At the end of last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Liu and Chung from Singapore who were travelling around Spain on a bird photography holiday. Prior to their departure, we´d had various email exchanges, after which they´d opted to include a few days in Valencia and specifically to do a two-day trip with me, one day in a photo-hide and the other day out in the field.
Golden Eagle
On Day 1, we had quite an early start as we had to drive to the mountains of the interior of Valencia to reach a photography hide designed to provide the opportunity to photograph the mighty Golden Eagle. Once inside the hide, we had to wait a few hours, but we remained hopeful. As we were waiting, we were treated to several visits by Dartford Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and Robin, all of which came very close to the hide, allowing for some great photo opportunities. More unexpectedly, after hearing her calling, a female Iberian Green Woodpecker came to perch in front of the hide too!
Iberian Green Woodpecker
Suddenly, a dark shape appeared low in the sky to the right of the hide. Indeed it was the Golden Eagle. He flew across the front of the hide and disappeared, before returning a few minutes later to feed. He remained in front of the hide for around an hour, giving some excellent photo opportunities. When one spends time so close to such a magnificent animal, it’s always an emotional experience, and today was no exception – once the bird had flow away, we eventually left the hide awestruck. Once back down at valley level we stopped in a village for a coffee and a snack, celebrating the morning’s success. We tried briefly to get a few shots of songbirds but the sun was already very low in the sky, so we decided to head back to Valencia. Tomorrow we would visit the wetlands…
Golden Eagle
On Day 2 we began the morning at one of the reserves within the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. The light conditions were superb, and both Liu and Chung were able to get some fabulous shots of Shoveler and Teal. Then we spotted a White Headed Duck which was one of the species on their “wish list”. We saw quietly and patiently, and eventually it swam across the lagoon, arriving right in front of the hide!
White Headed Duck
We left the hide and walked back through the reserve. The guys mentioned that they would like to see Audouin´s Gull and perhaps Booted Eagle. So with that in mind we visited a coastal lagoon where we did indeed see and photograph not only Audouin’s but also Slender-billed Gull. The weather was fabulous so we decided to visit another wetland site where we could enjoy a walk and also have a better chance of seeing Booted Eagle. We collected some food on the way and sat on the beach eating lunch, watching passing Audouin’s Gulls and distant Sandwich Terns diving into the clear blue Mediterranean.
We walked along the coast, visiting a few lagoons where we were able to photograph birds including Black-winged Stilt, Greater Flamingo, Lapwing, Stonechat, Kestrel, Reed Bunting and Chiffchaff.
We then headed further inland in search of Booted Eagle, and were blessed with great views and opportunities to photograph both pale and dark morph examples. We continued driving through farmland after which we ended the day at another small lagoon where we got a few more photos of wildfowl, finishing off with views of a fox and a small group of Red-legged Partridge.
Audouin’s Gull
The two days had passed extremely quickly, and it had been a pleasure for me to spend them with Liu and Chung. I’m sure they´ll return to Singapore with some excellent shots and hopefully some happy memories too.
Written by Dave Warrington.