Birding at a Marine Island Reserve

Valencia Birding

I’ve recently been putting the finishing touches to a new 5/6 day spring birding trip that will be launched soon, and have been spending time at some of the “new” sites that it will visit. Last weekend, we spent the day at the small island of Tabarca, a designated marine reserve just off the coast of Alicante. At less than 2km in length and only 400 metres wide, it’s very small, but holds some fabulous bird life. In winter it’s a good sea-watching spot, but it’s main attraction for birders is argueably it’s ability to attract migratory birds on passage. After the 15 minute crossing by fast launch, we arrived at the tiny port and began the day with a coffee at a small bar overlooking the beach. Little Terns were diving into the crystal clear sea, catching fish and a large flock of Yellow Legged Gulls were gathered on the beach. Overhead were Common Swifts, Barn Swallows and House Martins. We began our walk along the coastal path to an area of small rocky islets where we had good views of Shag. We then visited an old stone built…

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A day exploring the wetlands of Valencia.

Valencia Birding

Last week, I spent a very enjoyable day with Rod, Anita, Rudolf and Harrie, exploring the coastal wetlands of Valencia. The trip was organised as a way to celebrate Anita’s birthday, so had an extra special touch. It was their first time at this particular site, so I was determined to try and get the most from the day for them. As soon as we left the car, we saw a Serin in a roadside tree and then heard a Nightingale singing in the bushes. Our first quality view of a bird was actually of one of the day’s target species – the very elegant Audouin’s Gull. Audouin’s Gull As we began our walk alongside a series of coastal lagoons, we enjoyed views of Purple Heron, Red Crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Glossy Ibis. We opted to remain at an observation point for a while and to wait to see what would appear. Within a few moments we had views of singing Great Reed Warbler and a pair of Marsh Harriers in flight over the reeds. Movement in a small island of tall vegetation revealed a Little…

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A bird-packed morning at Albufera de Valencia.

Valencia Birding

Earlier in the week I enjoyed a bird-packed morning with my friend John at the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. The wetlands that extend throughout the entire length of the region’s coast are especially exciting at this time of year, as the area is located right on a major migration flyway. As with all birding sites, some days are better than others, but today, Albufera didn’t disappoint! One of the coastal lagoons at Albufera de Valencia – vital feeding grounds for passage migrants Our first stop at a small reserve gave views of great numbers of Shelducks as well as Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard and Teal. We also saw Avocet, Ruff, Black Winged Stilt and plenty of Glossy Ibis, a bird that is now widespread throughout the entire region. Marsh Harriers were still around in good numbers too. Then, as we walked out of the hide through the woods, we saw a small flock of Pallid Swift – my first of the year. The surrounding scrub was full of birdsong – Serin, Cetti’s Warbler, Great Tit and Chaffinch were all making their presence felt! A small flock…

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Sometimes you just have to look under your nose!

Earlier in the week, I had a couple of hours free one morning. That didn´t give me the time to drive to my local wetland or to get to the mountains, but it did give me the time to take another look at a canal that flows past the nearby agricultural town of Alboraya into the Mediterranean. The surroundings are not particularly attractive, one side is bordered by an industrial estate, but the other side is farmland, largely vegetable fields. At the end of the canal, one reaches the beach, where a tiny estuary is formed. So, within the distance of only a few kilometres, the habitat changes dramatically, and all his right next to the city of Valencia. Traditional farmland on the northern city limits of Valencia I began my walk along the footpath, which was busy with walkers and cyclists, all of them oblivious to the fact the only a few metres away from them was a pair of Purple Swamphens, indeed with a chick which one of the parents was feeding. It was almost a surreal moment to see this incredible creature successfully breeding practically next door…

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Swallows and House Martins Desperately Need Our Help

Valencia Birding

What are Swallows and House Martins? Swallows and House Martins are long-distance migrants which generally spend the winter months in Africa before returning to Europe each year to breed.  The distance these birds cover on their migration is truly incredible – often more than 25,000km per year!  Once they arrive in Europe in the early Spring, they have a race against the clock to raise their young before they have to make the momentous journey back to Africa in the autumn.  These beautiful little creatures form part of the very fabric of our summers, and have lived right beside us in our towns and villages for centuries.  Not only do they delight us with their chattering and aerobatic flight, swooping in the air as they feed on insects and spiders, dashing low over lakes to take a drink, they actually help us by controlling potential plagues of insects, upon which they feed.  It is estimated that a single Swallow will eat over 800 insects per day!!  Think about that for a minute! A Barn Swallow collecting mud for nest building Where do they nest? These tiny birds who have such…

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Storm Filomena and its effects on birding in Valencia

Valencia Birding

The first days of the new year here in Spain brought disruption, destruction and tragically death, all due to Storm Filomena. The entire country was affected – the south was hammered by gale force winds, huge waves and 20% of the usual annual rainfall in a single day. With the exception of the coastal areas, almost all of the nation was blanketed in snow. Up to 50cm fell in Madrid, resulting in hundreds of blocked roads, as well as the closure of the airport and the cancellation of rail services. In the Picos de Europa mountains in the north of Spain, records were broken for the coldest recorded temperature, with a weather station logging a nightime low of -35.6 degrees C! All of this brought huge impacts to all aspects of daily life for millions of people, much of which has been written about elsewhere. But what effects did it have on birdlife? Here in the Valencia Region we witnessed some very interesting results… Much of the coastal region of the Comunidad Valenciana is well protected by the mountain ranges to the west. Much of the region has a flat…

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