The Bee Eaters are back!

This has been the first post for a while, so before I begin, I´d like to say that I hope that you´re all keeping safe and healthy and wish you all the very best as we make our way through these tough times. For more than obvious reasons, I can´t write much about any recent birding trips!  However, it´s always interesting to see what´s passing through in the skies above Valencia and what´s about in the area immediately surrounding our apartment.  I hope that you´re all enjoying the bird life that´s close to you, be it in your gardens or on your daily walk.  I´m really enjoying the photos on social media of what people are seeing each day. This week a Zitting Cisticola appears to have taken up residence in a small area of what we tend to call “waste ground” close to our apartment.  Especially now, these patches of undisturbed vegetated ground can prove to be excellent feeding areas or even nesting sites.  Despite its roadside location, this little patch has also given me views of Cattle Egret, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Sardinian Warbler, White Wagtail, Spotless Starling,…

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Birding in Albufera

I was recently delighted to provide a bird watching trip for two clients from Ireland. Eanna & John are experienced birders who were visiting Valencia and wanted a day out of the city to discover the birdlife of the mediterranean. After I collected them from their hotel in the city centre, we made the short journey to Albufera Natural Park where we stopped in the main pier of the Albufera lake to enjoy nice views of Sandwich Terns and Marsh Harriers. They were happy to see Sandwich Terns in their winter plumage. Our next stop was in the main reserve area of the park, and after a short visit to the information centre we headed to the observatories where we enjoyed nice views of Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. We were also hoping for good sightings of waterfowl, and eventually had nice views of Red-crested Pochard, Pintail, Teal, Shoveler and more.  After a short walk back through the forest we reached to the observatory tower and had fantastic views of huge flocks of Flamingos. Our next stop was planned to be in the Village of El Palmar where we were to…

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Birding in Albufera.

Last Friday I provided a day of guided birding in Albufera de Valencia for a great client from the USA.  Kevin was staying in Valencia and wanted to include some bird watching in his holiday.  An experienced birder back in the States, he was very keen to discover the bird life that our region holds. As this was the first time he´d been birding in Spain, we focussed the day on enjoying quality views of some of the classic species, rather than trying to maximise the list.  Our day began in a protected reserve area where we enjoyed views of Black Tailed Godwits (many now well into their breeding plumage), Avocet, Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt. As we walked through the reserve, there was a constant stream of House Martins and Barn Swallows, all heading north on their migration.  Just as we were saying what an exciting time this is, a much larger bird caught my eye – an Alpine Swift! After a short drive across the rice fields, where we stopped to watch Meadow Pipit, Marsh Harrier and Cattle Egret, we entered another restricted reserve area.  A pair…

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Photographic Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Today I was delighted to provide a photographic trip to Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Manchester, UK. Having collected them from their apartment central Valencia, we drove for half an hour to a reserve area in the heart of the natural park. Even though it was raining lightly, it didn´t stop us from having a fantastic birding day. The first stop was after a short walk by the forest to some hides located in a restricted reserve area, where we enjoyed great views of a large varity of waders, such as Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-winged Stilts and Little Stints. Next stop was in a green filter and reserve area where we got nice shots of a Booted Eagle.  We also had great views of Purple Swamphens and Glossy Ibis. Driving by the rice paddies gave us great views of of  raptors such as Common Buzzards, Marsh Harriers and Kestrels, we also enjoyed a Black Stork in flight. To finish a magnificent birding day, we stopped in a small lake close to the sea, where we were delighted to see Black-necked Grebes and Audouin Gulls.  It had been a great…

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Bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last week I had the pleasure to guide two clients from England on a bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia.  The trip had been arranged as a surprise present. I collected them from their apartment where they were staying in Valencia city and after a short jorney we where in a reserve and protected area in the forest close to Albufera lake. Our first stop gave views of Collared Pratincole, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, Red-crested Pochard and many more species. On the way to our next spot we were delighted to get a view of a male Golden Oriole. After a short walk in the forest we arrived at another hide where we watched a colony of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern and Slender-billed Gull.  Flamingos were passing overhead and we also enjoyed lovely views of Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. After a picnic lunch in the forest, we began driving through the rice paddies. The rice fields have been seeded and flooded recently and many different species feed in the water. We had amazing views of Whiskered Tern, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis and Purple Swamphen. Also we were delighted…

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Birding trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last week I provided a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia for a client from the Netherlands. She was staying with her husband in a campsite near El Saler on the edge of this Natural Park, and was eager to see the classic species of this Valencian wetland. After I collected her we made a short drive along the local country lanes between the rice fields to arrive at our first stopping point, a protected reserve area.  We were delighted to see a great variety of species including Flamingo, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis and many other waders.  However, perhaps the most interesting species were Purple Swamphen and Great Reed Warbler. We then moved on to a different reserve area where we enjoyed views of Shelducks and Avocets, to name but a few. The last stop of the day was beside some rice paddies where the rice plants hadn´t grown this year, resulting in a partially flooded haven for birds!  It proved to be a fantastic spot, and as we sat there enjoying the spectacle, we counted over 30 species, all feeding together in the same field. It was a…

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