Birding in Valencia - Page 36 of 37 - Valencia Birding

Birding at Albufera de Valencia

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a birding guide is meeting some truly nice people, and spending time in fabulous surroundings, combining the bird life with great company. This certainly proved to be the case last week when I was fortunate enough to provide a day of guided birding at Albufera de Valencia for a family from Belgium. All experienced ornithologists, they were on holiday in Valencia and were keen to see the areas bird life and habitats. We began our day at one of my favourite reserves, and were immediately treated to views of a pair of Merlin. This was closely followed by Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, Snipe and Black-winged Stilt. As we walked through the reserve, scanning the reed beds and lagoons, we had great views of Purple Swamphen, Marsh Harrier, Squacco Heron and Fan-tailed Warbler. Although not seen, we heard the calls and song of Cetti´s Warbler, Savi´s Warbler and Reed Warbler. Perhaps the highlight of the trip for our clients was a great view of an Osprey. These magnificent birds of prey regularly stop at Albufera de Valencia during their Spring and Autumn migration….

Easter Birding in Valencia

On Easter Saturday, Yanina and I arranged a day of guided bird watching to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. At Easter Birding in Valencia is especially rewarding as many of the summer visitors are returning to their breeding grounds in our local wetland reserves. We gathered in central Valencia before making the short journey to the reserve that we´d selected for today´s trip. After a morning coffee, looking out across the calm waters of the Mediterranean, we began our walk along a coastal dune system. The first lagoon gave good views of waterfowl including Pochard, Red-crested Pochard and Little Grebe. As we walked further into the reserve, the second lagoon provided a spectacular sight of seven male White-headed Ducks, one of Europe´s rarest and arguably most attractive ducks. We also had great views of Flamingo, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harrier. We then took in an area of coastal scrub, and were treated to views of Wheatear, Stonechat, Whinchat, Sub-alpine Warbler and Spotless Starling. We also had a good view of Audouin´s Gull and the beautiful Collared Pratincole. After a picnic lunch on a pebble beach, we headed inland to an area…

Birding from Valencia

Mid October was a strange time in Valencia this year. It was as if autumn had not yet decided to show itself and summer was still well underway. Some of our species that are “officially” summer visitors were still here, although today´s trip was blessed with great views of passage migrants. Valencia´s location, right on the east coast flyway, coupled with its extensive wetlands make it a perfect spot for passage migrants to stop, feed and rest on their autumn voyage to the south. Today was no exception, and we were privileged to have great views of an Osprey that has been enjoying a short stay in Valencia for the past week! Today´s client Judy was a keen birder from the USA and was also enjoying a short stay in Valencia as part of a wider European trip. She was keen to spend a day birding from Valencia, particularly to see some of the wetland species. We began our day scanning the rice fields and canals of Albufera de Valencia, where we had views of Kingfisher, Snipe, Common Tern, Cattle Egret and Little Egret. Swallows and House Martins were passing…

Birds of Prey in Spain

Last week I was especially privileged to be invited to take part in a raptor release programme. The day was organised by an animal recuperation centre based within Albufera de Valencia. We are fortunate enough to enjoy a diverse range of birds of prey in Spain, owing to it´s geography, topography, habitat and eco-systems. As well as the many breeding species here in Valencia, many raptors pass through our region whilst on migration. The animal recuperation centre in Albufera does an incredible job of rescuing, treating and releasing hundreds of injured or sick birds each year and has a team of dedicated raptor specialists. Today was in important day as there were a good number of fully recovered raptors that were ready for release. To give them the best chance of survival, we drove into the inland of Valencia to an area of forested highlands, ideal for birds of prey to hunt, rest and regain their optimum fitness levels. The first birds to be released were Kestrels, all of which had been taken to the centre having been found injured or having fallen from their nests as chicks. Lurdes and…

Birding from the city of Valencia

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending a day with a great couple from North Carolina. They were visiting Spain with friends and had previosuly contacted us to arrange a day of guided birding from the city of Valencia. Having met them in the beautiful historic quarter of Valencia, we made the short journey to a local coastal wetland reserve where we began the day with a coffee and a chat about our trip and the species that we were hoping to see. The first coastal lagoons held Pochard, Little Grebe and Coot, whilst the surrounding reed beds gave views of Fan-Tailed Warbler, Reed Warbler and Little Egret. After a short walk along the coast, we were fortunate enough to enjoy great views of Collared Pratincole, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet, Purple Heron and Little Ringed Plover. We began our walk through more reed beds and past another couple of lagoons where we stopped for a picnic lunch. This section of the walk gave us views of Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Bee Eater and Iberian Grey Shrike. We were also treated to two superb raptors ; a Booted Eagle and…

Bird Watching in Valencia

I recently enjoyed a fabulous day with two wonderful clients from California, USA. They were visiting the city where they were performing in a music festival and had previously organised a day of guided bird watching in Valencia with me. Both very keen and experienced bird watchers and photographers, they were very eager to see some of the amazing species that our wetlands hold, especially during the breeding season. Having driven the short journey through the beautiful city of Valencia, we arrived at the reserve and began our walk. Almost immediately, we had views of a pair of Turtle Doves. As we began our walk along the dunes, we enjoyed views of Great Reed Warbler, Fan-Tailed Warbler and Little Grebe. Then one of the day´s target species appeared – the magnificent Bee Eater. Having enjoyed the amazing colours of this stunning creature, we continued our walk along the coast to a lagoon where we paused and watched nesting colonies of Common Tern, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern and the exceptionally pretty Collared Pratincole. We also added to our list Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet, Purple Heron and Audouin´s Gull….