Last week, I enjoyed a great trip with Ville from Finland. A very experienced birder and professional biologist, he was in Valencia for a conference and had extended his stay to include a day on the steppe. He was particularly keen to see Great Bustard as he´d never seen it before. We also added White Headed Duck to the list of target species as this would also be a “lifer” for him.
Birding on the steppe
Having made the comfortable drive from Valencia, I was happy to discover that Ville was keen to have a coffee before we began our birding! We did so and then started by making a couple of stops to scan the vast fields. Our first stop gave good views of Crested Lark and Iberian Grey Shrike.
Iberian Grey Shrike
Some old farm buildings provided sightings of Rock Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Corn Bunting and Spotless Starling. We then stopped by a small lagoon to watch Gadwall, Shoveler, Black Necked Grebe and a few Lapwings. Then, as we scanned the surrounding fields again, we were delighted to see Great Bustard! There were 4 males quite some way off, but with the scope we could see them quite well. As this was the key species of the day, I was hopeful of getting better views. Great Bustards tend to be very wary of humans, so I didn´t want to get any closer to them as that would have surely disturbed them. So, instead, we headed for the tracks that cross the high steppe.
Great Bustards
On the way, we paused at another lagoon where we were very happy to get views not only of Ruff, Snipe and Black-winged Stilt, but also of White Headed Duck.
White Headed Duck
Our exploration of the high steppe didn´t reveal any more Great Bustards but we did get good views of Little Owl and Wheatear.
Little Owl
Time was marching on so we opted to take to a farm track which leads to an area that is usually quite reliable for Great Bustard. This time our patience and effort was rewarded – with a group of 5 male Great Bustards, strolling through some scrub. They gave better views than those of the morning, so proved a fitting end to the day.
Wheatear
Satisfied with our sightings, we headed back to Valencia where Ville was to spend his final evening of the trip before heading on to Barcelona and then back to Finland. It had been a pleasure to spend the day with him, and to hear of the work that he carries out in Helsinki.
The species of the day included…
Magpie, Carrion Crow, Common Buzzard, Crested Lark, Iberian Grey Shrike, Marsh Harrier, White Wagtail, Barn Swallow, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Corn Bunting, Spotless Starling, Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Hoopoe, Kestrel, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Black Necked Grebe, Lapwing, Great Bustard, Yellow Wagtail, Pochard, White Headed Duck, Ruff, Black Winged Stilt, Snipe, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon, Greater Flamingo, Coot, Little Owl, Linnet, Wheatear, Raven.
Written by Dave Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.