Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain Valencia Birding Blog

Press Trip to the Valencia Region

Earlier this month Yanina and I were privileged and delighted to be involved in organising and guiding a press trip to the Valencian Community. We have long since known that our region is one of the “hidden jewels” of European birding. Although not so well known, once clients visit our region, the majority return, impressed by the habitat diversity, ease of travel and the amazing bird life that this region offers. As part of ongoing work to highlight our region as a top birding destination, with the support of Turespaña and the Agencia Valenciana de Turisme, Patronato de Turismo Valencia and Patronato de Turismo Costa Blanca a press trip was organised and a selection of key players from the world of birding journalism and media were invited. Our guests were David Callahan (Birdwatch magazine), David Chandler (Bird Watching UK magazine), David Lindo (The Urban Birder), Niklas Aronsson (Swedish Bird Life magazine), Jeff Baker (BTO) and Richard Collins (The Irish Examiner). Valencia Birding, together with the Asociación de Guías de Birding de la Comunidad Valenciana and Avanzatours were proud to be the guides for the trip. Time was limited as we…

Birding in the mountains of Valencia.

We´ve recently provided a number of trips that have taken in the virtually unknown mountainous interior of the Valencia region. Within an hour´s drive of the beautiful Mediterranean city of Valencia lies a vast and rugged region that provides habitat for some very special birds. The exceptionally low human population density and the natural characteristics of our inland sierras means that for wildlife in general, this is a fascinating place. We´re constantly surprised at the bird life this area offers. On our recent trips, the forested hills and river valleys have given us excellent views of some favourites such as Dipper, Golden Oriole, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Melodious Warbler, Bee Eater, Red Rumped Swallow and Woodchat Shrike. We then usually move slightly higher into the forested highlands, often in excess of 700m above sea level. This is where we see some fabulous species including Firecrest, Crested Tit and Sub-alpine Warbler. As we climb even higher towards 900 metres above sea level, we find some spectacular mountain scenery – rock pinnacles, buttresses and huge cliff walls. These hold some specialist mountain bird species, some of which are not often associated with this…

Guided Bird Watching on the Steppe of Eastern Spain

Last week I had the pleasure to provide a guided bird watching trip to the steppe for two experienced birders from Poland. They brought with them a wish list of target species for this habitat, so we focused the trip on that. After I collected them from the railway station in Valencia, we drove for around an hour to the magnificent plains that provide a variety of habitat including cultivated fields of different cereals and vineyards, inland brackish lagoons and wooded areas, the perfect habitat for Little Bustard, White-headed Duck and Great Spotted Cuckoo … our goal for the day. The first stop was by an irrigation pond, where we had good views of nesting Avocet, Great Reed Warbler, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck and Black-winged Stilt. Next stop was at a vantage point on top of a hill, which gave the chance to enjoy stunning views of Little Owl, Black Kite and Crested Lark. After a short drive, we arrived at a lagoon where we expected to spot one of the wish list species… White-headed Duck. We were delighted to get good views of a pair of this beautiful bird. During the evening,…

Birding with a city break in Valencia.

Last week I was delighted to see returning clients Kelvin and Katy from UK, and to provide a day of guided birding for them at one of our region´s wetland sites. Last year they had enjoyed a trip with us to Albufera de Valencia and had been impressed with the bird life of the area. They had also fallen in love with the enchanting city of Valencia and vowed to return! Return they did, and after discussing what they´d like to see, we headed for the wetlands. Kelvin works for the RSPB in the south of England, and is a knowledgeable birder. Katy is a keen nature lover, and for her today was all the more special as it was her birthday! After meeting outside the cathedral in central Valencia we made the short trip to the reserve. The day began with a walk beside some coastal salt lagoons, where we watched Common Reed Warbler and heard Cetti´s Warbler in the surrounding reeds. We were pleased to see a pair of Turtle Doves too. As we watched the first lagoon we had superb views of a Purple Heron flying low…

Bird watching in Alicante

Late last month I had the pleasure to provide a day of guided bird watching for a lovely group of four clients from UK. Two were spending time at their holiday home and the other couple were there as guests. Two had an interest in nature in general whilst the other couple were extremely experienced birders and had worked in guiding and conservation in Africa. We began our trip at a superb coastal wetland reserve area where we enjoyed watching Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal, both subjects of successful conservation programs here in Spain. We then moved further into the reserve where we had great views of Squacco Heron, Great Reed Warbler, Little Tern and Whiskered Tern. With a little patience we were also able to enjoy views of Purple Swamphen and Little Bittern. As we continued the walk, something unusual caught our eye as we watched a large flock of Swifts feeding overhead. An Alpine Swift was feeding with them, probably a result of cloudy and wet weather in the mountains nearby. We then spent the rest of the morning in a couple of hides from where we had…

3-day birding break with free time around Valencia

We were recently especially gratified to be able to design and provide a tailor-made birding break for returning clients from UK. They first came on multi-day birding trip with us a few years ago, and had indeed tried to organise a return visit a couple of years later. However, shortly before the trip, one of the group was suddenly taken very seriously ill. After a really tough time with very dangerously complex health issues, we were delighted to receive news that an amazing recovery had been made and that they wanted to arrange a birding trip with us! This was going to be a unique trip as they wanted a 7-day holiday that would include 3 days of guided birding and some free days to enjoy the local culture and to relax. We came up with a plan and designed what was hopefully exactly what they were looking for! They arrived at Valencia airport on a fairly early flight which gave us ample time to make the journey to Banyeres de Mariola, stopping on the way for lunch in a local farming village. They were to spend the first half…