Ospreys in Spain - Page 2 of 8 - Valencia Birding

A Cloudy Day in Alicante Revealed Some Great Birds

The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally wet in the east of Spain, with some areas receiving a year’s worth of rain in around ten days! Although this bodes well for the coming spring, as water levels were unseasonally low, it hasn’t provided great conditions for birding! So, with a change of plan, last weekend I headed to the wetlands of Alicante instead of the high steppe. The trip was for David, a regular client from the UK, who I always look forward to seeing. Almost all of the region was subject to rain, but we chose a little corner of Alicante that looked to be cloudy but with very little rainfall. We expected quite a lot of mud, so after the drive to the coast, we put on wellingtons and headed out across the reserve. We immediately heard and then saw Corn Buntings, and then with an eye on the skies, enjoyed views of passing Red-rumped Swallows, Barn Swallows and House Martins, together with my first Common Swifts and Alpine Swifts of the year. Migration was well and truly underway! Red-knobbed Coot As we walked along the shore…

Migration time at the wetlands of Valencia!

This time of year is always really exciting, as the spring migration is getting underway, so new arrivals are always popping up – be they summer visitors or birds on passage. There are still a few winter visitors hanging around too, which always add to the enjoyment of birding here in March. Audouin’s Gull Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne, a very well travelled and keen American birder, and of spending a day exploring one of Valencia’s many coastal wetlands with her. We made the short trip from the city and were soon on the beach, watching Audouin’s Gulls, a passing Hoopoe and a Black Redstart. As we strolled up the coast, watching over a lagoon we had views of Shoveler, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, Teal and a Garganey. Cetti’s Warblers were calling from all around us, and squabbling with each other for territory. A Kingfisher made a brief appearance, and Reed Buntings and Zitting Cisticolas were plentiful. Zitting Cisticola We made a stop at an observatory, again overlooking a lagoon, and set up the scope. This gave us great views of White Headed Duck…

New Year Birding in Valencia

Valencia Birding kicked-off 2022 with our first clients of the year on 2nd January – Magdalena and Erik from Austria. They were on a short break in Valencia and wanted to include a birding trip in their plans. We opted to visit the wetlands close to the city, as a way of making the most of the relatively short days this month. After a short drive from the city, we began the walk along the beach, stopping to watch Audouin’s Gull, Chiffchaff, Serin, Kingfisher and what was my first bird of 2022 the previous day – Black Redstart! Black Redstart Whilst watching Marsh Harriers gliding low over the reeds, another raptor flew into view, albeit much higher – an Osprey, a bird which we’ve seen quite a lot of recently. We scanned over a lagoon where Shovelers were gathered in large numbers, and also found Teal, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebe and Yellow-legged Gull. We then chose to concentrate on an area of scrub that has been holding good numbers of passerines in recent weeks. Today was no exception ans we were soon watching Serin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Tree…

Christmas Eve Birding in Alicante

What a better way to get Christmas underway than by birding with friends Jolien and Silvia in the wetlands of Alicante?! Just under an hour´s drive from our home in the mountains, the system of coastal wetlands is a birder´s paradise at any time of year, and today´s trip gave us some excellent sightings. After a quick morning coffee in a small village, we walked into the first reserve and scanned across a small lagoon. Shoveler and Teal were on the water in good numbers, and the shoreline held Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and Purple Swamphen. Crag Martins were feeding overhead and a Sardinian Warbler called from the bushes. A small flock (or “clattering”) of Jackdaws passed over, followed closely by a Booted Eagle. A Dutch birder asked what the raptor was, and then doubtfully asked if we knew the name in Dutch – Jolien was on hand to help thanks to her Flemish heritage! We then turned our attention to a group of Terns. Most of them were Whiskered Terns but closer attention revealed a White-winged Tern too. White-winged Tern with Whiskered Terns There then followed…

A day at the wetlands of Alicante

The entire coast of the Valencia Region contains an extensive network of wetlands, which collectively make this area crucially important for migrating birds, especially as it’s located right on a major flyway. For those who choose to visit the southern reaches of the region, the area around Alicante is well worth a trip, as it too contains some excellent freshwater and saltwater wetland reserves. That’s not to mention the vast rural interior of the area, which comprises mountain, farmland, forest, desert and steppe! One of Alicante’s many wetland reserves. Last week I organised a day´s birding for John, choosing to focus on just one of the area’s wetlands, which is always a treat and usually throws up a few surprises too. We weren´t to be disappointed, as and usual the day passed so quickly that we were left with longings to return as soon as possible. But that’ll be another story before long… After a quick morning coffee, we drove slowly across an area of farmland to the reserve, enjoying good views of a Booted Eagle that was circling over the fields. A few Barn Swallows and House Martins were…

Osprey Re-introduction Project

Last week I was privileged to spend the evening with my good friend Itzy Colodro Sainz of Magic&Nature who is once again working tirelessly on a project to re-introduce Ospreys to the Valencia region. This project is supported by local government, specifically Conselleria de Medio Ambiente CV and is backed scientifically by Fundación Migres. At a local level, it is also supported by the Town Halls of Pego, Oliva, Denia and Jávea and is collaborated in by Magic&Nature, who also organise volunteer events, and Acció Ecologista Agró. I spent some time with her last year whilst she was working on the same project and was amazed at the time, dedication and attention that such a project demands, and full of admiration for the team who work on it. This year, the young Osprey, who is named Estell, has been hand reared as usual and has now been released. He remains around the base at the moment, constantly under the surveillance of Itzy and the team, to ensure that he’s safe. However, perhaps the most nerve-wracking time is still to come, and will happen very soon – when Estell decides that it’s time…