On Wednesday 18th April, I spent a day bird watching in Valencia with a group of 7 clients. The Valencian Coastal Wetlands are superb throughout the year, but are especially so in Spring when the breeding season is upon us.
There was a cool breeze as we set out along the coastal path towards the first lagoon, and this seemed to be keeping most of the smaller birds down in the reeds. However, we soon had good views of White Headed Duck, Great Crested Grebe, and Red Crested Pochard. We also enjoyed views of Great Reed Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler.
A further stroll along the coast provided great views of a beautiful Collared Pratincole, it´s delicate facial markings showing clearly in the sunlight.
Collared Pratincole
Our next stopping point gave super views of Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper. As we continued our walk we could hear the iconic song of a Corn Bunting and soon found it sitting in the top of a nearby tree. As we progressed through the reed beds we could pick out the calls of Cetti´s Warbler, Savi´s Warbler and more Great Reed Warblers. Our patience was eventually rewarded by views of all three.
Corn Bunting
A Water Rail suddenly ran across the track in front of us and was then followed by a Wood Sandpiper. We were then treated to another unexpected surprise as a White Stork flew overhead.
The return leg of our walk was in beautiful afternoon sunshine and provided views of Common Sandpiper, Crested Lark, Glossy Ibis, Shoveler and Gadwall. As we scanned over the last lagoon of the day, there was yet another surprise in store – this time in the form of a lone Barnacle Goose!
Barnacle Goose - Photo courtesy of Ramón Fernandez
No matter how many times I visit the Valencian Coastal Wetlands there´s always something new and unexpected. We´d all had a great day out and had been fortunate enough to see some superb birds, including a number of lifetime firsts for many in the group.
The species list included…
Avocet, Barnacle Goose, Black Headed Gull, Black Winged Stilt, Booted Eagle, Cattle Egret, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Collared Pratincole, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Crested Lark, Curlew Sandpiper, Gadwall , Glossy Ibis, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Greater Flamingo, Hoopoe, House Martin, House Sparrow, Kentish Plover, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Magpie, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Pochard, Purple Heron, Red Crested Pochard, Redshank, Savís Warbler, Serin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Spotless Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Water Rail, Whiskered Tern, White Headed Duck, White Stork, Wood Pigeon, Wood Sandpiper, Yellow Legged Gull, Yellow Wagtail
Written by David Warrington.