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Valencian Coastal Wetlands Trip – 2nd October 2011

Together with Nick & Christine from Barnsley, South Yorkshire we spent a full day walking around the coastal wetlands of Valencia. Despite being into October, the weather was still hot and dry so we were all interested to see what was still lingering and what new visitors had arrived. The day proved to be very interesting. Our first sightings of note included a Reed Warbler and Marsh Harrier. As we sat overlooking one of my favourite lagoons, our patience was rewarded with excellent views of White Headed Duck, Purple Gallinule, Fan Tailed Warbler and Little Ringed Plover. We walked across the reedbeds and enjoyed Whinchat, Wheatear, Sardinian Warbler, Stonechat, Redstart and Bluethroat. Our picnic lunch by another body of water was complimented by super views of the usually elusive Water Rail. A Glossy Ibis flew over as did a Lapwing plus hundreds of Barn Swallows, in amongst which were a few Red Rumped Swallows. As we continued the walk across the reserve, we had great views of Iberian Grey Shrike, and watched as the movements of Swifts, Sand Martins and Swallows continued. We were fortunate enough to pick out a handful…

Albufera de Valencia

Albufera de Valencia is considered to be one of the premier wetlands in the whole of Europe and boasts a huge species list. A lot of excellent conservation work is being done by some truly dedicated groups and each year the entire site improves. However, for the visiting birder, it can be difficult to make the most of a visit without some local knowledge. With that in mind, today´s visit was organised for a local birder who simply wanted to make the most of his time and to get to know the area a little more. Our day started at the visitor centre where a new hide is under construction to compliment the existing one. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy superbly close views of Avocets and Little Stints. Up to 5 Marsh Harriers at a time were quartering the reed beds, whilst a handful of Greater Flamingoes snoozed in the morning sun. Other highlights included Curlew Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. Having happily spent a couple of hours there, we decided to move on. We visited a few local hot-spots before having coffee in a local bar. Once refreshed,…

Valencian Coastal Wetlands – 8th September 2011

The summer continued into September with cloudless blue skies and another beautifully warm day. Even before we left the vehicle, we enjoyed magnificent views of over 20 White Storks passing through. We set off to explore the wetlands, stopping off at the favourite points along the way. The warm sunny day only added to the relaxed pace of the day but our efforts were truly rewarded with a species list of 42. September can be a little strange as the summer visitors have started to disappear and many winter visitors have not yet arrived. However, the trip proved to be superb, providing some of the best views of Spoonbill that we´d ever had. The Greater Flamingoes, still in stunning breeding plumage were as ever spectacular. Other highlights of the day included a Glossy Ibis, Avocets, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Marsh Harrier, Purple Gallinule, Marbled Duck and a Curlew Sandpiper. At one point our patience was rewarded with one of those extra special birding moments when we had a Marbled Duck and a Purple Gallinule in the same bino view! Other favourites of the day included hundreds of passing Bee Eaters, an Iberian…

Valencia Birding

valenciabirding.com is a small but specialist active tourism company based in Valencia, Spain. We provide guided Bird Watching Tours throughout Eastern Spain, encompassing Valencia, Alicante and Castilla de la Mancha. This area is blessed with an incredibly diverse range of habitats and excellent birding sites, many of which are virtually unknown! We cater for all levels of bird enthusiasts and provide a bespoke guiding service at very reasonable cost. Our local knowledge can ensure that our clients can make the absolute most of their time in Spain by depending on us to take them to the very best sites. We offer our services to those holidaying throughout the La Safor region, and beyond to Xativa, Valencia, Costa Blanca and the interior of the Valencian Community. Our objective is simple…to provide our clients with a value-for-money service that is exactly tailored to their wishes and requirements. Whilst being able to provide a wealth of specialist knowledge, our style is first of all to listen to what the client actually wants, then to tailor our services to suit. Our approach is what makes us different…Our business model is unlike that of most professional Bird Watching companies. Our approach…

Albacete in August

We were very fortunate to select of of the coolest days of the month to visit several sites around Albacete. The day started with a somewhat bizarre sighting of a Little Owl sitting in the middle of a field in broad daylight! Despite August not been the best month for watching waders, we managed to find good numbers of Black Winged Stilt plus Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plovers and a Greenshank. Our patience and searching rewarded us eventually with good views of Great Bustard out on the plains. Kestrels were out hunting in good numbers, and other raptor highlights included Booted Eagle and Buzzard. Greater Flamingoes were present at a number of sites, as were large flocks of Bee Eaters. Other sightings included Woodchat Shrike, Lapwing, Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Red Legged Partridge and Crested Lark.

Death Valley

It was with a little trepidation that Dave and I decided to check out an area about 1 hours drive from La Drova that is home to a Griffon Vulture re-introduction project. Luckily the heat was bearable with a light breeze. Before we entered the valley we stopped for a coffee at one of the local bars and were witness to the antics of at least 6 Red Squirrels. As we entered the valley the site that we witnessed made us rename the valley (hence ‘Death Valley’) with at least 30 Griffon Vultures soaring above us. It wasn’t long before we started to add more ticks to our trip list with Rock Pipit, Serin, Red-rumped Swallow and Whinchat. As we climbed higher into the valley we came across large numbers of Black Redstart and a few Blue Rock Thrush plus several Raven. Sardinian Warbler were another bird that seem to thrive in the area. Barn Swallow, Crag Martin and House Martin were numerous as were the Goldfinch. Dave found a single Linnet and we both spotted an Orphean Warbler (another good find for the day) Definitely a good mornings…