Raptor expert and falconer Paul contacted me earlier in the year to arrange a birding trip to the mountains of Valencia during his short break in the city. The day finally arrived, and coincided with a heatwave across the Iberian peninsula! We spoke a few days prior to the trip to ensure that we would take all necessary precautions, and decided to go ahead!
Paul from the UK, a passionate raptor expert
We enjoyed a comfortable journey from Valencia, heading inland for around an hour unti we arrived at a historical hill-village where we had a morning coffee with the locals prior to beginning the birding. The trip involves a short walk, which we opted to do at the beginning of the day, before it got too hot.
Our stroll through a riverside forest gave us plenty of opportunities to listen to the song of Nightingale, Cetti´s Warbler and Golden Oriole, and gave us views of Spotted Flycatcher, Rock Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler, Blackcap, Serin and Melodious Warbler.
Spotted Flycatcher
We returned to the car and drove further up the valley where we parked in the shade of some pines and scanned a cliff in front of us. We had great views of Alpine Swift, such a magnificent flyer, as well as Raven and Griffon Vultures.
Our next stop was another, much bigger cliff which provides breeding habitat for many mountain birds. We set up a couple of folding chairs in a shady spot under the trees, put the scope on its tripod and began to enjoy the show. It was getting quite warm by now, so we ensured that we drank pleny of water. We found an Egyptian Vulture sitting in the shade of a small cave entrance, obviously trying to keep cool. Griffon Vultures were also congregating on ledges wherever they could get out of the sun, whilst Choughs, Crag Martins and yet more Alpine Swifts were all flying across the rock face. A pair of Peregrines soon made an appearance, as did a Common Buzzard.
Egyptian Vulture
We were getting a little hungry by now, so we moved our “base camp” into the shade of the forest, and enjoyed lunch, chatting and watching a group of Long Tailed Tits passing through from tree to tree.
After lunch, we cooled the car for a few minutes before driving off road through an area of highland almond groves, where we saw a family of Jays, a male Stonechat and suddenly a pair of Booted Eagles that circled very low overhead, giving excellent views. Not a bad selection, given that the temperature had now reached 38 degrees and most birds were hiding in the shade!
Booted Eagle
We headed for a lofty mountain peak which often gives excellent views of Griffon Vultures in flight, sometimes at eye-level or below. This really is spectacular sight, not one to be forgotten. We waited for around fifteen minutes until the first Griffon appeared, firstly gliding past at eye level before catching a thermal and climbing quickly into the blue sky. We were fortunate enough to see five more Griffon Vultures, all gliding past and circling above us. It was wonderful to be able to share this experience with Paul, whose passion for raptors was so clear.
Griffon Vulture
More than happy with the day, especially given the heat, we returned to the car and headed down the mountain pass back to valley level. As we approached the car, a small, short-tailed bird came to rest on a wall, although quite distant, we had reasonable views and soon identified it as a Woodlark.
A (distant!) Woodlark
As we neared the bottom of the pass, on the outskirts of the village, we were checking the telephone wires for perching birds. The heat meant that there wasn’t much around, but we did end the day with nice views of a very smart Black Eared Wheatear.
We’d made the absolute best of the day, and as always, effort had been rewarded with some very special birding moments. It had been a great pleasure to get to know Paul and to spend the day with him. Our species list for the day included…
Spotted Flycatcher, Cetti’s Warbler (h), Nightingale (h), Golden Oriole (h), Common Swift, House Martin, Rock Sparrow, Goldfinch, Griffon Vulture, Raven, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Blackcap, Melodious Warbler, Great Tit, Alpine Swift, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Egyptian Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Chough, Crag Martin, Common Buzzard, Jay, Wood Pigeon, Stonechat, Booted Eagle, Woodlark, Black Eared Wheatear, Black Redstart.
Written by Dave Warrington.