Guided birding Valencia - Page 5 of 12 - Valencia Birding

Birding during migration time in Valencia.

We feel very fortunate this year to have already welcomed back many returning clients, and today was such a day. Rab and Jan had spent a couple of days with us last year and had returned this year with a friend to discover the bird life of one of our wetland reserves. They drove up from the Costa Blanca and met us close to Valencia, from where we made the short drive to the reserve. After a morning coffee by the beach, looking out onto a very calm Mediterranean, we began our walk through the reserve. This was to be a day when we could see migration in progress! It´s always a very special time of year as we can see late departing winter visitors, arrivals of summer visitors and passage migrants that often stop at our wetlands to feed before moving further north. The day began with sightings of Audouin´s Gull, Blackcap, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow Wagtail (both the iberiae and cinereocapilla sub-species) and Sardinian Warbler. We then enjoyed watching wildfowl including Tufted Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Gadwall. As we were quietly looking over an area of reed…

2-Day Bird Watching Trip from Valencia

I recently provided a 2-day bird watching trip from Valencia for an experienced birder from UK. Colin wanted to discover the birdlife of the region, but only had two available days. So, we designed a trip that would maximise his time and enjoyment. Day 1 – Albufera Natural Park After a brief coffee stop, we visited a number of natural reserves, where we had great views of Booted Eagle, Flamingos, Purple Swamphen, Spoonbill, Whiskered Tern and a huge diversity of waders. Albufera is an excellent site for waders in autumn. After an interesting drive through the rice paddies where we had fantastic views of thousands of egrets and herons, we finished the day with a brief visit to a sports field where we had great views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark and Serin. The species list for the day included… Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Great-crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Gadwall, Shelduck, Great Cormorant, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit,…

Guided Birdwatching Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Last Thursday I was delighted to provide a guided bird watching trip to Albufera de Valencia for two experienced birders from England. They wanted to discover the birdlife of what is one of the most important wetlands in Spain. After I collected them from their hotel, we drove to the first stop in one of the main reserves of the natural park, where we had lovely views of hundreds Flamingos, a beautiful Booted Eagle, Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Gadwall and lots more waders and waterfowl. The next stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area, where the habitat and water quality are being greatly improved, in turn enhancing the biodiversity of the area. More than 2000 Glossy Ibis where in one of the fields, sharing it with lots of Ruff, Avocets, Curlew Sandpiper, and many more waders that benefits from the food supplied from this ecosystem. During the afternoon we made two more stops in some special places, a sports field and a lake, where we had amazing views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Black-eared Wheatear, Kentish Plover and Red Knot. It had been a great day with a superb list…

Guided birding trip to the wetlands of Valencia

Last week, I had the pleasure of providing a guided birding trip to the wetlands of Valencia for a very experienced birder from the UK. She wanted to combine a short break in this magical Mediterranean city with a day of birding in the local coastal marshes and lagoons. After the short drive from the city centre, before we began to explore the coastal lagoons and surrounding reed beds, we stopped in a farming area where we spotted two lovely Hoopoes, a Little Owl and a Barn Owl. Once inside of the reserve, one of the highlights of the first lagoon were three Night Herons resting in a tree. After a short walk to the next lagoon we enjoyed seeing 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, Wheatear and Crested Lark. The next lagoon gave good views of Little Tern plus waders including Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and Black-winged Stilt. After lunch on the pebble beach,…

An amazing day at Valencia´s wetlands.

Last week, I was especially delighted to welcome back returning clients Steve, Melanie and their son Adam. We provided a day of guided birding for them at Albufera de Valencia last winter, and had discussed the options for a Spring trip. Their timing was perfect as many summer visitors were either passing through or had already settled in readiness to breed. The coastal wetlands of Valencia are spectacular in Spring, and today was to prove amazing. Numbers aren´t everything, but by the end of the day, we´d totalled over 70 species. Little Ringed Plover Our day began with a walk by some coastal lagoons where we had good views of wildfowl including Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler, and Gadwall. We heard a Water Rail although it didn´t show, but we did manage to see another two elusive species – Cetti´s Warbler and Nightingale. We then heard the call of Penduline Tit, so began to search for it. Within a couple of minutes, three of them appeared and sat out in the open giving superb views. Three Spoonbills then flew over. Scanning the flocks of passing Swallows revealed a few Red Rumped Swallows…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 2 (Mountains & High Forest)

Day 2 – Mountains & High Forest. Following yesterday´s long day and many hours of travelling for our clients, we designed the second day such that there would be very little time spent in the car. Within a very short drive of Banyeres de Mariola are some wonderful high forested hills and rocky peaks. They were to be our chosen habitats for today. At over 1000 metres above sea level, the high forests of the region have beautifully clean air and provide habitat for some very special birds. Strangely enough, in this area you´re more likely to see a Crested Tit than a Blue Tit! We began our walk up through a steep forested area, stopping to watch Great Tit, Coal Tit, Crested Tit and indeed a Blue Tit. A Hawfinch flew past, giving brief but clear views. Our walk took us past an area where there´s usually a pair of Bonelli´s Eagle but unfortunately we didn´t see them this time. We did however enjoy views of Siskin, Serin and Short Toed Treecreeper. We then drove across the valley to a spectacular rocky gorge where we parked the van and…