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Birding in Albufera

I was recently delighted to provide a bird watching trip for two clients from Ireland. Eanna & John are experienced birders who were visiting Valencia and wanted a day out of the city to discover the birdlife of the mediterranean. After I collected them from their hotel in the city centre, we made the short journey to Albufera Natural Park where we stopped in the main pier of the Albufera lake to enjoy nice views of Sandwich Terns and Marsh Harriers. They were happy to see Sandwich Terns in their winter plumage. Our next stop was in the main reserve area of the park, and after a short visit to the information centre we headed to the observatories where we enjoyed nice views of Black-winged Stilt, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet. We were also hoping for good sightings of waterfowl, and eventually had nice views of Red-crested Pochard, Pintail, Teal, Shoveler and more. After a short walk back through the forest we reached to the observatory tower and had fantastic views of huge flocks of Flamingos. Our next stop was planned to be in the Village of El Palmar where we were to…

Birding and seawatching trip to Albufera of Valencia

I recently provided a birding trip to Albufera de Valencia for two clients from England who as experienced birders had travelled to Spain many times but never to the Valencia region. After I collected them from their accommodation in the city centre, we made the short journey to Albufera Natural Park where we stopped in the main pier of the Albufera lake to enjoy nice views of Sandwich Terns and Marsh Harriers. Our next stop was in the main reserve area of the park, and after a short visit to the information center we headed to the observatories in a restricted area where we were surprised by a juvenile Night Heron. We realized it was injured so I manage to catch it to take it to the recovery center. After this episode we continued birding in the reserve. From one of the observatories we had views of an Iberian Grey Shrike, Flamingos and Zitting Cisticola. Later from the observatory tower we enjoyed good views of thousands of Red-crested Pochard, Pintail and many waterfowl that winter in this area. Our next stop was planned to be in the Village of El…

Bird watching trip to the steppe

A few days ago I was delighted to provide a bird watching trip for a couple from England. It was great to be able to do so as Dave and I had met them at Rutland Bird Fair and it was there that we originally discussed a trip to the steppe. As they were staying to the south of our region, we agreed a meeting point and headed for the birding area. The weather forecast was not the best but they were keen to discover the area and its birdlife. After a few minutes driving we arrived to the first stop at an irrigation pond where we enjoyed nice views of Marsh Harrier, Green Sandpiper and Zitting Cisticola. We kept moving looking for the target species of the day… Great Bustard! On the road to the high steppe we stopped at a farm and after few seconds scanning the area, we spotted the first flock of Great Bustards.. It was a stunning group of 36 males! Not far from the Great Bustards… we spotted a large flock of Calandra Larks and Crested Larks. The steppe is the ideal habitat to…

Birding with returning clients in Albufera de Valencia

A few weeks ago I was especially pleased to provide a day of birding in Albufera de Valencia for returning clients from the UK. Once again, they arrived in Valencia by cruise ship and didn’t have a full day so they decided to visit again Albufera de Valencia. They were keen to see this wetland site in the autumn. Eric is 83 years old has been birding all his life and is always happy to see Mediterranean species. They wanted a relaxed birding trip and that’s what we did.. After I collected them from the cruise ship terminal we headed to the Devesa forest, early that morning I had seen a Yellow-browed Warbler close to my home and Eric was keen to see it. A few seconds after we parked we heard it calling and finally Eric had a good view. A great start to the day!! Next stop was at the main reserve of the natural park – autumn in Albufera is excellent for enjoying waterfowl… a few minutes after we visited the visitor center, we were in the observatory enjoying great views of Red-crested Pochard, Shelducks, Teal, Shovelers…

Birding trip to Albufera of Valencia

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to provide a birding trip to Albufera of Valencia Natural Park for two couples from England. One couple were experienced birders who wanted to introduce their friends to the pleasure of going birding during their holidays. They were keen to discover the birdlife of the Valencian wetlands, so after I collected them, we drove a few minutes to the main reserve area of the natural park. After visiting the centre to understand the different ecosystems and birdlife of the area, we went to the observatories which is where we saw the first species of interest… Black-winged Stilt, Red-crested Pochard as well as an Osprey that flew over Next stop was in a green filter and reserve area. It took us a few minutes to drive through the rice paddies and just before we entered the reserve, a flock of Spoonbills flew over and we enjoyed great views. We arrived to the observatory tower where we had amazing views of some of the target species of the day… Purple Swamphen, Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier. The day was going pretty well so they…

Guided birding trip to the steppe

A few day ago I was delighted to provide a guided birding trip to the steppe for Joppe from Holland. He is an experienced birder and was keen to see Great Bustards and some other target species of this area. He was staying in Albacete, so we agreed to meet at Almansa railway station. After I collected him, he told me that he´d seen a few Great Bustards from the train – the main goal of the day was already accomplished without my help!! So we decided as a new objective for the day, to get quality views of them. The first stop was at an irrigation pond where we had a few good sightings despite of the wind… Marsh Harrier, Zitting Cisticola and a flock of Linnet. We continued driving in search of the Great Bustard, it was a challenging day… most of the fields had been ploughed recently and the birds weren’t in their regular areas. Despite that, on the way to the next stop we had great view of Iberian Grey Shrike and a nice flock of Calandra Larks. Later we had to stop the car to…