Guided Bird Watching Valencia - Page 12 of 26 - Valencia Birding

Steppe birds of Spain

Earlier this week, Yanina and I were delighted to provide a day of guided birding for a couple of returning clients from UK. Dave and Kate booked a day with us last year, when they enjoyed the bird life of Albufera de Valencia. Their return trip was to enjoy the steppe birds of Spàin, so we´d arranged to visit Castilla de la Mancha. After the usual coffee stop and chat about the target species, we headed for the vast plains of this harsh but beautiful region. There was a cool wind blowing, but we´d come prepared for the cold so parked the car at a favourite vantage point and enjoyed views of Crested Lark, Skylark, Stonechat and Black Redstart. The first lagoon of the day gave great views of Water Pipit as well as wildfowl including Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler, Teal and Shelduck. We then visited another small body of water where we´d recently seen the very rare Red Crested Coot. After a little scanning of a small group of Common Coot, did did indeed find it again. The wind was now becoming quite cool so we headed back to…

Birding at Albufera de Valencia

The forth and final day of Charles´trip saw us birding at Albufera de Valencia. This internationally important wetland holds something of interest throughout the year, be it for its breeding habitats for summer visitors, its location as a stopping point for migrating birds or as a wintering ground for species that return each year from northern Europe and beyond. We started the day at a specially protected reserve area, where we visited a hide that looked onto a small lagoon. This gave views of Black Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Avocet and Black Winged Stilt. We then turned our attention to the wildfowl that over winter in Albufera in huge numbers. We enjoyed views of Shelduck, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Pochard and Red Crested Pochard. Charles was keen to see the famous egrets of Albufera so we then headed across the rice fields that provide critical feeding grounds for thousands of herons, egrets and waders. We parked by an irrigation channel and enjoyed close views of Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Great Egret. We had to push on as we´d been invited to attend a ringing session in another protected reserve,…

Birding holiday in Valencia

This is one of a series of 4 reports that cover a 4-day birding holiday in Valencia that we recently designed and provided for a client from London, UK. Charles, a young but experienced and knowledgable birder had contacted us earlier in the year to explore the possibilities of designing a bespoke birding break. Together, we designed a trip for him. He opted to stay in Valencia city, but we put together a plan that included guided birding trips to diverse habitats including steppe, forest, mountains, coast and wetlands. This report covers “Day 1” which was a day on the steppe and lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha. We left Valencia city centre at around 8am and in less than 90 minutes drive we were up on the steppe. The weather was perfect for birding if not unseasonably warm for December. After the usual coffee stop, our first birding spot was a relatively high vantage point overlooking the rolling fields and wide open space of this wonderful region. At over 900 metres in altitude, it can be a harsh place in which to live and work, but its bird life…

Birding on the Steppe of Spain

Last week, Dave and I enjoyed a fantastic day with a couple of returning clients from UK. They had a trip with us in the Spring, when we enjoyed a day in the mountains of Valencia. This time, they were keen to have a day of guided birding on the steppe of Spain. It was a pleasure to see Jan & Ossie again, and to catch up on our respective conservation projects, particularly with owls. After a chat over morning coffee, we made the relatively short journey into the rolling plains of Castilla de la Mancha. One of our main target species was the Great Bustard, which would be a lifer for them both. We stopped in a favourite location where we often get views of these magnificent creatures, and patiently scanned the surrounding fields. After some 15 minutes, we were rewarded with some fantastic views of a group of male Great Bustards, strolling through the fields and feeding under a stand of trees. As we enjoyed the autumn sunshine, a Red Kite suddenly came into view, and circled overhead, giving some wonderful views. Crested Larks and Skylarks flitted around…

Albufera de Valencia just gets better

Last Thursday I provided a day of guided birding for a client from Maine, USA. She is an experienced birder, and often visits Valencia. She was keen to add some new species to her list, and was keen to arrange a day of guided bird watching with us. Over the past few years, Albufera de Valencia just gets better as a birding destination, with increasing populations of many endangered species. I met her at her holiday home and we then made the short drive to Albufera de Valencia where we began our day at an observatory overlooking the Albufera lake. We enjoyed watching the winter visitors that are already arriving, including species such as Red-crested Pochard and Pintail. Red Crested Pochard Next stop was in a protected reserve area where we enjoyed great views of the charismatic Kingfisher. We were also fortunate enough to watch a Booted Eagle soaring and hunting above the reserve as well as a good selection of waders, many of which were on their autumn passage. On the way to our next venue, we stopped at a golf resort as one of the target species of…

A stormy day in Albufera de Valencia

Last Sunday, Yanina and I were pleased to provide a day of guided birding for a client from UK. Thomas was spending the weekend in Valencia and had arranged a trip with us. Despite it being a stormy day in Albufera de Valencia, we managed to adapt the trip to miss almost all of the heavy rain that fell that day! Having collected Thomas from his hotel in central Valencia, we made the short trip to Albufera, where we began the day in a protected reserve. We were welcomed by the explosive song of Cetti´s Warbler, and with a little patience we soon had views of this elusive little bird. The reed beds also gave views of Great Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler (we were fortunate as they are at the point of departure for their autumn migration) and Fan-tailed Warbler. A juvenile Night Heron passed overhead. The first lagoon gave good views of Marsh Harrier, Little Grebe, Garganey, and eventually a Green Sandpiper. As we walked through the reserve, we were treated to views of huge flocks of Glossy Ibis, well in excess of 100 birds. We then spent a…