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A morning at Albufera de Valencia

14th February 2023 Earlier this week I was able to fit in a morning´s birding at Albufera de Valencia for Ted who was visiting his family in Valencia. As we drove from the city centre past the port, a Booted Eagle glided over the car, surely a good omen for the day ahead! Our first stop was at a nature reserve with a couple of hides that looked over lagoons and reed beds. Chiffchaffs were flitting around in the scrub in huge numbers, as is usual here in winter. Black Redstarts seemed to be everywhere we chose to look! A pair of Stonechats were feeding on insects in flight, and a Cetti’s Warbler made a brief appearance too. Black Redstart The first lagoons held Shoveler, Shelduck, Teal, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt and good numbers of Black Tailed Godwits. A Marsh Harrier caused a panic amongst them as she passed low over the islands where they were resting. Black Tailed Godwits in flight We then headed out across the lanes between the now-flooded rice fields. Large groups of Glossy Ibis were feeding together with Black Headed Gulls, with a few Lesser…

3-Day Bird Photography Trip in Alicante

January 2023 For the first time since the pandemic, I was delighted to welcome back Stephen from the UK. An experienced and well travelled wildlife photographer, he was keen to make another trip to the Valencia Region, this time to focus largely on Golden Eagles in the mountains of Alicante. I collected him from Alicante Airport in the afternoon and we drove into the mountains where he checked in to a small hotel in the historical village of Biar. Biar, Alicante The next morning we made a relatively early start to ensure that we were in the photography hide as soon as reasonably possible. Spain was gripped by winter weather, with cold air moving from the north east, so we ensured that we were well prepared. After a few hours waiting, the male Golden Eagle suddenly came into sight, before landing in front of the hide, seemingly to feed. He stayed for only around 20 minutes, but we managed to get some quality shots. I noticed that he was calling to the female bird during his stay, and he didn´t actually take any food. After he’d flown, we waited a…

2-Day Trip : Steppe & Albufera de Valencia.

Just before Christmas, I had the pleasure of welcoming Larry and David from the USA back to Valencia. I met them last winter and we spent a day at the coastal wetlands of Valencia. This year, Larry spent a day with me on the steppe, followed by a day at Albufera when David also joined us. Day 1 – Steppe We had originally planned to go to the steppe the previous year, but bad weather had forced a change of plan. So, when the day dawned bright and with no wind, it was somewhat a relief! Our first stops on farmland gave us views of the usual suspects including Red-legged Partridge, Rock Sparrow, Crested Lark, Black Redstart and Spotless Starling. Then, as we were scanning across the fields, a beautiful male Hen Harrier came into view. It made a few passes, giving us fantastic views, before it eventually disappeared behind some low hills. Rock Sparrow We drove cross-country to a couple of lagoons where we had views of Greater Flamingo, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull and wildfowl including Shoveler, Gadwall and White Headed Duck. In the afternoon, we turned our…

A bird filled day at Albufera

18th November 2022 For many reasons, I have recently spent more time than usual at the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia, and one thing that has stood out is that no two days are ever the same, even two consecutive days. Our first stop of the day Today´s trip was for Dave from the south of England who was enjoying a short break in Valencia with his wife, and wanted to include a day of birding in his plans. Our first stopping point immediately greeted us with a lagoon full of birds – especially Flamingo, Shelducks, Black Winged Stilts and Glossy Ibis. Stonechat A pair of Stonechats were feeding in front of the hide, and a Buzzard suddenly passed low overhead. We moved onto the next hide which gave us superb views of Marsh Harrier, Sardinian Warbler and a couple of Collared Pratincoles that have been lingering around the area for a few weeks. A short drive across the rice fields to another reserve gave us plenty of Cattle Egrets, Black Headed Gulls and Glossy Ibis following a tractor that was ploughing, and obviously revealing food! We also…

Enjoying migration time at Albufera.

21st October 2022. I’ve spent many days over the past weeks at Albufera, and have been fortunate enough to do so with some wonderful people from all over the world. Today’s trip was for two very experienced birders from Denmark, who had chosen to include a day’s birding into their short break in Valencia. The day of our trip was quite warm for the time of the year, but with light cloud cover and no wind. We began to see an overlap of summer visitors, winter visitors, passage migrants and resident species as soon as we began – namely Collared Pratincole, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin and Black Winged Stilts respectively. Black Winged Stilts resting and preening Teal added to the wintering birds, and a Kingfisher came to perch before us, giving excellent views. Raptors then began to show, firstly a female Marsh Harrier gliding low over the reeds, soon followed by a pale morph Booted Eagle circling high above the reserve. Kingfisher We moved on to our next stop where we enjoyed views of Black Necked Grebe, now in winter plumage, Greenshank, Audouin’s Gull and Great Crested Grebe. Seemingly to…

A day at Albufera with a wetlands expert from the USA.

I recently had the privilege to meet and provide a trip to Albufera de Valencia for Patricia from the USA, who is a leading expert in the wetlands scientific research sector. Despite her huge knowledge and experience, her humility and enthusiasm for all that we saw made the day very special. Our first reserve visit gave us shorebirds that included Black Winged Stilt, Black Tailed Godwit, Collared Pratincole, Ruff and Common Sandpiper. A Kingfisher came to perch quite close by, and stayed there for a good few minutes, allowing for excellent views. Kingfisher After a morning coffee stop in a local village, we moved on to a coastal lagoon where we enjoyed watching Little Stint, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and Greater Flamingo. Dunlin After lunch, we drove across the rice fields which held Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Great Egret. Taking into account Patricia’s specialist knowledge, I built in a visit to the fabulous green-filter reserve, Tancat de la Pipa, where I could outline the developments that have taken place in the effort to improve water quality within the reserve, thereby enhancing habitat and…