Trip Reports

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to organise a guided bird watching trip for two clients from England. They were keen to discover the bird life of the Valencian wetlands. After I collected them from the historical quarter of Valencia city we drove to the Albufera Natural Park.  I´d organised a visit to a restricted reserve area which always holds a wide variety of species. To get there we drove through the rice paddies, an ecosystem that in itself is a hot spot for herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harriers. Once inside the reserve, we carefully and…

Earlier this month Yanina and I were privileged and delighted to be involved in organising and guiding a press trip to the Valencian Community.  We have long since known that our region is one of the “hidden jewels” of European birding.  Although not so well known, once clients visit our region, the majority return, impressed by the habitat diversity, ease of travel and the amazing bird life that this region offers. As part of ongoing work to highlight our region as a top birding destination, with the support of Turespaña and the Agencia Valenciana de Turisme, Patronato de Turismo Valencia…

We´ve recently provided a number of trips that have taken in the virtually unknown mountainous interior of the Valencia region. Within an hour´s drive of the beautiful Mediterranean city of Valencia lies a vast and rugged region that provides habitat for some very special birds. The exceptionally low human population density and the natural characteristics of our inland sierras means that for wildlife in general, this is a fascinating place.  We´re constantly surprised at the bird life this area offers. On our recent trips, the forested hills and river valleys have given us excellent views of some favourites such as…

Last week I had the pleasure to provide a guided bird watching trip to the steppe for two experienced birders from Poland. They brought with them a wish list of target species for this habitat, so we focused the trip on that. After I collected them from the railway station in Valencia, we drove for around an hour to the magnificent plains that provide a variety of habitat including cultivated fields of different cereals and vineyards, inland brackish lagoons and wooded areas, the perfect habitat for Little Bustard, White-headed Duck and Great Spotted Cuckoo … our goal for the day. The first…

Last week I was delighted to see returning clients Kelvin and Katy from UK, and to provide a day of guided birding for them at one of our region´s wetland sites. Last year they had enjoyed a trip with us to Albufera de Valencia and had been impressed with the bird life of the area. They had also fallen in love with the enchanting city of Valencia and vowed to return! Return they did, and after discussing what they´d like to see, we headed for the wetlands. Kelvin works for the RSPB in the south of England, and is a…

Late last month I had the pleasure to provide a day of guided bird watching for a lovely group of four clients from UK.  Two were spending time at their holiday home and the other couple were there as guests.  Two had an interest in nature in general whilst the other couple were extremely experienced birders and had worked in guiding and conservation in Africa. We began our trip at a superb coastal wetland reserve area where we enjoyed watching Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal, both subjects of successful conservation programs here in Spain. We then moved further into the…