This time of year is always really exciting, as the spring migration is getting underway, so new arrivals are always popping up – be they summer visitors or birds on passage. There are still a few winter visitors hanging around too, which always add to the enjoyment of birding here in March.
Audouin’s Gull
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne, a very well travelled and keen American birder, and of spending a day exploring one of Valencia’s many coastal wetlands with her. We made the short trip from the city and were soon on the beach, watching Audouin’s Gulls, a passing Hoopoe and a Black Redstart. As we strolled up the coast, watching over a lagoon we had views of Shoveler, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, Teal and a Garganey. Cetti’s Warblers were calling from all around us, and squabbling with each other for territory. A Kingfisher made a brief appearance, and Reed Buntings and Zitting Cisticolas were plentiful.
Zitting Cisticola
We made a stop at an observatory, again overlooking a lagoon, and set up the scope. This gave us great views of White Headed Duck and Purple Swamphen. A Reed Warbler was singing off to our left, and then Suzanne spotted a raptor which revealed itself to be an Osprey! We continued our walk along a coastal track and were delighted to get brief but quality views of a Bluethroat that stopped in front of us before heading under a bush. A Kestrel perched on a tree by the path and a few Crested Larks flew by.
Kestrel
We arrived at a hide, and scanned the water in front of us. This revealed Black Winged Stilt, more White Headed Duck and yet another highlight – Marbled Teal! Already more than happy with the birds that we’d seen, we decided to put in some effort in exploring the interior of the reserve – not as bird-rich as the coastal strip but this area often holds a few surprises, and today was not an exception! As we strolled by the edge of an extensive reed bed, movement at the base of the reeds caught my eye. We remained still and were thrilled to see a Little Crake!! I failed to get a photo as my camera unfortunately kept focussing on reeds rather than the bird, but it stayed around for a while, allowing us to get fantastic views. As I often say, some moments are simply for watching and enjoying!
White Headed Duck
We had lunch in another hide, watching Marsh Harriers gliding low over the reeds before continuing our walk. House Martins and Barn Swallows were passing through in big numbers, often feeding amongst the Crag Martins. We kept our eyes on the sky as well as the surrounding trees, and were thrilled to see a large bird heading north – a White Stork! This was soon followed by a Booted Eagle and three Common Buzzards, all circling over the pastures. As we neared the end of the track, and of the trip, a Green Sandpiper made a brief appearance, and then the day revealed one more surprise – a small group of Common Waxbills!
The day had been very special indeed, and we’d seen some amazing birds. All of this within 30 minutes drive of Spain’s third city, Valencia. It had been a pleasure to meet Suzanne and I very much look forward to hearing of her future birding travels!
The species list for day included…
Collared Dove, Hoopoe, Marsh Harrier, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Audoin’s Gull, Black Redstart, Little Egret, Cormorant, Black Headed Gull, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Shoveler, Coot, Little Grebe, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Glossy Ibis, Cetti’s Warbler, White Headed Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Garganey, Teal, Common Reed Warbler (h), Avocet, Purple Swamphen, White Wagtail, Osprey, Reed Bunting, Yellow Legged Gull, Bluethroat, Marbled Teal, Kestrel, Crested Lark, Black Winged Stilt, Zitting Cisticola, Stonechat, House Martin, Little Crake, Moorhen, White Stork, Booted Eagle, Wood Pigeon, Barn Swallow, Crag Martin, Green Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit, European Goldfinch, Mallard, Magpie, Common Snipe, Common Buzzard, Cattle Egret, Greenfinch, Common Waxbill.
Written by Dave Warrington.