Guided Bird Watching Valencia - Page 13 of 26 - Valencia Birding

Bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia

Earlier this month I enjoyed a super day´s birding with a couple of clients from UK. Brian and Sally are keen nature lovers and experienced birders, and were spending a few days in Valencia. They had previously contacted us and we´d arranged a bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia as part of their break. After I´d collected them from their apartment in central Valencia, we made the short journey to Albufera where our first stop was in a protected reserve area. The reed beds, lagoons, canals and marshes of this reserve provide excellent habitat for an array of bird species throughout the year. Today was no exception, and we were fortunate enough to enjoy views of Purple Heron, Night Heron, Squacco Heron and Great Egret. September is always a fascinating month, as some of the summer visitors are still present, whilst some winter visitors are just beginning to arrive. Furthermore, many species that are on passage stop at Albufera to feed and rest. One such species is the Osprey, and we were treated to views of this superb raptor. The reeds held Fan-tailed Warbler, Reed Warbler and Chiffchaff whilst…

Guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia

Last Thursday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from England. As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of The Wild Trust and also volunteers of the RSPB. Whilst here in Spain, they were keen to discover the bird life of the wetlands that surround Valencia. After I collected them from their holiday apartment, we went to a protected reserve area where we enjoyed great views of waterfowl species. We were also fortunate enough to watch 3 Booted Eagles soaring and hunting above the reserve. On the way to our next venue, we stopped in a car park where there had been reports of a Dotterel, obviously resting and feeding whilst on passage. Next stop was a very special restricted reserve area, where we spent most of the morning and had lunch in an stunning hide in front of a lagoon. We enjoyed views of a large flock of Greater Flamingo and Glossy Ibis. An Osprey, another species that often stops at Albufera whilst on passage, had appeared to “befriend” the Ibis and happily spent the afternoon with them!…

2 Day Birding Trip in Valencia

Last week Dave and I had the pleasure of providing a 2 day birding trip in Valencia for a client from Australia. Russel is an experienced birder and marine biologist who was in Valencia for a conference and was eager to make the most of his time here and to enjoy some European species. On day 1, I collected him from his apartment in central Valencia. We then drove to the mountains of inland Alicante where we met Dave. After a coffee and review of the species we were looking for, we enjoyed a short walk during which we succeeded in seeing some classic species including Griffon Vultures, Black Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush. After a picnic lunch we travelled back to Valencia where we called in at l’Albufera Natural Park. We made a short stop in some rice paddies where we were fortunate to see a diverse array of waders including Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Dunlin and Collared Pratincole. It made a perfect end to a great birding day. On the second day, we visited the Valencian Coastal Wetlands, a reserve area that hosts some amazing…

Guided birding trip to Valencian Wetlands

Last week, I provided a day of guided birding trip to Valencian wetlands for a couple from England. Both were very keen and experienced birders and were eager to see the wetlands of Valencia, especially at this fabulous time of the year when migration season is well underway. The day turned out to be very interesting, and resulted in a fabulous number of 63 species list. After I collected them from their apartment, first stop was in some rice paddies where the rice plants hadn´t grown this year. Therefore, the flooded fields provided ideal habitat for waders. Hundreds of birds of more than 20 different species where feeding all together. We also had a nice surprise when we saw a Marble duck and two Caspian Terns with so many others interesting species. After a brief stop for a coffee and a short review of the species list we went to the next stop in the reserve area and interpretation centre of the Natural Park, where Flamingos and Avocets where close enough for us to get amazing photographs. Next stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area we were delighted…

Guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia

Last Friday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Poland. As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of a bird protection organisation, and they wanted to discover the species of Valencia and its wetlands. After I collected them from their hotel, we went to a reserve and restricted area where we spent most of the morning. At this time of the year this reserve is magnificent, and we enjoyed great views of a colony of Common and Sandwich Terns. We also enjoyed seeing the very rare Mabled Duck with 5 ducklings, together with a large group of Greater Flamingo, right in front of the hide. The second stop was in the forest, where Wren, Serin, Spotted Flycatcher, Sardinian Warbler and Firecrest welcomed us. To end the trip we went to the rice paddies. Now the fields have been planted, Glossy Ibis, Herons and Egrets where everywhere. We also enjoyed the display of the Hoopoe and finally one of the day´s highlights – the Purple Swamphen. It had been a classic Albufera day, with a species list that…

Birding at the Wetlands of Valencia

Last week, Yanina and I teamed up to provide a day of guided birding at the wetlands of Valencia for a very experienced couple of birders from the Netherlands. They wanted to combine a short break in this magical Mediterranean city with a day of birding in the local costal marshes and lagoons. After the short drive from the city centre, and a morning coffee stop by the beach, we began to explore the coastal lagoons and surrounding reed beds. As one of the clients was a very knowledgable bird photographer, we concentrated our efforts on a relatively small area of the reserve, hoping for some key target species and aiming to obtain some quality photos. One of the highlights of the first lagoon was the extremely rare White-headed Duck. We also had good views of Little Bittern and Great Reed Warbler. As we headed along the coast, we were treated to some superb views of the fascinating Collared Pratincole. The coastal scrub also held Stonechat, Whinchat and Crested Lark. The next lagoon gave good views of waders including Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. After lunch…