Birding in Valencia - Page 32 of 37 - Valencia Birding

Birding at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands

Last week, I enjoyed a fabulous day of birding at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands with returning clients from UK. Although chilly and quite breezy, we enjoyed a truly wonderful day. As we only had one day, we aimed to maximise habitat diversity, taking in coastal scrub, dunes, beach, sea, farmland, reed beds and fresh water lagoons. As both John and Jackie are owl lovers, the first planned stop was to see Little Owls and Barn Owls, although we were delayed by 8 Booted Eagles which were flying around very close to us. After a short drive, we started a pleasent walk beside the sea, where we had good views of Audouin’s Gull and as soon as we arrived at the first hide a Dartford Warbler stopped just in front of us. Little Grebes and many waterfowl species plus a freshwater turtle made it a very special stop. We then walked to another hide from which we had good views of Kentish Plover, Common Sandpiper and two Hoopoes. Next stop was the most exciting for Jackie as she wanted to see Purple Swamphen, and we were fortunate to enjoy great views of…

5-Day Birding Holiday

We recently provided a 5-day birding holiday for a group of RSPB members from Northern Ireland. It was made more special by the fact that the leader of the group had previously attended a trip with us and had recommended us to her local group. We´d worked with Pat to design a tailor-made trip, focussing on habitat diversity, a few special target species and authentic and traditional accommodation. As such, we put together a 2-centre break. They arrived at Alicante airport on an evening flight from Belfast, where we were waiting to welcome them. After their arrival we made the easy journey up into the rural interior of Alicante Province and to their guest house for the first half of the trip, L´Alqueria del Pilar, a converted farmhouse in the village of Banyeres de Mariola. After a good night´s rest and a leisurely start we began our first day : Day 1 – Mountains The first day was designed to include very little travelling, and a walk in the mountains of the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park. The plan for the morning was a circular walk of some 5kms, through high…

January 2017 Bulletin

Another bird-packed year has passed, filled with many happy memories of special times spent with lovely people in beautiful locations, watching amazing birds. As we look forward to another new year, we´d like to begin as always by thanking you all for your support during 2016 and by wishing you a very happy 2017. General News Our day trips have continued to prove very popular, and this year we´ve been delighted to see an increase in teenagers and young people that we´ve guided. We´re very much aware that the future of birding and conservation lies in their hands, so we´re always gratified when we see such interest. Our proximity to some incredibly diverse habitat is a constant benefit to us, and we look forward to another year of guiding our clients through some of Europe´s best wetlands, salt marshes, highland forest, mountains and steppe. A point worthy of note here is that after a lengthy period of dry weather during much of the year, our region saw some incredibly high rainfall during December 2016. Although this caused some practical problems in the immediate term, it has served to boost the…

Photographic Trip to Albufera de Valencia

Today I was delighted to provide a photographic trip to Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Manchester, UK. Having collected them from their apartment central Valencia, we drove for half an hour to a reserve area in the heart of the natural park. Even though it was raining lightly, it didn´t stop us from having a fantastic birding day. The first stop was after a short walk by the forest to some hides located in a restricted reserve area, where we enjoyed great views of a large varity of waders, such as Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-winged Stilts and Little Stints. Next stop was in a green filter and reserve area where we got nice shots of a Booted Eagle. We also had great views of Purple Swamphens and Glossy Ibis. Driving by the rice paddies gave us great views of of raptors such as Common Buzzards, Marsh Harriers and Kestrels, we also enjoyed a Black Stork in flight. To finish a magnificent birding day, we stopped in a small lake close to the sea, where we were delighted to see Black-necked Grebes and Audouin Gulls. It had been a great…

A superb day at Albufera de Valencia.

A couple of weeks ago, just before the much needed rain storms that we´re currently enjoying, I provided a trip to Albufera de Valencia for a couple of regular clients. As they are frequent clients, we opted to spend the morning in just one reserve area and focus on what we could see there. The day began with a treat as hundreds of Greater Flamingoes passed low overhead, providing a real spectacle. They were soon followed by a Buzzard and then a small group of Booted Eagles, both pale and dark phase. The lagoons held Purple Swamphens in good numbers, as well as Glossy Ibis and Great Egret. Despite it being late November, we also watched a few Barn Swallows feeding with House Martins over the water. The reeds contained Zitting Cisticola, Reed Bunting, Kingfisher and Chiffchaff. Then as we were approaching the edge of another lagoon, we were delighted to enjoy great views of a Bittern, perhaps the highlight of the day! After lunch by a small canal where we had views of Little Bittern, we moved to the south side of the park, where we´d heard of reports of…

Guided Birding Trip to Albufera

A few days ago, I had the pleasure to organise a guided birding trip to Albufera de Valencia for a couple from the Netherlands. They were experienced birders, keen to discover new species from this region. After I collected them from their hotel in Valencia, we drove to the first stop in a reserve area, which right now is becoming a local “hotspot”. We were amazed with fantastic views of Booted Eagles and Marsh Harrier, also Little Grebe and Kingfisher displaying right in front of us. We also enjoyed good sightings of many waterfowl and wader species. Second stop was in a restricted reserve and green filter area where we were welcomed by Spoonbills flying overhead. Many Glossy Ibis and waders where feeding in the shallow water of the fields. Next stop was by a small lake, which by this time of the year becomes a great spot for wintering and migratory birds. Black-necked Grebes were among the target species here. It had been a special birding day with many great sightings. These included… Mallard, Shelduck, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Teal, Great-crested Grebe, Black-necked Gribe, Little Grebe, Great Cormorant,…