Tag: Swallows

Birding in Albufera de Valencia.

Last week I was delighted to welcome back returning clients Bill and Maureen, this time with Bill´s brother and sister-in-law, John and Maggie.  It was great to see them again, and this time our detination was the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia.  Their previous trip with us was to a different wetland site, so they were very interested to see what birding in Albufera de Valencia held in store… Having met close to Valencia we made the short journey into the park where we began our trip at one of the area´s restricted nature reserves.  We made several stops here, very quietly setting up the scopes to scan across the lagoons. Our first stop gave us views of Great Egret, Spoonbill and Lapwing.  Then suddenly a Booted Eagle passed overhead.  Male, female and juvenile Marsh Harriers were quartering the surrounding reed beds, giving excellent views. We then moved to a shallower lagoon that provides great habitat for an array of waders at this time of year.  We enjoyed great views of Wood Sandpiper, Snipe, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis and Greenshank.  Migration was taking place right before us, with…

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2-Day Bird Photography Trip.

Last weekend I was delighted to provide a 2-day bird photography trip for a client from Argentina.  Despite his humble and friendly nature, he was one of his countries leading bird photographers and has supplied material to numerous books, publications and apps.  This was his first photography trip to Spain, so he wanted to capture some quality shots of birds from different habitats.  Most species were new for him as they obviously differ from those of South America, so even common species were of interest.   Day 1 – Albufera de Valencia. We arrived at Albufera de Valencia as the sun was beginning to rise, as to get the most from the morning light.  We began by a small lagoon, photographing waders including Dunlin, Sanderling, Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover.   We also photographed Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt. Pleased with the shots that we´d captured of the waders, we turned our attention to the Black Necked Grebes and White Headed Ducks that were also present on the lagoon.  With some patience we managed to get good views and some nice photos of both…

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Birding and a Cultural Break in Valencia

Last week I provided a day trip for a couple from England who were combining birding and a cultural break in Valencia before moving on to central Spain.  Although they had travelled extensively in Spain, this was their first trip to Valencia, and they were especially keen to see the birdlife of our local wetlands.

The historic quarter of the city of Valencia

Having collected them from there hotel in Valencia city centre, we made the short journey to one of my favourite local reserves.  The weather was perfect – not too hot, but with clear skies and a slight breeze.  We began our walk by the beach, watching the coastal scrub carefully.  The Valencian coastline is part of a major migration fly-way between Europe and Africa, so this time of the year is always fascinating.  We had good views of numerous Chiffchaffs, Common Reed Warblers and Wheatear.  There was a steady and constant stream of passing Barn Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins too.

Birding holidays Spain

Wheatear

One of the first lagoons that we watched gave good views of White Headed Duck, Greater Flamingo and Little Grebe.  Marsh Harriers were quartering the surrounding reed beds.

After a short walk along the coast we spent some time in a hide overlooking a small lagoon.  This is often a hotspot for passing migrants and over the years has provided many memorable birding moments.  We firstly took a look at the waders which included Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Greenshank, Snipe, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover.  Wildfowl included Shoveler, Teal and yet more White Headed Duck.

Valencia Birding

Snipe

A pair of Stonechats were showing very well, feeding on insects and returning to their perches in classic Stonechat fashion.  We then turned our attention to the beach in search of one of the region´s most popular gulls – Audouin´s Gull.  With just a little patience we were rewarded with great views.

Valencia Birding

Little Ringed Plover

In need of refreshment we enjoyed a light lunch at a small restaurant on the beach whilst watching Little Egrets, Common Sandpipers and Yellow Legged Gulls. Afterwards we took a short walk to another observation point from where we had great views of Purple Swamphen and more Greater Flamingoes. We were also delighted to see a Kingfisher.  In the winter months the small resident population is boosted by visiting birds from the north of Spain.

Valencia Birding

Greater Flamingo

It had been a super day – very relaxed but with great views of some fabulous birds, and all in great company too.

Valencia Birding

The species list for the day included….

Greater Flamingo, Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe, White Headed Duck, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wood Pigeon, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mallard, Shoveler, Greenshank, Stonechat, Teal, Grey Heron, Snipe, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Purple Swamphen, Kingfisher, Audouin’s Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Common Tern, Wheatear, Sand Martin, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, House Martin, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier.

 

Valencia Birding

 

Written by Dave Warrington.

Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.

 

Birding the local wetlands

Last week I was delighted to provide a day trip for a client from New Zealand who was visiting Valencia and wanted to see the local bird species.  A retired vet and therefore extremely knowledgeable naturalist, he was interested to see the birdlife of our region as well as to see how our nature reserves are handled. Having made the short drive from the historic quarter of Valencia, we walked along a dune system, looking onto a system of coastal lagoons. This is obviously migration time, so Barn Swallows were constantly passing through.  The reeds surrounding the lagoons gave views of Fan Tailed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler.  We were also surprised to see a Melodious Warbler. The lagoon gave views of White Headed Duck, Purple Swamphen, Little Grebe and Shoveler.  As we continued our walk, we enjoyed views of Stonechat, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier and Cetti´s Warbler. We spent a while in a hide, looking out onto a shallow lagoon that´s great for waders.  This gave views of Greenshank, Snipe, Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Greater Flamingo and Black Winged Stilt. We continued our walk through the…

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Birding in the Valencian wetlands in Spring

A few days ago, I provided a day of guided bird watching for two clients from Ireland. The trip was a gift from their daughter Ann Claire.  Her dad is an experienced and knowledgeable birder and wanted to see the diversity of the birdlife that exists here in Valencia. We decided upon a specific wetland area as right now there are colonies of breeding species that provide some super opportunities for observation, all without the risk of disturbance. After a short drive to the reserve, the first stop was in an observatory platform where we enjoyed lovely views of Red-crested Pochard, Whiskered Tern, Coots feeding their chicks and a magnificent Great Reed Warbler. We walked on to another lagoon where we had superb views of Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Common Tern and Sandwich Tern.  We were also fortunate to see a Shag and two Black-necked Grebes, unusual for this time of the year in this reserve… Collared Pratincoles and Little Terns were also breeding in the vicinity, and gave great views both on the ground and in flight. After a picnic lunch we a headed inland, despite the warm weather,…

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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…

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