bird watching trips Valencia - Page 13 of 22 - Valencia Birding

Easter Birding in Valencia

On Easter Saturday, Yanina and I arranged a day of guided bird watching to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. At Easter Birding in Valencia is especially rewarding as many of the summer visitors are returning to their breeding grounds in our local wetland reserves. We gathered in central Valencia before making the short journey to the reserve that we´d selected for today´s trip. After a morning coffee, looking out across the calm waters of the Mediterranean, we began our walk along a coastal dune system. The first lagoon gave good views of waterfowl including Pochard, Red-crested Pochard and Little Grebe. As we walked further into the reserve, the second lagoon provided a spectacular sight of seven male White-headed Ducks, one of Europe´s rarest and arguably most attractive ducks. We also had great views of Flamingo, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harrier. We then took in an area of coastal scrub, and were treated to views of Wheatear, Stonechat, Whinchat, Sub-alpine Warbler and Spotless Starling. We also had a good view of Audouin´s Gull and the beautiful Collared Pratincole. After a picnic lunch on a pebble beach, we headed inland to an area…

Birding and Nature Photography Trip

Yesterday I provided a birding and nature photography trip for a client from Italy. It was his second trip to Valencia and he wanted to photograph some of the fabulous bird species of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. I collected him from his hotel in the city of Valencia where he´s spending a week´s holiday with his family. As he´s a keen wildlife photographer, he´d contacted Valencia Birding to arrange a day trip which would be close to the city whilst visiting some of the areas natural spaces. At this time of the year, the bird life in l´Albufera is distributed in different areas of the park, depending on which rice fields have been ploughed, thus influencing food availability. So, our first stop was in the western part of the Natural Park, where we found an amazing sight – over 2,000 flamingos, plus thousands of gulls, egrets, herons and glossy ibis. After this wonderful spectacle, we visited a protected reserve area with a magnificent biodiversity. Species included Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit and Greenshank. Next stop was in the Devesa forest, a natural native Mediterranean pine forest. We watched and photographed…

Spring 2015 Bulletin

Birding at Albufera de Valencia and the Valencian Coastal Wetlands These two trips prove to be our most popular birding sites and we´ve had the pleasure of showing these amazing spaces and their rich bird life to clients from throughout the World. As they´re both such popular trips, we´re delighted to be able to improve them both even further.We´ve recently been granted special authorization to enter some wonderful restricted areas that are out of bounds for the general public. This provides our clients with the opportunity to enjoy some very special natural spaces that would otherwise be impossible to visit. For the Albufera de Valencia trip, we can now also offer a new and exciting additional element which is a trip in a traditional Albufera boat. These trips are exclusively for our clients, are allow us to pass quietly by some great areas of wetland and to enjoy a different perspective. New Venues – Mountain Ranges of Valencia & The Lakes and Highlands of Inland Spain The “Mountain Ranges of Valencia” trip is ideal for those who want enjoy a short walk in the mountains amongst stunning…

Birding in the mountains of Valencia

Last Sunday I was delighted to provide a day of guided birding in the mountains of Valencia for a pair of returning clients from England. Last year, we provided a trip to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands for them and they had such a great time that they promised to return for more guided birding. This year, they opted for a trip to the mountains of Valencia. Having collected them from their hotel in the centre of Valencia, we made the short drive to the Sierra Calderona Natural Park. An area of forested mountains in excess of 600 meters above sea level. Although sunny, it was quite a windy day. However, we were fortunate enough to enjoy views of a pair of resident Bonelli´s Eagles. After a short walk up to a spectacular viewing point, we were rewarded with views of a Peregrine Falcon. Passerines were also in plentiful supply, including Great Tit, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Serin, Robin, Black Redstart, Firecrest, Blue Rock Thrush, Dunnock, White Wagtail and Crag Martin. It had been an exciting day, made all the more special because of the company of such lovely…

Bird watching for beginners in Valencia

Last week, Yanina and I provided a guided trip especially designed for a group of beginners from Valencia. They were keen to explore the bird life of Albufera de Valencia and to discover the eco-systems of the park. Rather than maximise the species list, they had asked to focus on key ID characteristics of some the most emblematic species of the area. We began the trip in one of the parks protected reserves, where we were fortunate to see a good range of wildfowl including Shoveler, Teal, Shelduck, Red Crested Pochard and Pintail. A very special sight was a huge flock of Greater Flamingoes in flight. Earlier in the week, a flock of in excess of 700 had been reported. As we watched over a small lagoon, we were also treated to superb views of three Booted Eagles, a magnificent raptor that often hunts over the rice fields of Albufera. We then headed out across the rice fields, which at this time of the year are completely flooded. This makes Albufera an ideal location for bird watching for beginners in Valencia, as it´s possible to enjoy great views of species…

Nature and Wildlife of Valencia

Yesterday I had the pleasure of providing a trip for 2 clients from Holland. Both knowledgable naturalists, they are also involved in the project Natura 2000 Network in their home country. They were here on holiday and were very keen to see the nature and wildlife of Valencia. We spent the morning at one of Valencia´s coastal wetlands which is a protected area and is also included in the Natura 2000 Network. It was very interesting to compare how conservation and politics are extremely different depending on the European country´s regulation and how controls are developed and implemented. The bird species list for the day included.. Marsh Harriers, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel, Greater Flamingo, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Great Cormorant, Common Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Red-crested Pochard, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Mallard, Kingfisher, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Bluethroat, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Moustached Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, White Wagtail, Starling, Meadow Pipit.