Valencia Birding - Page 8 of 27 - Valencia Birding

Returning Clients and Friends

8th & 9th April 2022 Since I established Valencia Birding over eleven and a half years ago, I’ve been blessed with many clients who have returned time and again, and have become friends. They all know who they are and it’s a privilege to know them and to design and provide trips for them. Last week I did just that for Andy and Saffia from the UK. I think it’s fair to say that they fell in love with the city of Valencia during their initial visits, and as their previous trip was cancelled as the Covid pandemic hit, it was even more special to see them this time. Andy had a list of target species which provided me with a welcome challenge, and something to design their two day birding trip around. Day 1 – Southern Wetlands. Andy was particularly keen to see Marbled Teal and Red-knobbed Coot, and this area is one of the best in Europe for these species. After a morning coffee we began our walk into a reserve, where we immediately saw Garganey, Redshank, Avocet and Glossy Ibis. Swifts, Barn Swallows, House Martins and Sand…

2-day Birding Trip from Valencia

4th & 5th April 2022 I recently had the pleasure of spending two days with Jim and Consuelo from the USA who were visiting their daughter in Valencia. As very keen birders, they were eager to include a couple of days of birding in their trip, and so we eventually opted to go for a day at the wetlands and a day in the mountains. Day 1 – Coastal Wetlands We were still suffering the after-effects of a freak weather system, and although the heavy rains had ceased, our first day was a little windy. We drove from their apartment in central Valencia and began our walk along the beach. We immediately had superb views of Audouin’s Gull, followed by Little Ringed Plover, Black-winged Stilt and a Purple Heron. Audouin’s Gull The strong winds had slowed down the previous few day’s heavy stream of Swallows, Swifts and Martins, but there were still a few around. Another recently arrived bird, Collared Pratincole were also seen in flight, as well as one that Jim spotted, sheltering from the wind behind a plant! Collared Pratincole We headed down the coast, stopping at our…

Children´s Presentation On House Martins

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of giving two presentations to groups of children from two schools close to my home in Banyeres de Mariola, in rural Alicante. The presentations were about House Martins, a bird that has suffered a huge decline in numbers across central and northern Europe in recent years. In Banyeres de Mariola, there is a healthy population of House Martins, with nesting colonies present throughout the village. The aim of the talks was to raise awareness, create interest and to help the children to value these little birds that return from Africa each year to breed here. The children were between six and eight years of age, and it was such a pleasure to see them so interested in the topic of nature, migration and conservation. Our next potential steps are to do a nest census, counting the number of active nests in the village, and to install some artificial nest cups. Many thanks to all involved in making this project happen, especially the Tourist Information Office of Banyeres de Mariola. Esta semana, tuve el placer de hacer dos presentaciones a grupos de niños de…

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…

A February Day at Albufera de Valencia with Judy

I recently had the pleasure of providing a day of guided birding at Albufera de Valencia for an Englsih lady called Judy, who has lived in southern France for many years. A very well travelled and experienced birder, she wanted to explore this huge wetland site and to experience at first hand the bird life that thrives here. Having collected Judy from her hotel, we made the short trip to one of Albufera’s key reserve area where we looked out over a small lagoon. Here we saw Greenshank, Dunlin, Black-winged Stilt, Teal, Shelduck and Common Pochard. A Zitting Cisticola called from nearby reeds and Chiffchaffs and Sardinian Warblers constantly flitted around, feeding on insects in the vegetation. We then stopped at a salt-water lagoon where we had quality views of Black-necked Grebe, Little Egret and Slender-billed Gull. Crag Martins were feeding on the wing in huge numbers, and whilst we were watching them, a Booted Eagle suddenly flew over, circling above us, giving excellent views. We then headed across the rice fields, stopping along the way to watch Marsh Harriers hunting over the reed beds. In the muddy rice paddies…

Masses of Gulls & Glossy Ibis at Albufera de Valencia

As is often said, “a picture paints a thousand words”. But in this case, it’s a video that I hope portrays the sheer spectacle that I experienced at the huge wetland site of Albufera de Valencia yesterday morning. At this time of year, the flooded rice fields are drained and ploughed in readiness for the planting phase. This results in the earth and mud being churned up, revealing a rich food source for thousands of ibis, gulls and egrets. It’s hard to express what the sight of such vast numbers of birds is actually like – even still photos don’t really do justice. This is why I chose to shoot this short video and share it with you. On this occasion, the majority of gulls were Black-headed, although in amongst them there was a Common Gull too! But the Starling-like murmurations of Glossy Ibis are the key spectacle. I hope you enjoy it!