bird watching trips Spain - Page 13 of 21 - Valencia Birding

Guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia

Last Thursday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from England. As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of The Wild Trust and also volunteers of the RSPB. Whilst here in Spain, they were keen to discover the bird life of the wetlands that surround Valencia. After I collected them from their holiday apartment, we went to a protected reserve area where we enjoyed great views of waterfowl species. We were also fortunate enough to watch 3 Booted Eagles soaring and hunting above the reserve. On the way to our next venue, we stopped in a car park where there had been reports of a Dotterel, obviously resting and feeding whilst on passage. Next stop was a very special restricted reserve area, where we spent most of the morning and had lunch in an stunning hide in front of a lagoon. We enjoyed views of a large flock of Greater Flamingo and Glossy Ibis. An Osprey, another species that often stops at Albufera whilst on passage, had appeared to “befriend” the Ibis and happily spent the afternoon with them!…

Guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia

Last Friday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Poland. As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of a bird protection organisation, and they wanted to discover the species of Valencia and its wetlands. After I collected them from their hotel, we went to a reserve and restricted area where we spent most of the morning. At this time of the year this reserve is magnificent, and we enjoyed great views of a colony of Common and Sandwich Terns. We also enjoyed seeing the very rare Mabled Duck with 5 ducklings, together with a large group of Greater Flamingo, right in front of the hide. The second stop was in the forest, where Wren, Serin, Spotted Flycatcher, Sardinian Warbler and Firecrest welcomed us. To end the trip we went to the rice paddies. Now the fields have been planted, Glossy Ibis, Herons and Egrets where everywhere. We also enjoyed the display of the Hoopoe and finally one of the day´s highlights – the Purple Swamphen. It had been a classic Albufera day, with a species list that…

Bird watching in the mountains of Valencia

Last Monday I had pleasure of providing a guided trip for a couple from England. They were very keen to go bird watching in the mountains of Valencia, especially to see the raptors and “specialist” species that live in this habitat. Jan and Ossie are two experience birders who are involved in a conservation programme for Barn Owls. As they knew that I am also heavily involved in a similar project here in Spain, it was wonderful opportunity to share our experiences in working with these magnificent creatures. After the short journey from Valencia, we stopped for a coffee break and spoke about the plan for the day, and of the species that we were hoping to see. It was a fantastic sunny day and after a short drive through the mountains we arrived at the ravine where we began our walk. No sooner had we left the car when we immediately saw Griffon Vultures, Blue Rock Thrush, Serin and Sardinian Warbler. As we began our walk, we enjoyed views of Crag Martins, Ravens, Chough, Serin, Firecrest and Black Redstart. As we neared the end of the trail, the sky…

Birding in the reserves of Albufera de Valencia

Last Friday I had pleasure to providing a trip for two clients, one from USA and the other from England. They were both extremely experienced birders and whilst at a congress in Valencia they were keen to fit in some guided birding in the reserves of Albufera de Valencia. As they were on a very tight schedule, I opted to take them to three of Albufera´s best reserve areas, as a way of maximising the species that they would see. The first stop was in an area of forest and lagoons, where we could had great views of a colony of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns. In the breeding season, this is one of the hotspots of Albufera. A hybrid Tern, very similar to an Elegant Tern was also nesting here. Another amazing sight was the endangered Marbled Duck and the ever popular Sardinian Warbler. Next stop was in a restricted reserve area within the marshes, where we were delighted to see Great Reed Warbler and Little Bittern, plus a rarity for Spain, the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, a bird normaly found in Siberia.On our way to the last spot, we made…

Birding and Nature Photography Trip

Yesterday I provided a birding and nature photography trip for a client from Italy. It was his second trip to Valencia and he wanted to photograph some of the fabulous bird species of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. I collected him from his hotel in the city of Valencia where he´s spending a week´s holiday with his family. As he´s a keen wildlife photographer, he´d contacted Valencia Birding to arrange a day trip which would be close to the city whilst visiting some of the areas natural spaces. At this time of the year, the bird life in l´Albufera is distributed in different areas of the park, depending on which rice fields have been ploughed, thus influencing food availability. So, our first stop was in the western part of the Natural Park, where we found an amazing sight – over 2,000 flamingos, plus thousands of gulls, egrets, herons and glossy ibis. After this wonderful spectacle, we visited a protected reserve area with a magnificent biodiversity. Species included Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit and Greenshank. Next stop was in the Devesa forest, a natural native Mediterranean pine forest. We watched and photographed…

Guided wildlife and bird watching in Valencia

Last Saturday I was delighted to spend a wonderful day with two great clients from New York, USA. There were on a journey through the Costa del Sol, Spain and wanted a day of guided wildlife and bird watching in Valencia. It was a sunny and windless day, ideal for exploring the different eco-systems of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. Not only keen birders, they were also particularly interested in ecology and natural history in general. I designed a trip with this in mind, hoping to provide a bespoke day. I focussed on the history and ecology of the area, and also gave an insight into the ongoing efforts to promote conservation and specifically to improve the water quality of the Albufera. We enjoyed many of the classic and wintering species of l´Albufera in particular herons, egrets and ibis that are resident in the park. We enjoyed a fabulous day and were fortunate enough to see more than 40 species, including: Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Back-necked Grebe, Great-Crested Grebe, Common Snipe, Black-winged…