Bird watching holidays Valencia - Page 5 of 7 - Valencia Birding

Birding the local wetlands

Last week I was delighted to provide a day trip for a client from New Zealand who was visiting Valencia and wanted to see the local bird species. A retired vet and therefore extremely knowledgeable naturalist, he was interested to see the birdlife of our region as well as to see how our nature reserves are handled. Having made the short drive from the historic quarter of Valencia, we walked along a dune system, looking onto a system of coastal lagoons. This is obviously migration time, so Barn Swallows were constantly passing through. The reeds surrounding the lagoons gave views of Fan Tailed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler. We were also surprised to see a Melodious Warbler. The lagoon gave views of White Headed Duck, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebe and Shoveler. As we continued our walk, we enjoyed views of Stonechat, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier and Cetti´s Warbler. We spent a while in a hide, looking out onto a shallow lagoon that´s great for waders. This gave views of Greenshank, Snipe, Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt. We continued our walk through the…

Guided bird watching in Albufera de Valencia

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to organise a guided bird watching trip for two clients from England. They were keen to discover the bird life of the Valencian wetlands. After I collected them from the historical quarter of Valencia city we drove to the Albufera Natural Park. I´d organised a visit to a restricted reserve area which always holds a wide variety of species. To get there we drove through the rice paddies, an ecosystem that in itself is a hot spot for herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harriers. Once inside the reserve, we carefully and quietly explored each lagoon. The water levels are carefully controlled to provide habitats for various bird species. A huge variety of herons, gulls, terns, ducks and waders were all showing very well, together with Greater Flamingo and Glossy Ibis. It´s always very exciting to see new species and to enjoy a colony of hundreds of Collared Pratincoles was one of the highlights of the trip. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in a hide that looks onto a lagoon so we could enjoy fantastic views of Whiskered Terns, Little Bittern and…

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 during migration time in Valencia.

We feel very fortunate this year to have already welcomed back many returning clients, and today was such a day. Rab and Jan had spent a couple of days with us last year and had returned this year with a friend to discover the bird life of one of our wetland reserves. They drove up from the Costa Blanca and met us close to Valencia, from where we made the short drive to the reserve. After a morning coffee by the beach, looking out onto a very calm Mediterranean, we began our walk through the reserve. This was to be a day when we could see migration in progress! It´s always a very special time of year as we can see late departing winter visitors, arrivals of summer visitors and passage migrants that often stop at our wetlands to feed before moving further north. The day began with sightings of Audouin´s Gull, Blackcap, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow Wagtail (both the iberiae and cinereocapilla sub-species) and Sardinian Warbler. We then enjoyed watching wildfowl including Tufted Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Gadwall. As we were quietly looking over an area of reed…

5-Day Birding Holiday

We recently provided a 5-day birding holiday for a group of RSPB members from Northern Ireland. It was made more special by the fact that the leader of the group had previously attended a trip with us and had recommended us to her local group. We´d worked with Pat to design a tailor-made trip, focussing on habitat diversity, a few special target species and authentic and traditional accommodation. As such, we put together a 2-centre break. They arrived at Alicante airport on an evening flight from Belfast, where we were waiting to welcome them. After their arrival we made the easy journey up into the rural interior of Alicante Province and to their guest house for the first half of the trip, L´Alqueria del Pilar, a converted farmhouse in the village of Banyeres de Mariola. After a good night´s rest and a leisurely start we began our first day : Day 1 – Mountains The first day was designed to include very little travelling, and a walk in the mountains of the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park. The plan for the morning was a circular walk of some 5kms, through high…

A superb day at Albufera de Valencia.

A couple of weeks ago, just before the much needed rain storms that we´re currently enjoying, I provided a trip to Albufera de Valencia for a couple of regular clients. As they are frequent clients, we opted to spend the morning in just one reserve area and focus on what we could see there. The day began with a treat as hundreds of Greater Flamingoes passed low overhead, providing a real spectacle. They were soon followed by a Buzzard and then a small group of Booted Eagles, both pale and dark phase. The lagoons held Purple Swamphens in good numbers, as well as Glossy Ibis and Great Egret. Despite it being late November, we also watched a few Barn Swallows feeding with House Martins over the water. The reeds contained Zitting Cisticola, Reed Bunting, Kingfisher and Chiffchaff. Then as we were approaching the edge of another lagoon, we were delighted to enjoy great views of a Bittern, perhaps the highlight of the day! After lunch by a small canal where we had views of Little Bittern, we moved to the south side of the park, where we´d heard of reports of…