bird watching in Valencia - Page 28 of 31 - Valencia Birding

Bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia

Last week, I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in the wetlands of Valencia for a couple from Canada. They were on vacation in the beautiful city of Valencia and had arranged a couple of days of guided birding with us. Today´s trip was to the coastal wetlands, a fabulous site at all times of year, but especially so in early Spring as the summer visitors are beginning to arrive. George and Marilyn were very interested in seeing some of the “classic” European species, that of course are very different to the species they have in Ottowa. The first coastal lagoon that we visited held Little Grebe, Red Crested Pochard and Teal. The surrounding reeds and scrub gave views of Sardinian Warbler, Reed Bunting and Black Redstart. A very pleasant walk along the beach gave us sightings of Crested Lark, Stonechat, Whinchat, Grey Wagtail and Serin, all in the low scrub near the dunes. House Martins and Swallows were passing through, and we also had good views of Audouin´s Gull. We then walked through an area of semi-wooded pasture land where we had a great…

Bird watching on the steppe of Spain

Last week, I enjoyed a fantastic day with a couple of returning clients from Canada. They had a trip with us few days ago, when we enjoyed a day in the coastal wetlands of Valencia. This time, they were keen to have a day of guided bird watching on the steppe of Spain. After a chat over morning coffee, we made the relatively short journey into the rolling plains of Castilla de la Mancha. One of our main target species was the Great Bustard, which would be a lifer for them both. We stopped in a favourite location where we often get views of these magnificent creatures, and patiently scanned the surrounding fields. After some 15 minutes, we were rewarded with some fantastic views of a group of male Great Bustards, strolling through the fields and feeding under a stand of trees. As we enjoyed the autumn sunshine, a Red Kite suddenly came into view, and circled overhead, giving some wonderful views. Crested Larks and Skylarks flitted around us, whilst we enjoyed views of Greater Flamingo and Avocet in a nearby area of flooded fields. Then a male Lesser Kestrel…

Birding at Albufera de Valencia

The forth and final day of Charles´trip saw us birding at Albufera de Valencia. This internationally important wetland holds something of interest throughout the year, be it for its breeding habitats for summer visitors, its location as a stopping point for migrating birds or as a wintering ground for species that return each year from northern Europe and beyond. We started the day at a specially protected reserve area, where we visited a hide that looked onto a small lagoon. This gave views of Black Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Avocet and Black Winged Stilt. We then turned our attention to the wildfowl that over winter in Albufera in huge numbers. We enjoyed views of Shelduck, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Pochard and Red Crested Pochard. Charles was keen to see the famous egrets of Albufera so we then headed across the rice fields that provide critical feeding grounds for thousands of herons, egrets and waders. We parked by an irrigation channel and enjoyed close views of Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Great Egret. We had to push on as we´d been invited to attend a ringing session in another protected reserve,…

Birding in the mountains of Valencia

Day 3 of Charles´4-day birding trip to Valencia took us to the inland mountains of the province of Alicante. Birding in the mountains of Valencia doesn´t usually yield an extremely long species list, but with a little effort it can provide views of some very special species that thrive in the rocky peaks of the region. After the easy drive from the city, we stopped for a morning coffee in a small town, allowing sufficient time for the morning mist to clear from the peaks and valleys. We were already at a height of 600 metres, and the mist cover had brought the temperatures down to around 6 degrees C. However, the sun soon began to break through, allowing us to begin the short walk through a dramatic rocky gorge. The first species that we spotted included one of the day´s targets – the Blue Rock Thrush. Although the male is much brigher blue in the breeding season, even in it´s winter plumage it´s still a striking bird. We then spent a little time trying to get good views of the often illusive Sardinian Warbler, but were suddenly interupted…

Valencia Birding Receives its 50th 5-Star Trip Advisor Review

Thanks to the support of our clients, we´re delighted to report that we´ve just received our 50th 5-Star review on Trip Advisor. Sincere thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post such kind words. Best wishes, Dave & Yanina.

Birding with clients from USA.

In our work as birding guides, we´re very fortunate to meet some wonderful and interesting people. This trip was no exception. Bob and Mona are from Iowa, USA and had planned a day with us as part of their trip to Spain. Normally, when we go birding with clients from USA there´s almost always new species involved for them. However, that was going to prove a little more challenging today, as Bob has over 70 years of birding experience and has travelled throughout the World watching birds! Having collected them from their hotel close to the City of Arts & Sciences in Valencia, we made the short trip to Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. We met up with Yanina and then headed into a restricted reserve area. As we walked through a small Mediterranean pine wood, we saw Black Redstart, Fan-tailed Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper and Red-legged Partridge. Once in the first hide, we enjoyed views of Black-tailed Godwit, Black Winged Stilt and Little Grebe. We then moved on to another protected nature reserve where we had great views of some “classic” Albufera species, including Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Purple Swamphen, Wood…