On Sunday 15th April I spent a very enjoyable day with a lady from Austria who was visiting the area and wanted a day of guided bird watching in Valencia. Having met her at her accommodation in the city centre, we made the short journey to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. This area is superb at any time of year but is especially interesting in April as summer visitors are arriving [...]
Having provided a number of Guided Bird Watching Trips for local birders here in Valencia, I was asked by a group of ladies to arrange a beginners´trip so they could introduce some of their friends to this wonderful hobby. Having provided a summary of our plans for the day, we drove to the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. After a brief introduction on the use of binoculars and telescope [...]
On Tuesday 6th March I had the pleasure of providing a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Finland. Both very experienced and knowledgeable birders, they were taking a short break in Valencia and wanted to spend a day bird watching as part of their other plans. Having collected my clients from the city centre, we headed out across the natural park. The day´s first [...]
On Saturday, in between necessities such as a visit to the garden centre and the supermarket, my wife Carolina and I spent a couple of hours walking around our local marsh. It´s always worth a look around here as there´s usually something of interest and it makes for a pleasant and easy spot of birding. As it was afternoon, the gulls that can usually be found were absent, probably out [...]
Today´s trip was provided for two British birders who wanted to learn more about the extensive Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. Whilst the weather was dry, there was a very strong wind that limited what we would see, although a good days birding was enjoyed. Our first stop was to observe a recent controlled release of Crested Coot. This extremely rare bird has provided a challenge to conservationists so [...]
On Tuesday, I took two local British birders on a half-day trip to the mountains of Valencia. Before we set off on the short walk, we stopped for a coffee and were entertained by a pair of Short Toed Treecreepers and a group of Long Tailed Tits in the pine trees by the road. We parked the van and set off into a beautiful rocky gorge. Within just a few [...]
As it´s the time of year when thoughts are turning to the warmer months ahead and of holidays in the sun, we´re all thinking of how we can maximise our precious free time and of course value for our hard earned cash. These days, more people are opting for a vacation that provides the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities rather than just a beach holiday or sight-seeing trip. However, it´s [...]
Today´s outing was not specifically a birding trip and more of a walk to the top of one of our local mountain peaks. Such is the beauty of the route, it´s one that we enjoy two or three times per year and today´s trip was timed to coincide with the visit of one of my favourite and most character-full of mountain birds, the Alpine Accentor. The initial walk up through [...]
During the Christmas break, I had the pleasure of providing a trip for a lady who despite having an interest in the natural world, is new to bird watching. The trip was bought for her as a Christmas present by her husband. We enjoyed a super day and were treated to some beautiful sights. After the trip, she very kindly provided this account…. A couple of days ago, I had [...]
One of my important roles as a birding guide is to constantly visit my favoured sites as many times as possible throughout the year. This is essential in order to maintain and develop knowledge of an area and it´s changing characteristics and bird life throughout the seasons. That way, we ensure that our clients are taken to the sites that are “at their best” whenever their visit may take place. That [...]
Not within our usual birding area, El Hondo is a wetland reserve of major international importance, not least for it´s population of White Headed Duck and Marbled Duck. Although not a regular venue for us, El Hondo always provides something of interest. We were fortunate to enjoy some beautiful autumn sunshine as we set off across the reserve. Within just five minutes we were delighted to see 3 Cranes passing overhead, [...]
On Sunday 27th November we took part in the Sanderling Census of La Safor which was organised by the “Associació Ornitológica De La Safor”. The stretch of Mediterranean coastline to be studied was that between Playa de Tavernes in the north to Playa de Oliva in the south. We grouped into 4 teams, each having a designated section of beach. Our particular area was from Marenys (just south of the port of [...]
As we had business to attend to in Valencia today, the opportunity to spend a couple of hours looking what was around Albufera couldn´t be missed. We started at the main hide, where we were greeted by a group of school children on a day trip! Although not the quiet environment that we expected, it has to be remembered that this is where the future of conservation lies. We soon [...]
This year, October is proving to be a summer month! Each day has peaked at around 30 degrees so far. With that in mind, I ventured into one of my favourite mountain valleys in the province of Alicante to spend a couple of hours in the shade and to see what was around. The summer theme continued as the first bird that I saw upon leaving the car was a [...]