birdwatching in valencia - Page 8 of 29 - Valencia Birding

There seem to be some birds that are always with us.

It´s well documented that during the Corona Virus lockdown, many of us found comfort and indeed inspiration in watching the birds that immediately surrounded us. Since the quarantine, I´ve adopted a slower pace to my own personal birding trips, choosing to spend more time standing or sitting still and connecting much more with the nature around me. Only this morning whilst I was having my cup of tea in the garden, a juvenile White Wagtail landed right beside me, chased a few insects and flew off towards the pond. A Sardinian Warbler then flitted between the low bushes next to me. Then, as I was looking out of the kitchen window, a Western Bonelli´s Warbler appeared in one of the nearby pine trees. Special moments indeed. It was during a recent birding session that it occurred to me that there are some birds that have always been part of our lives and seem to accompany us wherever we are. For me, such a bird is the Common Swift. I´m often asked which is my favourite bird, and although it´s a difficult one to answer, I always have to say Common…

A note from the hills of Alicante.

As the World remains constrained within the grip of the Corona Virus pandemic, like so many others, I´m finding such peace and inspiration from the birds around me. As every year, I´ve moved away from Valencia to spend the summer months in our little house in the hills in the rural interior of Alicante Province. The house is exceptionally simple but is surrounded by rolling hills, crags and olive groves. I often base myself here when working with clients who wish to discover this almost unknown corner of Spain and I always love to share this very special place and the joy that its bird life brings to others. As this year, for obvious reasons, that´s not possible, I´d like to share a few special moments with you by writing. I´ve been here for around two weeks now, and the first week is usually a busy one, preparing the house and doing a few repair jobs. However, on most days, a group of Griffon Vultures have appeared, circling over the valley. A Hoopoe often visits the garden and the Bee Eaters are once again nesting in the lane that leads…

Urban Birding in Valencia

As previously detailed, here in Spain, we´re now enjoying a little more freedom as the Covid-19 lockdown is being gradually eased. We have a short time-slot in the mornings and again in the evenings when we´re able to go for a walk within a 1km radius of home. I´m not yet able to make the short trip to my local wetlands, beach or to the mountains that I can see from home, but the new situation has given me the opportunity to look much closer at the bird life that´s on my doorstep. Only last night, whilst strolling around the neighbourhood, I heard a singing Nightingale, saw hundreds of Swifts, a Kestrel and a Glossy Ibis in flight. But the point of this article is to outline in a little more detail my outing last Sunday morning. Our neighbourhood of Benimaclet enjoys what you could term as the “best of both worlds” in that it was once a village, separated from the city of Valencia, so still has many of the original houses, narrow streets and church square. It´s very much a family orientated residential area, and is within a…

Another reason to look even closer at our garden birds.

As those who know my philosophy of birding will already be aware of, I place great emphasis on looking closely at and paying particular attention to the bird life that surrounds us, even the most common species. In a recent article, I mentioned this as having particular relevance during the Corvid-19 lockdown, when most of us are confined to birding in our gardens. It can not only help us to appreciate the beauty of our more common birds, but also helps us to easily spot something that maybe a little out of the ordinary. Well, today I´d like to bring to your attention another reason, ironically and perhaps cruelly linked to our own current situation. Suttonella Ornithocola I would urge you to look even closer than usual at the tit family. As recently reported by various media, including BirdGuides.com, in some European countries, this family of birds appear to be suffering from a bacterium called Suttonella Ornithocola. (It has not yet been found in any other family of garden birds). This bacterium causes lung disease, typically with pneumonia like symptoms. Before I continue, I should be absolutely clear in stating…

The Bee Eaters are back!

This has been the first post for a while, so before I begin, I´d like to say that I hope that you´re all keeping safe and healthy and wish you all the very best as we make our way through these tough times. For more than obvious reasons, I can´t write much about any recent birding trips! However, it´s always interesting to see what´s passing through in the skies above Valencia and what´s about in the area immediately surrounding our apartment. I hope that you´re all enjoying the bird life that´s close to you, be it in your gardens or on your daily walk. I´m really enjoying the photos on social media of what people are seeing each day. This week a Zitting Cisticola appears to have taken up residence in a small area of what we tend to call “waste ground” close to our apartment. Especially now, these patches of undisturbed vegetated ground can prove to be excellent feeding areas or even nesting sites. Despite its roadside location, this little patch has also given me views of Cattle Egret, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Sardinian Warbler, White Wagtail, Spotless Starling,…

Covid-19 and its effects on birding.

I´m writing this article simply as a humble reflection on how the Covid-19 situation has impacted on our world of birding, and how we can take just a few positive points from what is obviously a severe and terrible situation. Firstly, and above all else, we of course send out our love and best wishes to everyone, and wish you all the very best of luck at all levels as we progress through such unprecedented times. Lock-down The lock-down hit us here in Spain just over two weeks ago. At the time, I was with my family in our house in the mountains. At first, apart from the obvious financial hit of losing all of our work, the prospect of having to stay in what is as close to paradise as I´ve ever seen, didn´t feel too bad. Having the time to focus on garden birds thrilled me, especially when up there, our “garden ticks” include Crested Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-necked Nightjar, Scops Owl and Eagle Owl!! Then, the news came through that everyone had to return to their primary residence and stay there, with heavy fines been threatened for…