Last week, I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia for a couple from Canada. They were on vacation in the beautiful city of Valencia and had arranged a couple of days of guided birding with us.
Today´s trip was to the coastal wetlands, a fabulous site at all times of year, but especially so in early Spring as the summer visitors are beginning to arrive. George and Marilyn were very interested in seeing some of the “classic” European species, that of course are very different to the species they have in Ottowa.
Red Crested Pochard and Shoveler
The first coastal lagoon that we visited held Little Grebe, Red Crested Pochard and Teal. The surrounding reeds and scrub gave views of Sardinian Warbler, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart.
A very pleasant walk along the beach gave us sightings of Crested Lark, Stonechat, Whinchat, Grey Wagtail and Serin, all in the low scrub near the dunes. House Martins and Swallows were passing through, and we also had good views of Audouin´s Gull.
Kentish Plover
We then walked through an area of semi-wooded pasture land where we had a great view of Southern Grey Shrike, Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier. A shallow lagoon held Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Redshank and Black Winged Stilt.
Glossy Ibis
We then enjoyed wonderful views of a sizeable flock of Glossy Ibis feeding in a field. The day was brought to a close with a visit to another lagoon where we saw Gadwall, Teal, Shelduck and Flamingo.
It had been a great day, spent with some lovely people. The species list included…
Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, Black Redstart, House Sparrow, Magpie, Stonechat, Whinchat, Crested Lark, Reed Bunting, Wood Pigeon, House Martin, Crag Martin, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Spotless Starling, Serin, Hoopoe, Black Headed Gull, Audouin´s Gull, Cormorant, Yellow Legged Gull, Glossy Ibis, Little Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Red Crested Pochard, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Shelduck, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier, Southern Grey Shrike, Booted Eagle.
Written by David Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.