bird watching in Valencia - Page 29 of 30 - Valencia Birding

Birds of Prey in Spain

Last week I was especially privileged to be invited to take part in a raptor release programme. The day was organised by an animal recuperation centre based within Albufera de Valencia. We are fortunate enough to enjoy a diverse range of birds of prey in Spain, owing to it´s geography, topography, habitat and eco-systems. As well as the many breeding species here in Valencia, many raptors pass through our region whilst on migration. The animal recuperation centre in Albufera does an incredible job of rescuing, treating and releasing hundreds of injured or sick birds each year and has a team of dedicated raptor specialists. Today was in important day as there were a good number of fully recovered raptors that were ready for release. To give them the best chance of survival, we drove into the inland of Valencia to an area of forested highlands, ideal for birds of prey to hunt, rest and regain their optimum fitness levels. The first birds to be released were Kestrels, all of which had been taken to the centre having been found injured or having fallen from their nests as chicks. Lurdes and…

Valencia Birding Summer 2014 Bulletin

It´s hard to believe that we´re already in August! The year so far has been a very busy one and once more, I feel privileged to say that I have met some super clients with whom I´ve shared some very special birding moments. As always, it´s especially gratifying when people make return visits, and the year has seen some returning clients who over time have become friends. This year I´ve also been fortunate enough to welcome many clients from beyond Europe, mainly from USA and Canada. More importantly, I´d like to thank everyone for their support and for choosing to spend some time with us. It´s been an absolute pleasure. Special thanks to all those who have taken the time to leave reviews of your trips with us. Thanks to you, Valencia Birding is now officially “recommended” on Trip Advisor. You can see more here As for the birding highlights, these can differ greatly depending on the clients´wishes, and target species. For Northern European clients, species such as Collared Pratincole, Great Bustard, Bee Eater and Booted Eagle are often favourites. For clients from outside of Europe, most of our Mediterranean…

Birding from the city of Valencia

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending a day with a great couple from North Carolina. They were visiting Spain with friends and had previosuly contacted us to arrange a day of guided birding from the city of Valencia. Having met them in the beautiful historic quarter of Valencia, we made the short journey to a local coastal wetland reserve where we began the day with a coffee and a chat about our trip and the species that we were hoping to see. The first coastal lagoons held Pochard, Little Grebe and Coot, whilst the surrounding reed beds gave views of Fan-Tailed Warbler, Reed Warbler and Little Egret. After a short walk along the coast, we were fortunate enough to enjoy great views of Collared Pratincole, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet, Purple Heron and Little Ringed Plover. We began our walk through more reed beds and past another couple of lagoons where we stopped for a picnic lunch. This section of the walk gave us views of Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Bee Eater and Iberian Grey Shrike. We were also treated to two superb raptors ; a Booted Eagle and…

Bird Watching from Valencia

On Wednesday of this week we provided a day of guided bird watching from Valencia for a client from Surrey, UK. After a drive through the city of Valencia, we headed for the coast and began our walk. Immediately we heard the calls of terns and warblers, all recently arrived and getting on with the business of nesting. Our first stop by a small lake gave excellent views of Little Bittern, both in flight and perched on reeds immediately in front of us. A short walk along the beach revealed a most unexpected bird for this time of year, a Turnstone. The next lake gave views of Great Crested Grebe, Black Winged Stilt and Pochard whilst the surrounding reeds provided views of Great Reed Warbler, Fan Tailed Warbler and Cetti´s Warbler. After a stroll further along the coast, we arrived at another of my favourite spots where we were treated to a spectacular display of activity…this lagoon is an important breeding area for many species and today we had great views of Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern and Purple Heron. We also spotted Little Ringed Plover and…

Birding at Albufera & Valencia´s Coastal Wetlands

This week, I was fotunate enough to meet David and Susan from UK. They were taking a city break in Valencia and had previously arranged a day of guided bird watching with me. Both scientists and keen nature lovers, they were interested to see the diverse bird life of Albufera de Valencia and the surrounding wetlands. We began our day at Tancat de la Pipa, a fantastic reserve within the Albufera Natural Park. Run by an extremely dedicated team, this reserve provides critical habitat to a huge array of bird species, as well as supporting a fantastically diverse eco-system. As we walked through the reserve, we enjoyed close views of Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet and huge numbers of Little Ringed Plovers. Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins were feeding above the reedbeds. Fan Tailed Warblers were also flitting around the reeds and we heard the beautiful song of Cetti´s Warbler. As we walked further into the reserve, we had a stunning view of a Glossy Ibis in flight, the sunlight picking out the green, purple and bronze colouration of its plumage. We also had great views of…

Two Great Days of Autumn Birding in Eastern Spain

Have just returned from two days of superb birding with a groups of great clients from UK. Day 1 saw us at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands whilst Day 2 was spent on the Steppe & Lagoons of Castilla de La Mancha. We had some magnificent views of some of the classic species that these venues offer. Here are the species lists for the two days… (photos courtesy of P. Gudgeon). Valencian Coastal Wetlands Little Egret, Yellow Legged Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Swallow, White Headed Duck, Mallard, Moorhen, Black Winged Stilt, Little Grebe, Black Redstart, Iberian Grey Shrike, Little Ringed Plover, Black Necked Grebe, Stonechat, Kestrel, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, Purple Swamphen, Greater Flamingo, Magpie, White Wagtail, Kingfisher, Snipe, Green Sandpiper Steppe & Lagoons Great Bustard, Kestrel, Crow, Coot, Black Winged Stilt, Lapwing, Greater Flamingo, House Sparrow, Pochard, Mallard, White Headed Duck, Black Necked Grebe, Spotless Starling, Marsh Harrier, Calandra Lark, Hoopoe, Moorhen, Golden Eagle, Crested Lark, Black Bellied Sandgrouse, Pintailed Sandgrouse, Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail Written by David Warrington. Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding