Guided Birding in Valencia
On 17th May I provided a guided bird watching trip for a couple from Belgium who were holidaying in Valencia. They opted for our Mountain Bird Life trip which involves a short but beautiful walk into a spectacular mountain gorge. We were soon enjoying great views of Griffon Vulture, both in flight and at rest on the high mountain crags. The bushes and trees in the valley bottom held Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Sardinian Warbler and Serin. After a short while we took a rest in the shade and watched a colony of Crag Martins and enjoyed a great view of a…
Ladies´ Birding Group Trip to the Mountains of Valencia
On 11th May, I returned to the mountains, this time with a Ladies´Bird Watching Group. After the morning coffee stop we set out into a beautiful mountain gorge. The weather was hot and sunny but once in the gorge we soon found a shady spot from which to rest and watch the bird life. Griffon Vultures were around in good numbers, soaring effortlessly on the thermals. Some were resting on the cliffs which provided great opportunities to appreciate the sheer size of these magnificent creatures. We made steady progress up into the gorge before finding another comfortable stopping point from…
Albufera de Valencia
On 4th May, I spent the morning at Albufera de Valencia with a client from The Netherlands. As time was limited, we opted to spend the morning at one of my favourite reserves as it provides something of interest on every visit. Upon arrival we enjoyed the usual Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron and Purple Heron. They were soon joined by Glossy Ibis and Avocet. Scanning around revealed Little Ringed Plover, Purple Gallinule and Gull Billed Tern. Fan Tailed Warblers were busy flitting around in the reeds and Swifts were overhead in huge numbers. A little patience was repaid…
Mountain Bird Life
On 2nd May I took a group of birders on our Mountain Birds Trip. The group comprised a good mix of beginners and experienced birders. We began our day with a walk into a spectacular mountain gorge and were soon enjoying views of the magnificent GriffonVulture. Black Redstart were around in good numbers, as were Crag Martins. We soon found one of our target birds, the Blue Rock Thrush and subsequently enjoyed numerous sightings. A Linnet made a brief appearance as did Rock Bunting and Sardinian Warbler. Choughs and Ravens were seen flying above the cliffs. After a leisurely picnic…
Bird Watching in Valencia
On 27th April, we enjoyed a great day of birding at the Valencian Coastal Wetlands with a group of British birders. After the obligatory morning coffee by the sea, we set out along the dunes where we enjoyed good views of Moustached Warbler in the adjoining reeds and a Turtle Dove on a telephone wire. The first lagoon provided nice views of White Headed Duck and Little Bittern and a little further along the track we stopped to watch a Great Reed Warbler sat up in the reeds in full view. Our next stopping point beside another lagoon gave good…
Bird Watching in Valencia.
On Wednesday 18th April, I spent a day bird watching in Valencia with a group of 7 clients. The Valencian Coastal Wetlands are superb throughout the year, but are especially so in Spring when the breeding season is upon us. There was a cool breeze as we set out along the coastal path towards the first lagoon, and this seemed to be keeping most of the smaller birds down in the reeds. However, we soon had good views of White Headed Duck, Great Crested Grebe, and Red Crested Pochard. We also enjoyed views of Great Reed Warbler and Fan Tailed…