birding in Alicante - Page 10 of 22 - Valencia Birding

A sunny February day on the steppe.

The steppe zone that´s located to the south west of the region is an area of extremely high, open plains that in winter can be subject to gale-force winds and sub-zero temperatures. However, last Friday was an exceptional day, with clear blue skies, virtually no wind and temperatures touching 20 degrees C! The birding trip had been arranged by a local lady for her husband John, as a Christmas present, and after a chat on the phone, we’d decided on the steppe. The day began as usual with a coffee stop in a small farming village before we headed across the fields in search of birds. Our first stop, a vantage point with huge views, saw large flocks of Linnets, a few Crested Larks and a Spotless Starling that posed nicely for a photo. Spotless Starling We then moved to an old farm whose outbuildings provide nesting spots for colonies of sparrows. We actually saw three species – House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow and Rock Sparrow, including a leucistic House Sparrow that was almost uniformly white. Buzzards were circling above us in the warming air, and Corn Buntings were calling from…

Masses of Gulls & Glossy Ibis at Albufera de Valencia

As is often said, “a picture paints a thousand words”. But in this case, it’s a video that I hope portrays the sheer spectacle that I experienced at the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia yesterday morning. At this time of year, the flooded rice fields are drained and ploughed in readiness for the planting phase. This results in the earth and mud being churned up, revealing a rich food source for thousands of ibis, gulls and egrets. It’s hard to express what the sight of such vast numbers of birds is actually like – even still photos don’t really do justice. This is why I chose to shoot this short video and share it with you. On this occasion, the majority of gulls were Black-headed, although in amongst them there was a Common Gull too! But the Starling-like murmurations of Glossy Ibis are the key spectacle. I hope you enjoy it!

New Year Birding in Valencia

Valencia Birding kicked-off 2022 with our first clients of the year on 2nd January – Magdalena and Erik from Austria. They were on a short break in Valencia and wanted to include a birding trip in their plans. We opted to visit the wetlands close to the city, as a way of making the most of the relatively short days this month. After a short drive from the city, we began the walk along the beach, stopping to watch Audouin’s Gull, Chiffchaff, Serin, Kingfisher and what was my first bird of 2022 the previous day – Black Redstart! Black Redstart Whilst watching Marsh Harriers gliding low over the reeds, another raptor flew into view, albeit much higher – an Osprey, a bird which we’ve seen quite a lot of recently. We scanned over a lagoon where Shovelers were gathered in large numbers, and also found Teal, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebe and Yellow-legged Gull. We then chose to concentrate on an area of scrub that has been holding good numbers of passerines in recent weeks. Today was no exception ans we were soon watching Serin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Tree…

Christmas Eve Birding in Alicante

What a better way to get Christmas underway than by birding with friends Jolien and Silvia in the wetlands of Alicante?! Just under an hour´s drive from our home in the mountains, the system of coastal wetlands is a birder´s paradise at any time of year, and today´s trip gave us some excellent sightings. After a quick morning coffee in a small village, we walked into the first reserve and scanned across a small lagoon. Shoveler and Teal were on the water in good numbers, and the shoreline held Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and Purple Swamphen. Crag Martins were feeding overhead and a Sardinian Warbler called from the bushes. A small flock (or “clattering”) of Jackdaws passed over, followed closely by a Booted Eagle. A Dutch birder asked what the raptor was, and then doubtfully asked if we knew the name in Dutch – Jolien was on hand to help thanks to her Flemish heritage! We then turned our attention to a group of Terns. Most of them were Whiskered Terns but closer attention revealed a White-winged Tern too. White-winged Tern with Whiskered Terns There then followed…

Pre-Christmas Birding in Valencia

This week I very much enjoyed a day´s birding around the wetlands of Valencia with Simon and Sarah from England. They were staying in the historical quarter of Valencia, combining the rich culture of the city with a guided birding trip to make an ideal pre-Christmas break. They were both keen birders and lovers of the outdoors, so we make a few tweaks to the wetlands trip to include a little more walking. The day began quite cloudy with a cold northerly breeze, so after the short drive from Valencia, we wrapped up and headed out along the beach. The first thing that caught our eye were the Marsh Harriers that were gliding over the huge reed beds, above which were great numbers of Crag Martins feeding on the wing. Stonechats and Chiffchaffs were more than abundant and a Black Redstart make a brief appearance too. Then we had quality views of one of the day’s target species – Audouin’s Gull. Audouin’s Gull Continuing along the beach, Sarah spotted a Cetti’s Warbler flitting around in the reeds as well as a small flock of Reed Buntings. The first lagoon held…

Two-day bird photography trip

At the end of last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Liu and Chung from Singapore who were travelling around Spain on a bird photography holiday. Prior to their departure, we´d had various email exchanges, after which they´d opted to include a few days in Valencia and specifically to do a two-day trip with me, one day in a photo-hide and the other day out in the field. Golden Eagle On Day 1, we had quite an early start as we had to drive to the mountains of the interior of Valencia to reach a photography hide designed to provide the opportunity to photograph the mighty Golden Eagle. Once inside the hide, we had to wait a few hours, but we remained hopeful. As we were waiting, we were treated to several visits by Dartford Warbler, Sardinian Warbler and Robin, all of which came very close to the hide, allowing for some great photo opportunities. More unexpectedly, after hearing her calling, a female Iberian Green Woodpecker came to perch in front of the hide too! Iberian Green Woodpecker Suddenly, a dark shape appeared low in the sky to the…