bird watching costa blanca - Page 4 of 15 - Valencia Birding

2-Day Trip : Albufera & Mountains

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of meeting Martin and Jessica again. Both very keen and well travelled birders, they spend a large part of their lives in Spain. Martin is also an author of various works relating to birding. Our first day was to be spent at Albufera where we began our trip in a hide from where we saw good numbers of Greater Flamingo, Teal and Shelduck as well as Stonechat and Kingfisher. The next hide gave views of shorebirds on a small island, including Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Snipe. Greater Flamingo & Black Winged Stilt After a brief coffee stop, we drove across the ricefields to another reserve, where we enjoyed views of Wood Sandpiper, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Buzzard and Booted Eagle. Most of that was whilst having lunch in a hide! Meadow Pipit, Tree Sparrow, Cetti’s Warbler, Spotless Starling and Common Starling were soon added to the list. Booted Eagle – not a great shot but it clearly shows the “landing lights” The light was fading a little so we headed back towards the coast where we focussed some time…

2-Day Birding Trip from Alicante

8th & 9th September 2022 Day 1 : Coastal Wetlands & Saltmarshes. After the summer break, our trips kicked-off again in early September. I tend not to offer many trips during the summer months as the heat can often have an impact on the quality of the trip, which of course, is of paramount importance. Erling, from Iceland, had previously contacted me to arrange a couple of day´s birding whilst he was on holiday with his family in the Alicante region. Erling, a professional entomologist from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, is clearly a well-known figure in Icelandic birding circles and beyond, so it was a privilege to meet both him and his brother-in-law Gudni, and to spend these days together. For our first trip, we chose to visit the wetlands of Alicante. Armed with a list of target species, we made the journey from Alicante and soon arrived at our first reserve. Within just a few minutes, we were watching Purple Swamphen, one of the targets for the day, which got the trip off to a great start. Swifts, House Martins and Crag Martins were all feeding above…

A summer day in the mountains of Valencia

Raptor expert and falconer Paul contacted me earlier in the year to arrange a birding trip to the mountains of Valencia during his short break in the city. The day finally arrived, and coincided with a heatwave across the Iberian peninsula! We spoke a few days prior to the trip to ensure that we would take all necessary precautions, and decided to go ahead! Paul from the UK, a passionate raptor expert We enjoyed a comfortable journey from Valencia, heading inland for around an hour unti we arrived at a historical hill-village where we had a morning coffee with the locals prior to beginning the birding. The trip involves a short walk, which we opted to do at the beginning of the day, before it got too hot. Our stroll through a riverside forest gave us plenty of opportunities to listen to the song of Nightingale, Cetti´s Warbler and Golden Oriole, and gave us views of Spotted Flycatcher, Rock Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler, Blackcap, Serin and Melodious Warbler. Spotted Flycatcher We returned to the car and drove further up the valley where we parked in the shade of some pines and…

10-Day Bird Photography Trip

May 2022 Thanks to the kind support and recommendations of some previous clients from Singapore, I was contacted early this year by Sudip, who was interested in a 10-day bird photography trip in the Valencia Region. After some considerable email exchanges, his priorities and target species became clear, and work began on designing the perfect plan. As he wanted a combination of field and hide photography, ten days gave us the time and opportunity to deliver a twin-centre holiday. Accordingly, the first half of the trip was spent in the province of Alicante, using the beautiful and historical village of Biar as his base. (I stayed in my home in the mountains very close-by). Sudip really appreciates good food too, so I chose an authentic guest house where there is also a high quality restaurant serving local dishes at reasonable prices. For the second half of the trip, we moved to Valencia, where Sudip stayed in a small hotel in the heart of the historical quarter. Biar, in the highland interior of Alicante As the trip was focussed firmly on high quality photography, this report deals with the key species…

A spring day in the mountains

April 15th 2022 The busy month of April continued and on Good Friday I enjoyed a day in the mountains of Valencia with Frank from Ireland. He´s an experienced birder, as well as a pleasure to be with, so it was clear from the beginning that we were in for a good trip! As Valencia Birding traditions usually persist, we had a brief coffee stop in a small farming village before we headed into the hills in search of birds. As soon as we got out of the car, the air was full of the sound of Serins singing from the surrounding pines. We scanned some nearby crags in search of Black Wheatear and quickly located a pair that were obviously busy nesting. Having managed to get some good views, we headed into the woods. Stonechats, Sardinian Warblers and Chaffinches were around in good numbers, and then we were delighted to suddenly hear the unique song of Nightingale. A little patient searching gave us nice views of it too. Stonechat (male) As we approached a river, a Kingfisher darted downstream, and a small group of Long Tailed Tits passed by…

Alex of 9 years old hits over 60 species in the day!

14th April 2022 When Stuart contacted me to arrange a day´s birding for him and his son Alex, I immediately began to look forward to our trip. More than anything because Alex is just 9 years old, and it’s always a privilege to be able to support and inspire young birders. We met at one of Valencia’s many wetland sites, and after a chat about the plans for the day, began our walk. It was immediately clear that Alex was not only extremely enthisiastic, but that he knew his stuff too! The day got off to a great start as our first bird was a Woodchat Shrike, which perched nicely for us, allowing great views. Woodchat Shrike Our first small lagoon gave views of Purple Swamphen, and whilst on that theme, a Purple Heron flew by. Looking to the sky revealed plenty of Swifts, House Martins and Barn Swallows as well as a Marsh Harrier. A small bird caught our attention as it flicked up into a low bush. A little patient searching eventually gave us views of a Sub-Alpine Warbler, a new bird for Alex. We then looked out…