bird watching trips Spain - Page 17 of 21 - Valencia Birding

Bird Watching in Valencia Province

Last week, I had the pleasure of a arranging a day trip for a group of 5 experienced birders from Newcastle, UK. They had spent some time touring around the provinces of Alicante and Valencia and after visiting various birding sites had managed to see 97 species. They had opted to finish their holiday with a guided birding trip with us, and one of the group had made the claim that if their species list reached 100, then he would mark the occasion with a bottle of champagne! We made the journey up through the city of Valencia to the coastal wetlands and began our walk from there. The day started well with good views of Moustached Warbler and Little Bittern. The first sizeable lagoon held Red Crested Pochard, White Headed Duck and Great Crested Grebe. The surrounding reed beds gave views of Great Reed Warbler, Fan Tailed Warbler and Reed Warbler. We also enjoyed great views of Glossy Ibis, Turtle Dove and Audouin´s Gull. Terns were very busy making continual fishing trips to feed their young. We were fortunate enough to see Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern and…

Combining City Breaks in Valencia with Guided Birding.

Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to welcome back some previous clients. Stella and Richard from UK has been on a guided birding trip with me last year and had this week returned to Valencia with family. They had opted to enjoy a short break in this enchanting city, with its diverse cultural attractions, and to include in their plans a day of guided bird watching. I collected them from their apartment in the chic and historical area known as Barrio Carmen, then we made the short journey to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. After a morning coffee, we began the walk along the coastal dunes to the first of the day´s lagoons. The skies were already busy with terns making constant fishing trips to feed their young. The nesting colonies here include Common Tern, Whiskered Tern and Little Tern. The first lagoon held Pochard, Little Grebe, and Black Winged Stilt. As we made our way further along the coast, we enjoyed superbly close views of another of the area´s key breeding species, the Collared Pratincole. We were fortunate to have views of this spectacular bird in flight as well as…

Short Breaks & Guided Birding in Spain – Day 2

On day two, we enjoyed a leisurely drive up onto the steppe of Castilla de la Mancha. After a coffee-stop we headed out across the plains to the day´s first lagoon where we had good views of Avocet, Lapwing, Black Winged Stilt and Shelduck. The fields around the lagoon gave good close views of one of the day´s target species, Calandra Lark. Further scanning revealed perhaps the key species for the day, the Great Bustard. By now the wind was blowing hard, so we headed back to the van and visited another, more sheltered lagoon. Here we enjoyed views of Marsh Harrier, Gadwall and Greater Flamingo. Swifts, Swallows and House Martins were passing through in huge numbers, and careful attention revealed a couple of Pallid Swifts in amongst them. We then headed out onto the high steppe where after some persistent searching we had much better views of Great Bustard. We also enjoyed views of Corn Bunting, Hoopoe and a small flock of Bee Eaters. The day ended with a brief visit to another lagoon where we had particularly close views of the beautiful Black Necked Grebe. The two…

Guided Bird Watching in Valencia.

On Friday 22nd March, we provided a day of guided bird watching for a great couple of clients from the Netherlands who were on vacation here in Spain. Both keen nature lovers, they were eager to see the diverse bird life that the Valencian coastal wetlands holds, especially at this time of year when summer migrants are beginning to arrive. Our first stop was at a protected reserve within the natural park of Albufera de Valencia. We had excellent views of Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis, Avocet, Greater Flamingo and a small flock of passing Spoonbill. Recently arrived summer visitors included Redstart,Reed Warbler and Purple Heron. Wildfowl included Gadwall, Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Pochard. The visit was completed by a fascinating presentation by the reserve staff on the ecology and natural history of the area. After a picnic lunch we moved slightly further north where we watched over a couple of coastal lagoons. We enjoyed good views of Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, a Wheatear and recently arrived Whiskered Terns. House Martins, Swallows and Swifts were passing through overhead in good numbers. The day was brought to a spectacular end…

Bird Watching at Albufera de Valencia

On Tuesday 8th January, together with two local birders, I enjoyed a leisurely day in the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. We began our day by generally exploring some of the rice fields on the west side of the park. The usual Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Grey Herons were in abundance in amongst which were a five Great Egrets. A female Marsh Harrier passed low over the stubble, flushing out a Snipe. A pair of Stonechats were flitting around the edges of a field and an Iberian Grey Shrike spent a few minutes on an overhead cable close by. Then seemingly from nowhere, a Booted Eagle appeared. It passed by very low before catching a thermal and rising into the air until it was nothing more than a dot. It circled over the fields then made yet another low pass, the winter sunlight catching its contrasting colours beautifully. We moved further north on to another favourite spot where we enjoyed superb views of over 100 Glossy Ibis. We remained in this spot for a good while, and our patience was rewarded with views of Bluethroat, Meadow Pipit and…

A Christmas Birding Trip to the Steppe & Lagoons of Eastern Spain

On 22nd December, we provided a guided bird watching trip to the steppe and lagoons for a client from the Netherlands. Norbert, a very well travelled and experienced birder was holidaying in the Valencia area and was keen to see the bird life that this superb region has to offer. The morning had dawned bright and clear but as we climbed up onto the steppe, it became quite cloudy with a little light drizzle in the air. After a coffee in a local farming village, we set out across the fields towards the day´s first lagoon. Something caught our eye way off to the left so we stopped to take a closer look…indeed, it was a pair of Great Bustards – one of the day´s target species. After a few minutes they took flight, remarkably elegantly for such huge birds. The first lagoon gave good views of Shoveler, Shelduck, Greater Flamingo, Golden Plover and Teal. Although quite far off, we also had views of a Merlin. The nearby telephone cables were occupied by a large flock of Corn Buntings whilst flocks of Serin were flitting around the trees at the…