2-Day Birding Trip from Valencia.

We recently provided a 2-day birding trip from Valencia for a group of three experienced bird watchers from the USA and UK.  They were on a wider tour of Spain and wanted to discover the habitats and bird life of our region.  On day 1, Yanina provided a trip to the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia, whilst on the second day, I took them up into the mountainous interior.

Day 1 – Albufera de Valencia.

The first stop was in a reserve area that is home to a breeding colony of Terns.  Here, they had views of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Whiskered Tern and the very special Elegant Tern.  Pallid Swift were also seen feeding in flight above the reserve whilst Sardinian Warbler and Cetti´s Warbler were very active in the undergrowth.

After a brief stop to collect sandwiches, they moved on to another restricted reserve area which is one of the park´s birding hotspots.  Here they enjoyed great views of Gull Billed Terns.  Waders included Black Tailed Godwits, Wood Sandpiper and Temminck´s Stint.

After lunch they moved to a coastal lagoon where they saw Slender Billed Gull, Audouin´s Gull, Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpiper.

The day was brought to an end with a drive across the rice paddies, which provided superb views of Collared Pratincoles and Squacco Heron – a great way to end the trip.

The species list for the day included…

Common Shelduck, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Little Grebe, Greater Flamingo, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Marsh Harrier, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint, Sanderling, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Redshank, Collared Pratincole, Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Elegant Tern, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Pallid Swift, Common Kestrel, Magpie, Crested Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, Yellow Wagtail, Goldfinch, Serin, House Sparrow.

Day 2 – Mountains of Valencia.

On the second day, we made the easy drive to the mountainous interior of Valencia, and after a brief coffee break we made our first stop by some ruined farm buildings.  The day got off to a great start with views of Black Wheatear and Cirl Bunting.  Nightingales were singing in the woods behind us and Red Rumped Swallows were flying above us, again giving nice views.

We decided to take a short riverside walk, exploring the woodland and the riverbank.  The trees held Serin, Coal Tit, Tree Sparrow and Spotted Flycatcher.  Raven was seen in flight, soon to be joined by Griffon Vulture.  A little patience eventually rewarded us with views of Dipper, and Golden Oriole were calling in the distance.

Our next stop, in a semi-wooded area gave views of Crested Tit and a Booted Eagle in flight above us.

We then made our way up into the mountains where we established ourselves in a position to view the huge rock faces that provide habitat for many mountain species.

We enjoyed great views of many Griffon Vultures with young on the nest, plus Chough, Raven, Crag Martin and Alpine Swift.  Although we had to wait a while, one of the day´s target species evetually showed, giving us some fabulous views – the Egyptian Vulture.

During the wait, we had views of Sub-alpine Warbler and Sardinian Warbler.  Just as we were packing the car to leave, a Peregrine Falcon flew overhead, mobbing a Griffon Vulture.

We ended the day by exploring some farmland where we were hoping to see Bee Eater.  Again, our patience was rewarded with some quality views of this stunning bird.  The end of the day involved a treat, with some great views of another target species, the Woodchat Shrike.

The species list for the day included…

Black Wheatear, Cirl Bunting, Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Nightingale (h), Serin, White Wagtail, Red Rumped Swallow, Goldfinch, Coal Tit, Raven, Tree Sparrow, Griffon Vulture, Cetti’s Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Dipper, Chaffinch, Golden Oriole (h), Reed Warbler (h), Crested Tit, Booted Eagle, Alpine Swift, Chough, Crag Martin, Sub Alpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Egyptian Vulture, Kestrel, Woodchat Shrike, Bee Eater, Magpie, Spotless Starling.

It had been a real pleasure for Yanina and I to provide this trip for such great people and we´d love to welcome them back to Valencia soon.

Written by David Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.