White-headed Duck - Page 2 of 3 - Valencia Birding

Autumn birding on the steppe

Last week, I enjoyed a super day of autumn birding on the steppe with two returning clients from England. Both very keen birders, they were keen to see the fabulous species that this unique habitat holds. Within just over an hour´s drive from Valencia, the high steppe and lagoons provide a completely different habitat from those found at the coast or the mountains. Our first stop beside an area of floodwater gave views of Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, and a huge flock of Spotless Starling. The day had started well and the weather was on our side too – sunny and thankfully not windy! The next stop was by some old farm buildings where we enjoyed views of Rock Sparrow, Corn Bunting and one of the highlight species Great Bustard! The next lagoon, provided us with views of Booted Eagle, Red Kite and White-headed Duck. Lunch time was approaching, so we parked in a sheltered spot by a favourite lake and whilst we enjoyed a picnic, we saw White-headed Duck, Gadwall, Black Necked Grebe, Marsh Harrier and Flamingo. The rest of the day was to be spent exploring…

Birding in Albufera de Valencia.

Last week I was delighted to welcome back returning clients Bill and Maureen, this time with Bill´s brother and sister-in-law, John and Maggie. It was great to see them again, and this time our detination was the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. Their previous trip with us was to a different wetland site, so they were very interested to see what birding in Albufera de Valencia held in store… Having met close to Valencia we made the short journey into the park where we began our trip at one of the area´s restricted nature reserves. We made several stops here, very quietly setting up the scopes to scan across the lagoons. Our first stop gave us views of Great Egret, Spoonbill and Lapwing. Then suddenly a Booted Eagle passed overhead. Male, female and juvenile Marsh Harriers were quartering the surrounding reed beds, giving excellent views. We then moved to a shallower lagoon that provides great habitat for an array of waders at this time of year. We enjoyed great views of Wood Sandpiper, Snipe, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis and Greenshank. Migration was taking place right before us, with…

Guided Bird Watching on the Steppe of Eastern Spain

Last week I had the pleasure to provide a guided bird watching trip to the steppe for two experienced birders from Poland. They brought with them a wish list of target species for this habitat, so we focused the trip on that. After I collected them from the railway station in Valencia, we drove for around an hour to the magnificent plains that provide a variety of habitat including cultivated fields of different cereals and vineyards, inland brackish lagoons and wooded areas, the perfect habitat for Little Bustard, White-headed Duck and Great Spotted Cuckoo … our goal for the day. The first stop was by an irrigation pond, where we had good views of nesting Avocet, Great Reed Warbler, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck and Black-winged Stilt. Next stop was at a vantage point on top of a hill, which gave the chance to enjoy stunning views of Little Owl, Black Kite and Crested Lark. After a short drive, we arrived at a lagoon where we expected to spot one of the wish list species… White-headed Duck. We were delighted to get good views of a pair of this beautiful bird. During the evening,…

Bird watching in Alicante

Late last month I had the pleasure to provide a day of guided bird watching for a lovely group of four clients from UK. Two were spending time at their holiday home and the other couple were there as guests. Two had an interest in nature in general whilst the other couple were extremely experienced birders and had worked in guiding and conservation in Africa. We began our trip at a superb coastal wetland reserve area where we enjoyed watching Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal, both subjects of successful conservation programs here in Spain. We then moved further into the reserve where we had great views of Squacco Heron, Great Reed Warbler, Little Tern and Whiskered Tern. With a little patience we were also able to enjoy views of Purple Swamphen and Little Bittern. As we continued the walk, something unusual caught our eye as we watched a large flock of Swifts feeding overhead. An Alpine Swift was feeding with them, probably a result of cloudy and wet weather in the mountains nearby. We then spent the rest of the morning in a couple of hides from where we had…

Birding in the Valencian wetlands in Spring

A few days ago, I provided a day of guided bird watching for two clients from Ireland. The trip was a gift from their daughter Ann Claire. Her dad is an experienced and knowledgeable birder and wanted to see the diversity of the birdlife that exists here in Valencia. We decided upon a specific wetland area as right now there are colonies of breeding species that provide some super opportunities for observation, all without the risk of disturbance. After a short drive to the reserve, the first stop was in an observatory platform where we enjoyed lovely views of Red-crested Pochard, Whiskered Tern, Coots feeding their chicks and a magnificent Great Reed Warbler. We walked on to another lagoon where we had superb views of Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. We were also fortunate to see a Shag and two Black-necked Grebes, unusual for this time of the year in this reserve… Collared Pratincoles and Little Terns were also breeding in the vicinity, and gave great views both on the ground and in flight. After a picnic lunch we a headed inland, despite the warm weather,…

Bird watching in Valencia in the breeding season

Last week I had the pleasure to provide a bird watching trip for two experienced birders from the UK. They were visiting Valencia City and they wanted a day off to explore the birdlife of this area. It was their first birding trip in our region so I decided to take them to a coastal wetland which provides a large variety of species and a significant breeding colony. This trip involves some walking beside the sea and salt marshes lagoons. In the first stop we enjoyed nice views of White-headed Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Great Reed Warbler and Little Bittern. Whiskered Terns were flying overhead. We kept walking by the beach up to the next hide, which at this time of the year is the hotspot of the reserve because it´s home to breeding colony of species such as Collared Pratincole, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern, Black-winged Stilt and others. You could spend a full day just in this spot! It was also interesting having a male White-headed Duck feeding very close to us. After a picnic lunch, we headed inland, hoping to see Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen and Hoopoe. We were…