Stonechat - Page 2 of 9 - Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain

An autumn day at Albufera.

I´d been looking forward to welcoming back Stephen and Pennie since they´d booked yet another return trip to Valencia earlier this year. We´d previously enjoyed many happy days together so it was great to see them here again. Both keen birders, Stephen is also an experienced field photographer, and is very well travelled in pursuit of his hobby. We decided upon a return to Albufera de Valencia as this ever changing environment can differ greatly from month to month, plus Purple Swamphen was a key target bird for them both. We began at a small protected reserve area where we had views of Sardinian Warbler, Chiffchaff and Zitting Cisticola in the reeds. The lagoon held good numbers of Black Winged Stilts that were in a mixed flock with wintering Black Tailed Godwits. The highlight of this stop was the regular views of Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier in flight, providing Stephen with the chance to get some fabulous shots. We also saw Dunlin, Ruff, Common Buzzard and Greater Flamingo. We fitted in a brief coffee break during which I was pleased to be shown some great photos from Stephen and…

Autumn 2019 Newsletter.

Reflection. Following the summer holiday period, Autumn is always a time of reflection, thinking back over the year so far whilst at the same time looking ahead at what remains, particularly with migration in mind. We still have a few late summer visitors here, but in general the autumn migration is well underway. This week has seen huge mixed flocks of Swifts, Martins and Swallows passing through the region but what has been more noticeable has been the sheer numbers of Bee Eaters on the move this week and last. Waders are currently the big draw though, especially at our numerous coastal wetland sites. Recent sightings have included Terek Sandpiper. Looking back at the Spring of this year, we are delighted to say that Valencia Birding enjoyed its best ever period (in terms of number of clients) since we began back in 2011. In challenging times such as these, it´s fabulous to see such positive trends and we´re exceptionally grateful to all whose support has helped us to make this possible. The “star” species are too numerous to comprehensively list here but they have to include the returning Elegant Terns,…

4 Day Birding Trip around Alicante.

Just before our summer break, I was delighted to design and provide a 4 day birding trip around Alicante for two clients from the UK. Robin and Simon are both experienced and very well travelled birders. Robin was on a quest to see all the European bird species and prior to the trip, he had less than 30 species left to see!! His key priorities were Red-knobbed Coot, White Headed Duck and Red-necked Nightjar, but we also added Iberian Green Woodpecker (Picus sharpei) to that. Their flight arrived in Alicante in the afternoon, so once I´d met them there, we made the most of the few hours that we had by exploring the local salt marshes and coastal lagoons. We enjoyed good views of plenty of Greater Flamingoes, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern and Audouin´s Gull. We then moved to a hide overlooking a scrape from where we spotted a Kentish Plover on a nest. The large colony of Slender Billed Gulls also gave us great views. Although we´d only had a few hours, we´d made a good start. We drove to their hotel in central Alicante which was only a…

Two fantastic days with clients from Sweden.

When clients return it´s always a special feeling, and in mid May, Alexia from Sweden did exactly that. She´d previously visited Valencia and we did a trip to Albufera together. Not long after her return home she contacted us and we arranged a 2 day birding break in Valencia, which she was to combine with a cultural break in the city. This time she came with a friend, Lena. I was delighted to see Alexia again, and to meet Lena. Both very friendly and great company. On our first day we visited one of Valencia´s coastal wetlands. A walk along the beach gave views of Audouin´s Gull and Whiskered Tern. We had great views of Turtle Dove, a bird that appears to have done very well here this year. The lagoons held White Headed Duck, Little Ringed Plover, Great Egret and a solitary lingering Dunlin. We also enjoyed watching the Tern colony which comprised Common, Little and Sandwich. We were delighted also to see the Elegant Terns that apper to be returning to Valencia each year to breed. On the walk back to the car we stopped to enjoy amazing…

A day at the wetlands with clients from the USA.

Back in early May I spent a delightful day with a fabulous couple from the USA. David and Dale were on a European cruise, and had planned to go birding in some of the places where they were stopping off at. One such place was Valencia. I collected them from the cruise terminal at the port, and then we made the short journey to the coastal wetlands. We began with a quick coffee stop where we discussed some of the target species that I wanted them to see. These included White Headed Duck, Collared Pratincole and Audouin´s Gull, all of which have established breeding grounds here in Valencia. Our strategy was to go for quality views of some key species rather than go for a super-long list. Our walk along the coast took us past a couple of lagoons where we enjoyed great views of White Headed Duck. Since this trip, I´m delighted to say that many pairs have successfully bred at this site. As we continued our walk, we saw plenty of Audouin´s Gulls flying over the beach. Marsh Harriers were hunting at the back of the reserve and…

Birding and cultural break in Valencia

We recently provided 3 days of guided birding for a couple of clients from Leeds. Alli and Anne were not only lovely people but very experienced and well travelled naturalists. For this trip they wanted to combine birding with a cultural break in Valencia. We´d designed the birding element of their trip so that after they´d enjoyed the famous Fallas fiestas, they could recover from the party atmosphere in Valencia by spending some peaceful days birding in its rural surroundings! It was indeed a pleasure to meet mother and daughter Alli and Anne and to spend time with them. On day one, I took them up onto the steppe, and after a morning coffee we began scanning the fields. Our first birds of the trip were Crested Lark and Calandra Lark. Stopping by some farm buildings gave us views of Rock Sparrow, Linnets, Spotless Starlings and a passing Common Buzzard. Our exploration of the higher steppe eventually rewarded us with views of both Great Bustard and Black Bellied Sandgrouse plus a fairly brief view of Stone Curlew. We ended the day with views of Little Owl and Lesser Kestrel before…