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January 2016 Bulletin

Introduction We´d like to begin this bulletin as usual by wishing everyone a very happy and safe New Year. We hope that 2015 was a good birding year for you all and that 2016 will bring even more pleasures. Although the time has passed extremely quickly, it´s now a year since Yanina joined Valencia Birding, and together we´ve made huge progress. We´d like to briefly review what´s been a great year for us and to provide you with an update of our news and developments. To help us to maximize the levels of service and experience that our clients enjoy, we´ve made some additional investments this year. This includes a recent new vehicle, as well as some upgrades to binoculars and cameras. As always, in 2015 we had the pleasure of meeting some great clients from all over the World, and have enjoyed some superb birding trips together. We´ve also been especially privileged to welcome back many returning clients, some for their third return visit. Trip Advisor Our clients are absolutely central to all that we do, and whilst we´re on that subject, we´d like to extend a heart-felt thanks…

Spring 2015 Bulletin

Birding at Albufera de Valencia and the Valencian Coastal Wetlands These two trips prove to be our most popular birding sites and we´ve had the pleasure of showing these amazing spaces and their rich bird life to clients from throughout the World. As they´re both such popular trips, we´re delighted to be able to improve them both even further.We´ve recently been granted special authorization to enter some wonderful restricted areas that are out of bounds for the general public. This provides our clients with the opportunity to enjoy some very special natural spaces that would otherwise be impossible to visit. For the Albufera de Valencia trip, we can now also offer a new and exciting additional element which is a trip in a traditional Albufera boat. These trips are exclusively for our clients, are allow us to pass quietly by some great areas of wetland and to enjoy a different perspective. New Venues – Mountain Ranges of Valencia & The Lakes and Highlands of Inland Spain The “Mountain Ranges of Valencia” trip is ideal for those who want enjoy a short walk in the mountains amongst stunning…

Birding in the mountains of Valencia

Last Sunday I was delighted to provide a day of guided birding in the mountains of Valencia for a pair of returning clients from England. Last year, we provided a trip to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands for them and they had such a great time that they promised to return for more guided birding. This year, they opted for a trip to the mountains of Valencia. Having collected them from their hotel in the centre of Valencia, we made the short drive to the Sierra Calderona Natural Park. An area of forested mountains in excess of 600 meters above sea level. Although sunny, it was quite a windy day. However, we were fortunate enough to enjoy views of a pair of resident Bonelli´s Eagles. After a short walk up to a spectacular viewing point, we were rewarded with views of a Peregrine Falcon. Passerines were also in plentiful supply, including Great Tit, Crested Tit, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Serin, Robin, Black Redstart, Firecrest, Blue Rock Thrush, Dunnock, White Wagtail and Crag Martin. It had been an exciting day, made all the more special because of the company of such lovely…

Bird Watching at Albufera de Valencia

Last Saturday I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for 4 clients from Granada, Spain. It was a sunny and windless day, ideal for exploring the different eco-systems of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. We enjoyed many of the classic Albufera species. in particular the herons, egrets and ibis that are resident in the park. We enjoyed a fabulous day and were fortunate enough to see 40 species, including : Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Back-necked Grebe, Great-Crested Grebe, Common Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Lapwing, Great Cormorant, Kingfisher, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Bluethroat, Robin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Moustached Warbler, Cetti´s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Starling, Shelduck, Shoveler, Mallard, Common Pochard, Teal.

Bird Watching in Valencia

Last month I was privileged to be invited to speak at the First Congress on Nature Tourism in Valencia. The aim of the congress was to gather the various public and private sector entities that are involved in Nature Tourism in the Valencian Community and to share experiences as well as to discuss how we can promote this fabulous area. The Valencian Community (Comumidad de Valencia) comprises 3 provinces – Castellon, Valencian and Alicante. It is relatively well known as a holiday destination but largely for the beaches of the Costa Blanca and the avant-garde city of Valencia. What relatively few people are aware of are the stunningly rich natural environments and bird life of the region. Many of my clients are truly amazed by habitat diversity, the vast wild spaces and the wildlife that thrives here. The Valencian Community is home to no less than 21 Natural Parks. These areas of special scientific interest and / or outstanding natural beauty are officially designated and protected by law and include some of Europe´s most important habitats. They include mountains in excess of 1800 metres (5900 ft)…