Our blog and social media accounts have been quiet for a few months. The reason for that is that our daughter Alya suddenly came into the world in late September – two months before she was expected.
There were some sudden and serious complications which resulted in the premature birth, but after a few weeks in an incubator and thanks to the excellent care provided by the health professionals at San Juan de Alicante hospital, we were able to bring her home in November. She’s doing great, growing fast and doing what babies do! Mum suffered some problems but I’m delighted and relieved to say that she’s doing fine now too.
So with the Valencia Birding family all back home and doing really well, I returned to work recently and was really pleased to see John again, one of our most regular clients, with whom we’ve had many birding trips over the past few years.
This time, he was joined by a friend who has also been on previous trips. We focussed our attention on Albufera de Valencia, Pego Oliva Marsh and the mountains of the interior of the region.
Black Tailed Godwits feeding in the rice fields of Albufera de Valencia
Our day in Albufera was blessed with beautiful winter sunshine so we spent the day exploring the flooded rice fields. HIghlights included mixed flocks of all the Egret species, together with Black Tailed Godwits, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Lapwing and Ruff.
Golden Plovers
We also enjoyed views of huge gatherings of both Greater Flamingo and Golden Plover. Birds of prey included Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle, both of which were around in good numbers.
Booted Eagle
After an overnight stay in Denia, we spent the following morning at Pego Oliva Marsh. This beautiful wetland site provided us with views of hundreds of Glossy Ibis, both in flight and feeding in the fields, together with Green Sandpiper. The sky was full of Crag Martins, feeding on the wing and yet more Booted Eagles were soaring over the marsh. A Zitting Cisticola spent a few minutes preening right next to us.
Pego Oliva Marsh
Zitting Cisticola
Having enjoyed the delights that the wetlands of the region provide, we then turned our attention to two areas of the mountainous interior. The highlands of this part of Spain are not so well known, but are home to some great birds and are truly spectacular. Despite the cold spell that had suddenly gripped the country, we were thrilled to see an array of mountain dwelling birds including Griffon Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle and Golden Eagle.
The highlands of Alicante, with the Mediterranean Sea in the background
It was great to make a return to action after the few weeks of paternity leave, and to have the pleasure of enjoying some fabulous places and birds with loyal clients and friends. The next few months are already shaping up to be very busy, with both day trips and many multi-day birding holidays too. More on that later!
Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.