Holidays - Alicante - Valencia - Bird Watching Tours

Bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia

Last week, I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia for a couple from Canada. They were on vacation in the beautiful city of Valencia and had arranged a couple of days of guided birding with us. Today´s trip was to the coastal wetlands, a fabulous site at all times of year, but especially so in early Spring as the summer visitors are beginning to arrive. George and Marilyn were very interested in seeing some of the “classic” European species, that of course are very different to the species they have in Ottowa. The first coastal lagoon that we visited held Little Grebe, Red Crested Pochard and Teal. The surrounding reeds and scrub gave views of Sardinian Warbler, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart. A very pleasant walk along the beach gave us sightings of Crested Lark, Stonechat, Whinchat, Grey Wagtail and Serin, all in the low scrub near the dunes. House Martins and Swallows were passing through, and we also had good views of Audouin´s Gull. We then walked through an area of semi-wooded pasture land where we had a great…

Bird watching on the steppe of Spain

Last week, I enjoyed a fantastic day with a couple of returning clients from Canada. They had a trip with us few days ago, when we enjoyed a day in the coastal wetlands of Valencia. This time, they were keen to have a day of guided bird watching on the steppe of Spain. 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 us, whilst we enjoyed views of Greater Flamingo and Avocet in a nearby area of flooded fields. Then a male Lesser Kestrel…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 4 (Steppe & Lagoons)

The plan for the day was to leave the lovely guest house L´Alqueria del Pilar in Banyeres, spend the day on the high steppe of Castilla de la Mancha and then travel onwards to Valencia, where the group would spend the next 3 nights. It was quite a windy and cold day although this is to be expected in February and at such altitude. Most of the area that we were to visit is above 900 metres above sea level. Our first stop beside an area of flood water gave views of Snipe, Little Ringed Plover and Lapwing. Spotless Starlings were perched on some nearby wires and a Water Pipit was feeding along the shoreline. Our next lagoon gave views of Shoveler, Pintail, Gadwall and Red Knobbed Coot. The surrounding farmland held Rock Sparrow, Skylark, Crested Lark and Corn Bunting. We then moved on to another lagoon that often has a surprise in store. We were indeed fortunate again in this super spot….as well as the usual Flamingoes, Marsh Harrier and Little Grebes, we had great views of a Golden Eagle as it passed low overhead. Happy with our species…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante)

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 3 (Wetlands of Alicante) The plan for our third day was to drive to the coast at the southern end of the province of Alicante and visit one of the region´s premium wetland reserves. After a drive of around one hour from Banyeres de Mariola, we arrived at the reserve. Although a little breezy, the weather was fine. After a brief chat with the reserve warden we looked out onto the first small lagoon where we were fortunate to see some of the Red Knobbed Coots that are part of a release programme. This extremely rare bird has its European stronghold along the Valencian coast and much work has been done to protect it. We then walked along a boardwalk across another lagoon where we had great views of Purple Swamphen (another conservation success story for Valencia). The first hide of the day gave views of Black Necked Grebe, Little Grebe and another very rare species, the Marbled Teal. Cetti´s Warbler were singing in the surrounding scrub and Stonechats and Sardinian Warbler were also seen. The next hide gave views of Green Sandpiper,…

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…

7 Day Guided Birding Trip – Day 1 (Salt Marshes & Lagoons)

The huge habitat diversity of the Valencia region of Spain allows us to provide a superb 7 days birding holiday. In late February of this year, we were fortunate to deliver exactly that for Gourmet Birds, a well established specialist bird watching holiday provider from UK. We´d worked very closely with them to design a bespoke trip, taking in some of the region´s best birding venues and carefully selected accommodation to hopefully result in a memorable trip. Day 1 – Salt Marshes and Lagoons The group arrived relatively early into Alicante airport. Therefore, without wanting to make the first day too long, we did choose to spend a few hours birding at a couple of the salt marshes that are situated within very easy reach of the airport. The usual Flamingoes were feeding on the salt marshes in huge numbers, providing a striking welcome to Spain for our guests! As we strolled by the first lagoons, we also enjoyed views of Audouin´s Gull, Little Stint, Shelduck, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart. We were also treated to views of three Spoonbills in flight. We then moved on to another site that…