Trip Reports

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…

2nd April 2022 March 2022 was the wettest on record for over 60 years, which in some ways was a positive point as the mountains and hills of our region were previously very dry and its reservoirs were unusually low. That all changed very quickly! The prolonged wet weather had a delaying effect on migratory bird movement, so as soon as the rain stopped and the sun broke through, we were expecting a migration explosion! With perfect timing, I was delighted to meet Abhishek and Shweta from India and to spend the day with them at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands.…

The past couple of weeks have been exceptionally wet in the east of Spain, with some areas receiving a year’s worth of rain in around ten days! Although this bodes well for the coming spring, as water levels were unseasonally low, it hasn’t provided great conditions for birding! So, with a change of plan, last weekend I headed to the wetlands of Alicante instead of the high steppe. The trip was for David, a regular client from the UK, who I always look forward to seeing. Almost all of the region was subject to rain, but we chose a little…

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…

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…

I’ve just come to the end of a 3-day birding trip with some extremely long-standing clients of Valencia Birding. It was even more special as this was the first time that I’d seen Rab & Jan since before the Covid pandemic, so it was even more special to be with these friends again. They have travelled extensively with me throughout the region, and this time opted to make the beautiful and historical town of Xativa their base for our trip. Day 1 – Alicante Wetlands We of course had a plan for our three days, but some sudden and fast…