2 Day Birding Break in Valencia

Yanina and I have recently provided a couple of days of guided birding for clients from Paris.  They had planned a winter break in this beautiful city and had previously contacted us to arrange a 2 day birding break in Valencia as part of their trip.

We´d discussed the best options for this time of year, and had agreed upon a day in Albufera and the coastal wetlands, followed by a day exploring the steppe and lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha.  They were well travelled and experienced birders and were eager to see what this area offers.

The truth is that we had a couple of fabulous days…both of which held some amazing surprises!

Day 1 – Albufera & Coastal Wetlands

Having collected Christine and Alastair from central Valencia, we drove to Albufera where together with Yanina, we went into one of the park´s restricted reserve areas.  Whilst driving through the flooded rice paddies, we had great views of Glossy Ibis, Great Egret and Southern Grey Shrike, indeed a good start to the day.

Once in the reserve, we stopped to scan over a small lagoon and enjoyed views of Snipe, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Purple Swamphen.  The next lagoon and its surroundings gave views of Bluethroat, Spoonbill, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting and Redshank.

After lunch, we visited another reserve where we scanned the lake, particularly looking for wildfowl.  We enjoyed views of Red-Crested Pochard, Pintail, Garganey, Gadwall, Shelduck and Shoveler.

We spent the the afternoon walking through a nearby coastal wetland, beginning with a lagoon that gave excellent views of White Headed Duck, Marsh Harrier and Little Grebe.  The surrounding scrub held Sardinian Warbler, Stonechat and lots of Chiffchaff.

As we were walking back to the car at the end of the day, we saw what we originally though to be a Snipe, some way ahead by the path.  (We were of course in a wetland, nowhere near a forest!).  However, as we carefully approached, it´s size and plumage immediately raised doubts, followed by something close to amazement….we were looking at a Woodcock!  We´re still not sure what this forest dweller was doing in a wetland, but it appeared to be well, uninjured, and eventually made a short flight into a nearby field.  What a finalé to the day!

The species list included…

Kestrel, Marsh Harrier, Black headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Yellow-legged Gull, Mallard, Shelduck, Shoveller, Wigeon, White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Pintail, Gadwall, Garganey, Common Teal, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint, Snipe, Redshank, Eurasian Woodcock, Great Cormorant, Southern Grey Shrike, Magpie, Kingfisher, Crag Martin, Crested Lark, Sardinian Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, House Sparrow, Stonechat, Black Redstart, Bluethroat, Meadow Pipit, Robin, White Wagtail.

Day 2 – Steppe & Lagoons

Our second day provided ideal weather conditions for a day on the high steppe that lies to the west of Valencia…clear blue skies and more importantly, no wind.  Very important for this highland region that can see winter temperatures plummet to well below freezing.  Thanksfully, we were blessed with some beautiful winter sunshine, and temperatures in the mid teens.

After the easy drive up from Valencia, and the usual morning coffee stop, we headed to our first viewing point where we had good views of Linnet, Skylark, Southern Grey Shrike and Buzzard.  We also enjoyed views of Merlin and Green Woodpecker.  Our second stop beside a flooded field was unusually quiet.  Still hopeful, we headed for our next point….where the day suddenly took another unexpected and dramatic turn!

Having parked by another lagoon, we casually watched a few waders on the shoreline.  We counted a few Snipe, then suddenly saw a very pale shorebird that struck us as being unusual.  It showed well for a minute before flying off.  However, after some patience and maybe a little special luck, we found it again, this time giving much closer views.  Although certainly not a species that we´d expect in Spain, especially here in the interior, we made a positive ID of juvenile/first winter Grey Phalarope!

Feeling exceptionally fortunate, we positioned ourselves at a suitable distance so as not to disturb the bird, whilst enjoying some fabulous views of this elegant little creature.

We wondered quite how to follow this as we made our way to the next lagoon.  However, the patron Saint of Birding Surprises hadn´t quite finished yet!  As we scanned a flock of Coot, we were amazed to find amongst them no less than 5 Crested Coots!  South East Spain is home to the majority of the global population of this extremely rare bird, but we´d normally expect to see it in the coastal wetland system, not this high on the steppe.

We decided to have lunch as we sat in the afternoon sun, watching over the lagoon and surrounding fields.  The lagoon held Red Crested Pochard, Black Necked Grebe and Greater Flamingo.  Luck was still with us.  As we watched a beautiful female Hen Harrier hunting (and almost catch a rabbit!) a much larger raptor high in the sky caught our eye.  A Golden Eagle!  This magnificent bird eventually passed low over the fields, being mobbed by crows before coming to rest in a tree.  Although quite a distance away, with some careful focussing of the scopes, we enjoyed some fabulous views of this very special animal.

More than happy with our day so far, we opted to spend the rest of the trip exploring the tracks of the high steppe, hoping for amongst other things, Great Bustard.  Some of the usual spots revealed nothing, so we tried an area that we don´t normally go to, a high vantage point overlooking some rolling farmland and steppe.  After some careful scanning, we did manage to find 5 Great Bustard, clealry visible with the scope but disappointingly distant.

On such days when we don´t get great views of this huge bird, we can often rely on a spot that proves to give better sightings.  So, still hopeful we headed out across the vast open space of this beautiful region, as the winter sun cast a peacefully warm light on the earthy tones of this special corner of Spain.

Something caught our eye in a nearby field, but maybe they were just rocks….but no.  We were treated to a wonderful view of a group of Dotterel, their delicate “necklace” markings showing very clearly.

This very special couple of days did indeed end with a wonderful view of over 20 Great Bustards, strolling gracefully through the cereal fields.  Parking the car under a tree and using the surrounding bushes for cover, we set up the scopes and enjoyed some fabulous views of these great birds.

We´d enjoyed two fabulous days with Christine and Alastair, and had been blessed with some amazing birds.  Surely, we´ll keep in touch.  It had been a pleasure.

The second day´s species list included…

Common Kestrel, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Golden Eagle, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall, Garganey, Teal, Shelduck, Common Pochard, Coot, Crested Coot, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Moorhen, Flamingo, Lapwing, Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope, Dotterel, Crow, Magpie, Southern Grey Shrike, Great Bustard, Little Owl, Red-legged Partridge, Green Woodpecker, Spotless Starling, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Sky Lark, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Black Redstart, White Wagtail, Linnet, Great Tit.

Written by David Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.