A stormy day in Albufera de Valencia
Last Sunday, Yanina and I were pleased to provide a day of guided birding for a client from UK. Thomas was spending the weekend in Valencia and had arranged a trip with us. Despite it being a stormy day in Albufera de Valencia, we managed to adapt the trip to miss almost all of the heavy rain that fell that day! Having collected Thomas from his hotel in central Valencia, we made the short trip to Albufera, where we began the day in a protected reserve. We were welcomed by the explosive song of Cetti´s Warbler, and with a little patience we soon had views of this elusive little bird. The reed beds also gave views of Great Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler (we were fortunate as they are at the point of departure for their autumn migration) and Fan-tailed Warbler. A juvenile Night Heron passed overhead. The first lagoon gave good views of Marsh Harrier, Little Grebe, Garganey, and eventually a Green Sandpiper. As we walked through the reserve, we were treated to views of huge flocks of Glossy Ibis, well in excess of 100 birds. We then spent a…