Bird Watching in Spain - Page 12 of 47 - Valencia Birding

A fabulous Spring day at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands.

Back in May I enjoyed a super day with a wonderful client from Austria. Gudrun, who was visiting friends in Valencia, had previously met Yanina at a bird fair and had contacted us to arrange a trip. After collecting her from the historic quarter of Valencia, we drove to one of the region´s coastal wetlands. As we began our walk, we watched both Common and Great Reed Warbler and heard the familiar song of Cetti´s Warbler. On the first lagoon that we visited we saw White Headed Duck, a species that I was keen for Gudrun to see, and in a nearby tree we saw Turtle Dove, which stayed for a while giving us nice views. A pair of Marsh Harriers were flying low over the reeds, and we were then delighted to see a Moustached Warbler. A small flock of Glossy Ibis flew over and on a small island in the lagoon we watched Little Ringed Plover. A Little Bittern made several passes to and from a small island of reeds. Our walk continued along the beach, where we had great views of Audouin´s Gull. A little patience was…

A day at the wetlands with clients from the USA.

Back in early May I spent a delightful day with a fabulous couple from the USA. David and Dale were on a European cruise, and had planned to go birding in some of the places where they were stopping off at. One such place was Valencia. I collected them from the cruise terminal at the port, and then we made the short journey to the coastal wetlands. We began with a quick coffee stop where we discussed some of the target species that I wanted them to see. These included White Headed Duck, Collared Pratincole and Audouin´s Gull, all of which have established breeding grounds here in Valencia. Our strategy was to go for quality views of some key species rather than go for a super-long list. Our walk along the coast took us past a couple of lagoons where we enjoyed great views of White Headed Duck. Since this trip, I´m delighted to say that many pairs have successfully bred at this site. As we continued our walk, we saw plenty of Audouin´s Gulls flying over the beach. Marsh Harriers were hunting at the back of the reserve and…

3 day Spring birding break.

In late April I was delighted to welcome back Justin from Sheffield. We did a trip last summer whilst he was on holiday with his family and had discussed the possibilities for a return visit. This time he travelled alone on a short break that we´d designed together, his trip being timed to enjoy the Spring migration. Day 1 Easter this year was a complete wash-out on much of the Mediterranean coast, and in the Valencia region it was the wettest in 74 years! The first day of Justin´s trip was timed to perfection as it was the first dry day after 5 days of torrential rain. We were hoping to see plenty of birds on the move, and indeed we did. It was as if the migration “plug” had suddenly being pulled and the flow of birds was spectacular. We spent the first day at one of the region´s wetlands, which itself is on a flyway. The skies were full of House Martins, Barn Swallows and Swifts heading north. The first lagoon gave great views of White Headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Whiskered Tern, Great Reed Warbler and Zitting…

Spring birding at the wetlands with clients from Canada.

The month of April continued to be very busy, with high demand for trips to the wetlands. The Valencia region boasts a vast network of coastal wetland sites which not only serve as breeding grounds but are located right on a major migration flyway so in Spring and Autumn can make for some very interesting trips. Today I was delighted to provide such a trip – spring birding at the wetlands with clients from Canada. Blair and Anne had originally booked this trip but a little later Anne´s brother and his wife arranged to join them in Valencia so elected to come along too. The group was not only very friendly and a delight to be with, but collectively held a great deal of birding experience. After a morning coffee during which we discussed the key target species of the day, we headed out along the beach. A Marsh Harrier was quartering the reed beds and a pair of Red Crested Pochards were on the first lagoon. The sky was full of Barn Swallows, Swifts, House Martins and Sand Martins. We were soon enjoying quality views of White Headed Duck,…

Birding at the wetlands with clients from the USA.

In early April I spent a great day birding at the wetlands with clients from the USA. Laura and Brad, from Arizona were on a tour of Spain and had built in a stay in Valencia that included a day of birding with us. As it was their first time in the region, I was eager to show them some of the classic species of Valencia. After a short drive and a morning coffee, we began our walk along the beach. Early Spring was quite cool by our standards, and the day had begun with a breeze blowing off the sea, making for a drastic contrast to Arizona! Migration was happening before our eyes with big numbers of Swifts, Barn Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins passing through, the flocks often including a few Red Rumped Swallows. A Night Heron was sitting in the reeds and from deeper within we could hear Common Reed Warbler and Cetti´s Warbler. Before long, one of the day´s target birds appeared – a fly-past of Audouin´s Gull. This very elegant gull is doing very well along the Valencian coastline. The first lagoon held Black Winged…

Birding and cultural break in Valencia

We recently provided 3 days of guided birding for a couple of clients from Leeds. Alli and Anne were not only lovely people but very experienced and well travelled naturalists. For this trip they wanted to combine birding with a cultural break in Valencia. We´d designed the birding element of their trip so that after they´d enjoyed the famous Fallas fiestas, they could recover from the party atmosphere in Valencia by spending some peaceful days birding in its rural surroundings! It was indeed a pleasure to meet mother and daughter Alli and Anne and to spend time with them. On day one, I took them up onto the steppe, and after a morning coffee we began scanning the fields. Our first birds of the trip were Crested Lark and Calandra Lark. Stopping by some farm buildings gave us views of Rock Sparrow, Linnets, Spotless Starlings and a passing Common Buzzard. Our exploration of the higher steppe eventually rewarded us with views of both Great Bustard and Black Bellied Sandgrouse plus a fairly brief view of Stone Curlew. We ended the day with views of Little Owl and Lesser Kestrel before…