Spotless Starling - Page 5 of 11 - 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…

Birding in the mountains of Valencia.

We´ve recently provided a number of trips that have taken in the virtually unknown mountainous interior of the Valencia region. Within an hour´s drive of the beautiful Mediterranean city of Valencia lies a vast and rugged region that provides habitat for some very special birds. The exceptionally low human population density and the natural characteristics of our inland sierras means that for wildlife in general, this is a fascinating place. We´re constantly surprised at the bird life this area offers. On our recent trips, the forested hills and river valleys have given us excellent views of some favourites such as Dipper, Golden Oriole, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Melodious Warbler, Bee Eater, Red Rumped Swallow and Woodchat Shrike. We then usually move slightly higher into the forested highlands, often in excess of 700m above sea level. This is where we see some fabulous species including Firecrest, Crested Tit and Sub-alpine Warbler. As we climb even higher towards 900 metres above sea level, we find some spectacular mountain scenery – rock pinnacles, buttresses and huge cliff walls. These hold some specialist mountain bird species, some of which are not often associated with this…

7-Day Bird Watching Trip for the Northern Ireland Ornithologists´Club.

Early this month we were privileged to have designed and provided a tailor-made 7-day trip for a fabulous group of birders from the Northern Ireland Ornithologists´Club. This was the forth trip that we´ve provided for members of this club, and we´re always delighted to welcome them back to Valencia. We´d previously designed a plan that would hopefully maximise habitat and species diversity specific to this time of the year. Their flight arrived late into Alicante airport so we collected the group and drove to the village of Banyeres de Mariola where the guesthouse Alqueria del Pilar would be their base for the next 4 nights. Day 1 – Coastal Salt Marshes. Our first day was to be spent exploring the coastal saltmarshes of the Alicante province, which at this time of year hold some very interesting species. After a drive of just under an hour we arrived at our first spot, and stopped to enjoy great views of Slender Billed Gull, Little Tern and Turnstone. We also saw White Winged Black Tern, Whiskered Tern and a huge group of Great Crested Grebe. We then turned our attention to waders, and enjoyed…

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,…