2 day winter birding break.

February continued to be a busy month with this fabulous 2 day winter birding break for a lovely couple who have become friends and loyal clients of Valencia Birding.  Not only have they been out with us on numerous occassions, but they also made the effort to visit us at BirdFair in the UK last year.

It was therefore a great pleasure to welcome back Jan and Rab.  They were making one of their regular visits to Spain and once more had chosen to incorporate a birding trip into their plans.  After previous discussion, they had opted to make Banyeres de Mariola their base for two nights, being well placed for some of the regions best sites.

On day one we met for morning coffee in a small town in the Alicante province, after which we made the short journey to the starting point of our mountain bird trip.  We had originally planned to do a much longer mountain walk but the recent cold spell had left many of the north facing mountain trails covered in ice, so we chose a shorter route that should give us most of the target species.

We began our walk through a highland pine forest, scanning the trees and listening carefully.  Within just a few minutes we were enjoying views of Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Crested Tit and a brief glimpse of a Short Toed Treecreeper.  As we made our way up the hill, a small flock of Long Tailed Tits were feeding next to the path.

As we approached the summit, we were treated to spectacular views of Griffon Vulture soaring just above us, soon to be joined by three other birds.

A little searching revealed one of the day´s key species – Alpine Accentor.  Although Jan and Rab had seen this bird before, their previous sighting was from a distance so they were delighted to be able to enjoy close views, and to appreciate this beautiful creature in detail.

As we began to descend from the peak, we stopped to watch a Raven who has been calling from the same outcrop for the past few weeks.  A movement caught our eye as a bird flitted from bush to bush, which upon closer attention revealed itself to be a Dartford Warbler.

We stopped at the mouth of a ravine to check the cliffs for more Griffon Vultures, some of which were showing well, already taking up position in their caves.  Black Redstarts were actively exploring some ruined buildings and Blackcaps were feeding in the bushes.

After lunch we decided to have a short walk through a forested valley before heading to the guesthouse.  The winter afternoon light gives such a peaceful feel to this special corner of Spain, it was a pleasure just to be out today.  A flock of Mistle Thrush caught our attention for a while, and a Coal Tit entertained us as it was feeding by hanging upside down on a pine cone.

We were very pleased to be able to enjoy longer views of Short Toed Treecreeper too, especially pleasing as the morning´s sighting was very brief.  A nice way to end the day before we made our way to Banyeres de Mariola.

The original plan for the second day was to visit the high steppe to go in search of Great Bustard amongst others.  However, I´d been a little concerned about the weather, especially as we were suffering quite a dramatic cold spell throughout most of the Iberian peninsula.  Forecasts of sub-zero temperatures and 50 km/h winds up on the steppe made a visit to the coastal wetlands and saltpans a much more appealing option!

So, we headed to sea level and began the day at a protected reserve where we had superb views of Purple Swamphen, Red Knobbed Coot and Red Crested Pochard.  Crag Martins were feeding above us in huge numbers, and as we´d recently done, we were able once more to find a few Red Rumped Swallows in amongst them.

As we were watching the reed beds, a Little Bittern wandered casually in front of us, giving excellent views and a Reed Bunting perched high in the rushes.  Our walk through the reserve gave us sightings of Little Grebe, Black Winged Stilt, Stonechat, Southern Grey Shrike as well as fabulous views of Booted Eagle.

From a hide we saw Shelduck, Avocet and brief views of a Garganey.  The return leg of our walk gave us Crested Lark, Zitting Cisticola, Spotless Starling and Sardinain Warbler.

After lunch and a coffee stop we moved to another hide where we were hoping to see White Headed Duck.  Our first sighting was a Snipe, which despite being only a few metres away was very well concealed.  We also saw Great Egret, Yellow Legged Gull, Shoveler and Glossy Ibis.

We kept scanning the water for White Headed Duck without success, then after a short while, three pairs suddenly came into view.  We were still smiling at having seen them when three Cranes suddenly flew overhead.  More than happy with our time at the reserve, we decided to end the day at the coastal salt pans.

The sky had suddenly turned rather black so we opted for a couple of sites where we wouldn´t have to venture too far from the car.  Fortunately the rain held off, and we were able to get great views of Lesser Black Backed Gull, Audouin´s Gull, Slender Billed Gull and huge numbers of Greater Flamingo.

The day ended with a species that Jan had particularly wanted to see, Black Necked Grebe.  Although still in winter plumage, they are remarkable creatures.

Content with our sightings and having made the most of the daylight hours, we headed back to Banyeres de Mariola.  It had been a pleasure to see Jan and Rab again and to spend these days together.  Again, a special mix of wonderful places, fabulous bird life and great company.

The species list for the trip included…

Day 1 – Mountains.

Crested Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Alpine Accentor, Chaffinch, Griffon Vulture, Raven, Dartford Warbler, Black Redstart, Blackcap, Mistle Thrush.

Day 2 – Wetlands and salt pans.

Crag Martin, Stonechat, Reed Bunting, Blackcap, Red Rumped Swallow, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Robin, Coot,
Red Knobbed Coot, Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Little Bittern, Little Grebe, Mallard, Shoveler, Red Crested Pochard, Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Black Winged Stilt, Southern Grey Shrike, Shelduck, Avocet, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Kestrel, Black Necked Grebe, Garganey, Sardinian Warbler, Black Redstart, Snipe, Zitting Cisticola, Crested Lark, Spotless Starling, Cormorant, Shelduck, Avocet, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Crane, White Headed Duck, Yellow Legged Gull, Black Headed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Slender Billed Gull, Blackbird.

 

Written by Dave Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.