bird watching holidays spain - Page 9 of 10 - Valencia Birding

The wetland reserves of Albufera de Valencia

This week, I was delighted to design and provide a trip for a couple of clients from UK. Kelvin and Kate had previously travelled to Spain on bird watching trips but had never visited Valencia, so were very keen to see what the area has to offer. As Kelvin is an employee of the RSPB, and is involved in work on reserves in the south of England, we designed the trip such that he could gain a detailed understanding of how some of our reserves operate. Having made the short journey from Valencia, we visited one of Albufera´s green-filter reserves. Once inside this protected area, together with one of the reserve´s biologists we gave a presentation on the history, objectives and functionality of the reserve. We focussed on the scientific aspects of the eco-systems and how they actually serve to improve the water quality of the area, providing excellent wetland habitat. We then went to one of the viewing stations, from which we had great views of an Osprey that had chosen to rest and feed on the reserve whilst on its migration route to Africa. We also enjoyed watching Spoonbill,…

2-day birding trip from Valencia

During this summer, we had the pleasure of providing a 2-day birding trip for a couple of clients from Germany. Kerstin had arranged the trip for her and her mother, and together we´d worked to design something that would maximise species diversity. Day one was spent at Albufera de Valencia, an internationally important wetland right next to the city of Valencia. As well as visiting the rice fields of this vast Natural Park, we spent most of the day inside a couple of specially protected restricted reserves. Mid summer is not usually the best time for birding here in Valencia but today proved otherwise. There were still plenty of summer visitors, including the beautifully graceful Collared Pratincole, but many winter visitors and passage migrants were also to be seen, White Stork being among them. Perhaps the highlight of the day was the long list of waders that we enjoyed, particularly Temminck´s Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Kentish Plover and Green Sandpiper. Species list Albufera: Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Mallard, Shoveller, Teal, Shelduck, Sandwich Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, White Stork, Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Grey Heron, Night Heron,…

Two Day Guided Birding Trip to the Wetlands of Valencia

We recently had the pleasure of providing a two day guided birding trip to the wetlands of Valencia for a couple of returnng clients from UK. Day one was a trip to Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. Having collected them from the train station in the city of Valencia we made the short journey to this well-known wetland. First stop was in the Devesa forest, where we visited a restricted spot inside the reserve where we had great views of Collared Pratincole, Turtle Dove, Little Tern, Red-crested Pochard and many more species. After a short walk in the forest we arrived at another hide where we watched a colony of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern and Slender-billed Gull. Flamingoes were passing overhead and we also enjoyed lovely views of Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. After a picnic lunch in the forest, we began driving through the rice paddies. The rice fields have been seeded and flooded recently and many different species feed in the water. We had amazing views of Whiskered Tern, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis and Purple Swamphen. A fantastic day with lovely people, and a species list that included……

A stormy day on the steppe

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day birding the steppe and lagoons of our region with a client from Spain. A very experienced bird watcher, naturalist and conservationist, she was eager to discover this unique habitat and the birdlife that thrives here. After a comfortable and easy journey from Valencia, we stopped at our first spot to check out a small lagoon and area of floodwater. On the water we saw Shelduck, Flamingo, and Little Grebe. The reeds held a pair of Great Reed Warbler, which after a little patience we managed to see. Corn Buntings were calling from the nearby fenceline, and Tree Sparrows were active in the surrounding scrub. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers were scurrying around the mud on the shoreline. A Buzzard passed low overhead, whilst Swallows, House Martins and Swifts were all feeding above in the beautiful blue skies. Our next spot was nothing more than a “prospecting” site that overlooks the vast area of cereal fields that cover this region. We had a good view of Crested Lark and some scanning and effort gave us views of a pair of Stone Curlew. A little…

6-Day Winter Bird Watching Holiday

The huge habitat diversity of the Valencia region of Spain allows us to provide a superb 6 day 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…

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…