Golden Eagle in Spain - Page 2 of 2 - Valencia Birding

Birding and Cultural Break in Valencia.

In late March we enjoyed spending three days with Caroline and Lorna from England. We´d met at Rutland Bird Fair the previous year and discussed how we could design a birding and cultural break in Valencia. Having exchanged a few emails, we decided upon a week´s package with 3 full days of birding and 4 free days to explore this beautiful city. In order to maximise diversity, we opted for a day on the steppe, a day at the wetlands and a trip to the mountains. Their first day of birding was with Yanina who took them up onto the steppe. We were all able to meet for a coffee in a farming village as I was with another client and happened to be in the same area that day. The weather was ideal, not too much wind and clear skies. Their first foray onto the high steppe gave views of Black Bellied Sandgrouse and Stone Curlew. Before long, they succeeded in finding the first Great Bustards of the day and a stop by some farm buildings also gave views of Rock Sparrow, Linnet and Black Redstart. The surrounding fields…

2 Day Birding Trip from Valencia.

Last week, Yanina and I were delighted to provide a 2 day birding trip from Valencia for a great couple of experienced birders from Sheffield. Jonathan and Caroline wanted to combine a few days exploring the cultural and historical sites of the city of Valencia with two days of bird watching – an increasingly popular option for visitors. After some discussion about the best sites for the time of year, we opted for the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia and a day in the inland mountains of Alicante. Yanina was the guide for the first day and after collecting Jonathan and Carolina from the city, they made the short journey to Albufera. The northern rice paddies gave views of Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis and Whiskered Tern. They then moved to a restricted reserve area where they enjoyed views of Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Greater Flamingo and Kentish Plover. Whilst moving to a suitable spot to enjoy a picnic lunch, they were treated to views of Booted Eagle, a raptor that moves down from its mountainous breeding grounds to the wetlands in the autumn and winter. A tour…

Birding on the Steppe

One of the pleasures of being based in Valencia is the ease of access to many different habitats. One of our favourite trips takes us up onto the steppe and cereal plains of Castilla de la Mancha, little over an hour´s drive away. I recently had the pleasure of providing a trip to this region for clients Doreen and Jim from the USA. Both very experienced birders they were on a tour of Spain and wanted to see some of the area´s bird life, particularly on the steppe. They were staying in the historical town of Xativa, so having met nearby we drove up to the birding area where we began with a morning coffee in a small farming village. Our first stop was beside a small lagoon surrounded by cereal fields. It was still quite early so a cold wind was blowing. Despite this we enjoyed views of Pochard, Lapwing and Stonechat. Once back in the warmth of the car we made our way to another favourite viewing area where we put on extra layers! Here we had good views of Great Bustard, one of the day´s target species. …