Birding Denia - Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain

Summer Heat & Autumn Migration

Much of the second half of June and the month of July was largely devoted to the Osprey reintroduction project that Valencia Birding supports, more of which I’ll report on soon. As has been the case across much of Europe, Spain has been hit with some pretty severe heatwaves, so conditions have not been ideal for birding! However, as we approach mid August, the peak temperatures have begun to drop a little. Although we’re still very much in “summer mode”, the month of August represents in large part the beginning of “autumn” or post-nuptual migration for many birds. Therefore, it’s well worth the effort to get out the sunscreen, put on a cap, grab some water and head out into the coastal wetlands to see what’s on the move. The extensive rice fields of Albufera de Valencia, with the mountains of La Valldigna in the background That’s exactly what we’ve done in the past week with clients from both the UK and the USA, taking in trips to Albufera de Valencia and the wetlands of Alicante. The trips to Albufera were for a father and his 14 year old son…

Valencia Birding is back in action after the birth of our daughter!

Our blog and social media accounts have been quiet for a few months. The reason for that is that our daughter Alya suddenly came into the world in late September – two months before she was expected. There were some sudden and serious complications which resulted in the premature birth, but after a few weeks in an incubator and thanks to the excellent care provided by the health professionals at San Juan de Alicante hospital, we were able to bring her home in November. She’s doing great, growing fast and doing what babies do! Mum suffered some problems but I’m delighted and relieved to say that she’s doing fine now too. So with the Valencia Birding family all back home and doing really well, I returned to work recently and was really pleased to see John again, one of our most regular clients, with whom we’ve had many birding trips over the past few years. This time, he was joined by a friend who has also been on previous trips. We focussed our attention on Albufera de Valencia, Pego Oliva Marsh and the mountains of the interior of the region….

3-Day Birding Break from Xativa

Following the Christmas, New Year and Three Kings celebrations, it felt great to begin the first trip of 2025, especially so as it was for Tony, a client from the UK who I had met two years ago when we did a day trip from Alicante. We had spoken on the phone to design something bespoke for him, taking in 3 days in different habitats, whilst allowing him to enjoy a little time in the historic town of Xativa. Day 1 – Mountains Tony flew into Alicante airport the day before our 3 days together began, so that’s where I met him before taking the short journey up into the mountains. Having stopped for a coffee and to pick up a sandwich for him, we began our short walk up a peak, where the key target species included Alpine Accentor and Griffon Vulture. As we began to walk up through the pine forests, we enjoyed watching Red Squirrels chasing each other through the trees, as well as Coal Tit and Long Tailed Tit. We usually have to walk to the peak to see Alpine Accentor, but today, they were extremely…

Watching Albufera Grow During the Spring

Throughout the months of April and May of this year, I’ve spent a lot of time in the wetlands and rice fields of Albufera de Valencia, principally trips with clients from the UK, USA and Ireland. It’s been fascinating to see the changes that take place during the spring, especially in terms of habitat and environment. In April, the rice fields were dry, so held very few birds, so we focussed more on the wetland reserve areas. During May, the rice farmers began to flood their fields and sow the rice, instantly attracting large gatherings of Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo, Little , Great and Cattle Egrets. Glossy Ibis In terms of bird movement, our trips in April still gave us sightings of a few later passage migrants, including Oystercatcher, Little Stint, Grey Plover and Curlew Sandpiper. However, as the month progressed, colonies of breeding birds began to form, the largest of which included Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Gull Billed Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Black Headed Gull and Audouin’s Gull, the latter choosing as usual to nest away from other gull and tern species. Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and Slender Billed Gulls…

An Active Spring in Alicante!

The past couple of months have been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to post any trip reports! This is by no means a complaint and I’m extremely grateful to everyone for making this spring such an intense time. We’ve had some fabulous trips, seen some great birds, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with such lovely people. Here are a few shots taken during three recent visits to the wetlands of Alicante. This area has to rate amongst the best birding sites in Spain, not only for the birds that thrive here, but for the conservation projects that continue to protect key species such as Marbled Teal, White Headed Duck and Red Knobbed Coot. White Headed Duck Marbled Teal Red Knobbed Coot I’ve had some fabulous trips to Alicante this spring, all with returning clients who I count as friends. Firstly with John, an English birder who lives here in Spain, with Cheryl and Diane from the USA, and with Sally and Pete, a couple from the UK who have a second home in the region. Whiskered Tern On each trip, we were blessed with great…

Another great day at Albufera.

April 2024 I’m delighted to say that April was a very busy month, packed with some great birding trips. One such day was spent at Albufera with Dominic and Elaine from the UK. They were on a rail trip through France and Spain, and had included a day’s birding with me in their plans. Albufera is a wetland of international importance for many reasons, not least of which is its geographical location on a migration flyway, so early spring is always an exciting time here. Greater Flamingo Elaine was keen to see Greater Flamingo, so we began at a reserve where it’s possible to get great views of them from a hide, without running the risk of disturbing them. We did just that, seeing them together with Black Winged Stilt, Avocet and Shelduck. We also spent some time scanning through a colony of Mediterranean Gull, Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, picking out a few Whiskered Terns and Slender Billed Gulls in amongst them. From the same hide we also enjoyed watching Redshank and Green Sandpiper. Little Stint As we strolled back to the car, a White Stork passed overhead. After…