Thanks to the support of our clients, we´re delighted to report that we´ve just received our 50th 5-Star review on Trip Advisor. Sincere thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post such kind words. Best wishes, Dave & Yanina.
We always are keen to provide birding trips for families in Valencia. Last Friday Dave and I had the pleasure to provide a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for a family from England. Steve is an experienced birder, and he and his wife were visiting his son Adam in Valencia where he is studying. After we collected them from their apartment we went to Albufera de Valencia Natural Park as they interested in seeing the bird life of the region´s wetlands. First stop was in a reserve area, after a short walk through the forest we were in the hide with great views of hundreds of waders, Black-winged Stilts, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plovers… all of which suddenly took flight when a Marsh Harrier came in low over the lagoon. The next hide was located in front of another lagoon that held plenty of waterfowl including Teal, Red Crested Pochard and Shoveler. We also had a great view of a Black-necked Grebe. Before leaving the centre we decided to climb the observation tower to enjoy greats views of l’Albufera lake and the Devesa forest. Next stop was…
This video of a Bittern in Valencia was taken during a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia with clients of USA. It is fantastic to see this endangered species thriving here in this internationally important wetland.
Yanina and I have recently provided a couple of days of guided birding for clients from Paris. They had planned a winter break in this beautiful city and had previously contacted us to arrange a 2 day birding break in Valencia as part of their trip. We´d discussed the best options for this time of year, and had agreed upon a day in Albufera and the coastal wetlands, followed by a day exploring the steppe and lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha. They were well travelled and experienced birders and were eager to see what this area offers. The truth is that we had a couple of fabulous days…both of which held some amazing surprises! Day 1 – Albufera & Coastal Wetlands Having collected Christine and Alastair from central Valencia, we drove to Albufera where together with Yanina, we went into one of the park´s restricted reserve areas. Whilst driving through the flooded rice paddies, we had great views of Glossy Ibis, Great Egret and Southern Grey Shrike, indeed a good start to the day. Once in the reserve, we stopped to scan over a small lagoon and enjoyed views…
Here´s a brief clip of a White Stork in Albufera de Valencia. The spring and autumn migration periods are fascinating here as the site is located right on a major fly-way. Each year, some fascinating species drop in to rest and feed on their journeys to and from Africa…
One vital aspect of our work as guides is to know intimately our area; what´s where and when. We´re operating constantly around the many sites that surround Valencia so we´re always “in touch”. However, we´ll soon be welcoming a small group who have booked a multi-day trip that will take in sites close to both Valencia and Alicante. Although the Alicante region is very familiar to us (we have a small operating base there), it´s been a few weeks since we were guiding there. So, in readiness for our next trip, last week Yanina and I spent a couple of days bird watching in Alicante, to update ourselves on what´s around, to chat to some of the rangers, and to check out a new hide. We´d also planned to drop in at a traditional guest house with whom we work to finalise plans for another group who are soon to stay there. It´s always a pleasure to operate in Alicante, especially in some of the region´s virtually unknown inland sites. Many of our clients opt for a bespoke multi-day trip that combines bird watching in Alicante followed by a few days…
