I recently provided a 2 day birding break in Valencia for a couple of returning clients from my home town of Sheffield. It was fantastic to welcome Jonathan and Caroline back to Valencia and to spend these days together with them. They first came last autumn when they visited the wetlands of Albufera de Valencia and the mountains with us. They were keen to see Albufera again, but in winter and also wanted to visit the steppe, in particular to see Great Bustards. This time they were visiting with friends and were combining a cultural city break with a couple of days of birding.
Glossy Ibis feeding in flooded rice fields of Albufera
On day one, we made the short trip to Albufera, and started birding as soon as we began the journey by watching a Booted Eagle who has made Valencia port his winter home this year. We then visited a reserve area where we sat in a couple of hides for a while and enjoyed views of Shelduck, Teal, Marsh Harrier and more Booted Eagles.
Male Teal – a common but spectacular bird
We then spent a little time watching a rice field that held plenty of Snipe and in the surrounding reeds we saw Tree Sparrows, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher. A Hoopoe came to forage right next to the car giving excellent views and Crag Martins were feeding in the air above us.
Hoopoe
Other rice fields gave views of Great Egret, Cattle Egret and Little Egret plus Meadow Pipit and Water Pipit. Glossy Ibis were around in their thousands, often feeding with huge flocks of Black Headed Gulls and Lesser Blacked Backed Gulls.
Little Egrets and Grey Herons were around in huge numbers
The next reserve gave good views of Purple Swamphen and then on drive back towards Valencia we enjoyed views of Lapwings, Stonechat and a Black-necked Grebe.
Purple Swamphen
Despite very windy conditions, we had a great day with some quality views of some great birds. The species list for the day included…
Mallard, Shelduck, Shoveler, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Crag Martin, Teal, Serin, Snipe, Chiffchaff, Crag Martin, Tree Sparrow, White Wagtail, Hoopoe, Collared Dove, Magpie, Cormorant, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Moorhen, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Meadow Pipit, Spotless Starling, Water Pipit, Yellow Legged Gull, Stonechat, Goldfinch, Purple Swamphen, Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lapwing, Common Starling, Greenfinch, Black Redstart, Grey Wagtail, Robin.
Day two was to be spent up on the steppe, so we had a slightly earlier start and made the comfortable drive into the interior of the region. Once up there we enjoyed a brief coffee stop during which we discussed the target birds of the day. Great Bustards would be “lifers” for Jonathan and Caroline so they were to be the obvious priority.
Calandra Lark
Our first stop at a vantage point overlooking the surrounding fields gave views or Crested Lark, Calandra Lark and an Iberian Grey Shrike – not a bad start to the day. Before moving on, I advised Jonathan and Caroline to keep a close eye on the fields by the roadside as we´d recently seen Great Bustards in this area. After just a few minutes, Jonathan asked me to stop as he´d spotted something off to the left. We parked the car and took a look, and indeed he´d spotted a group of over twenty male Great Bustards! It´s always a very special moment when people see lifers, and this was certainly the case today. The birds were in great condition as we´re not far off their display period plus the winter morning light was beautiful. We remained there for a good while enjoying fabulous views.
Great Bustards
With the main target achieved, we made our way to a lagoon where we found a relatively sheltered spot and enjoyed views of Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Marsh Harrier. The wind was increasing in strength so we opted for a drive across the steppe on the farm tracks. We had a brief sighting of a Green Woodpecker but excellent views of a small flock of Thekla Lark right next to the car. Some ruined buildings gave views of Rock Sparrow and Black Redstart.
Rock Sparrow
As we drove along the tracks, we were delighted to see yet more Great Bustards on at least three more occasions, taking the day´s total to over sixty birds. We also enjoyed seeing Little Owl on one of the rock piles that they regularly inhabit.
Spot the Little Owl!
Despite the unusually strong winds which made the birding quite challenging, we´d seen the key target species and what´s more we´d had quality views. Therefore, more than happy with the days sightings, we made the journey back to sea level where Jonathan and Caroline were to enjoy a few more days in Valencia, visiting the historical quarter, the fabulous Central Market and the beach.
It had been a pleasure to see them again. They´ve become fans of this fabulous city and with so many great birding sites within such easy reach, I hope to welcome them back again soon.
The species list for the day included…
Crested Lark, Calandra Lark, Iberian Grey Shrike, Kestrel, Common Starling, Great Bustard, Common Buzzard, Magpie, House Sparrow, Crow, Black Redstart, Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Coot, Marsh Harrier, Rock Sparrow, Red Crested Pochard, Thekla Lark, Green Woodpecker, Lapwing, Little Owl, Common Sandpiper, Chaffinch, Great Tit.
Written by David Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.