3 day Spring birding break.

In late April I was delighted to welcome back Justin from Sheffield.  We did a trip last summer whilst he was on holiday with his family and had discussed the possibilities for a return visit.  This time he travelled alone on a short break that we´d designed together, his trip being timed to enjoy the Spring migration.

Day 1

Easter this year was a complete wash-out on much of the Mediterranean coast, and in the Valencia region it was the wettest in 74 years!  The first day of Justin´s trip was timed to perfection as it was the first dry day after 5 days of torrential rain.  We were hoping to see plenty of birds on the move, and indeed we did.  It was as if the migration “plug” had suddenly being pulled and the flow of birds was spectacular.

We spent the first day at one of the region´s wetlands, which itself is on a flyway.  The skies were full of House Martins, Barn Swallows and Swifts heading north.  The first lagoon gave great views of White Headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Whiskered Tern, Great Reed Warbler and Zitting Cisticola.  Whilst we were looking out over the water, Glossy Ibis flew by as did a small group of Spoonbills.  A Little Bittern made a brief appearance too.

Our walk along the coast gave sightings of Collared Pratincole, Booted Eagle and Stonechat and one of the coastal lagoons gave us nice views of Greater Flamingo.

At the next hide we enjoyed great views of Mediterranean Gull, Slender Billed Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern and Little Tern.

A Garganey was resting on a small island and a Curlew and Greenshank spent the morning in the lagoon.

We spent the afternoon exploring the interior of the reserve, walking through farmland and pasture with areas of reedbeds.  This is a great place for songbirds in Spring and today was no exception.  The shrubs held Willow Warbler, Tree Sparrow, Redstart, Nightingale and Subalpine Warbler.  A few Bee Eaters were passing through and we had brief but excellent views of Ortolan Bunting.

As we made our way back to the car it began to rain very slightly, but we ended the day with Hoopoe and Turtle Dove.  The species list for the day included…

House Martin, Swift, Barn Swallow, Black Winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Collared Pratincole, Grey Heron, Collared Dove, Yellow Legged Gull, White Headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Marsh Harrier, Mallard, Pochard, Cetti’s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Coot, Whiskered Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Spoonbill, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail (flavissima), Greater Flamingo, White Headed Duck, Green Sandpiper, Great Reed Warbler, Little Grebe, Little Bittern, Black Headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Moorhen, Stonechat, Booted Eagle, Slender Billed Gull, Curlew, Greenshank, Redshank, Little Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Garganey, Avocet, Magpie, Goldfinch, Shoveler, Redstart, Willow Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Snipe, Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch, Purple Heron, Little Egret, Reed Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Great Tit, Sand Martin, Bee Eater, Savi’s Warbler, Kestrel, Cattle Egret, Nightingale, Sub-alpine Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Pigeon, Ortolan Bunting, Serin, Corn Bunting (h), Turtle Dove, Hoopoe, Crested Lark.

Day 2

The weather had been a huge help on day one but quite the opposite happened on our second day.  We headed to the mountains but the recent wet weather obviously had had an effect on things and there were fewer birds than usual.  However, today was about a few specialist species rather than trying for a long list.

We got the first of the target species almost upon arrival – Black Wheatear, always great bird to see.  A Nightingale was singing from deep within a bush and Serins were seemingly everywhere.  A Booted Eagle passed overhead.

We then passed by a river where we saw Dipper and briefly Great Spotted Woodpecker.

We spent the next hour or so watching a huge cliff face where we enjoyed views of Griffon Vultures, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Chough and Buzzard.  A Short Toed Eagle flew by and came to rest in a tree for a while giving excellent views.

On the way home we called at a local village where we were hoping to see Alpine Swifts.  Sadly they hadn´t arrived yet, but our consolation was sightings of Crossbill and Bee Eaters.

The species list for the day included…

Serin, Black Wheatear, Sardinian Warbler, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Nightingale (h), Griffon Vulture, Long Tailed Tit, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Dipper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Buzzard, Short Toed Eagle, Raven, Peregrine Falcon, Chough, Crossbill, Bee Eater.

Day 3

Our third and final day was to be a long one.  Our key destination was the steppe, but on the way we made a detour and called in at Albufera de Valencia where we visited a protected reserve area.  Here we started the day with good views of Spotted Flycatcher before visiting a hide overlooking a lagoon.

From the hide we had views of Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Slender Billed Gull and Black Tailed Godwit.

We then drove inland and up onto the steppe.  It was raining a little as we arrived but it was soon to clear up.  Our first stop gave views of Iberian Green Woodpecker and one of the day´s target birds – Great Bustard.

Further exploration of the high steppe rewarded us with nice views of Stone Curlew, Little Owl and Wheatear.  We also stopped to enjoy the song and views of Calandra Lark.

On the return to Valencia we stopped at a small village that has a castle and surrounding crags.  A short walk gave us views of Crested Tit, Sardinian Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Booted Eagle.

The species list for the day included…

Spotted Flycatcher, Kestrel, Red Legged Partridge, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck, Pochard, Mallard, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Black Headed Gull, Slender Billed Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Caspian Tern, Gull Billed Tern, Turtle Dove, Black Tailed Godwit, Crested Lark, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Great Bustard, Marsh Harrier, Crow, Raven, Stone Curlew, Little Owl, Wheatear, Swift, Calandra Lark, Rock Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Crested Tit, Pied Flycatcher, Pallid Swift, Booted Eagle, Mistle Thrush, Chough, Nightingale (H), Cetti’s Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, House Sparrow, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Ring-necked Parakeet, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Coot.

We drove back to Valencia where I said goodbye to Justin at his hotel in the historical quarter of the city.  It had been a pleasure to welcome him to Valencia and to share some fabulous birding experiences together.

 

Written by David Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.