Bird Watching in Spain - Page 2 of 47 - Valencia Birding

Bringing 2023 to a close up on the steppe.

I’d like to begin this post by wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and bird packed 2024. Last year was something of a record for Valencia Birding, with more clients than any year since our foundation in 2011, so I feel very grateful to all for such support, and very much look forward to the coming year. Over the next few months, we’ll be adding some new trips and birding breaks, so please watch out for that. As always, we continue to offer a range of “standard” trips, but often provide specially designed outings and holidays depending on the clients’ needs, wishes and preferences. More on that later. Steppe scenery – huge plains dotted with lagoons. This area is situated to the south west of our region. The final two trips of 2023 were both to the steppe, one for a returning client and friend from the UK, and one for a Spanish family who were visiting the region from their home in Madrid. We were blessed both days by great weather, with blue skies and thankfully very little wind. The moment having found and watched the Great Bustards, with…

TICK BITES – A Personal Health Scare and a Warning to Others

I’m writing this post having just spent almost two weeks in hospital. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt so ill in my life. Prior to this episode, I was fit, strong and healthy. I will return to being so, but I want to share my story with you all. Why? Because the same could happen to anyone, but with some prior knowledge and safety measures, it can be avoided. The problem – A TICK BITE. A few weeks ago, I was in Scotland, collaborating in a conservation project. With only a few days left of the trip, I woke one morning to find two ticks attached to my body. They were quite large, round and had obvioulsy been feeding on my blood for a while. I carefully removed them, and cleaned the bite areas but didn’t think much more about it, and decided not to mention anything about them to my partner. The rest of the trip passed without any problems, and no rash nor marks appeared on my body. A tick feeding on human blood – extreme care is needed when removing such We’d been back in…

A Day in the Mountains

19th May 2023 My second day with Maria and Jane was spent in the mountains of Valencia. We made the comfortable journey into the highland interior, stopping for a coffee and to pick up sandwiches before we enjoyed a walk along a wooded riverside path. Searching for Golden Oriole! A raptor soon flew into view before circling above us, and turned out to be a dark-form Booted Eagle. A Black Wheatear made a brief appearance before disappearing into a nest crevice on a crag above the woods. We then heard the wonderful song of Golden Oriole, my first of the year. These stunning birds, despite their bright colours, have an amazing ability of disappearing once they fly into the treetops! However, we were determined to find them, and eventually succeeded. Our walk continued, the woods full of the song of Nightingale and Wren, both of which we saw. A Spotted Flycatcher was catching insects in flight before returning to its perch, and Blackcaps were flitting through the undergrowth. Spotted Flycatcher We returned to the car and drove up into the mountains from where we enjoyed some fabulous views of Griffon…

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…

Day 1 of a 4-Day Twin Centre Birding Break

I have recently come to the end of a great little trip that I designed together with a couple of clients from the UK. Alan and Jeanette were looking for a birding trip that could include a few free days during which they could enjoy some cultural sites. Therefore, we designed something that included a stay in the historical town of Xativa followed by a few nights in the city of Valencia. This all worked out beautifully and our birding trips included steppe, mountains, forest and wetlands. Day 1 – Steppe We left Xativa on our first day together and made the comfortable journey up onto the steppe. Here we saw the first Swifts of the year, both Common and Pallid, as well as Red-Rumped Swallow and Sand Martins. The fields held quite a few Northern Wheatears as well as a Black-eared Wheatear. Black Eared Wheatear Other highlights included a pair of passing Black-bellied Sandgrouse that flew above us, and a flock of Great Bustards, one of which was displaying. The old farm buildings held Rock Sparrow and the cereal fields gave us fabulous views of Calandra Lark and Red-legged…

3 Day Birding Break from the Historical Town of Xativa (March 2023)

Few clients have travelled as far as James to visit the region, so when he told me he was coming from Australia, I was keen to help him to design something special! As part of his longer stay in Spain, he wanted to visit the city of Valencia for a few days but to stay in a smaller, more relaxed place. After some discussion, we opted for a three night stay in Xativa, three days of birding in different habitats, and then I would leave him in Valencia after our third day so he could spend a few nights there. The historical town of Xativa Xativa is a very historical town, with a fascinating past. Its castle, museum and narrow streets are a delight and there’s a good selection of places to eat, as well as a beautifully restored guest house that I often use for visitors, Casa Aldomar. The mountains of Alicante Day 1 – Mountains. I collected James from Casa Aldomar, which is located in the historical centre of the town on our first day, and we made the easy journey to the mountains in the interior of…