Having being based in the beautiful old town of Xativa for the first half of their break, Alan and Jeanette now moved to Valencia for a few days where they stayed in the historical quarter of the city. We had two more days of birding together, and as the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia is so huge, we opted to spend both days there, focussing on different parts (and therefore habitats) each day.
Spoonbill
On day one we focussed on the rice fields and canals first which gave us the chance to see Spoonbill, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret and huge numbers of Glossy Ibis. We also had the pleasure of watching large flocks of Greater Flamingo flying across the park. A small lagoon that we visited held Purple Swamphen.
Cattle Egret
In the afternoon we spent some time beside the Albufera Lake where highlights included Audouin’s Gull, Whiskered Tern and Sandwich Tern, all of which breed here in Valencia.
Audouin´s Gull
On our final day we visited one of the park’s reserve areas where we had great views of Mediterranean Gull which were within a mixed colony that also included Black Headed Gulls and Common Terns. We drove across the park towards the coast and on the way stopped to watch a flock of Gull Billed Terns that was clearly on passage through the area. A narrow canal held a Squacco Heron and we also saw the first of the year’s Purple Heron.
Squacco Heron
We ended the day at a coastal lagoon where we strolled by the shore, finally arriving at the beach. This brought the trip to a lovely finale with views of Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Slender Billed Gull and a Sanderling.
Kentish Plover
We then made the short journey to Valencia where I left Jeanette and Alan to enjoy their final night in the city. It had been an absolute pleasure for me to have designed this trip and then to spend these days with them. I hope they retrurn to the UK with many happy memories and I look forward to seeing them later in the year.
The species list for our days at Albufera included…
Collared Dove, Serin, Swift, Zitting Cisticola, Tree Sparrow, Spoonbill, Great Crested Grebe, Sandwich Tern, White Wagtail, Coot, Whiskered Tern, Chiffchaff, Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt, Redshank, House Sparrow, Black Headed Gull, Moorhen, Shelduck, Mediterranean Gull, Common Tern, Yellow Legged Gull, Common Pochard, Kestrel, Magpie, Barn Swallow, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Mallard, Grey Heron, Squacco Heron, Gull Billed Tern, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, House Martin, Marsh Harrier, Audouin’s Gull, Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Slender Billed Gull, Sanderling, Greenshank.
Written by Dave Warrington.