Last week I was delighted to meet Albert, a scientist from Illinois, USA who had contacted us to arrange a day trip to the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. He wasn´t an avid lister, but had a passion for birds and as this was his first birding trip to Spain, we chose to aim for quality views of the most “important” species.
Sardinian Warbler
We began our trip at a reserve area where we had great views of a male Sardinian Warbler, Black Redstart and Marsh Harrier. We then moved to a different hide from where we watched Black Winged Stilt, Ruff, Teal and Crag Martins which were feeding in the air above us. Our walk back through the forest gave views of Long Tailed Tit and Firecrest.
Firecrest
We then headed across the rice fields, generally exploring the park. This part of the trip included sightings of Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis and a Green Sandpiper. After a coffee break, we drove further into the park and made a brief stop to explore a flooded area. From here we were really pleased to enjoy great views of a White Stork.
White Stork
Our next stop was at a small reserve which has a small lagoon that´s fed from a freshwater spring, providing extremely clear water. This is always good for Coot and Little Grebe but today the area gave us excellent views of raptors – firstly a male Marsh Harrier in flight, then a Booted Eagle feeding on a recently caught Moorhen, and finally a Common Buzzard, resting on the ground in a field.
Booted Eagle
We continued our exploration of the rice paddies, which eventually gave us spectacular views of a bird that we´d been hoping to see all day – Greater Flamingo. We drove down a track and parked behind an old barn so as not to disturb the birds, and from there were treated to views of a huge flock of thousands. From the same point, we saw Lapwings together with Grey Plover.
Shot of a small section of a huge flock of Greater Flamingo
We ended the day at a small lagoon where in the beautiful evening light we watched Black Necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Greenshank.
It had been yet another great day at Albufera, made even better by such good company. Should Albert´s work bring him to Valencia again, I hope that we´ll be able to enjoy more of the region´s bird life together.
The species list for the day included…
Sardinian Warbler, Robin, Mallard, Magpie, Black Winged Stilt, Kingfisher, Black Redstart, Marsh Harrier, Crag Martin, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Ruff, Teal, Long Tailed Tit, Firecrest, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Black Headed Gull, Little Egret, Tree Sparrow, Glossy Ibis, Great Egret, White Wagtail, Kestrel, White Stork, Cormorant, Green Sandpiper, Starling, Spotless Starling, Booted Eagle, Iberian Grey Shrike, House Sparrow, Stonechat, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Lapwing, Greater Flamingo, Grey Plover, Hoopoe, Black Necked Grebe, Greenshank, Great Crested Grebe.
Written by Dave Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.