Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain Valencia Birding Blog

Returning Clients and Friends

8th & 9th April 2022 Since I established Valencia Birding over eleven and a half years ago, I’ve been blessed with many clients who have returned time and again, and have become friends. They all know who they are and it’s a privilege to know them and to design and provide trips for them. Last week I did just that for Andy and Saffia from the UK. I think it’s fair to say that they fell in love with the city of Valencia during their initial visits, and as their previous trip was cancelled as the Covid pandemic hit, it was even more special to see them this time. Andy had a list of target species which provided me with a welcome challenge, and something to design their two day birding trip around. Day 1 – Southern Wetlands. Andy was particularly keen to see Marbled Teal and Red-knobbed Coot, and this area is one of the best in Europe for these species. After a morning coffee we began our walk into a reserve, where we immediately saw Garganey, Redshank, Avocet and Glossy Ibis. Swifts, Barn Swallows, House Martins and Sand…

2-day Birding Trip from Valencia

4th & 5th April 2022 I recently had the pleasure of spending two days with Jim and Consuelo from the USA who were visiting their daughter in Valencia. As very keen birders, they were eager to include a couple of days of birding in their trip, and so we eventually opted to go for a day at the wetlands and a day in the mountains. Day 1 – Coastal Wetlands We were still suffering the after-effects of a freak weather system, and although the heavy rains had ceased, our first day was a little windy. We drove from their apartment in central Valencia and began our walk along the beach. We immediately had superb views of Audouin’s Gull, followed by Little Ringed Plover, Black-winged Stilt and a Purple Heron. Audouin’s Gull The strong winds had slowed down the previous few day’s heavy stream of Swallows, Swifts and Martins, but there were still a few around. Another recently arrived bird, Collared Pratincole were also seen in flight, as well as one that Jim spotted, sheltering from the wind behind a plant! Collared Pratincole We headed down the coast, stopping at our…

The day the rain stopped we went to the wetlands!

2nd April 2022 March 2022 was the wettest on record for over 60 years, which in some ways was a positive point as the mountains and hills of our region were previously very dry and its reservoirs were unusually low. That all changed very quickly! The prolonged wet weather had a delaying effect on migratory bird movement, so as soon as the rain stopped and the sun broke through, we were expecting a migration explosion! With perfect timing, I was delighted to meet Abhishek and Shweta from India and to spend the day with them at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. Having collected them from Valencia city, we made the short trip to the coast and began our walk. The skies were absolutely full of Barn Swallows and House Martins, amongst which were some Common and Pallid Swifts. As we walked by a few bushes on the way to the beach, we saw Serin, Stonechat and Spotless Starling, but upon reaching the shore, we had our first “target” species, Audouin’s Gull. This very elegant gull has an established breeding population in the Valencia region. Audouin’s Gull We spent a little time…

A Cloudy Day in Alicante Revealed Some Great Birds

The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally wet in the east of Spain, with some areas receiving a year’s worth of rain in around ten days! Although this bodes well for the coming spring, as water levels were unseasonally low, it hasn’t provided great conditions for birding! So, with a change of plan, last weekend I headed to the wetlands of Alicante instead of the high steppe. The trip was for David, a regular client from the UK, who I always look forward to seeing. Almost all of the region was subject to rain, but we chose a little corner of Alicante that looked to be cloudy but with very little rainfall. We expected quite a lot of mud, so after the drive to the coast, we put on wellingtons and headed out across the reserve. We immediately heard and then saw Corn Buntings, and then with an eye on the skies, enjoyed views of passing Red-rumped Swallows, Barn Swallows and House Martins, together with my first Common Swifts and Alpine Swifts of the year. Migration was well and truly underway! Red-knobbed Coot As we walked along the shore…

Children´s Presentation On House Martins

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of giving two presentations to groups of children from two schools close to my home in Banyeres de Mariola, in rural Alicante. The presentations were about House Martins, a bird that has suffered a huge decline in numbers across central and northern Europe in recent years. In Banyeres de Mariola, there is a healthy population of House Martins, with nesting colonies present throughout the village. The aim of the talks was to raise awareness, create interest and to help the children to value these little birds that return from Africa each year to breed here. The children were between six and eight years of age, and it was such a pleasure to see them so interested in the topic of nature, migration and conservation. Our next potential steps are to do a nest census, counting the number of active nests in the village, and to install some artificial nest cups. Many thanks to all involved in making this project happen, especially the Tourist Information Office of Banyeres de Mariola. Esta semana, tuve el placer de hacer dos presentaciones a grupos de niños de…

Migration time at the wetlands of Valencia!

This time of year is always really exciting, as the spring migration is getting underway, so new arrivals are always popping up – be they summer visitors or birds on passage. There are still a few winter visitors hanging around too, which always add to the enjoyment of birding here in March. Audouin’s Gull Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne, a very well travelled and keen American birder, and of spending a day exploring one of Valencia’s many coastal wetlands with her. We made the short trip from the city and were soon on the beach, watching Audouin’s Gulls, a passing Hoopoe and a Black Redstart. As we strolled up the coast, watching over a lagoon we had views of Shoveler, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, Teal and a Garganey. Cetti’s Warblers were calling from all around us, and squabbling with each other for territory. A Kingfisher made a brief appearance, and Reed Buntings and Zitting Cisticolas were plentiful. Zitting Cisticola We made a stop at an observatory, again overlooking a lagoon, and set up the scope. This gave us great views of White Headed Duck…