Bird Watching Valencia - Page 21 of 34 - Valencia Birding

Guided birding in Valencia

Last Sunday I was delighted to provide a day of guided birding in Valencia for an experienced birder from Australia. Jillann was in Valencia for work but on her free day she wanted to discover the bird life of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. After I collected her from her hotel in the city, we went to a protected reserve area where there´s one of Europe´s largest Tern colonies, comprising mainly of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns. We also enjoyed seeing different species of ducks and waders with their young. Jillann was amazed to see the large populaton of Avocet. The Marbled Duck is an endangered species which we´re delighted to see breeding in this reserve. We were fortunate enough to see it with 4 young. Next stop was in a Mediterranean pine forest where we enjoyed a picnic lunch, relaxing for a while in the Spring sunshine and listening to the calls of Serin, Long-Tailed Tit and Sardinian Warbler. Then we went to the rice paddies where more than 100 Flamingos were feeding in the fields, then an amazing drive through the marshes with great views of Night Heron, Purple…

Bird watching in the mountains of Valencia

Last Monday I had pleasure of providing a guided trip for a couple from England. They were very keen to go bird watching in the mountains of Valencia, especially to see the raptors and “specialist” species that live in this habitat. Jan and Ossie are two experience birders who are involved in a conservation programme for Barn Owls. As they knew that I am also heavily involved in a similar project here in Spain, it was wonderful opportunity to share our experiences in working with these magnificent creatures. After the short journey from Valencia, we stopped for a coffee break and spoke about the plan for the day, and of the species that we were hoping to see. It was a fantastic sunny day and after a short drive through the mountains we arrived at the ravine where we began our walk. No sooner had we left the car when we immediately saw Griffon Vultures, Blue Rock Thrush, Serin and Sardinian Warbler. As we began our walk, we enjoyed views of Crag Martins, Ravens, Chough, Serin, Firecrest and Black Redstart. As we neared the end of the trail, the sky…

Birding at the Wetlands of Valencia

Last week, Yanina and I teamed up to provide a day of guided birding at the wetlands of Valencia for a very experienced couple of birders from the Netherlands. They wanted to combine a short break in this magical Mediterranean city with a day of birding in the local costal marshes and lagoons. After the short drive from the city centre, and a morning coffee stop by the beach, we began to explore the coastal lagoons and surrounding reed beds. As one of the clients was a very knowledgable bird photographer, we concentrated our efforts on a relatively small area of the reserve, hoping for some key target species and aiming to obtain some quality photos. One of the highlights of the first lagoon was the extremely rare White-headed Duck. We also had good views of Little Bittern and Great Reed Warbler. As we headed along the coast, we were treated to some superb views of the fascinating Collared Pratincole. The coastal scrub also held Stonechat, Whinchat and Crested Lark. The next lagoon gave good views of waders including Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. After lunch…

Birding trip to Albufera de Valencia Natural Park

Today I had pleasure of providing a birding trip to Albufera de Valencia Natural Park for a client from England. She is a keen birder who loves to travel and discover new species. She wanted to explore the wetland bird species near the city of Valencia where she was staying on a business trip. After I collected her from her apartment, we went to a protected reserve and “green filter” area of Albufera de Valencia which is an amazing hotspot for birding at this time of the year when rice fields are dry. At such times, most of the birdlife remains inside these very special places. We had a long but relaxing walk through the reserve and when we arrived at the management centre, we were delighted to discover that the reserve staff were ringing birds. It was a fascinating experience for Jo to see the ringing and recording process. After a morning in the wetlands, we spent the rest of the day at the Devesa Forest where we found many woodland species were alreay well into their breeding cycle. We´d enjoyed the day very much, with a species list…

Guided wildlife and bird watching in Valencia

Last Saturday I was delighted to spend a wonderful day with two great clients from New York, USA. There were on a journey through the Costa del Sol, Spain and wanted a day of guided wildlife and bird watching in Valencia. It was a sunny and windless day, ideal for exploring the different eco-systems of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. Not only keen birders, they were also particularly interested in ecology and natural history in general. I designed a trip with this in mind, hoping to provide a bespoke day. I focussed on the history and ecology of the area, and also gave an insight into the ongoing efforts to promote conservation and specifically to improve the water quality of the Albufera. We enjoyed many of the classic and wintering species of l´Albufera in particular herons, egrets and ibis that are resident in the park. We enjoyed a fabulous day and were fortunate enough to see more than 40 species, including: Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Back-necked Grebe, Great-Crested Grebe, Common Snipe, Black-winged…

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…