Bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia

Last week, I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia for a couple from Canada.  They were on vacation in the beautiful city of Valencia and had arranged a couple of days of guided birding with us. Today´s trip was to the coastal wetlands, a fabulous site at all times of year, but especially so in early Spring as the summer visitors are beginning to arrive.  George and Marilyn were very interested in seeing some of the “classic” European species, that of course are very different to the species they have in Ottowa. The first coastal lagoon that we visited held Little Grebe, Red Crested Pochard and Teal.  The surrounding reeds and scrub gave views of Sardinian Warbler, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart. A very pleasant walk along the beach gave us sightings of Crested Lark, Stonechat, Whinchat, Grey Wagtail and Serin, all in the low scrub near the dunes.  House Martins and Swallows were passing through, and we also had good views of Audouin´s Gull.   We then walked through an area of semi-wooded pasture land where we had a great…

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Bird watching on the steppe of Spain

Last week, I enjoyed a fantastic day with a couple of returning clients from Canada.  They had a trip with us few days ago, when we enjoyed a day in the coastal wetlands of Valencia.  This time, they were keen to have a day of guided bird watching on the steppe of Spain. After a chat over morning coffee, we made the relatively short journey into the rolling plains of Castilla de la Mancha. One of our main target species was the Great Bustard, which would be a lifer for them both.  We stopped in a favourite location where we often get views of these magnificent creatures, and patiently scanned the surrounding fields.  After some 15 minutes, we were rewarded with some fantastic views of a group of male Great Bustards, strolling through the fields and feeding under a stand of trees.  As we enjoyed the autumn sunshine, a Red Kite suddenly came into view, and circled overhead, giving some wonderful views. Crested Larks and Skylarks flitted around us, whilst we enjoyed views of Greater Flamingo and Avocet in a nearby area of flooded fields.  Then a male Lesser Kestrel…

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7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 4 (Steppe & Lagoons)

The plan for the day was to leave the lovely guest house L´Alqueria del Pilar in Banyeres, spend the day on the high steppe of Castilla de la Mancha and then travel onwards to Valencia, where the group would spend the next 3 nights. It was quite a windy and cold day although this is to be expected in February and at such altitude. Most of the area that we were to visit is above 900 metres above sea level. Our first stop beside an area of flood water gave views of Snipe, Little Ringed Plover and Lapwing. Spotless Starlings were perched on some nearby wires and a Water Pipit was feeding along the shoreline. Our next lagoon gave views of Shoveler, Pintail, Gadwall and Red Knobbed Coot. The surrounding farmland held Rock Sparrow, Skylark, Crested Lark and Corn Bunting. We then moved on to another lagoon that often has a surprise in store. We were indeed fortunate again in this super spot….as well as the usual Flamingoes, Marsh Harrier and Little Grebes, we had great views of a Golden Eagle as it passed low overhead. Happy with our species…

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7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante)

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante) The plan for our third day was to drive to the coast at the southern end of the province of Alicante and visit one of the region´s premium wetland reserves. After a drive of around one hour from Banyeres de Mariola, we arrived at the reserve. Although a little breezy, the weather was fine. After a brief chat with the reserve warden we looked out onto the first small lagoon where we were fortunate to see some of the Red Knobbed Coots that are part of a release programme. This extremely rare bird has its European stronghold along the Valencian coast and much work has been done to protect it. We then walked along a boardwalk across another lagoon where we had great views of Purple Swamphen (another conservation success story for Valencia). The first hide of the day gave views of Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe and another very rare species, the Marbled Teal. Cetti´s Warbler were singing in the surrounding scrub and Stonechats and Sardinian Warbler were also seen. The next hide gave views of Green Sandpiper,…

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Spring has arrived in Valencia!

Early this week we had a great day of guided birding with a lovely couple from UK.  They were taking a break in Valencia and wanted to see the diverse bird life of this superb area.  As the spring migration is now well and truly underway, we visited one of our favourite coastal wetlands, a site that offers crucial resting and feeding grounds for thousands of migratory birds. This time of year is always very exciting as new species are arriving daily.  Today was no exception.  Some of the most interesting resident species included Penduline Tit, Booted Eagle, Purple Swamphen and Audouin´s Gull. We were lucky to enjoy good views of a favourite winter visitor that´s still here…the Bluethroat.  However, maybe the surprises of the day were the new arrivals and the birds on passage.  These included Red Rumped Swallow, Whinchat, Reed Warbler, Sub Alpine Warbler and Pied Flycatcher.  Barn Swallows and House Martins were also constantly passing through in huge numbers It´s such a pleasure to share days like these with our clients and to show them some of the amazing bird life of Valencia. The species list for…

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3 Day Birding Break

February of this year proved to be a very busy month, with many clients from Northern Europe having organised winter birding trips with us.  The combination of a little sunshine, some fascinating winter visitors and the anticipation of early spring migrants can make late February a very attractive time to visit the Valencia region. One of our trips was provided for the Ornithological Society of Northern Ireland.  We had designed a 3 day trip that took in diverse habitat including steppe, coastal wetlands and the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia.  They had spent a few nights at the beautifully converted farmhouse of L´Alqueria del Pilar in the village of Banyeres de Mariola in inland Alicante.  On our first day, from there we made the easy journey up to the highland steppe of Castilla de la Mancha. Day 1 – Steppe At over 900 metres above sea level, this can be a very cold region to explore in winter but with adequate clothing and planning it makes for a wonderful birding venue.  One of our first species was the magnificent Great Bustard, specifically a group of over 20 males. We stopped…

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