Bird Watching in Alicante Spain - Valencia Bird Watching

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…

7-Day Birding & Bird Photography Holiday.

Last month we were delighted to design and provide a tailor-made 7-day trip for two clients from Northern Ireland. This was their first birding trip to the Valencia region, and bird photography was to be the central theme of their visit. After communicating with them, we came up with a plan that would include many habitats and a great selection of species that our region can offer at this time of year. Day 1 – Coastal Salt Marshes. For the first half of the trip, Dave was to be their guide, before handing over to Yanina for the remaining days. They had an early flight into Alicante so on day 1, after collecting them from the airport we visited two local salt marsh sites. Our first stop gave excellent views of one of their target species, Slender Billed Gull, as well as White Winged Black Tern and Whiskered Tern. We also had great views of a beautiful Curlew Sandpiper in its breeding plumage. After a coffee break we moved on to the next site where we had a lunch whilst enjoying good views of Red Rumped Swallow, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart…

Bird Watching in Valencia

A few days ago, I had the pleasure to guide two keen birders from Norway. They were visiting Alicante City and they wanted a day off to go and discover the bird life of Valencia Region. At this time of the year, the coastal wetlands near Valencia provide fantastic habitats for passage migrants, including many waders, as well as summer visitors and resident species. After a short drive, we arrived at one of the best wetlands sites of Valencia. As soon we started walking, we stopped to enjoy views of Night Heron and Whiskered Terns. We walked close to some salt water lagoons where we had views of Red-crested Pochard, White-headed Duck, Little Bittern and Great Reed Warbler. Great Reed Warbler We kept walking up to the next hide, where there is a significant breeding colony of Collared Pratincole, Little Tern, Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. Also many waders such as Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover and Little Plover. On the way back, after a picnic lunch at the beach, we enjoyed views of Woodchat Shrike and Zitting Cisticola. Woodchat Shrike At the end of the day we a headed…

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…

January 2017 Bulletin

Another bird-packed year has passed, filled with many happy memories of special times spent with lovely people in beautiful locations, watching amazing birds. As we look forward to another new year, we´d like to begin as always by thanking you all for your support during 2016 and by wishing you a very happy 2017. General News Our day trips have continued to prove very popular, and this year we´ve been delighted to see an increase in teenagers and young people that we´ve guided. We´re very much aware that the future of birding and conservation lies in their hands, so we´re always gratified when we see such interest. Our proximity to some incredibly diverse habitat is a constant benefit to us, and we look forward to another year of guiding our clients through some of Europe´s best wetlands, salt marshes, highland forest, mountains and steppe. A point worthy of note here is that after a lengthy period of dry weather during much of the year, our region saw some incredibly high rainfall during December 2016. Although this caused some practical problems in the immediate term, it has served to boost the…

2-Day Bird Watching Break : Mountains & Albufera

Day 1 – Mountains A few days ago, I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird watching break to the mountains and to Albufera de Valencia for two experienced birders from USA. They were keen to discover some of the habitats and birdlife of our region. Having collected them from their apartment in central Valencia, we drove for less than one hour to a great gorge in the mountains to search for some target species. As soon as we parked, we had an amazing welcome from a Blue Rock Thrush standing on top of a ruined building controlling its territory. A few minutes later, many Griffon Vultures were circling around. Walking through this amazing gorge we enjoyed great views of Black Wheatear, Sardinean Warbler, Crag Martin, Black Redstart and also a pair of Raven. It was a fantastic trip where we had good sightings of some target species. The list for the day included… Griffon Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Crag Martin, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Robin, Black Redstart, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Serin, House Sparrow. Day 2 – Albufera de Valencia The second day was designed such that we could see…