Trip Reports

Last Sunday I was delighted to provide a day of guided birding in Valencia for an experienced birder from Australia. Jillann was in Valencia for work but on her free day she wanted to discover the bird life of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. After I collected her from her hotel in the city, we went to a protected reserve area where there´s one of Europe´s largest Tern colonies, comprising mainly of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns. We also enjoyed seeing different species of ducks and waders with their young.  Jillann was amazed to see the large populaton of Avocet.…

Last Friday I had pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for two clients from Poland.  As nature lovers and experienced birders, they are members of a bird protection organisation, and they wanted to discover the species of Valencia and its wetlands. After I collected them from their hotel, we went to a reserve and restricted area where we spent most of the morning. At this time of the year this reserve is magnificent, and we enjoyed great views of a colony of Common and Sandwich Terns. We also enjoyed seeing the very rare Mabled…

Last Monday I had pleasure of providing a guided trip for a couple from England.  They were very keen to go bird watching in the mountains of Valencia, especially to see the raptors and “specialist” species that live in this habitat. Jan and Ossie are two experience birders who are involved in a conservation programme for Barn Owls.  As they knew that I am also heavily involved in a similar project here in Spain, it was wonderful opportunity to share our experiences in working with these magnificent creatures. After the short journey from Valencia, we stopped for a coffee break…

Last Monday, I had the pleasure of providing our most popular birding trip to l´Albufera de Valencia, for two clients from Belgium.  Anne-Marie and Hans are keen on nature and birding but they also were interested to know how the area was formed, the history and traditional aspects including how rice paddies are managed and how the annual rice cycle operates. After I collected them at the apartment where they were staying at in Valencia City, we went directly to the interpretation centre of the Natural Park where I could explain in detail about the origin and transformation of the…

Last week, I provided a day of guided birding for a mother and daughter from Belguim.  The daughter lives here in Spain and her mother was visiting for a week.  Both were very keen and experienced birders and were eager to see the wetlands of Valencia, especially at this fabulous time of the year when the breeding season is well underway. The day turned out to be very interesting, and resulted in a fabulous species list and a mystery Tern! As they had made a big effort to drive to Valencia from the interior of Alicante, I opted to combine…

Last Friday I had pleasure to providing a trip for two clients, one from USA and the other from England.  They were both extremely experienced birders and whilst at a congress in Valencia they were keen to fit in some guided birding in the reserves of Albufera de Valencia. As they were on a very tight schedule, I opted to take them to three of Albufera´s best reserve areas, as a way of maximising the species that they would see. The first stop was in an area of forest and lagoons, where we could had great views of a colony…