bird watching trips Spain - Page 15 of 21 - Valencia Birding

Upland birds of Spain

Last week, I was very happy to welcome back a small group of returning clients from Scotland. They had previously been on a guided birding trip with me when we explored the wetlands of Valencia, but this time they were keen to see the upland birds of Spain. Therefore, the Steppe and Lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha seemed to be the ideal trip. Having met at a convenient village in the rolling hills of inland Valencia, we continued the journey up onto the plains of Castilla de la Mancha (just over an hour´s drive from Valencia). As we made our first stop to scan across the fields, we had good views of Crested Lark and Skylark. A Buzzard was perched nearby then a Hoopoe made a brief appearance. The first lagoon of the day provided a very interesting hour or so. In amongst a flock of Lapwing on the shoreline, we spotted Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and a Redshank. A small group of Flamingoes were feeding in the shallows, and flocks of Linnets were passing through the nearby pines. As we scanned some ruined farm buildings, we had a…

Valencia Birding Summer 2014 Bulletin

It´s hard to believe that we´re already in August! The year so far has been a very busy one and once more, I feel privileged to say that I have met some super clients with whom I´ve shared some very special birding moments. As always, it´s especially gratifying when people make return visits, and the year has seen some returning clients who over time have become friends. This year I´ve also been fortunate enough to welcome many clients from beyond Europe, mainly from USA and Canada. More importantly, I´d like to thank everyone for their support and for choosing to spend some time with us. It´s been an absolute pleasure. Special thanks to all those who have taken the time to leave reviews of your trips with us. Thanks to you, Valencia Birding is now officially “recommended” on Trip Advisor. You can see more here As for the birding highlights, these can differ greatly depending on the clients´wishes, and target species. For Northern European clients, species such as Collared Pratincole, Great Bustard, Bee Eater and Booted Eagle are often favourites. For clients from outside of Europe, most of our Mediterranean…

Nature and Cultural Tourism in Valencia

Last week I had the pleasure of providing a trip for a group of local birders. We were joined by a guest from Canada who was spending some time in Valencia as a volunteer, working on various environmental and conservation projects. One of our key priorities is always to gear our trips to the wishes and needs of the client. As this was her first visit to our region of Spain, we modified the trip to provide a blend of nature and cultural tourism in Valencia. We began the day with a walk along the coast not far from the city of Valencia, and soon had our first views of Whiskered Tern and Little Tern. As we made our way through the reedbeds we enjoyed the song of Cetti´s Warbler, and had good views of Marsh Harrier, Great Reed Warbler, Fan-Tailed Warbler and Yellow Wagtail. We then visited one of the area´s most interesting centres, essentially a beautifully restored country house that was once run by monks from a local monestary. Although a monument in its own right, it also serves as a centre for environmental education and has…

Bird Watching in Valencia

I recently enjoyed a fabulous day with two wonderful clients from California, USA. They were visiting the city where they were performing in a music festival and had previously organised a day of guided bird watching in Valencia with me. Both very keen and experienced bird watchers and photographers, they were very eager to see some of the amazing species that our wetlands hold, especially during the breeding season. Having driven the short journey through the beautiful city of Valencia, we arrived at the reserve and began our walk. Almost immediately, we had views of a pair of Turtle Doves. As we began our walk along the dunes, we enjoyed views of Great Reed Warbler, Fan-Tailed Warbler and Little Grebe. Then one of the day´s target species appeared – the magnificent Bee Eater. Having enjoyed the amazing colours of this stunning creature, we continued our walk along the coast to a lagoon where we paused and watched nesting colonies of Common Tern, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern and the exceptionally pretty Collared Pratincole. We also added to our list Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet, Purple Heron and Audouin´s Gull….

Bird watching from the city of Valencia

Last week, I spent a great day with a client from the Netherlands. He was attending a medical conference and had arranged a day of bird watching from the city of Valencia with us. The close proximity to the city of some of the regions best birding sites makes such a trip very easy. Having collected him from his hotel in Valencia, we made the short journey to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. Our day began with a pair of Turtle Doves, even before we´d closed the van doors! A short walk to the first small lake gave us good views of Night Heron, Reed Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler. We continued along the beach to the next coastal lagoon where we enjoyed views of Audouin´s Gull, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern and Glossy Ibis. The coastal scrub held Yellow Wagtail and Stonechat whilst all the while we saw Barn Swallow, Red Rumped Swallow, House Martin and Swift passing overhead. The next lagoon gave superb views of Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover, Avocet and Purple Swamphen. We also watched a breeding colony of Little Tern and Whiskered Tern. Our walk continued through reedbeds…

Guided Bird Watching in Valencia

Last week, I had the pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching in Valencia for a group of clients from Scotland. We made the brief journey through this beautiful Mediterranean city, stopping by the beach for a morning coffee before heading out onto the reserve. The day got off to a fabulous start with views Great Reed Warbler and Little Bittern. As we began our walk, we had great views of Turtle Dove, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harrier. The next lagoon and its shoreline held Fan-Tailed Warbler, Little Grebe and Red Crested Pochard. Terns were very active, and within just a few minutes we´d seen Little, Common, and Whiskered. We soon saw the first of the day´s Collared Pratincole, a “classic” Valencian breeding shorebird, and also enjoyed great views of Little Ringed Plover, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron and Avocet. As we continued our walk, now heading through an area of pastureland, we were treated to views of Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Cetti´s Warbler, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Bee Eater. To round off this spectacle, we then had great views of a Short Toad Eagle. The day´s final viewing…