Trip Reports

I’m both delighted and very grateful to report that this spring season has been extremely busy, with clients from across Europe and the USA. For those based in Valencia, trips have included the coastal marshes and the rice growing wetland region of Albufera, as well as the mountains of the interior. One client in particular, Erik from the Netherlands, flew down to Valencia with the hope of seeing Elegant Tern. With only a couple of days in which to locate it, the challenge was on, but he indeed returned home having had good views, and the opportunity to photograph it…

As a collaborator of Fundación Migres, and the representative of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation for the Osprey Reintroduction Project here in Spain, I am honoured to be heavily involved in this incredible work. Back in February I was delighted to assist Itziar Colodro and Ian Perks in giving a presentation in the town of Pego. The focus was on the history and success stories of Osprey conservation in Scotland and beyond. Here you can see the presentation (both in English and Spanish). Click on the image below to go to the YouTube video… Continue reading

Alexia has been a loyal client and close friend for many years, so it was with great anticipation and joy that I welcomed her back for another trip together. We began our first of two days in Alicante, specifically the wetlands to the south of the city. Common Pochard Two of our target species were seen well within the first 15 minutes of the day – Red Knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal. Migration was obviously underway, with huge numbers of Red Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin and Common Swift constantly passing through. Close observation of a particularly large mixed…

Following the Christmas, New Year and Three Kings celebrations, it felt great to begin the first trip of 2025, especially so as it was for Tony, a client from the UK who I had met two years ago when we did a day trip from Alicante. We had spoken on the phone to design something bespoke for him, taking in 3 days in different habitats, whilst allowing him to enjoy a little time in the historic town of Xativa. Day 1 – Mountains Tony flew into Alicante airport the day before our 3 days together began, so that’s where I…

Our final trip before Christmas 2024 took us to Alicante, where I had the pleasure of meeting Agustin and his family from Galicia in northern Spain. They were enjoying a Christmas break in the region, and wanted to include a day’s birding in their plans. Once I’d navigated the labyrinth of narrow streets in the historical quarter of Alicante, we met and made the short onward journey to the wetlands! Immediately upon getting out of the car we were watching Purple Swamphen and Snipe feeding at the base of tall reeds. Amazingly, the day after, we received news of sightings…

21st December 2024 The huge wetland of Albufera lies directly between the towns that were devastated by the recent flooding and the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, its northern and western sectors have suffered a serious environmental impact. Although there has been a huge clear-up operation, much remains to be done. Many rice fields still contain debris, wrecked cars and mud that was washed down the rivers and canals, and some nature reserve areas have suffered serious damage to their facilities and infrastructure. However, the southern and eastern areas have escaped the worst of the effects, and hold plenty of birds. The…