2 Day Birding Break in Valencia

I recently provided a 2 day birding break in Valencia for a couple of returning clients from my home town of Sheffield.  It was fantastic to welcome Jonathan and Caroline back to Valencia and to spend these days together with them.  They first came last autumn when they visited the wetlands of Albufera de Valencia and the mountains with us.  They were keen to see Albufera again, but in winter and also wanted to visit the steppe, in particular to see Great Bustards.  This time they were visiting with friends and were combining a cultural city break with a couple of days of birding. On day one, we made the short trip to Albufera, and started birding as soon as we began the journey by watching a Booted Eagle who has made Valencia port his winter home this year.  We then visited a reserve area where we sat in a couple of hides for a while and enjoyed views of Shelduck, Teal, Marsh Harrier and more Booted Eagles. We then spent a little time watching a rice field that held plenty of Snipe and in the surrounding reeds we saw Tree…

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Birding in Valencia with returning clients.

Last week I was especially pleased to provide a day of birding in Valencia for returning clients Valerie and Roger, from UK.  Last year we enjoyed a day trip to the mountains in the Spring, and this time they were keen to see the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia during the autumn migration period.  Both relative newcomers to birding, their knowledge was growing very fast and they´d obvioulsy spent a lot of time birding back home in previous months.  It was fantastic to see this knowledge growth and to enjoy their enthusiasm for this fabulous hobby. Our first visit to a restricted reserve area provided good views of Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Black Tailed Godwits and Grey Plover.  We also enjoyed fabulous views of a female Marsh Harrier perched in the top of a nearby tree.  A special moment for Valerie in particular was the sight of a flock of Greater Flamingoes in flight, always a spectacle to remember. Our next stop was at a small lagoon where we focussed on the smaller waders including Ringed, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover as well as Little Stint.  We…

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Guided bird watching in Albufera de Valencia.

This week I provided a day trip for a brother and sister from the Netherlands.  They were in Valencia for a short break and had contacted us previously to arrange a day of guided bird watching in Albufera de Valencia. Our first albeit brief stop was in a reserve area where had views of Red Crested Pochard, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle.  We then moved to a lagoon that is always worth a visit as at this time of year it can provide great views of waders.  We saw Little Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Kentish Plover and Greenshank to name a few.  We also enjoyed watching Black Necked Grebe on the water. Our next stop was at a restricted reserve area where we relaxed and spent the a good while exploring the lagoons and reed beds.  This was a great visit and among the many sightings that we had there were Temminck´s Stint, Caspian Tern, Purple Swamphen, Night Heron and Audouin´s Gull. We´d enjoyed some fabulous views of some great species, but wanted to end the day with a drive across the rice fields.  This gave views of Glossy…

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Wetlands of Valencia in Autumn

Last week I provided a day of guided birding for a great couple from UK.  James and Claire are very keen birders, and wanted to combine a cultural visit to Valencia with some bird watching with us at the local wetland reserves.  The wetlands of Valencia in Autumn are fascinating as resident birds, winter visitors, summer visitors and passage migrants all “overlap” making for some very interesting species lists! After a short drive from the heart of the historical quarter of Valencia, we arrived at one of our favourite wetland sites.  Claire and James had expressed an interest in walking, so we modified the trip to suit, and had planned to complete a circuit of the entire reserve area, taking in beach, dunes, reed beds, lagoons and farmland.  Our walk began by a brackish lagoon that gave views of White Headed Duck, Little Grebe and Water Rails. We continued along the dune system and spent some time at an observation platform where we had views of Purple Swamphen, Great Egret, Greater Flamingo and Wood Sandpiper.  As we continued our walk along the coast, we enjoyed great views of Audouin´s Gull and…

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Bird watching in Alicante

Late last month I had the pleasure to provide a day of guided bird watching for a lovely group of four clients from UK.  Two were spending time at their holiday home and the other couple were there as guests.  Two had an interest in nature in general whilst the other couple were extremely experienced birders and had worked in guiding and conservation in Africa. We began our trip at a superb coastal wetland reserve area where we enjoyed watching Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal, both subjects of successful conservation programs here in Spain. We then moved further into the reserve where we had great views of Squacco Heron, Great Reed Warbler, Little Tern and Whiskered Tern.  With a little patience we were also able to enjoy views of Purple Swamphen and Little Bittern. As we continued the walk, something unusual caught our eye as we watched a large flock of Swifts feeding overhead.  An Alpine Swift was feeding with them, probably a result of cloudy and wet weather in the mountains nearby. We then spent the rest of the morning in a couple of hides from where we had…

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Guided Birdwatching Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last Thursday I was delighted to provide a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for two experienced birders from England. They wanted to discover the birdlife of what is one of the most important wetlands in Spain. After I collected them from their hotel, we drove to the first stop in one of the main reserves of the natural park, where we had lovely views of hundreds Flamingos, a beautiful Booted Eagle, Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Gadwall and lots more waders and waterfowl. The next stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area, where the habitat and water quality are being greatly improved, in turn enhancing the biodiversity of the area. More than 2000 Glossy Ibis where in one of the fields, sharing it with lots of Ruff, Avocets, Curlew Sandpiper, and many more waders that benefits from the food supplied from this ecosystem. During the afternoon we made two more stops in some special places, a sports field and a lake, where we had amazing views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Black-eared Wheatear, Kentish Plover and Red Knot. It had been a great day with a superb list…

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