bird watching holidays spain - Page 6 of 10 - Valencia Birding

Birding with a city break in Valencia.

Last week I was delighted to see returning clients Kelvin and Katy from UK, and to provide a day of guided birding for them at one of our region´s wetland sites. Last year they had enjoyed a trip with us to Albufera de Valencia and had been impressed with the bird life of the area. They had also fallen in love with the enchanting city of Valencia and vowed to return! Return they did, and after discussing what they´d like to see, we headed for the wetlands. Kelvin works for the RSPB in the south of England, and is a knowledgeable birder. Katy is a keen nature lover, and for her today was all the more special as it was her birthday! After meeting outside the cathedral in central Valencia we made the short trip to the reserve. The day began with a walk beside some coastal salt lagoons, where we watched Common Reed Warbler and heard Cetti´s Warbler in the surrounding reeds. We were pleased to see a pair of Turtle Doves too. As we watched the first lagoon we had superb views of a Purple Heron flying low…

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…

3-day birding break with free time around Valencia

We were recently especially gratified to be able to design and provide a tailor-made birding break for returning clients from UK. They first came on multi-day birding trip with us a few years ago, and had indeed tried to organise a return visit a couple of years later. However, shortly before the trip, one of the group was suddenly taken very seriously ill. After a really tough time with very dangerously complex health issues, we were delighted to receive news that an amazing recovery had been made and that they wanted to arrange a birding trip with us! This was going to be a unique trip as they wanted a 7-day holiday that would include 3 days of guided birding and some free days to enjoy the local culture and to relax. We came up with a plan and designed what was hopefully exactly what they were looking for! They arrived at Valencia airport on a fairly early flight which gave us ample time to make the journey to Banyeres de Mariola, stopping on the way for lunch in a local farming village. They were to spend the first half…

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…

7-Day Bird Watching Trip for the Northern Ireland Ornithologists´Club.

Early this month we were privileged to have designed and provided a tailor-made 7-day trip for a fabulous group of birders from the Northern Ireland Ornithologists´Club. This was the forth trip that we´ve provided for members of this club, and we´re always delighted to welcome them back to Valencia. We´d previously designed a plan that would hopefully maximise habitat and species diversity specific to this time of the year. Their flight arrived late into Alicante airport so we collected the group and drove to the village of Banyeres de Mariola where the guesthouse Alqueria del Pilar would be their base for the next 4 nights. Day 1 – Coastal Salt Marshes. Our first day was to be spent exploring the coastal saltmarshes of the Alicante province, which at this time of year hold some very interesting species. After a drive of just under an hour we arrived at our first spot, and stopped to enjoy great views of Slender Billed Gull, Little Tern and Turnstone. We also saw White Winged Black Tern, Whiskered Tern and a huge group of Great Crested Grebe. We then turned our attention to waders, and enjoyed…