bird watching in Valencia - Page 20 of 30 - Valencia Birding

The mountains of Valencia in Spring.

Last week I was fortunate enough to enjoy a super day with a couple of new clients from UK. Valerie and Roger had only recently taken up bird watching but their knowledge is growing fast and they wanted to take their first guided trip. It would have been easy to take them to a wetland site where the species diversity is huge, but I didn´t want them to miss the “specialist” species that visit the mountains of Valencia in Spring. Most of the target species for this trip are summer visitors, and as Valerie and Roger may make a return trip in the autumn, it made sense to take the opportunity to spend a day in the mountains this month. After the drive from Valencia, and a brief coffee stop we parked the car and had a short walk alongside a river. This is one of the few sites in the area where Dipper breed, so we opted to sit still for a while, hoping that one would appear. A couple of very fast “fly pasts” confirmed their presence, but after ten more minutes, one came to rest, giving us…

Guided bird watching trip to Albufera Natural Park

Last week, I was pleased to guide a couple of clients from New York, USA. They were experienced birders who wanted to discover the birdlife close to Valencia City. After I collected them from their apartment, we drove directly to the first reserve area. After a short walk, we arrived at the first observatory where we enjoyed nice views of Garganey, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. Then we moved to the next hide from where we had great sightings of Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier. On the way to the next stop and reserve area, we had good views of Meadow Pipit and were able to compare the differences between it and a Water Pipit. A special bird for Linda, as it was a lifer and one that she was able to identify by herself. In the next reserve we enjoyed good views of Wood Sandpiper, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Purple Swamphen. We decided to finish the day in the northern rice paddies area, which was a great choice as we spotted a beautiful Red Throated Pipit, Caspian Gull and thousands of Glossy Ibis, Ruff and Flamingos. It had been an…

4 Day Birding Break in Alicante and Valencia

The recent weeks have been especially fulfilling as we´ve been fortunate enough to welcome back many returning clients and friends. Alastair and Christine had previously spent a few days birding with us and this time they were looking for a 4 day birding break in Alicante and Valencia. They had enjoyed visiting the cultural sites in Alicante including the castle, museums, roman sites and art galleries and wanted to follow this with 4 days of birding and later a few days in the historical centre of Valencia…a great combination! On day one I collected them from their hotel in Alicante and we made the short drive to one of the region´s inland sierras. The previous week had seen temperatures plummet and a little snowfall but despite being cold, today had dawned bright and with very little wind. They were keen to see Alpine Accentors, a very popular bird for clients who visit in winter. Having stopped for a morning coffee and to collect sandwiches, we started our walk. We made our way up through a forest where we saw Coal Tits and Long Tailed Tits. A Mistle Thrush swooped up…

7 Day Bird Photography Trip.

We recently had the privilege of welcoming back an extremely valued friend and client, Nigel from Northern Ireland. A very experienced birder and bird photographer, Nigel had previously visited as part of a group from the Northern Ireland Ornithologists´Club but this time he came alone so we were delighted to design a tailor-made 7 day bird photography trip to fit his wishes and priorities. Having discussed his preferences, we came up with a good mixture of bird photography in the field plus a few visits to specially designed bird photo-hides, each aimed at specific species. His flight arrived at Alicante quite late so we´d arranged for Yanina to collect him and then to spend the night close to the airport, well placed to visit some of the local saltpans and wetlands the next morning. During the morning, they enjoyed sightings of Ringed Plover, Sandwich Tern, Black Tailed Godwit, Iberian Grey Shrike and White Headed Duck. There was news of a rarity in the area, an Olive Backed Pipit. First attempts proved fruitless, but with the usual determination, they found it. A great start to the week! The second night was…

Winter birding trip to the Albufera Natural Park

We were recently delighted to provide a winter birding trip to the Albufera Natural Park for a returning client from England. He´s an experienced birder who´s been to Valencia several times and has been on many birding trips with us. However, this was his first time in winter, so he was keen to enjoy the different landscape and species that this season provides. Our first stop was at a reserve area where we enjoyed spectacular and close views of a number of Booted Eagles plus hundreds of waders including Black-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt and Avocet. At the next hide, we accomplished one of his wishes of the day, enjoying fantastic views of a male Bluethoat! We then spent a while at a tower observatory, paying particular attention to wildfowl, and enjoying views of Pintail, Red-crested Pochard and Shoveler. We also saw at least ten Marsh Harriers flying low over the reed beds. Next stop was a green filter reserve area, but before entering, we stopped by some rice paddies to enjoy views of a large flock of Glossy Ibis – another target species of the day. We also had an…

Birding in Albufera de Valencia

A few days ago, I had the pleasure to organise a day of guided birding in Albufera de Valencia for a couple from Norfolk, England who were visiting Valencia aboard a cruise ship. They were experienced birders, keen to discover new species from this region. After I collected them from the Cruise Ship Terminal in Valencia, we drove to the first stop in a reserve area, which right now is becoming a local “hotspot”. We were delighted to have fantastic views of Booted Eagles and Marsh Harrier, also Little Grebe and Kingfisher were showing well right in front of us. We also enjoyed good sightings of many waterfowl and wader species. The second stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area where we were welcomed by a large flock of Glossy Ibis flying overhead. Many Purple Swamphens and waders where feeding in the shallow water of the fields. Next stop was by a small lake, which by this time of the year becomes a great spot for wintering and migratory birds. Black-necked Grebes were among the target species here. It had been a special birding day with many great sightings….