Bird Watching Valencia - Page 16 of 34 - Valencia Birding

2 Day Birding Break in Valencia

I recently provided a 2 day birding break in Valencia for a couple of returning clients from my home town of Sheffield. It was fantastic to welcome Jonathan and Caroline back to Valencia and to spend these days together with them. They first came last autumn when they visited the wetlands of Albufera de Valencia and the mountains with us. They were keen to see Albufera again, but in winter and also wanted to visit the steppe, in particular to see Great Bustards. This time they were visiting with friends and were combining a cultural city break with a couple of days of birding. On day one, we made the short trip to Albufera, and started birding as soon as we began the journey by watching a Booted Eagle who has made Valencia port his winter home this year. We then visited a reserve area where we sat in a couple of hides for a while and enjoyed views of Shelduck, Teal, Marsh Harrier and more Booted Eagles. We then spent a little time watching a rice field that held plenty of Snipe and in the surrounding reeds we saw Tree…

Birding and seawatching trip to Albufera of Valencia

I recently provided a birding trip to Albufera de Valencia for two clients from England who as experienced birders had travelled to Spain many times but never to the Valencia region. After I collected them from their accommodation in the city centre, we made the short journey to Albufera Natural Park where we stopped in the main pier of the Albufera lake to enjoy nice views of Sandwich Terns and Marsh Harriers. Our next stop was in the main reserve area of the park, and after a short visit to the information center we headed to the observatories in a restricted area where we were surprised by a juvenile Night Heron. We realized it was injured so I manage to catch it to take it to the recovery center. After this episode we continued birding in the reserve. From one of the observatories we had views of an Iberian Grey Shrike, Flamingos and Zitting Cisticola. Later from the observatory tower we enjoyed good views of thousands of Red-crested Pochard, Pintail and many waterfowl that winter in this area. Our next stop was planned to be in the Village of El…

Birding in Valencia with a loyal client.

A few days ago I was delighted to provide a day of birding in Valencia with a loyal client. Gavin´s done many trips with us over the past few years and of course he has been to Albufera Natural Park before, but as he´s an experienced birder he knows that every day is different and birds can always surprise us. He was once again in Valencia on business but he managed to get a free day to go birding. Winter time is always exciting in Albufera as it´s an ever changing landscape. It was a sunny winter day and we were keen to get out and see what was around. The first stop was in the main reserve area of the natural park where we enjoyed the first good views of Booted Eagles, Garganey and a Hoopoe. From the observatory tower we had fantastic views of Red-crested Pochard, Wigeon, Pintail and many more waterfowl, it is a great spot where thousands of ducks spend the winter. Next we explored the southern rice fields to search for waders and the like. After a few minutes we found a tractor ploughing the…

Birding trip to Albufera of Valencia

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to provide a birding trip to Albufera of Valencia Natural Park for two couples from England. One couple were experienced birders who wanted to introduce their friends to the pleasure of going birding during their holidays. They were keen to discover the birdlife of the Valencian wetlands, so after I collected them, we drove a few minutes to the main reserve area of the natural park. After visiting the centre to understand the different ecosystems and birdlife of the area, we went to the observatories which is where we saw the first species of interest… Black-winged Stilt, Red-crested Pochard as well as an Osprey that flew over Next stop was in a green filter and reserve area. It took us a few minutes to drive through the rice paddies and just before we entered the reserve, a flock of Spoonbills flew over and we enjoyed great views. We arrived to the observatory tower where we had amazing views of some of the target species of the day… Purple Swamphen, Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier. The day was going pretty well so they…

Guided birding trip to the steppe

A few day ago I was delighted to provide a guided birding trip to the steppe for Joppe from Holland. He is an experienced birder and was keen to see Great Bustards and some other target species of this area. He was staying in Albacete, so we agreed to meet at Almansa railway station. After I collected him, he told me that he´d seen a few Great Bustards from the train – the main goal of the day was already accomplished without my help!! So we decided as a new objective for the day, to get quality views of them. The first stop was at an irrigation pond where we had a few good sightings despite of the wind… Marsh Harrier, Zitting Cisticola and a flock of Linnet. We continued driving in search of the Great Bustard, it was a challenging day… most of the fields had been ploughed recently and the birds weren’t in their regular areas. Despite that, on the way to the next stop we had great view of Iberian Grey Shrike and a nice flock of Calandra Larks. Later we had to stop the car to…

Guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia

I was recently delighted to provide a bird watching trip for a couple from England. They are good friends of a friend and regular client of Valencia Birding, so I was keen to meet them. Experienced birders, they were interested in a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia. The weather forecast was not too promising but we managed to escape the rain and enjoyed the birdlife of this fabulous wetland. After I collected them from their hotel in Valencia City, we drove straight to the Northern area of the park where there were some ploughed rice paddies, ideal for Flamingo, Whiskered Tern, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and many more waders. Next stop was to the main reserve area of the Natural Park, first we visited the information centre, a good way to start understanding why this area is so important for migrants. Then after a short walk we arrived at the observatory where we enjoyed great views of Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Stint and waterfowl. On our way to the picnic lunch area we stopped in a bar of El Palmar to buy a sandwich to…