Trip Reports

Last week, I spent a great day with a client from the Netherlands. He was attending a medical conference and had arranged a day of bird watching from the city of Valencia with us.  The close proximity to the city of some of the regions best birding sites makes such a trip very easy. Having collected him from his hotel in Valencia, we made the short journey to the Valencian Coastal Wetlands. Our day began with a pair of Turtle Doves, even before we´d closed the van doors!  A short walk to the first small lake gave us good views…

Last week, I had the pleasure of providing a day of guided bird watching in Valencia for a group of clients from Scotland.  We made the brief journey through this beautiful Mediterranean city, stopping by the beach for a morning coffee before heading out onto the reserve. The day got off to a fabulous start with views Great Reed Warbler and Little Bittern.  As we began our walk, we had great views of Turtle Dove, Glossy Ibis and Marsh Harrier. The next lagoon and its shoreline held Fan-Tailed Warbler, Little Grebe and Red Crested Pochard.  Terns were very active, and…

On Wednesday of this week we provided a day of guided bird watching from Valencia for a client from Surrey, UK. After a drive through the city of Valencia, we headed for the coast and began our walk.  Immediately we heard the calls of terns and warblers, all recently arrived and getting on with the business of nesting.  Our first stop by a small lake gave excellent views of Little Bittern, both in flight and perched on reeds immediately in front of us. A short walk along the beach revealed a most unexpected bird for this time of year, a…

Last week I provided a day of bird watching at Albufera de Valencia for a group of local birders.  Some of them I knew well as they have regularly been on birding trips with me, but it was a pleasure to meet 4 of the group for the first time.  After a short journey to Albufera, we stopped for a coffee and brief chat about the plans for the day before heading to one of the area´s best reserves. We had a leisurely walk through the reed beds and beside a couple of small lakes where we enjoyed great views…

It was my pleasure to work with my friend and colleague Yanina of Visit Natura to provide this very special trip through the diverse habitats of the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park. A group of 7 local birders joined the trip and together we enjoyed not only some great bird species, but some fascinating insights into this dynamic environment and its eco-systems. The day began with a boat trip across the Albufera, Spain´s largest fresh water lake.  Whilst on the boat we had views of Marsh Harrier, Great Crested Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamphen, Audouin´s Gull and huge numbers of…

This week, I was fotunate enough to meet David and Susan from UK.  They were taking a city break in Valencia and had previously arranged a day of guided bird watching with me. Both scientists and keen nature lovers, they were interested to see the diverse bird life of Albufera de Valencia and the surrounding wetlands.   We began our day at Tancat de la Pipa, a fantastic reserve within the Albufera Natural Park.  Run by an extremely dedicated team, this reserve provides critical habitat to a huge array of bird species, as well as supporting a fantastically diverse eco-system.…