Bird Watching in Alicante Spain - Valencia Bird Watching

2-Day Trip : Albufera & Mountains

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of meeting Martin and Jessica again. Both very keen and well travelled birders, they spend a large part of their lives in Spain. Martin is also an author of various works relating to birding. Our first day was to be spent at Albufera where we began our trip in a hide from where we saw good numbers of Greater Flamingo, Teal and Shelduck as well as Stonechat and Kingfisher. The next hide gave views of shorebirds on a small island, including Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Snipe. Greater Flamingo & Black Winged Stilt After a brief coffee stop, we drove across the ricefields to another reserve, where we enjoyed views of Wood Sandpiper, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Buzzard and Booted Eagle. Most of that was whilst having lunch in a hide! Meadow Pipit, Tree Sparrow, Cetti’s Warbler, Spotless Starling and Common Starling were soon added to the list. Booted Eagle – not a great shot but it clearly shows the “landing lights” The light was fading a little so we headed back towards the coast where we focussed some time…

A bird filled day at Albufera

18th November 2022 For many reasons, I have recently spent more time than usual at the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia, and one thing that has stood out is that no two days are ever the same, even two consecutive days. Our first stop of the day Today´s trip was for Dave from the south of England who was enjoying a short break in Valencia with his wife, and wanted to include a day of birding in his plans. Our first stopping point immediately greeted us with a lagoon full of birds – especially Flamingo, Shelducks, Black Winged Stilts and Glossy Ibis. Stonechat A pair of Stonechats were feeding in front of the hide, and a Buzzard suddenly passed low overhead. We moved onto the next hide which gave us superb views of Marsh Harrier, Sardinian Warbler and a couple of Collared Pratincoles that have been lingering around the area for a few weeks. A short drive across the rice fields to another reserve gave us plenty of Cattle Egrets, Black Headed Gulls and Glossy Ibis following a tractor that was ploughing, and obviously revealing food! We also…

Enjoying migration time at Albufera.

21st October 2022. I’ve spent many days over the past weeks at Albufera, and have been fortunate enough to do so with some wonderful people from all over the world. Today’s trip was for two very experienced birders from Denmark, who had chosen to include a day’s birding into their short break in Valencia. The day of our trip was quite warm for the time of the year, but with light cloud cover and no wind. We began to see an overlap of summer visitors, winter visitors, passage migrants and resident species as soon as we began – namely Collared Pratincole, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Black Winged Stilts respectively. Black Winged Stilts resting and preening Teal added to the wintering birds, and a Kingfisher came to perch before us, giving excellent views. Raptors then began to show, firstly a female Marsh Harrier gliding low over the reeds, soon followed by a pale morph Booted Eagle circling high above the reserve. Kingfisher We moved on to our next stop where we enjoyed views of Black Necked Grebe, now in winter plumage, Greenshank, Audouin’s Gull and Great Crested Grebe. Seemingly to…

A day at Albufera with a wetlands expert from the USA.

I recently had the privilege to meet and provide a trip to Albufera de Valencia for Patricia from the USA, who is a leading expert in the wetlands scientific research sector. Despite her huge knowledge and experience, her humility and enthusiasm for all that we saw made the day very special. Our first reserve visit gave us shorebirds that included Black Winged Stilt, Black Tailed Godwit, Collared Pratincole, Ruff and Common Sandpiper. A Kingfisher came to perch quite close by, and stayed there for a good few minutes, allowing for excellent views. Kingfisher After a morning coffee stop in a local village, we moved on to a coastal lagoon where we enjoyed watching Little Stint, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and Greater Flamingo. Dunlin After lunch, we drove across the rice fields which held Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Great Egret. Taking into account Patricia’s specialist knowledge, I built in a visit to the fabulous green-filter reserve, Tancat de la Pipa, where I could outline the developments that have taken place in the effort to improve water quality within the reserve, thereby enhancing habitat and…

Another productive autumn day at Albufera de Valencia

7th October 2022 At this time of year, our wetlands are particularly interesting as many migrants, especially shorebirds, are passing through the region on their voyage from Europe to Africa. Today’s trip was for Mary from New Mexico, who was visiting Valencia with a friend and was keen to fit in a day’s birding whilst here. It was another grey day, as storm fronts had been moving through for a few days, but we succeeded in staying dry throughout the trip, despite being surrounded by sharp, localised showers. Marbled Teal Our first spot, at a reserve area, gave us a couple of very welcome surprises – Marbled Teal and a Collared Pratincole (October is relatively late for both, although Marbled Teal can often be seen in the south of the region). As we were sitting in the hide, a Kingfisher made a brief appearance, perching beautifully in front of us for a minute or so, before flying off into the reeds. Kingfisher Careful scanning then revealed a Teal, probably recently arrived as this is a winter visitor here, a Grey Plover and a Common Sandpiper. The next hide gave views…

Avoiding the storms at Albufera de Valencia

6th October 2022 It had been some time since Paul, a retired farmer from the UK, had contacted me to arrange a day’s birding at Albufera so it was a pleasure to finally meet him. He was taking a break with family and friends in the city of Valencia and was keen to include a birding trip in his plans. The long, hot summer is finally coming to an end, and as always in early autumn, we´ve had a few storms lately. The forecast for the day of our trip included an amber warning for heavy rain, but knowing that such weather can be very localised, we opted to meet as planned. I collected Paul from his hotel under a grey sky, and as we made the short drive to Albufera, it did indeed rain quite heavily. However, as soon as we parked the car and got out, the rain stopped! Common Sandpiper Our first site – a small, protected wetland reserve gave us views of Dunlin, Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Black Winged Stilt and Greater Flamingo. Wildfowl included Shelduck and Shoveler. This is a great time…