Common Sandpiper - Page 3 of 5 - Valencia Birding

Discovering the bird life of Valencia

A few days ago I had the pleasure of providing a guided bird watching trip for two clients from Italy. They were keen to discover the bird life of the Valencian wetlands. After I collected them from the historical quarter of Valencia City we drove to the Albufera Natural Park. I´d organised a visit to a forested area with a lake, beside the sea – a hot spot for Audoin’s Gull, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Tern, Hoopoe and Turtle Dove. Next stop was to a reserve area which holds Waterfowl, Black-winged Stilts and Flamingos mainly, this time of the year. Last stop was to a restricted reserve area which always holds a wide variety of species. To get there we drove through the rice paddies, an ecosystem that in itself is a hot spot for herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harriers. Once inside the reserve, we carefully and quietly explored each lagoon. The water levels are carefully controlled to provide habitats for various bird species. A huge variety of herons, gulls, terns, ducks and waders were all showing very well, together with Greater Flamingo and Glossy Ibis. It´s always…

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…

2-Day Bird Watching Break : Mountains & Albufera

Day 1 – Mountains A few days ago, I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird watching break to the mountains and to Albufera de Valencia for two experienced birders from USA. They were keen to discover some of the habitats and birdlife of our region. Having collected them from their apartment in central Valencia, we drove for less than one hour to a great gorge in the mountains to search for some target species. As soon as we parked, we had an amazing welcome from a Blue Rock Thrush standing on top of a ruined building controlling its territory. A few minutes later, many Griffon Vultures were circling around. Walking through this amazing gorge we enjoyed great views of Black Wheatear, Sardinean Warbler, Crag Martin, Black Redstart and also a pair of Raven. It was a fantastic trip where we had good sightings of some target species. The list for the day included… Griffon Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Crag Martin, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Robin, Black Redstart, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Serin, House Sparrow. Day 2 – Albufera de Valencia The second day was designed such that we could see…

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,…

A fabulous species list and a mystery Tern

Last week, I provided a day of guided birding for a mother and daughter from Belguim. The daughter lives here in Spain and her mother was visiting for a week. Both were very keen and experienced birders and were eager to see the wetlands of Valencia, especially at this fabulous time of the year when the breeding season is well underway. The day turned out to be very interesting, and resulted in a fabulous species list and a mystery Tern! As they had made a big effort to drive to Valencia from the interior of Alicante, I opted to combine part of Albufera with another wetland area as a way of optimising the day. Our first stop was at a reserve area within the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. As well as wanting to see the colony of Sandwich Terns, there had been reports of a mystery Tern, originally thought to be an Elegant Tern (a species usually found in Mexico and the Pacific). However, the bird had been successfully identified, by blood testing and DNA analysis as a hybrid. Its parent species were Lesser Crested Tern and Sandwich Tern….

Bird watching in Albufera de Valencia

Yesterday I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in Albufera de Valencia for a client from Madrid. She´s a keen nature lover, especially interested in birdlife and she wanted to visit Valencia and to discover its biodiversity. I arranged a bespoke trip for her to Albufera de Valencia, where we visited many protected reserve areas. First stop was in the marshes and rice fields where we were amazed by the sheer size of the gatherings of egrets and herons. Next stop was in a reserve area that is a sightseeing hotspot for diverse ducks species. Also from the same observatory we saw how a Marsh Harrier and a Booted Eagle were trying to hunt Black-winged Stilts. What a sight! We then walked through an area of coastal Mediterranean forest, taking in dune systems and unspoilt beaches. We managed to visit a huge variety of habitats, all within the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park, and enjoyed a wonderfully diverse range of species. List of bird species: Marsh Harrier, Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, Common Crane, Mallard, Northern…