Bird watching Albufera de Valencia - Page 13 of 24 - Valencia Birding

Autumn birding in Valencia

I recently enjoyed a great day´s autumn birding in Valencia with a couple from Holland. Both experienced and well travelled birders, they were interested in seeing the region´s bird life, and especially wanted to photograph the Hoopoe. After collecting them from their hotel in the city, we made the short drive to Albufera de Valencia where we began the day in a protected reserve area. We saw both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt and Dunlin. The next hide gave quite brief but excellent views of Kingfisher. We then moved onto another restricted reserve where we spent more time, enjoying great views of waders and aquatic birds including Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamphen and Great Egret. After lunch we travelled to a favourite spot for Hoopoe, hoping to get good enough views to allow for photographs. After a little patience and searching, we succeeded. This spectacular bird is always very popular with visitors from northern Europe. The day was brought to an end with a visit to a small coastal lagoon where we had great views of Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Audouin´s Gull and…

2-Day Bird Photography Trip

Last week I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird photography trip for a Dutch client who lives in Madrid. We had communicated at length and had designed a bespoke trip for him, taking in some very specific locations, in search of some key target species. His priority was wading birds, gulls and Water Rail. On day-1 we made the short trip from the beautiful city of Valencia to the internationally important wetland of Albufera. We made a brief stop to admire a family of Booted Eagles that were flying low overhead, searching a nearby rice field for prey. We then moved on to visit a special, restricted reserve which in autumn is excellent for waders. It was quite a windy morning, so we spent a little time thinking of how we could best position the vehicle to afford maximum shelter and best light conditions whilst not risking any disturbance of the birds. We enjoyed some fabulous views of some great wading birds including Bar-Tailed Godwit, Black-Tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank and Dunlin. Having spent a good while at the first lagoon we then took shelter in a…

Bespoke Birding Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last week I had the pleasure of providing a bespoke trip to Albufera de Valencia for a couple from Wales. They wanted to spend a day visiting the different ecosystems of this internationally important Natural Park. After I collected from their hotel in Valencia we visited a number of different reserve areas. At the first stop, after a pleasant walk by the forest we arrived at a hide where we had great views of Avocet, Kingfisher, different waterfowl species and plenty of waders. At the next stop, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in a hide looking over a lagoon where Whiskered Tern, Great Egret, Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier put on a wonderful display for us. Inside the reserve we also had amazing views of Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Little Stint. The day ended with great views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Spotless Starling and Serin. It had been an interseting day with a lovely couple, who I hope to welcome back soon. Species list: Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Flamingo, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck,…

2-Day Guided Birding Trip

We recently had the pleasure of designing and providing a 2-day guided birding trip for some clients from UK. They were staying on the Costa Blanca and wanted two days with us, taking in two very different habitats. Day 1 – Albufera de Valencia. On day one, Yanina guided them through the fabulous wetland reserves of Albufera de Valencia. This time of year is especially interesting as there are still some summer visitors around, such as the Little Bittern and Squacco Heron. However, many wintering species, especially waders are already here, so the species list can be extensive. Indeed, the list of waders was excellent, including Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit. Wildfowl were also seen in good numbers, including Teal, Red Crested Pochard, Gadwall and Shelduck. The species list for the day included… Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Great Egreat, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great-crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Shelduck, Great Cormorant, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Ruff, Spotted…

4-Day Birding and Photography Trip from Valencia.

We recently had the pleasure to design and deliver a 4-day birding and photography trip from Valencia for a returning client from Cambridge, UK. Stephen is a keen wildlife photographer and one of his goals for the first day of the trip was to photograph a Firecrest. So, we began the day by driving into the mountain forests that are situated very close to Valencia. Even though we were focussed on finding Firecrest, we were very fortunate to get great views of a Short Toed Eagle that passed right over us. Finally after a little patience we got the reward with shots. On day 2, we spent the day on the high steppe, where we enjoyed some fabulous views of Stone Curlew, Great Bustard, Lesser Kestrel and many more interesting species of this unique habitat. On the third day, we spent the day in one of the most important wetlands of Spain, l’Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. Autumn is an excellent time to see huge numbers of waders, including this beautiful Whimbrel. The fourth day saw us back in Albufera, this time at one of the park´s protected green filter reserves. As…

Guided Birdwatching Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last Thursday I was delighted to provide a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for two experienced birders from England. They wanted to discover the birdlife of what is one of the most important wetlands in Spain. After I collected them from their hotel, we drove to the first stop in one of the main reserves of the natural park, where we had lovely views of hundreds Flamingos, a beautiful Booted Eagle, Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Gadwall and lots more waders and waterfowl. The next stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area, where the habitat and water quality are being greatly improved, in turn enhancing the biodiversity of the area. More than 2000 Glossy Ibis where in one of the fields, sharing it with lots of Ruff, Avocets, Curlew Sandpiper, and many more waders that benefits from the food supplied from this ecosystem. During the afternoon we made two more stops in some special places, a sports field and a lake, where we had amazing views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Black-eared Wheatear, Kentish Plover and Red Knot. It had been a great day with a superb list…