Trip Reports

Yesterday I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching in Albufera de Valencia for a client from Madrid.   She´s a keen nature lover, especially interested in birdlife and she wanted to visit Valencia and to discover its biodiversity. I arranged a bespoke trip for her to Albufera de Valencia, where we visited many protected reserve areas. First stop was in the marshes and rice fields where we were amazed by the sheer size of the gatherings of egrets and herons.  Next stop was in a reserve area that is a sightseeing hotspot for diverse ducks species.…

Last week, Yanina and I provided a guided trip especially designed for a group of beginners from Valencia.  They were keen to explore the bird life of Albufera de Valencia and to discover the eco-systems of the park.  Rather than maximise the species list, they had asked to focus on key ID characteristics of some the most emblematic species of the area. We began the trip in one of the parks protected reserves, where we were fortunate to see a good range of wildfowl including Shoveler, Teal, Shelduck, Red Crested Pochard and Pintail. A very special sight was a huge…

Yesterday I had the pleasure of providing a trip for 2 clients from Holland.  Both knowledgable naturalists, they are also involved in the project Natura 2000 Network in their home country.  They were here on holiday and were very keen to see the nature and wildlife of Valencia. We spent the morning at one of Valencia´s coastal wetlands which is a protected area and is also included in the Natura 2000 Network. It was very interesting to compare how conservation and politics are extremely different depending on the European country´s regulation and how controls are developed and implemented. The bird…

Last Saturday I was delighted to provide a day of guided bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for 4 clients from Granada, Spain.  It was a sunny and windless day, ideal for exploring the different eco-systems of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. We enjoyed many of the classic Albufera species. in particular the herons, egrets and ibis that are resident in the park. We enjoyed a fabulous day and were fortunate enough to see 40 species, including : Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Kestrel, Glossy Ibis, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Moorhen, Coot, Little…

Last month I was privileged to be invited to speak at the First Congress on Nature Tourism in Valencia. The aim of the congress was to gather the various public and private sector entities that are involved in Nature Tourism in the Valencian Community and to share experiences as well as to discuss how we can promote this fabulous area.   The Valencian Community (Comumidad de Valencia) comprises 3 provinces – Castellon, Valencian and Alicante.   It is relatively well known as a holiday destination but largely for the beaches of the Costa Blanca and the avant-garde city of Valencia.…

Mid October was a strange  time in Valencia this year.  It was as if autumn had not yet decided to show itself and summer was still well underway.  Some of our species that are “officially” summer visitors were still here, although today´s trip was blessed with great views of passage migrants. Valencia´s location, right on the east coast flyway, coupled with its extensive wetlands make it a perfect spot for passage migrants to stop, feed and rest on their autumn voyage to the south.  Today was no exception, and we were privileged to have great views of an Osprey that…