Birding the Valencian Coastal Wetlands in Spring.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a very happy day with a great couple of clients from the UK.  Michelle and David were spending a few days in the city of Valencia and were keen to include a day´s birding in their stay.  They were happy for the trip to involve a walk, so we opted to visit the coastal wetlands of Valencia.  Birding the coastal wetlands in Spring is a delight as all the summer visitors are here and there´s plenty of activity as birds jostle for nesting spaces, particularly the terns, gulls and Collared Pratincoles. After a short journey from the city we began the walk along the beach, watching over a series of coastal lagoons.  Michelle spotted a small bird perched low in the branches of a tree, which on closer inspection was found to be a Spotted Flycatcher – a nice start to the day.  A pair of Turtle Doves then flew over us.  The song of Cetti´s Warbler and the call of Zitting Cisticola seemed to be everywhere. We spent a while watching over a lagoon which gave us fine views of Red Crested…

Continue reading

The mountains of Valencia in Spring.

Last week I was fortunate enough to enjoy a super day with a couple of new clients from UK.  Valerie and Roger had only recently taken up bird watching but their knowledge is growing fast and they wanted to take their first guided trip.  It would have been easy to take them to a wetland site where the species diversity is huge, but I didn´t want them to miss the “specialist” species that visit the mountains of Valencia in Spring.  Most of the target species for this trip are summer visitors, and as Valerie and Roger may make a return trip in the autumn, it made sense to take the opportunity to spend a day in the mountains this month. After the drive from Valencia, and a brief coffee stop we parked the car and had a short walk alongside a river.  This is one of the few sites in the area where Dipper breed, so we opted to sit still for a while, hoping that one would appear.  A couple of very fast “fly pasts” confirmed their presence, but after ten more minutes, one came to rest, giving us…

Continue reading

Guided bird watching trip to Albufera Natural Park

Last week, I was pleased to guide a couple of clients from New York, USA. They were experienced birders who wanted to discover the birdlife close to Valencia City. After I collected them from their apartment, we drove directly to the first reserve area. After a short walk, we arrived at the first observatory where we enjoyed nice views of Garganey, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. Then we moved to the next hide from where we had great sightings of Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier. On the way to the next stop and reserve area, we had good views of Meadow Pipit and were able to compare the differences between it and a Water Pipit. A special bird for Linda, as it was a lifer and one that she was able to identify by herself. In the next reserve we enjoyed good views of Wood Sandpiper, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Purple Swamphen. We decided to finish the day in the northern rice paddies area, which was a great choice as we spotted a beautiful Red Throated Pipit, Caspian Gull and thousands of Glossy Ibis, Ruff and Flamingos. It had been an…

Continue reading

Early spring at Albufera Natural Park

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of providing day of guided bird watching for a great couple of clients from England who were visiting their son here in Spain. Both keen nature lovers, they were eager to see the diverse bird life that Albufera de Valencia Natural Park holds, especially at this time of year when summer migrants are beginning to arrive. Our first stop was at a protected reserve where we had fantastic views of Alpine Swifts, Booted Eagles and Red-legged Partridges. Wildfowl included Pintail, Gadwall, Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Pochard. Driving on the way to the second hotstop, we stopped the van to enjoy views of a beautiful Hoopoe. At the next stop, we had excellent views of Purple Swamphen, Jack Snipe and Avocet. Recently arrived summer visitors included two Short-toed Eagles soaring above the reserve and a Black Kite on passage. After a picnic lunch we stopped at a lake close to the sea where we enjoyed great views of Black-necked Grebe and Audouin’s Gull. To end the day we drove to the northern rice paddies where farmers were ploughing the land that provides habitat…

Continue reading

Birding in Albufera.

Last Friday I provided a day of guided birding in Albufera de Valencia for a great client from the USA.  Kevin was staying in Valencia and wanted to include some bird watching in his holiday.  An experienced birder back in the States, he was very keen to discover the bird life that our region holds. As this was the first time he´d been birding in Spain, we focussed the day on enjoying quality views of some of the classic species, rather than trying to maximise the list.  Our day began in a protected reserve area where we enjoyed views of Black Tailed Godwits (many now well into their breeding plumage), Avocet, Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt. As we walked through the reserve, there was a constant stream of House Martins and Barn Swallows, all heading north on their migration.  Just as we were saying what an exciting time this is, a much larger bird caught my eye – an Alpine Swift! After a short drive across the rice fields, where we stopped to watch Meadow Pipit, Marsh Harrier and Cattle Egret, we entered another restricted reserve area.  A pair…

Continue reading

2 day winter birding break.

February continued to be a busy month with this fabulous 2 day winter birding break for a lovely couple who have become friends and loyal clients of Valencia Birding.  Not only have they been out with us on numerous occassions, but they also made the effort to visit us at BirdFair in the UK last year. It was therefore a great pleasure to welcome back Jan and Rab.  They were making one of their regular visits to Spain and once more had chosen to incorporate a birding trip into their plans.  After previous discussion, they had opted to make Banyeres de Mariola their base for two nights, being well placed for some of the regions best sites. On day one we met for morning coffee in a small town in the Alicante province, after which we made the short journey to the starting point of our mountain bird trip.  We had originally planned to do a much longer mountain walk but the recent cold spell had left many of the north facing mountain trails covered in ice, so we chose a shorter route that should give us most of the…

Continue reading