On 17th May I provided a guided bird watching trip for a couple from Belgium who were holidaying in Valencia. They opted for our Mountain Bird Life trip which involves a short but beautiful walk into a spectacular mountain gorge.
We were soon enjoying great views of Griffon Vulture, both in flight and at rest on the high mountain crags. The bushes and trees in the valley bottom held Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler and Serin. After a short while we took a rest in the shade and watched a colony of Crag Martins and enjoyed a great view of a male Linnet in a nearby tree.
Our return walk gave good views of Blue Rock Thrush, Raven, Chough and Black Redstart.
After lunch we headed a little further down the valley as my clients were keen to see a Bee-Eater and I knew of a great location from which to see these stunningly colourful birds.
Having parked the van, we walked quietly up a lane, keeping low behind the bushes. Our luck was in, and we were able to get close to one that was perched on a wire right next to us.
We then enjoyed a short walk by a lake where we had good views of Great Crested Grebe, Reed Warbler, Hoopoe and a Little Owl.
