Bird Watching in Spain - Page 22 of 47 - Valencia Birding

2-Day Bird Photography Trip

Last week I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird photography trip for a Dutch client who lives in Madrid. We had communicated at length and had designed a bespoke trip for him, taking in some very specific locations, in search of some key target species. His priority was wading birds, gulls and Water Rail. On day-1 we made the short trip from the beautiful city of Valencia to the internationally important wetland of Albufera. We made a brief stop to admire a family of Booted Eagles that were flying low overhead, searching a nearby rice field for prey. We then moved on to visit a special, restricted reserve which in autumn is excellent for waders. It was quite a windy morning, so we spent a little time thinking of how we could best position the vehicle to afford maximum shelter and best light conditions whilst not risking any disturbance of the birds. We enjoyed some fabulous views of some great wading birds including Bar-Tailed Godwit, Black-Tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank and Dunlin. Having spent a good while at the first lagoon we then took shelter in a…

4-Day Birding and Photography Trip from Valencia.

We recently had the pleasure to design and deliver a 4-day birding and photography trip from Valencia for a returning client from Cambridge, UK. Stephen is a keen wildlife photographer and one of his goals for the first day of the trip was to photograph a Firecrest. So, we began the day by driving into the mountain forests that are situated very close to Valencia. Even though we were focussed on finding Firecrest, we were very fortunate to get great views of a Short Toed Eagle that passed right over us. Finally after a little patience we got the reward with shots. On day 2, we spent the day on the high steppe, where we enjoyed some fabulous views of Stone Curlew, Great Bustard, Lesser Kestrel and many more interesting species of this unique habitat. On the third day, we spent the day in one of the most important wetlands of Spain, l’Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. Autumn is an excellent time to see huge numbers of waders, including this beautiful Whimbrel. The fourth day saw us back in Albufera, this time at one of the park´s protected green filter reserves. As…

2-day birding trip from Valencia

During this summer, we had the pleasure of providing a 2-day birding trip for a couple of clients from Germany. Kerstin had arranged the trip for her and her mother, and together we´d worked to design something that would maximise species diversity. Day one was spent at Albufera de Valencia, an internationally important wetland right next to the city of Valencia. As well as visiting the rice fields of this vast Natural Park, we spent most of the day inside a couple of specially protected restricted reserves. Mid summer is not usually the best time for birding here in Valencia but today proved otherwise. There were still plenty of summer visitors, including the beautifully graceful Collared Pratincole, but many winter visitors and passage migrants were also to be seen, White Stork being among them. Perhaps the highlight of the day was the long list of waders that we enjoyed, particularly Temminck´s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Kentish Plover and Green Sandpiper. Species list Albufera: Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Mallard, Shoveller, Teal, Shelduck, Sandwich Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, White Stork, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Grey Heron, Night Heron,…

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence!

After a fabulous summer, we´d like to begin the “new season” with some great news. Thanks to the support of our clients, Valencia Birding has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. Sincere thanks to all those who made this happen. We genuinely appreciate your support and time taken to post such kind reviews. Dave & Yanina.

Bird Watching Trip from Valencia City

Last week, I had the pleasure of providing a bird watching trip from Valencia City for two clients from Switzerland. They were both enthusiastic biologist, keen on discovering the bird life of Albufera Natural Park. Having collected them from their hotel in Valencia, we made a short journey to one of the most important wetland of Spain. Our day began in a reserve area with superb views of Collared Pratincole, Kentish PLover and huge flock of Flamingo. After a short walk in the forest we arrieved to a different observatory in front of a sea-bird colony, which holds five different species such as Elegant Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Mediterranean Gull and Slender-billed Gull. Also Avocet and Black-winged Stilt were with chicks. After a picnic in the forest we continued driving through reedbeds and out into open country where we were treated to views of Squacco Heron, Purple Heron and Purple Swamphen. This time of the year, rice fields are essential for food supplies and the best place to get great views of the bird life diversity. We´d made an early start that morning so we were back at the van…

Birding on the Spanish Steppe

Last week, we were especially delighted to provide a trip for some returning clients from UK. Amanda and her family had previously visited Albufera de Valencia with us and had returned for a day on the high steppe of Eastern Spain. It was fabulous to see them again, especially having kept in touch in the meantime. We left Valencia and made the easy drive inland where we began the day with a coffee stop and discussion about the species that we were hoping for. Our first stop by a small pond gave views of Shelduck, Tree Sparrow and Black Winged Stilt. Although distant, we also saw Short Toed Eagle. As we left this site, we were quite surprised to see a juvenile Mistle Thrush. We stopped by an old farm where we had good views of Corn Bunting, Rock Sparrow, Crested Lark and Stone Curlew. The first lagoon of the day gave views of some interesting species including Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern and Red Crested Pochard. Our lunch stop by a sizeable lake was very pleasant as we were able to sit in the shade and scan the water. We enjoyed…