Last week I provided a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia for a client from the Netherlands.
She was staying with her husband in a campsite near El Saler on the edge of this Natural Park, and was eager to see the classic species of this Valencian wetland.
Squacco Heron
After I collected her we made a short drive along the local country lanes between the rice fields to arrive at our first stopping point, a protected reserve area. We were delighted to see a great variety of species including Flamingo, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis and many other waders. However, perhaps the most interesting species were Purple Swamphen and Great Reed Warbler.
Purple Swamphen
We then moved on to a different reserve area where we enjoyed views of Shelducks and Avocets, to name but a few.
Avocet
The last stop of the day was beside some rice paddies where the rice plants hadn´t grown this year, resulting in a partially flooded haven for birds! It proved to be a fantastic spot, and as we sat there enjoying the spectacle, we counted over 30 species, all feeding together in the same field.
It was a pleasure to guide Riekje and I hope to see her again for another trip in the near future.
The species list included :
Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Audouin’s Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Squacoo Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Moorhen, Coot, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebe, Great-crested Grebe, Ruff, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Little Stint, Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Little-ringed Plover, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Turtle Dove, Kingfisher, Swift, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Great Reed Warbler, Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow Wagtail, House Sparrow.