Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain Valencia Birding Blog

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 4 (Steppe & Lagoons)

The plan for the day was to leave the lovely guest house L´Alqueria del Pilar in Banyeres, spend the day on the high steppe of Castilla de la Mancha and then travel onwards to Valencia, where the group would spend the next 3 nights. It was quite a windy and cold day although this is to be expected in February and at such altitude. Most of the area that we were to visit is above 900 metres above sea level. Our first stop beside an area of flood water gave views of Snipe, Little Ringed Plover and Lapwing. Spotless Starlings were perched on some nearby wires and a Water Pipit was feeding along the shoreline. Our next lagoon gave views of Shoveler, Pintail, Gadwall and Red Knobbed Coot. The surrounding farmland held Rock Sparrow, Skylark, Crested Lark and Corn Bunting. We then moved on to another lagoon that often has a surprise in store. We were indeed fortunate again in this super spot….as well as the usual Flamingoes, Marsh Harrier and Little Grebes, we had great views of a Golden Eagle as it passed low overhead. Happy with our species…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante)

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante) The plan for our third day was to drive to the coast at the southern end of the province of Alicante and visit one of the region´s premium wetland reserves. After a drive of around one hour from Banyeres de Mariola, we arrived at the reserve. Although a little breezy, the weather was fine. After a brief chat with the reserve warden we looked out onto the first small lagoon where we were fortunate to see some of the Red Knobbed Coots that are part of a release programme. This extremely rare bird has its European stronghold along the Valencian coast and much work has been done to protect it. We then walked along a boardwalk across another lagoon where we had great views of Purple Swamphen (another conservation success story for Valencia). The first hide of the day gave views of Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe and another very rare species, the Marbled Teal. Cetti´s Warbler were singing in the surrounding scrub and Stonechats and Sardinian Warbler were also seen. The next hide gave views of Green Sandpiper,…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 2 (Mountains & High Forest)

Day 2 – Mountains & High Forest. Following yesterday´s long day and many hours of travelling for our clients, we designed the second day such that there would be very little time spent in the car. Within a very short drive of Banyeres de Mariola are some wonderful high forested hills and rocky peaks. They were to be our chosen habitats for today. At over 1000 metres above sea level, the high forests of the region have beautifully clean air and provide habitat for some very special birds. Strangely enough, in this area you´re more likely to see a Crested Tit than a Blue Tit! We began our walk up through a steep forested area, stopping to watch Great Tit, Coal Tit, Crested Tit and indeed a Blue Tit. A Hawfinch flew past, giving brief but clear views. Our walk took us past an area where there´s usually a pair of Bonelli´s Eagle but unfortunately we didn´t see them this time. We did however enjoy views of Siskin, Serin and Short Toed Treecreeper. We then drove across the valley to a spectacular rocky gorge where we parked the van and…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 1 (Salt Marshes & Lagoons)

The huge habitat diversity of the Valencia region of Spain allows us to provide a superb 7 days birding holiday. In late February of this year, we were fortunate to deliver exactly that for Gourmet Birds, a well established specialist bird watching holiday provider from UK. We´d worked very closely with them to design a bespoke trip, taking in some of the region´s best birding venues and carefully selected accommodation to hopefully result in a memorable trip. Day 1 – Salt Marshes and Lagoons The group arrived relatively early into Alicante airport. Therefore, without wanting to make the first day too long, we did choose to spend a few hours birding at a couple of the salt marshes that are situated within very easy reach of the airport. The usual Flamingoes were feeding on the salt marshes in huge numbers, providing a striking welcome to Spain for our guests! As we strolled by the first lagoons, we also enjoyed views of Audouin´s Gull, Little Stint, Shelduck, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart. We were also treated to views of three Spoonbills in flight. We then moved on to another site that…

Spring has arrived in Valencia!

Early this week we had a great day of guided birding with a lovely couple from UK. They were taking a break in Valencia and wanted to see the diverse bird life of this superb area. As the spring migration is now well and truly underway, we visited one of our favourite coastal wetlands, a site that offers crucial resting and feeding grounds for thousands of migratory birds. This time of year is always very exciting as new species are arriving daily. Today was no exception. Some of the most interesting resident species included Penduline Tit, Booted Eagle, Purple Swamphen and Audouin´s Gull. We were lucky to enjoy good views of a favourite winter visitor that´s still here…the Bluethroat. However, maybe the surprises of the day were the new arrivals and the birds on passage. These included Red Rumped Swallow, Whinchat, Reed Warbler, Sub Alpine Warbler and Pied Flycatcher. Barn Swallows and House Martins were also constantly passing through in huge numbers It´s such a pleasure to share days like these with our clients and to show them some of the amazing bird life of Valencia. The species list for…

3 Day Birding Break

February of this year proved to be a very busy month, with many clients from Northern Europe having organised winter birding trips with us. The combination of a little sunshine, some fascinating winter visitors and the anticipation of early spring migrants can make late February a very attractive time to visit the Valencia region. One of our trips was provided for the Ornithological Society of Northern Ireland. We had designed a 3 day trip that took in diverse habitat including steppe, coastal wetlands and the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. They had spent a few nights at the beautifully converted farmhouse of L´Alqueria del Pilar in the village of Banyeres de Mariola in inland Alicante. On our first day, from there we made the easy journey up to the highland steppe of Castilla de la Mancha. Day 1 – Steppe At over 900 metres above sea level, this can be a very cold region to explore in winter but with adequate clothing and planning it makes for a wonderful birding venue. One of our first species was the magnificent Great Bustard, specifically a group of over 20 males. We stopped…