Trip Reports

Northern Valencian Wetlands

Sunday 8th May dawned bright with clear blue skies…something of a rarity in itself following the recent succession of wet weekends! We spent the day exploring various wetland sites along the coastline of Northern Valencia.Most if not all summer visitors were well established. The tick list for the day totalled 47 species, a very satisfying achievement. Not only were we pleased with the variety of birds seen, but we were paticularly fortunate to enjoy superb views of almost every one. Highlights included Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Little Bittern, Purple Gallinule, Spoonbill and White Headed Duck.…

Wryneck’s Galore

April saw the arrival of many summer visitors to La Drova including large numbers of Wryneck, some seen if you have the patience.Nightingales can be heard right through the valley. A male and female Pied Flycatcher have been spotted again this year but cannot determine if they breed here (no sign of Spotted Flycatcher yet). A single Redstart was seen on 1st April and the first Woodchat Shrike on 10th April ). Red-Rumped Swallows have been seen collecting nest material which means they must be breeding in La Drova (good news).Bee-eaters past overhead at high altitude on 15th April. Golden…

Beniarres & Valle de Gallinera – April 6th 2011

Ian & Dave spent a half day around the Beniarres and Valle de Gallinera area. Beniarres provided the first Swifts of the year plus good views of Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Stonechat and at least 4 Blue Rock Thrush. Valle de Gallinera rewarded our efforts with Nightingale, and the highlight of the day – Golden Eagle. The list for the trip totalled 25, comprising… Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Magpie, Blackbird, Stonechat, Little Egret, Cirl Bunting, Goldfinch, Grey Heron, Sardinian Warbler, Greenfinch, Blue Rock Thrush, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Moorhen, Serin, Great Tit, Nightingale, Golden…

Albufera de Valencia, March 26th 2011

We spent a few hours touring around various sites within the Albufera natural park. Although maybe a little early for some of the usual summer visitors, we managed to see a total of 19 species, including a few of particular interest. Superb and sustained views of a male Bluethroat was perhaps the most pleasant. List included : Black Winged Stilt, Bluethroat, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Garganey, Black Headed Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Audouin´s Gull, Grey Heron, Hoopoe, House Sparrow, House Martin, Marsh Harrier, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Spotless Starling, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper

In Search Of The Great Bustard

On March 7th Dave and I headed for Castilla La Mancha in search of, lifers for the both of us,The Great Bustard but hoping also to add a number of birds to our year lists. On our way to the Steppes and lagoons of Albacete we saw many Magpie and Carrion crow plus Red-legged partridge and at the first lagoon Shelduck Black headed Gull, Mistle Thrush, Lapwing and Hoopoe. At the second lagoon we found Greater Flamingo, Marsh Harrier, Coot, Little Grebe, Black-winged Stilt, Avacet, Spotted Starling, Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Little ringed Plover.Our next stop was the cereal fields…

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