Albufera de Valencia

Local Bird Walk in aid of Tancat de la Pipa.

On Friday 1st June, a group of 18 friends and neighbours gathered for a “Bird Walk” around the valley of La Drova and Barx. Arranged by Valencia Birding, the dual purposes of the walk was to see the bird life that thrives within this spectacular valley and to raise funds for the much valued nature reserve Tancat de la Pipa, situated within the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. Many people have visited Tancat de la Pipa on our birding trips. The small team there do some wonderful conservation and research work that provides vital habitat for a huge range of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and plant life. We completed a walk of some 6km, through olive groves, woodland and open countryside. We managed to see 24 species, the highlights of which were Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Cirl Bunting, Golden Oriole and Woodchat Shrike. The complete species list comprised… Spotted Flycatcher, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Swallow, Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, Long Tailed Tit, Serin, Blackbird, Peregrine Falcon, Black Redstart, Raven, Sardinian Warbler, Cirl Bunting, Golden Oriole, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Melodious Warbler, Chaffinch, House Martin, Nightingale, Swift, Woodchat Shrike. We also…

Guided Birding at Albufera de Valencia

On 22nd May I visited Albufera de Valencia with a client from the UK. The weather was superb, and with the rice fields recently flooded the expanse of water and the “big” blue sky made for a special day. Our first stop gave good views of Audouin´s Gull, a very pretty gull which although rare has its European stronghold along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. We also enjoyed views of Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Squacco Heron, Great Egret and Purple Gallinule. As we walked through the reed beds, we had good views of Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Fan Tailed Warbler and heard although did not see Savi´s Warbler. Purple Herons were around in good numbers and we also had a brief but clear view of a Little Bittern. In the afternoon we visited more sites around the Natural Park and had views of Gull-Billed Tern, Sandwich Tern, Whiskered Tern, Glossy Ibis, Marsh Harrier and Cattle Egret. The species list for the day included… Audouins Gull, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Cattle Egret, Collared Dove, Common Tern, Coot, Fan Tailed Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Gull Billed Tern, House Martin, House…

On 4th May, I spent the morning at Albufera de Valencia with a client from The Netherlands. As time was limited, we opted to spend the morning at one of my favourite reserves as it provides something of interest on every visit. Upon arrival we enjoyed the usual Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron and Purple Heron. They were soon joined by Glossy Ibis and Avocet. Scanning around revealed Little Ringed Plover, Purple Gallinule and Gull Billed Tern. Fan Tailed Warblers were busy flitting around in the reeds and Swifts were overhead in huge numbers. A little patience was repaid with good views of Purple Gallinule and a pair of Great Crested Grebes that gave a half-hearted attempt at a courtship display! As we made our way back to the car we enjoyed views of Marsh Harrier and Whiskered Tern. A brief but very pleasurable trip, our list comprised… Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Mallard, Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, Red Crested Pochard, Black Headed Gull, Cormorant, Gull Billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Fan Tailed Warbler, House…

An Afternoon at Albufera de Valencia

As we had business to attend to in Valencia today, the opportunity to spend a couple of hours looking what was around Albufera couldn´t be missed. We started at the main hide, where we were greeted by a group of school children on a day trip! Although not the quiet environment that we expected, it has to be remembered that this is where the future of conservation lies. We soon attracted a small group of kids who were curious to see what the telescope was and soon had a small queue forming to watch the Flamingoes that were resting at the far side of the lagoon. A few others were fascinated to see the beautifully coloured Teal through binoculars which at first glance to them, appeared to be just “boring brown ducks”! Once their teacher called time and moved them on and out of the hide, we settled down to see what else was around. As mentioned, Teal were present in good numbers. A group of 6 Black Winged Stilt did a good job of trying to conceal a lone Avocet amongst them. We spend a little time waiting and…

Albufera de Valencia

Albufera de Valencia is considered to be one of the premier wetlands in the whole of Europe and boasts a huge species list. A lot of excellent conservation work is being done by some truly dedicated groups and each year the entire site improves. However, for the visiting birder, it can be difficult to make the most of a visit without some local knowledge. With that in mind, today´s visit was organised for a local birder who simply wanted to make the most of his time and to get to know the area a little more. Our day started at the visitor centre where a new hide is under construction to compliment the existing one. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy superbly close views of Avocets and Little Stints. Up to 5 Marsh Harriers at a time were quartering the reed beds, whilst a handful of Greater Flamingoes snoozed in the morning sun. Other highlights included Curlew Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. Having happily spent a couple of hours there, we decided to move on. We visited a few local hot-spots before having coffee in a local bar. Once refreshed,…