bird watching costa blanca - Page 7 of 15 - Valencia Birding

A day exploring the wetlands of Valencia.

Last week, I spent a very enjoyable day with Rod, Anita, Rudolf and Harrie, exploring the coastal wetlands of Valencia. The trip was organised as a way to celebrate Anita’s birthday, so had an extra special touch. It was their first time at this particular site, so I was determined to try and get the most from the day for them. As soon as we left the car, we saw a Serin in a roadside tree and then heard a Nightingale singing in the bushes. Our first quality view of a bird was actually of one of the day’s target species – the very elegant Audouin’s Gull. Audouin’s Gull As we began our walk alongside a series of coastal lagoons, we enjoyed views of Purple Heron, Red Crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Glossy Ibis. We opted to remain at an observation point for a while and to wait to see what would appear. Within a few moments we had views of singing Great Reed Warbler and a pair of Marsh Harriers in flight over the reeds. Movement in a small island of tall vegetation revealed a Little…

Storm Filomena and its effects on birding in Valencia

The first days of the new year here in Spain brought disruption, destruction and tragically death, all due to Storm Filomena. The entire country was affected – the south was hammered by gale force winds, huge waves and 20% of the usual annual rainfall in a single day. With the exception of the coastal areas, almost all of the nation was blanketed in snow. Up to 50cm fell in Madrid, resulting in hundreds of blocked roads, as well as the closure of the airport and the cancellation of rail services. In the Picos de Europa mountains in the north of Spain, records were broken for the coldest recorded temperature, with a weather station logging a nightime low of -35.6 degrees C! All of this brought huge impacts to all aspects of daily life for millions of people, much of which has been written about elsewhere. But what effects did it have on birdlife? Here in the Valencia Region we witnessed some very interesting results… Much of the coastal region of the Comunidad Valenciana is well protected by the mountain ranges to the west. Much of the region has a flat…

Wetlands of Alicante

The autonomous region of the “Comunidad Valenciana” comprises three provinces – Castellon, Valencia and Alicante. In terms of a birding destination, perhaps the best known is that of Valencia, especially for its huge wetland site of Albufera. However, the province of Alicante contains some fascinating habitats, including some excellent wetland reserves where a great deal of critically important conservation work takes place. Over the years, I´ve enjoyed many trips to this region with clients and friends, so was looking forward to spending last Friday there. The wetlands of Alicante, with its mountainous interior in the background Together with friends Itzy and Bea, I began the day at a coastal saltpan where we saw huge numbers of Greater Flamingo, large gatherings of Great Crested Grebe and Northern Shoveler as well as Audouin´s Gull and Slender-billed Gull. That was all within the first five minutes! We wanted to devote most of our time to the vast wetlands that have played such an important role in the conservation of Marbled Teal and Red-knobbed Coot. This area also provides wintering grounds for Spotted Eagle, which migrate from north east Europe. Their return is always…

An Autumn Day on the Steppe

Last Friday morning dawned into a beautiful bright autumn day, a little breezy, but dry with no rain forecast. Perhaps a perfect day to venture up onto the high steppe region that lies around 90 minutes drive west of Valencia. So, together with Maria Jose and Itziar of Magic&Nature, that´s exactly what I did. Following the lockdown in the Spring and then the scorching summer heat up there, this was the first time in months that I´d visited this area and it certainly felt good to be back. Firstly, we called into my favourite bar to say hi to the owner and to grab a quick coffee before we headed out onto the fields. Almost as soon as we stopped at the first viewpoint, we saw a Red Kite and a Buzzard. Crested Larks were calling from the scrub close to us and large flocks of Linnets were flitting around. Onwards we pressed, to check out some old farm buildings that usually hold Rock Sparrow. We were in luck and enjoyed great views of these pretty yet tough little birds. It was time to scan the fields with the scope,…

Migration Medley!

“Bluethroat!” Followed closely by… “Squacco Heron!” “Barn Swallow!” “Teal!” All birds that one could expect to see at different times of year here in Valencia, but the wonderful thing about birding during the autumn migration period is the fabulous overlap that occurs. This is exactly what I enjoyed this last week as I spent a morning at my local coastal wetland. After a long spell of hot weather, I was relieved to wake to a cloudy morning with no wind, so headed down to the coast to see what was around. Bluethroat As soon as I began my walk, I heard and then caught a glimpse of a Cetti´s Warbler. Whilst trying to get a better view of this illusive creature, I heard a few Common Reed Warblers calling to each other. As I watched and waited, I saw a group of nine of them, feeding in the reeds and working their way through the reserve. Common Reed Warbler is a summer visitor and breeds each year at this site, but during the morning I saw over thirty birds, all presumably on passage. All the time I was on site,…

Re-introduction of Ospreys to the Valencia Region

Absolute dedication to one of Europe´s most magnificent raptors : The re-introduction of Ospreys to the Valencia Region I was recently very kindly invited to spend the evening with Itzy Colodro Sainz and María José García Roselló of the organisation Magic&Nature to see up close the work they are doing on a project to re-introduce Ospreys to the wetlands of the Valencia Region. This project is supported by local government, specifically Conselleria de Medio Ambiente CV and is backed scientifically by Fundación Migres. At a local level, it is also supported by the Town Halls of Pego, Oliva, Denia and Jávea and is collaborated in by Magic&Nature and Acció Ecologista Agró. Ospreys are often seen on passage in our region, especially during post breeding migration when they stop to rest and feed at many of the coastal wetlands that make the Valencia area so bird-rich. However, as a breeding species, they became extinct in the Valencian Community in the 1980´s, their final nesting site being in Alicante Province. They managed to cling on to breeding territories in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, but due to many and varied…