Last week I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird photography trip for a Dutch client who lives in Madrid. We had communicated at length and had designed a bespoke trip for him, taking in some very specific locations, in search of some key target species. His priority was wading birds, gulls and Water Rail.
Booted Eagle
On day-1 we made the short trip from the beautiful city of Valencia to the internationally important wetland of Albufera. We made a brief stop to admire a family of Booted Eagles that were flying low overhead, searching a nearby rice field for prey.
Bar-Tailed Godwit
We then moved on to visit a special, restricted reserve which in autumn is excellent for waders. It was quite a windy morning, so we spent a little time thinking of how we could best position the vehicle to afford maximum shelter and best light conditions whilst not risking any disturbance of the birds.
Sanderling and Little Stint
We enjoyed some fabulous views of some great wading birds including Bar-Tailed Godwit, Black-Tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank and Dunlin. Having spent a good while at the first lagoon we then took shelter in a hide where we enjoyed some good views of Marsh Harrier, Great Egret and Little Egret.
Little Egret
Whilst having lunch I received news of a rarity in the area – a Lesser Yellowlegs. As it was quite close, and as it was a very unlikely bird for Bert to be able to photograph, we made our way to the site. We were very fortunate not only to find it, but also to get some acceptable photos.
Lesser Yellowlegs
We also had great views of Black-Tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover.
Ringed Plover
The day ended with a brief stop at a field by the beach, where we saw Wheatear and a passing dark-form Booted Eagle. We then made the short journey back to Valencia, during which we discussed tactics and options for day-2.
The species list for the day included…
Little Stint, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Snipe, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Booted Eagle (pale and dark form), Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Zitting Cisticola, Robin, Swallow, Kingfisher, White Wagtail, Wheatear, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Spotless Starling.
On day-2 we started the morning with a visit to a different reserve area in Albufera de Valencia, where we hoped to be able to photograph Kingfisher and Glossy Ibis. Our luck was certainly with us as within moments of arriving at the hide, a Kingfisher very kindly perched right in front of us!
Kingfisher
By midday we were ready to visit another wetland site close to Valencia where we were confident of seeing Water Rail and other interesting species. After a short journey, we took up our position and waited. Our patience was eventually rewarded with brief but good views of a Water Rail.
Water Rail
We then visited another lagoon, where once again patience was rewarded with views of Grey Plover and Snipe. The nearby trees and bushes held Dartford Warbler, Stonechat, Kestrel and Southern Grey Shrike.
Grey Plover
We then enjoyed a walk along the beach, in search of Turnstones, another of the target species. After a little searching we found a group of 12 birds feeding by the coastline. To avoid disturbing them, we crawled low over the pebbles to get into a position where we could photograph them without them knowing we were there.
Turnstone
Our walk back to the car was delightful, the coastal scrub holding Crested Lark and Meadow Pipit. We also had great views of Audouin´s Gull, and another gull that whilst very common in northern Europe, is very unusual here in Valencia, the Herring Gull.
Audouin´s Gull
It had been a real pleasure to spend these days with Bert. He has a growing collection of photographs of birds, insects and reptiles that I´m delighted to say now includes some from Valencia. I hope to welcome him back soon.
The species list for day-2 included…
Kingfisher, Sardinian Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Robin, Swallow, Blackcap, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Stonechat, Crested Lark, Meadow Pipit, Mallard, Shoveler, Shelduck, Teal, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Grey Plover, Redshank, Turnstone, Water Rail, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Southern Grey Shrike, Audouin´s Gull, Herring Gull, Sandwich Tern.
Written by David Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.