6th October 2022
It had been some time since Paul, a retired farmer from the UK, had contacted me to arrange a day’s birding at Albufera so it was a pleasure to finally meet him. He was taking a break with family and friends in the city of Valencia and was keen to include a birding trip in his plans. The long, hot summer is finally coming to an end, and as always in early autumn, we´ve had a few storms lately. The forecast for the day of our trip included an amber warning for heavy rain, but knowing that such weather can be very localised, we opted to meet as planned. I collected Paul from his hotel under a grey sky, and as we made the short drive to Albufera, it did indeed rain quite heavily. However, as soon as we parked the car and got out, the rain stopped!
Common Sandpiper
Our first site – a small, protected wetland reserve gave us views of Dunlin, Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Black Winged Stilt and Greater Flamingo. Wildfowl included Shelduck and Shoveler. This is a great time for watching waders throughout the Valencia region, so once in the next hide we could add Black Tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper and Ruff to the list. A stroll through the forest gave us views of Chiffchaff (largely a winter visitor to the area), Black Redstart and Short Toed Treecreeper.
Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt
Happy with the morning so far, and even happier that the weather was holding, we drove across the park to another reserve. The deep puddles that we had to drive through underlined that it had rained heavily here, but once again it had stopped just before we arrived! The first lagoon held a group of Glossy Ibis and Little Egret, and Paul spotted a couple of Spoonbills amongst them. We used the shelter of a hide under which to have lunch, and whilst we did so, we had good views of Marsh Harrier and a few recently arrived Teal (also a winter visitor here).
Glossy Ibis and Little Egret
As we headed out of the reserve, a large flock of birds in flight caught our attention, so we got out of the car to take a closer look. They were indeed Night Herons, providing a spectacular sight as they circled above the extensive reed beds. A drive across the rice fields gave more views of Marsh Harrier as well as the usual huge numbers of Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Grey Heron. Closer attention revealed Snipe and a few Great Egrets.
Marsh Harrier
We drew to the day to a close by visiting a coastal lagoon where I was keen for Paul to see Audouin’s Gull. We were in luck, as one was resting by the shore, surrounded by Little Stint and Dunlin. As is so often the case, the day had a fitting finale in store, as just when we were deciding to stroll back to the car, a Booted Eagle passed low overhead, giving excellent views.
Audouin’s Gull and Little Stint
It had been a pleasure to meet Paul, a knowledgeable birder and very interesting person, whose company I’d thoroughly enjoyed. We’d seen some great birds together, and had even managed to make it through the day without getting wet!
The species list for the day included……
Black Winged Stilt, Greater Flamingo, Dunlin, Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Mallard, Shoveler, Shelduck, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Ruff, Black Tailed Godwit, Little Egret, Wood Pigeon, Spotless Starling, Common Sandpiper, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Grey Plover, Avocet, Short Toed Treecreeper, Great Tit, Black Redstart, Glossy Ibis, Gadwall, Spoonbill, Whinchat, Teal, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, House Sparrow, Yellow Legged Gull, Snipe, Common Starling, Great Egret, Black Headed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Black Necked Grebe, Ringed Plover, Booted Eagle, Blackbird, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Monk Parakeet.
Written by Dave Warrington.