Last Friday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Poland. As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of a bird protection organisation, and they wanted to discover the species of Valencia and its wetlands.
After I collected them from their hotel, we went to a reserve and restricted area where we spent most of the morning. At this time of the year this reserve is magnificent, and we enjoyed great views of a colony of Common and Sandwich Terns.
We also enjoyed seeing the very rare Mabled Duck with 5 ducklings, together with a large group of Greater Flamingo, right in front of the hide.
The second stop was in the forest, where Wren, Serin, Spotted Flycatcher, Sardinian Warbler and Firecrest welcomed us.
To end the trip we went to the rice paddies. Now the fields have been planted, Glossy Ibis, Herons and Egrets where everywhere. We also enjoyed the display of the Hoopoe and finally one of the day´s highlights – the Purple Swamphen.
It had been a classic Albufera day, with a species list that included…
Common Kestrel, Mallard, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Shelduck, Marbled Duck, Audouin´s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, Elegant Tern, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Collard Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Hoopoe, Spotless Starling, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Greenfinch, Spotted Flycatcher, Blackbird, Great Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola.