Bird Watching in Valencia.

On Wednesday 18th April, I spent a day bird watching in Valencia with a group of 7 clients.  The Valencian Coastal Wetlands are superb throughout the year, but are especially so in Spring when the breeding season is upon us. There was a cool breeze as we set out along the coastal path towards the first lagoon, and this seemed to be keeping most of the smaller birds down in the reeds.  However, we soon had good views of White Headed Duck, Great Crested Grebe, and Red Crested Pochard.  We also enjoyed views of Great Reed Warbler and Fan Tailed Warbler. A further stroll along the coast provided great views of a beautiful Collared Pratincole, it´s delicate facial markings showing clearly in the sunlight. Our next stopping point gave super views of Kentish Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper.  As we continued our walk we could hear the iconic song of a Corn Bunting and soon found it sitting in the top of a nearby tree.  As we progressed through the reed beds we could pick out the calls of Cetti´s Warbler, Savi´s Warbler and more Great Reed…

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Winter Birding in Castilla de la Mancha

Today´s trip was a joint effort arranged by Valencia Birding and La Safor Ornithological Society, a Spanish group based in our local town of Gandia. The area visited was the same as that taken in on our “Steppe & Lagoons” trip and visits the high plains of Castilla de la Mancha, just over a hour´s drive from the Mediterranean coast. To make the most of the day and to have the best chance of seeing the target species we left our home base at 6.30am and after a couple of pick ups we were up on the steppe by 8.30am. The early start was rewarded by a stunningly beautiful and crisp morning. The temperature gauge was showing -6 degrees C and a sharp frost was evident although fortunately there was a complete lack of wind as we made our first stop. As we scanned across the vast plains we were fortunate enough to see a dozen Great Bustards resting in the early morning sunshine. Having enjoyed some super views we headed back to the van and drove along our usual track out over the fields. We made a few brief…

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