I was recently delighted to provide a bird watching trip for a couple from England. They are good friends of a friend and regular client of Valencia Birding, so I was keen to meet them. Experienced birders, they were interested in a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia.
The weather forecast was not too promising but we managed to escape the rain and enjoyed the birdlife of this fabulous wetland.
After I collected them from their hotel in Valencia City, we drove straight to the Northern area of the park where there were some ploughed rice paddies, ideal for Flamingo, Whiskered Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and many more waders.
Next stop was to the main reserve area of the Natural Park, first we visited the information centre, a good way to start understanding why this area is so important for migrants. Then after a short walk we arrived at the observatory where we enjoyed great views of Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Stint and waterfowl.
On our way to the picnic lunch area we stopped in a bar of El Palmar to buy a sandwich to take. We were a heading to the picnic area when we were forced to stop after a Little Bittern flew right in front of the car and landed in the rice fields.
Once we arrived for lunch we spotted a Purple Heron, Marsh Harrier and Glossy Ibis in the rice paddies next to us.
After lunch we did a short walk to the observatory tower, the target species being Purple Swamphen which we saw, as well as Turtle Dove – a very special bird.
Purple Swamphen
To end the day we a headed to a special protected area beside the sea where we enjoyed fantastic views of Black Tern, Little Tern, Audouin’s Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Kentish Plover and Black-necked Grebe.
It was an exciting day with good birds and even better company.
The species list of the day includes…
Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Greater Flamingo, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Common Woodpigeon, European Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Purple Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Dunlin, Little Stint, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Bittern, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Magpie, Crested Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Eurasian Blackbird, Spotless Starling, European Serin, House Sparrow.