird life, so we were treated to a fascinating presentation by the reserve staff. This included a talk on the history of Albufera, the eco-systems within and the conservation projects currently underway. After lunch we headed towards the main lake of Albufera where we watched Gull-Billed Tern, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern and Audouins Gull. The…