Tag: Bird Watching Valencia

Wildlife & Landscape Photography at Albufera de Valencia

On Saturday 19th October we held the first of our Wildlife & Landscape Photography Courses at Albufera de Valencia. Valencia Birding, Mabel Jover and Vicente “El Torrenti” teamed up to provide an intensive day of practical and theory sessions in and around the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. Special thanks must go to the superb nature reserve Tancat de la Pipa for providing a great venue for the morning´s theory and practical sessions. The day started with morning coffee at the traditional Albufera fishing port at Catarroja where everyone had the chance to meet each other and to discuss the general plan for the day. After a brief drive to Tancat de la Pipa, we began the course with a theory session that was based upon : – Camera Settings. – Exposure. – Shutter Speeds. – Techniques for landscape images. – Techniques for bird photography, and how to capture images of them both still and in flight. There then followed a practical session within the nature reserve before we headed out across the partially flooded rice fields to capture shots of Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets and Herons…all classic species…

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Special Offer Packages – Birding & Leisure Breaks in Valencia.

Last week, we had the pleasure of providing a bespoke birding package for a great couple from UK.  They had opted to take advantage of our 1 week accommodation package that includes 3 full days of guided bird watching and half-board accommodation at Villa Florencia. Day 1 Having arrived on the Saturday evening and enjoyed a leisurely dinner at Villa Florencia, we opted for a fairly early start on the Sunday to visit the Steppe & Lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha.  After a pleasant drive to this very special area, our first sighting of the day was indeed of one of the key target species, the Great Bustard.  As we enjoyed some great views of these huge birds strolling across the steppe in beautiful morning sunlight we were also fortunate enough to see a small flock of Calandra Larks, another classic bird of this area. The first lagoon gave views of Gadwall, Greater Flamingo, and Ruff.  A few Lapwings were also feeding close by.  We then moved onto another lagoon where we spent the rest of the morning.  As we relaxed by the water´s edge, we had good views…

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Bespoke Birding Trips in Spain

Last week we provided a bespoke birding mini-break from a couple from UK.  We´d previously discussed their specific requirements and had designed a trip based on their wishes.  The trip comprised two days of guided birding, the first day was our Mountain Bird Life Trip and the second was a day on the Steppe & Lagoons of Castilla de la Mancha.  Overnight accommodation was provided at the guest house Villa Florencia in Marxuquera, close to Gandia. After a drive up into the mountains of Alicante Province we began the first day with a short but spectacular walk into a deep limestone gorge.  Almost immediately we enjoyed views of the mighty Griffon Vulture. A distinctive call from high on the crags caught our attention and we soon spotted a pair of Ravens.  Further scanning of the cliffs revealed Crag Martin, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear and Rock Bunting.  Another highlight of the morning was Peregrine Falcon. After a picnic lunch we made our way to the hotel, stopping by at a local wetland where we saw Grey Heron, Little Bittern and Booted Eagle.  To add further interest to the journey we drove back…

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Bird Watching in Valencia Province

Last week, I had the pleasure of a arranging a day trip for a group of 5 experienced birders from Newcastle, UK.  They had spent some time touring around the provinces of Alicante and Valencia and after visiting various birding sites had managed to see 97 species.  They had opted to finish their holiday with a guided birding trip with us, and one of the group had made the claim that if their species list reached 100, then he would mark the occasion with a bottle of champagne! We made the journey up through the city of Valencia to the coastal wetlands and began our walk from there.  The day started well with good views of Moustached Warbler and Little Bittern.  The first sizeable lagoon held Red Crested Pochard, White Headed Duck and Great Crested Grebe.  The surrounding reed beds gave views of Great Reed Warbler, Fan Tailed Warbler and Reed Warbler.  We also enjoyed great views of Glossy Ibis, Turtle Dove and Audouin´s Gull.  Terns were very busy making continual fishing trips to feed their young.  We were fortunate enough to see Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern and…

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Combining City Breaks in Valencia with Guided Birding.

Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to welcome back some previous clients.  Stella and Richard from UK has been on a guided birding trip with me last year and had this week returned to Valencia with family.  They had opted to enjoy a short break in this enchanting city, with its diverse cultural attractions, and to include in their plans a day of guided bird watching. I collected them from their apartment in the chic and historical area known as Barrio Carmen, then we made the short journey to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands.  After a morning coffee, we began the walk along the coastal dunes to the first of the day´s lagoons.  The skies were already busy with terns making constant fishing trips to feed their young.  The nesting colonies here include Common Tern,  Whiskered Tern and Little Tern. The first lagoon held Pochard, Little Grebe, and Black Winged Stilt.  As we made our way further along the coast, we enjoyed superbly close views of another of the area´s key breeding species, the Collared Pratincole.  We were fortunate to have views of this spectacular bird in flight as well as…

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