Bird Watching in Alicante Spain - Valencia Bird Watching

Valencia Birding is back in action after the birth of our daughter!

Our blog and social media accounts have been quiet for a few months. The reason for that is that our daughter Alya suddenly came into the world in late September – two months before she was expected. There were some sudden and serious complications which resulted in the premature birth, but after a few weeks in an incubator and thanks to the excellent care provided by the health professionals at San Juan de Alicante hospital, we were able to bring her home in November. She’s doing great, growing fast and doing what babies do! Mum suffered some problems but I’m delighted and relieved to say that she’s doing fine now too. So with the Valencia Birding family all back home and doing really well, I returned to work recently and was really pleased to see John again, one of our most regular clients, with whom we’ve had many birding trips over the past few years. This time, he was joined by a friend who has also been on previous trips. We focussed our attention on Albufera de Valencia, Pego Oliva Marsh and the mountains of the interior of the region….

Early September in Albufera and Pego Oliva Marsh.

In early September, I had the pleasure of finally meeting Bridget and Chris from the UK. We had previously communicated about a possible trip to the region, and had discussed options at length. So it was great to finally put faces to names and to enjoy two days together. Autumn migration was already underway, so we were keen to see what was moving through. Wood Sandpiper Early September is still quite hot over here, so we adapted the trips accordingly, and started our first day in the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. After a short walk to a hide overlooking a shallow lagoon, we sat and enjoyed great views of Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Avocet. Little Ringed Plover Black Winged Stilts were feeding together with their young, and Kentish Plover were scurrying around on the shore. The soundtrack to the morning was constant calls of Zitting Cisticola with explosive interuptions of Cetti’s Warbler! The nearby bushes held Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, and Long Tailed Tit. Oystercatchers with Greater Flamingos We moved on to a coastal lagoon over which flocks of House Martins and Barn Swallows were…

Last Trips to Alicante before the Summer Break

Alicante is not widely known for its birding, but the truth is, it has some of Spain’s most important wetlands, as well as huge expanses of mountainous terrain, highland forests and even an area of steppe. In the weeks prior to the summer break, during which time I turn my attention to the Osprey Reintroduction Project, working alongside Itziar (Fundacion Migres) and Ian Perks (Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation), I spent many days in Alicante with clients from both the UK and USA. White Headed Duck This region has a number of key species that are always very popular with visiting birders, White Headed Duck, Marbled Teal, Red Knobbed Coot to name a few. We managed to see all three on every trip this spring, which was even more special for those for whom it was a first sighting! Purple Swamphen The extensive reed beds provide habitat for Purple Swamphen, Great Reed Warbler, Little Bittern and much more. The shallow lagoons and their shores provide nesting grounds for Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover and Tern species including Common, Sandwich, Little, Whiskered and the occasional Elegant! Great Reed Warbler As many of…

Presentation on the History of Osprey Conservation in Scotland and Beyond

The team in Scotland, the day before the chicks were translocated to Spain.

As a collaborator of Fundación Migres, and the representative of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation for the Osprey Reintroduction Project here in Spain, I am honoured to be heavily involved in this incredible work. Back in February I was delighted to assist Itziar Colodro and Ian Perks in giving a presentation in the town of Pego. The focus was on the history and success stories of Osprey conservation in Scotland and beyond. Here you can see the presentation (both in English and Spanish). Click on the image below to go to the YouTube video…

2 Day Birding Break in Alicante

Alexia has been a loyal client and close friend for many years, so it was with great anticipation and joy that I welcomed her back for another trip together. We began our first of two days in Alicante, specifically the wetlands to the south of the city. Common Pochard Two of our target species were seen well within the first 15 minutes of the day – Red Knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal. Migration was obviously underway, with huge numbers of Red Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin and Common Swift constantly passing through. Close observation of a particularly large mixed flock also revealed a few Alpine Swifts. Red Knobbed Coot with chicks Another recent arrival included Collared Pratincole, with a few birds seen hawking over their regular nesting grounds. Purple Swamphen, Great Egret and Purple Heron were wading through the lagoons whilst Marsh Harriers were quartering the surrounding reed beds. Wildfowl included Red Crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Shelduck and another of the day’s target species, White Headed Duck. Red Crested Pochard A brief drive across farmland gave us views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Black Redstart and Kestrel. Having added these…

3-Day Birding Break from Xativa

Following the Christmas, New Year and Three Kings celebrations, it felt great to begin the first trip of 2025, especially so as it was for Tony, a client from the UK who I had met two years ago when we did a day trip from Alicante. We had spoken on the phone to design something bespoke for him, taking in 3 days in different habitats, whilst allowing him to enjoy a little time in the historic town of Xativa. Day 1 – Mountains Tony flew into Alicante airport the day before our 3 days together began, so that’s where I met him before taking the short journey up into the mountains. Having stopped for a coffee and to pick up a sandwich for him, we began our short walk up a peak, where the key target species included Alpine Accentor and Griffon Vulture. As we began to walk up through the pine forests, we enjoyed watching Red Squirrels chasing each other through the trees, as well as Coal Tit and Long Tailed Tit. We usually have to walk to the peak to see Alpine Accentor, but today, they were extremely…