bird watching costa blanca - Page 2 of 14 - Valencia Birding

Albufera is Spectacular in Winter!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of providing a number of trips to Albufera for some lovely people from the UK, USA and Austria. All trips were different, but a common theme was the huge gatherings of Flamingos and Glossy Ibis that were absolutely spectacular. Greater Flamingos bred at this site in 2023 for the first time, and it’s very likely that they’ll do so again in 2024. Watch this space for news on that. The population of Gloosy Ibis has rapidly increased in recent years too, to such an extent that they often appear to whirl around in a similar fashion to Starling murmurations! Whilst scanning through a flock of Glossy Ibis, we found this Sacred Ibis, which has been present at various wetland sites throughout the region for quite some time. It’s good to see that it’s surviving. Other winter favourites are Bluethroat, which are one of the first wintering birds to arrive. This autumn has also been great for passing waders, with clients enjoying sightings of Temminck´s Stint, Little Stint, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Turnstone and much more. Other highlights…

Alicante Wetlands in the Summer

Today´s trip was my first since my illness caused by the tick bites that I suffered in June, so it felt good to be back in the field with clients, especially as Bruce and his son Archie were returning clients, so we already knew one another. As Red Knobbed Coot was on their list of priority species, we headed for the southern wetlands of Alicante, one of the best areas in Spain to see this bird. Birding in Alicante is often surprising, and it’s also home to some of Spain’s most successful conservation projects. After a quick coffee, we got straight to work, looking across a small lagoon that held Squacco Heron as well as a pair of Moustached Warblers that were flitting around at the base of the reeds. Within minutes we had our first views of Red Knobbed Coot – a pair with young. Red Knobbed Coot A stroll across a raised boardwalk gave us views of Purple Swamphen, Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt and Glossy Ibis, all extremely regular species throughout the region. Although it was quite hot, there seemed to be some quite good bird activity,…

A Spring Day at the Valencian Wetlands

17th May 2023 Maria had contacted me the previous year in order to arrange a couple of days of guided birding as part of their holiday in the Valencia region. She’d managed to arrange a trip that involved a rail journey from the UK to Spain, stopping on the way to visit the Ebro Delta, before travelling onwards to Valencia. The trip was to celebrate her partner Jane´s birthday, so I was very keen to provide the best possible birding days for them. Squacco Heron After many email exchanges, we finally met in person, and travelled to our chosen wetland reserve, where after having a quick coffee, we began our walk. A Squacco Heron was the first bird of the day, soon to be followed by Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis and a pair of Marsh Harriers. Whiskered Tern The reed beds were full of the sounds of Zitting Cisticola, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and Great Reed Warbler, and from our first observation platform we had good views of Whiskered Tern, Purple Heron, Night Heron, Little Bittern and Purple Swamphen. Purple Swamphen A walk along the coast gave us excellent views…

2-Day Birding Trip : Wetlands & Mountains

8-9/5/2023 At the beginning of this week, I had the pleasure of spending two days with a fabulous couple from the UK. They were travelling around the region, and as keen birders and environmentalists, were eager to discover the region´s bird life. To provide two very different days, we spent day 1 at the wetlands and day 2 in the mountainous interior of the area. Day 1 – Wetlands Our first day began with blue skies and very little wind – perfect for our intended walk. Highlights of the morning included Purple Heron, Night Heron, Great Egret, Great Reed Warbler and eventually good views of Zitting Cisticola! Zitting Cisticola We spent some time in a hide from where we had great views of Mediterranean Gull, Little Bittern and Collared Pratincole. Collared Pratincole After a further walk into the reed beds, we watched across a small lagoon which held Purple Swamphen, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and a Greater Flamingo with young. Greater Flamingo We had lunch in another hide, enjoying our sandwiches whilst watching Squacco Heron, Marsh Harrier, Spoonbill, Common Tern and Whiskered Tern. Common Tern The return leg…

A day at the coastal wetlands of Valencia

22/4/23 Today I had the pleasure of meeting Michael and Paula from the UK, who were spending some time in Valencia and had previously booked a day with me. As they were happy to include a walk in the trip, we decided to spend the day at one of Valencia´s coastal wetlands. Once parked by the reserve, we began our walk and the day got off to a great start with almost immediate views of Little Bittern, Night Heron and Greater Flamingo. We headed along the coast, looking across a series of lagoons and reed beds that held White Headed Duck, Black Winged Stilt, Zitting Cisticola and Purple Heron. Night Heron Our first observatory gave us the opportunity to enjoy views of Moustached Warbler, Collared Pratincole, Squacco Heron and Audouin’s Gull. We walked further along the coast to a hide from where we saw Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great Reed Warbler, Avocet and Ringed Plover. Collared Pratincole After enjoying our picnic lunch, we strolled through an area of scrub and pasture towards another lagoon. This held Purple Swamphen, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and a Garganey. We caught sight of a…

3 Days Birding from Rural Alicante

I recently had the pleasure of welcoming back to Alicante Caroline and Jonathan from my home city of Sheffield. They have been on many trips with me over the years so it was very special to see them again. Day 1 – Alicante Wetlands We chose rural Alicante as a base, and on our first day we spent some time exploring the vast wetlands of the region. The day began with a flurry of species including Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Spotted Redshank and a rarity – Lesser Yellowlegs! Purple Swamphen As we walked through the reserve, we had excellent views of Red Knobbed Coot, Whiskered Tern and a flock of Gull Billed Tern. A male Hen Harrier passed over and a pair of Little Bittern moved through the reeds. Purple Swamphens were feeding close by and Great Reed Warblers and Cetti’s Warblers were singing all around us. Cetti’s Warbler From the hides we saw Marbled Teal, Collared Pratincole, Avocet and a Black Tailed Godwit in its breeding plumage (we normally only see them here in winter in their much duller winter plumage). Black Tailed Godwit, Avocet & Collared Pratincole After lunch…