Watching Albufera Grow During the Spring
Throughout the months of April and May of this year, I’ve spent a lot of time in the wetlands and rice fields of Albufera de Valencia, principally trips with clients from the UK, USA and Ireland. It’s been fascinating to see the changes that take place during the spring, especially in terms of habitat and environment. In April, the rice fields were dry, so held very few birds, so we focussed more on the wetland reserve areas. During May, the rice farmers began to flood their fields and sow the rice, instantly attracting large gatherings of Glossy Ibis, Greater Flamingo,…
An Active Spring in Alicante!
The past couple of months have been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to post any trip reports! This is by no means a complaint and I’m extremely grateful to everyone for making this spring such an intense time. We’ve had some fabulous trips, seen some great birds, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with such lovely people. Here are a few shots taken during three recent visits to the wetlands of Alicante. This area has to rate amongst the best birding sites in Spain, not only for the birds that thrive here, but for the conservation…
A Special Day at One of Valencia’s Coastal Wetlands
April 2024 Some days, everything just seems to come together – nice weather, lovely people, newly arrived summer visitors and some interesting passage migrants. I was fortunate enough to enjoy one such day a couple of weeks ago with Roy from England. A keen birder, he was visiting Valencia and had previously contacted me to arrange a day’s birding. Roy, photographing Glossy Ibis on a shallow lagoon We met at a convenient spot and then headed to the coastal wetlands. This is usually a fabulous location in spring, but today’s visit seemed to turn up something special at almost every…
Another great day at Albufera.
April 2024 I’m delighted to say that April was a very busy month, packed with some great birding trips. One such day was spent at Albufera with Dominic and Elaine from the UK. They were on a rail trip through France and Spain, and had included a day’s birding with me in their plans. Albufera is a wetland of international importance for many reasons, not least of which is its geographical location on a migration flyway, so early spring is always an exciting time here. Greater Flamingo Elaine was keen to see Greater Flamingo, so we began at a reserve…
3-Day Birding Trip from Valencia
April 2024 Early this month, I planned a 3-day birding trip for Jason, an experienced birder from the USA who was spending some time with his wife near Valencia and wanted to include a birding trip in their plans. Day 1 – Albufera. Our first day together was spent at Albufera de Valencia, a huge wetland and rice growing area just to the south of the city. We spent the morning at a reserve where we enjoyed the sights and sounds of a mixed breeding colony that included Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Slender Billed…
Multiple Visits to the Steppe and Cereal Plains.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve spent quite a few days up on the steppe, enjoying this unique landscape and the fabulous bird life that thrives here. The first trip was for 4 lovely clients from Barcelona, well travelled nature lovers who were visiting the area and were keen to see Great Bustard above all. Another day was part of a 3-day trip for Jason from the USA and the other was simply a day´s birding with my partner Itziar to enjoy the spectacle of Great Bustard courtship displays. Great Bustard Each day was a great success in that we…