Denia Bird Watching - Page 15 of 18 - Valencia Birding

Whiskered Tern – Chlidonias hybrida

Here´s a short piece and a brief video on the Whiskered Tern (scroll down to see the video). This is largely a migratory species, typically wintering in Africa, for which the extensive coastal wetlands of the Valencia region provide ideal breeding habitat. They nest in colonies, often close to gulls and feed on crustaceans, insects, small fish and amphibians. In adult breeding plumage, one of the key ID features is the grey breast as well as the dark red stubby bill which is a little shorter on female birds. They have a black cap and white cheeks, the latter said to resemble white whiskers when the bird is in flight, hence the name – although maybe a little imagination is required here! I have spent many happy times watching these graceful birds feeding by catching small fish from just below the surface of the water. They also use the perching poles that have been placed in many of our local reserves as places to rest and preen.

Covid-19 & Valencia Birding

I´m posting this update to keep everyone informed of the situation here in Spain and to add a few personal comments. The Situation In Spain Spain is undergoing a gradual and controlled return to “normality” with a staged approach that´s designed to safeguard as much as possible against further outbreaks. The method is a phased approach, with restrictions and practices being amended as each phase passes. Regional and national governement are in regular contact with every sector of the economy in order to establish specific safety measures and operating practices. As of today (18th May 2020) from a legal perspective, nature tourism in Spain can resume, albeit of course with such safety measures in place. At present, this relates to group size, social distancing, PPE and the disinfecting and cleaning of vehicles and optical equipment, all very wise and well thought-through measures. Should anyone wish to know more in detail about the specific measures that we are to adopt and how these will work in real terms, I´d be more than happy to explain. A such, please do not hesitate to contact me for more details if required. Future Bookings…

Urban Birding in Valencia

As previously detailed, here in Spain, we´re now enjoying a little more freedom as the Covid-19 lockdown is being gradually eased. We have a short time-slot in the mornings and again in the evenings when we´re able to go for a walk within a 1km radius of home. I´m not yet able to make the short trip to my local wetlands, beach or to the mountains that I can see from home, but the new situation has given me the opportunity to look much closer at the bird life that´s on my doorstep. Only last night, whilst strolling around the neighbourhood, I heard a singing Nightingale, saw hundreds of Swifts, a Kestrel and a Glossy Ibis in flight. But the point of this article is to outline in a little more detail my outing last Sunday morning. Our neighbourhood of Benimaclet enjoys what you could term as the “best of both worlds” in that it was once a village, separated from the city of Valencia, so still has many of the original houses, narrow streets and church square. It´s very much a family orientated residential area, and is within a…

First time out for seven weeks!

For the past seven weeks, my birding has been confined to what I can see from the balcony. Although, as detailed in previous articles, this has often revealed a few surprises, it´s obviously been very limited. I also have to say that I don´t feel too comfortable standing there with a pair of binoculars in case it causes unease or discomfort amongst the neighbours. However, a few days ago, whilst reading in the living room, a bird song caught my attention. After searching through the trees that fill the square below the balcony, I found it – a Willow Warbler! When it was announced last week that we could eventually go out once per day within specific hours and within 1km of home, I decided to dedicate some time to something that I´ve been meaning to do for a while, and to look closer at the birdlife that´s right on my doorstep. This revealed more than a few surprises. We´re fortunate enough to live in a very friendly neighbourhood on the north-eastern edge of the city of Valencia, which whilst being only 7 minute´s Metro ride away from the city…

Covid-19 and its effects on birding.

I´m writing this article simply as a humble reflection on how the Covid-19 situation has impacted on our world of birding, and how we can take just a few positive points from what is obviously a severe and terrible situation. Firstly, and above all else, we of course send out our love and best wishes to everyone, and wish you all the very best of luck at all levels as we progress through such unprecedented times. Lock-down The lock-down hit us here in Spain just over two weeks ago. At the time, I was with my family in our house in the mountains. At first, apart from the obvious financial hit of losing all of our work, the prospect of having to stay in what is as close to paradise as I´ve ever seen, didn´t feel too bad. Having the time to focus on garden birds thrilled me, especially when up there, our “garden ticks” include Crested Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-necked Nightjar, Scops Owl and Eagle Owl!! Then, the news came through that everyone had to return to their primary residence and stay there, with heavy fines been threatened for…

A short “birding break” in Valencia.

I´ve often said and written that it´s a real privilege to welcome back returning clients, and last week was one of these special occasions. I´d first met Alexia from Sweden a couple of years ago when she booked a day´s birding with us. She subsequently returned a year later, this time in Spring and with her friend Lena, and we enjoyed a fabulous day in the mountains and a day at the wetlands. This was her third time with us, and she´d carefully designed a break to include a couple of days in the historical town of Xativa and a short stay in the city of Valencia as well as two days of birding with us. As we´d planned to visit the steppe, I collected Alexia from her hotel in the historic quarter of Xativa as it´s on the way from Valencia. It was such a pleasure to welcome her back! We continued the journey and after a quick coffee stop, we began exploring. Numerous flocks of Linnet were flitting around, and we also had good views of Crested Lark, Black Redstart, Stonechat and Rock Sparrow. Some scanning of…