bird watching in Valencia - Page 24 of 30 - Valencia Birding

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…

Birding the Coastal Wetlands in Spring

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of providing a trip to the coastal wetlands of Valencia for two experienced birders from Scotland. After I collected them from Valencia city where were staying, we drove to a nearby reserve area. This time of the year is magnificent in terms of diversity of species. We began the day with a walk by the sea crossing several brackish lagoons where we saw Red-crested Pochards, Little Grebes and lots of Whiskered Terns displaying and fishing. The first stop was on a platform where we had great views of a Little Bittern and White-headed Ducks and large flocks of Glossy Ibis in flight. We continued our walk to the next hide, where we enjoyed views of some very special birds such as Collared Pratincole, Avocet, Flamingo, Little Tern, Garganey and many more. After a picnic lunch by the beach enjoying lovely views of Audouin’s Gulls, we walked into the inland area of the reserve. Here we had fantastic views of Booted Eagle, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen and Marsh Harrier. We ended the day with a short drive through some local farmland,…

Spotted Crake in Valencia

The spring migration period is fascinating here in Valencia. There are currently so many fabulous species arriving for the breeding season or just passing through on their journey north. This week we´re seeing Purple Heron, Collared Pratincole, Reed Warbler, Alpine Swift, Red Rumped Swallow all arriving at our local sites. Passage migrants seen this week include Osprey, Garganey and this beautiful Spotted Crake. …and here´s a brief video clip of the same bird : [wpdevart_youtube]cVlA3Hx58go[/wpdevart_youtube]

Birding trips for families

I recently had the pleasure to design a special birding trip for a family from Canada. The most enthusiastic birder of the family was an eight year old girl who wanted to discover the bird life of our wetlands. It´s always a treat to see such interest from children and young people. They were staying in the rural interior of Castellón at the Eco-Lodge Mar de Fulles, so after I collected them we made the short drive to the coastal wetlands. On route we stopped by at a local farming area where we enjoyed views of Hoopoe, Little Owl, Southern Grey Shrike and lots of Serins. When we arrived at the reserve, we started the walk beside the beach and several coastal lagoons. The scrub gave views of Dartford Warbler and Crested Lark whilst out to sea we saw Razorbill and Gannet. In one of the hides we had fantastic views of Booted Eagles and Marsh Harriers. Lapwings and Black-winged Stilts where sharing the scrape with Teal and Shoveler. Next stop was at an observation platform from where we had great views of Purple Swamphens, Red-crested Pochards and Little Grebe….

2 Day Birding Trip in the Wetlands of Valencia

Last week Dave and I had the pleasure of providing a 2-day trip for a couple of clients who have returned to Valencia each year to go birding with us. We´ve since become firm friends and have enjoyed some great trips together. This time they had planned an autumn trip and wanted to see the wetlands of this fabulous region. Day 1 – Albufera de Valencia Natural Park Having collected Jan and Ossie from central Valencia, we drove to Albufera to one of the park´s restricted reserve areas. Whilst driving through the harvested rice paddies, we had great views of Glossy Ibis, Great Egret and Southern Grey Shrike, indeed a good start to the day. Once in the reserve, we stopped to scan over a small lagoon and enjoyed views of Snipe, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Purple Swamphen. The next lagoon and its surroundings gave views of Bluethroat, Spoonbill, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting and Redshank. After lunch, we visited another reserve where we enjoyed watching wildfowl, including Red-Crested Pochard, Pintail, Gadwall, Shelduck and Shoveler. The species list for the day included : Mallard, Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Shelduck, Teal, Great-crested Grebe,…

Autumn birding in Valencia

I recently enjoyed a great day´s autumn birding in Valencia with a couple from Holland. Both experienced and well travelled birders, they were interested in seeing the region´s bird life, and especially wanted to photograph the Hoopoe. After collecting them from their hotel in the city, we made the short drive to Albufera de Valencia where we began the day in a protected reserve area. We saw both Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt and Dunlin. The next hide gave quite brief but excellent views of Kingfisher. We then moved onto another restricted reserve where we spent more time, enjoying great views of waders and aquatic birds including Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamphen and Great Egret. After lunch we travelled to a favourite spot for Hoopoe, hoping to get good enough views to allow for photographs. After a little patience and searching, we succeeded. This spectacular bird is always very popular with visitors from northern Europe. The day was brought to an end with a visit to a small coastal lagoon where we had great views of Kentish Plover, Sanderling, Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Audouin´s Gull and…