Whiskered Tern

Collared Pratincole with Little Tern

The wetlands of the region also hold species that are on almost everyone’s “to see” list. Perhaps the most popular of these are White Headed Duck, Marbled Teal and Red-Knobbed Coot.

White Headed Duck

Marbled Teal

Red Knobbed Coot with chick

Recent multi-day birding holidays also took in the mountainous peaks of the inland of Alicante, where Griffon Vultures rule the skies. These giants share their habitat with raptors including Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle and Short Toed Eagle. Smaller neighbours, but still fabulous to see in their dramatic surroundings include Chough, Raven, Crag Martin, Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush and Black Wheatear.

Griffon Vulture

Blue Rock Thrush

Black Wheatear

When on multi-day birding holidays, we always venture to the far corners of the region where olive groves end and steppe habitat begins. This environment needs some effort, but the rewards are great, and during the spring, the fields are bordered by wonderful displays of poppies. Our recent ventures into this area have rewarded us with sightings of Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Iberian Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Calandra Lark, Short Toed Lark, Thekla Lark, Rock Sparrow and Lesser Kestrel, to name just a few.

Great Bustards

Spring wild flowers bordering cereal fields

Calandra Lark

No trip to the region is complete without taking a trip to the Mediterranian coast to see some of the gulls of the area, and this is what we’ve done many times in the recent weeks. Here, favourites include gulls such as Audouin’s, Slender Billed and Mediterranean.

Slender Billed Gull

Audouin’s Gull

This spring has been extremely busy, and I’ve been blessed with so many lovely and really interesting people, I’m very grateful to all the new and returning clients that have made the season so great. We’ve enjoyed many happy days together, hopefully building birding memories that will last. The month of June also looks to be busy, but I’ll post more on that later!

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post A Spring Packed With Birding Trips and Holidays. appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

One of Valencia’s many wetlands

The month of March brough even more signs that spring is very much with us, with the Alicante wetlands holding Red Knobbed Coot with chicks already swimming around the lagoons, large flocks of Pallid Swifts feeding over the reed beds, and Little Ringed Plovers arriving in good numbers.

Little Ringed Plover

Other lagoons in Alicante held plenty of White Headed Duck, the male with the distinguishing bright blue bill, and Black Necked Grebe in full breeding plumage.

White Headed Duck

Black Necked Grebe

In Valencia´s wetlands, Audouin’s Gull were beginning to colonise their regular breeding grounds. Passerines including Redstart, Nightingale, Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and Willow Warbler were all present, and the sound of Savvi’s Warbler reeling in the reedbeds returned.

Audouin’s Gull

Other summer visitors included Woodchat Shrike and Short Toed Eagle.

Woodchat Shrike

Looking ahead to April and May, bookings are going to ensure that we’re very busy, not only in the wetlands but with some multi-day trips that will also take in the mountains, forests and steppe of inland Alicante. More on that very soon!

Sincere thanks to all who have made the month of March so successful and enjoyable.

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post March Full of Wetland Trips appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

A Busy Month Around Alicante & Valencia

The month began with a multi-day trip for a group from the UK, taking in the diverse habitats of both Valencia and Alicante. I also had the pleasure to meet a wonderful couple from the English Midlands with their teenaged grandson whose interest for birds was an inspiration. Together, we explored the huge wetland of Albufera de Valencia, as I did with an experienced birder from the south of England. Later in the month it was a privilege to welcome back returning clients, again from the UK, and we enjoyed a great day around the wetlands of Alicante.

Greater Flamingo at Albufera de Valencia

Multi-Day Birding Break

This month’s multi-day birding break was for a really interesting group who elected to base themselves in the historic town of Xativa. From there we were able to visit the extensive wetlands of both Valencia and Alicante, the spectacular mountains of the interior of Alicante and the area of steppe to the south west of the region.

Early Summer Visitors

With such a diverse range of habitats, the species list at the end of the week was impressive, taking in resident birds, winter visitors, passage migrants and the earliest summer visitors! We saw the first House Martins on 10th February, feeding together with Crag Martins. A couple of days later we saw the first Barn Swallows and at the end of the moth, the first Swift. Passage migrants included a sizeable flock of Golden Plovers.

Golden Plovers

Trip Highlights

It’s always a difficult task to select the highlights of a multi-day trip, as there are so many, but the group were particularly pleased to see Zitting Cisticola, Audouin’s Gull, Black Stork, Ferruginous Duck, White Headed Duck, Marbled Teal, Iberian Grey Shrike, Alpine Accentor, Griffon Vulture, Blue Rock Thrush, Calandra Lark and Great Bustard.

Black Stork

Alpine Accentor

Alicante Wetlands

The days that were spent in Alicante during the month were rewarding as always. This is a superb area for aquatic species, some of which are mentioned above. One of the area’s most popular birds for people visiting from northern Europe is often the Red-Knobbed Coot, a bird that has established a stronghold here and is always very confiding.

Red-Knobbed Coot

Albufera de Valencia

During the month, we spent a number of days at Albufera, and watched the change in habitat as the flooded rice fields were gradually drained in readiness for ploughing. Huge flocks of Glossy Ibis were a real spectacle, as were the large gatherings of Greater Flamingo.

Flooded Rice Fields of Albufera

As the water levels dropped, waders were attracted to the fields, which gave us the chance to see Green Sandpiper, Little Stint, Snipe, Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper. The first (for us) Red Rumped Swallow was seen here on 28th February. Another bird that is often on the target list is Purple Swamphen, and we had the opportunity to see this in Albufera as well as at many sites in Alicante.

Purple Swamphen

As we look ahead to spring, perhaps the most exciting time of the birding calendar, I’m delighted to say that it’s looking to be a very busy time. But for now, I’d like to thank all those with whom I had the pleasure to spend with during February, and to look back on the month with very fond memories.

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post Looking back on a busy February 2026 appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

There were some sudden and serious complications which resulted in the premature birth, but after a few weeks in an incubator and thanks to the excellent care provided by the health professionals at San Juan de Alicante hospital, we were able to bring her home in November. She’s doing great, growing fast and doing what babies do! Mum suffered some problems but I’m delighted and relieved to say that she’s doing fine now too.

So with the Valencia Birding family all back home and doing really well, I returned to work recently and was really pleased to see John again, one of our most regular clients, with whom we’ve had many birding trips over the past few years.

This time, he was joined by a friend who has also been on previous trips. We focussed our attention on Albufera de Valencia, Pego Oliva Marsh and the mountains of the interior of the region.

Black Tailed Godwits feeding in the rice fields of Albufera de Valencia

Our day in Albufera was blessed with beautiful winter sunshine so we spent the day exploring the flooded rice fields. HIghlights included mixed flocks of all the Egret species, together with Black Tailed Godwits, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Audouin’s Gull, Lapwing and Ruff.

Golden Plovers

We also enjoyed views of huge gatherings of both Greater Flamingo and Golden Plover. Birds of prey included Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle, both of which were around in good numbers.

Booted Eagle

After an overnight stay in Denia, we spent the following morning at Pego Oliva Marsh. This beautiful wetland site provided us with views of hundreds of Glossy Ibis, both in flight and feeding in the fields, together with Green Sandpiper. The sky was full of Crag Martins, feeding on the wing and yet more Booted Eagles were soaring over the marsh. A Zitting Cisticola spent a few minutes preening right next to us.

Pego Oliva Marsh

Zitting Cisticola

Having enjoyed the delights that the wetlands of the region provide, we then turned our attention to two areas of the mountainous interior. The highlands of this part of Spain are not so well known, but are home to some great birds and are truly spectacular. Despite the cold spell that had suddenly gripped the country, we were thrilled to see an array of mountain dwelling birds including Griffon Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle and Golden Eagle.

The highlands of Alicante, with the Mediterranean Sea in the background

It was great to make a return to action after the few weeks of paternity leave, and to have the pleasure of enjoying some fabulous places and birds with loyal clients and friends. The next few months are already shaping up to be very busy, with both day trips and many multi-day birding holidays too. More on that later!

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post Valencia Birding is back in action after the birth of our daughter! appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

Wood Sandpiper

Early September is still quite hot over here, so we adapted the trips accordingly, and started our first day in the wetland site of Albufera de Valencia. After a short walk to a hide overlooking a shallow lagoon, we sat and enjoyed great views of Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Avocet.

Little Ringed Plover

Black Winged Stilts were feeding together with their young, and Kentish Plover were scurrying around on the shore. The soundtrack to the morning was constant calls of Zitting Cisticola with explosive interuptions of Cetti’s Warbler! The nearby bushes held Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler, and Long Tailed Tit.

Oystercatchers with Greater Flamingos

We moved on to a coastal lagoon over which flocks of House Martins and Barn Swallows were feeding prior to continuing their voyage south. The sandy shore held more Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Little Stint and a small group of Oystercatcher. An Audouin’s Gull was resting with two of its young.

Audouin’s Gull

By now it was beginning to get quite warm, so we headed for the shade to enjoy lunch before driving across the rice fields, some of which were already being harvested. As always, wherever there are tractors, there are Cattle Egrets! Closer attention to the huge gatherings of Egrets and Glossy Ibis revealed Lesser Black Backed Gulls and Squacco Heron. We also spotted a Turtle Dove and a couple of juvenile Night Herons that passed overhead.

Squacco Heron

As we ended the day in the south of the park, we stopped to watch both Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns feeding. It had been a great day, and as we said goodbye, we were already looking forward to the next day…

On our second day, we met at the railway station in the town of Gandia and made the short drive to Pego Oliva Marsh. This is the home to the Osprey reintroduction project that I’m heavily involved with, and Bridget and Chris were really interested to hear about the workings of such. We chatted in the shade of some riverside trees whilst watching an Osprey that was obligingly perched relatively close to us!

Osprey (from Valencia Birding image library)

After lunch, we drove across the marsh, accompanied by Kingfishers that were darting along the canals, and then drove up onto a mountain crest from which we enjoyed stunning views of the surrounding peaks and coastline. Turning our eyes to the sky gave us views of Alpine Swifts, passing through on their migration south.

I left Bridget and Chris at the station from where they returned to Valencia. I’d really enjoyed these two days with such lovely people and I hope to welcome them back to the region soon.

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post Early September in Albufera and Pego Oliva Marsh. appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

In the weeks prior to the summer break, during which time I turn my attention to the Osprey Reintroduction Project, working alongside Itziar (Fundacion Migres) and Ian Perks (Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation), I spent many days in Alicante with clients from both the UK and USA.

White Headed Duck

This region has a number of key species that are always very popular with visiting birders, White Headed Duck, Marbled Teal, Red Knobbed Coot to name a few. We managed to see all three on every trip this spring, which was even more special for those for whom it was a first sighting!

Purple Swamphen

The extensive reed beds provide habitat for Purple Swamphen, Great Reed Warbler, Little Bittern and much more. The shallow lagoons and their shores provide nesting grounds for Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Kentish Plover and Tern species including Common, Sandwich, Little, Whiskered and the occasional Elegant!

Great Reed Warbler

As many of the wetland sites of Alicante are very close to the sea, gulls also feature heavily. The most popular perhaps being Audouin’s, Slender Billed and Mediterranean. As this coastline is on a migration flyway, it’s always worth taking a close look for passing shorebirds, such as the beautifully coloured Curlew Sandpiper.

Curlew Sandpiper

Speaking of colour, no spring time trip to Alicante would be truly complete without enjoying views of Europe’s most strikingly colourful birds – the Bee Eater and the Roller. This year we were fortunate to enjoy regular sightings of both, usually in the farmland that is sandwiched between the coastal wetlands and the mountains. Such habitat also offers the chance to see Red-legged Partridge and Stone Curlew.

Roller

Stone Curlew

As the breeding season draws to a close, and the autumn migration gets underway, I’ll have many more trips to Alicante to look forward to. But for now, thanks once again to all those that have made this spring season the best one since Valencia Birding was established back in 2011!

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post Last Trips to Alicante before the Summer Break appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

One client in particular, Erik from the Netherlands, flew down to Valencia with the hope of seeing Elegant Tern. With only a couple of days in which to locate it, the challenge was on, but he indeed returned home having had good views, and the opportunity to photograph it too!

Elegant Tern with Sandwich Terns

Others were very happy to see the mixed colonies of Sandwich Tern, Common Tern and Little Tern, all of which produced good numbers of chicks across the region.

Little Tern

Much work has been done across the region to protect both Marbled Teal and White Headed Duck, so to see both species raising young has been wonderful.

Marbled Teal

Female White Headed Duck with young

Another breeding bird that is especially vulnerable, and is the subject of various conservation projects is Kentish Plover. This spring, we’ve been able to enjoy great views of this tiny dune dwelling bird as it battles against the odds to raise its young.

Kentish Plover chick

Regular sightings of other aquatic birds have included Little Bittern, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Purple Swamphen, Collared Pratincole, Glossy Ibis and Black Winged Stilt.

Collared Pratincole

The mountain trips that we’ve enjoyed have given clients the opportunity to enjoy quality views of Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Short Toed Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and passerines such as Black Wheatear, Crested Tit, Blue Rock Thrush and both Spotted and Pied Flycatcher.

Griffon Vultures soaring over Valencian highlands

As the spring slowly gives way to summer, and the breeding season draws to a close for many species, we look forward to the forthcoming post nuptual migration. But in the meantime, our attention turns towards a couple of months of intense work on the Osprey reintroduction project.

Bookings are already coming in for the autumn and winter, so the rest of the year is looking to be a busy time too, but for now, I’d like to thank everyone for the support over the spring and for so many special birding days together.

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post A Very Busy Spring Season in Valencia appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

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Common Pochard

Two of our target species were seen well within the first 15 minutes of the day – Red Knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal. Migration was obviously underway, with huge numbers of Red Rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Martin and Common Swift constantly passing through. Close observation of a particularly large mixed flock also revealed a few Alpine Swifts.

Red Knobbed Coot with chicks

Another recent arrival included Collared Pratincole, with a few birds seen hawking over their regular nesting grounds. Purple Swamphen, Great Egret and Purple Heron were wading through the lagoons whilst Marsh Harriers were quartering the surrounding reed beds.

Wildfowl included Red Crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Shelduck and another of the day’s target species, White Headed Duck.

Red Crested Pochard

A brief drive across farmland gave us views of Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Black Redstart and Kestrel. Having added these to our day list, we took to the motorway and headed north to Denia where Alexia was to spend the night in a small hotel overlooking the port.

The next morning, we began the day with a brief look over the beach where we located a few Kentish Plovers feeding on the shoreline. We then made the short journey up onto the headland above the sea cliffs that provide nesting habitat for Shag and Yellow Legged Gull. Again, large flocks of Common Swift were feeding overhead, this time joined by Pallid Swift.

A (distant!) male Blue Rock Thrush

We scanned the scrub on the cliff edge, revealing Sardinian Warbler and Blue Rock Thrush. A Serin was singing atop a low pine tree and a pair of Ravens passed overhead. Having enjoyed this beautiful coastal habitat, we drove south to another coastal wetland where we were to spend the afternoon. The first lagoon gave us views of Black Necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Shoveler and good numbers of Whiskered Tern.

Whiskered Tern

Whilst enjoying lunch, we had another opportunity to watch Red Knobbed Coot and Marbled Teal. Before returning to Alicante where Alexia was to spend the night before catching an early flight the next morning, we stopped at a saltmarsh to add Slender Billed Gull and Mediterranean Gull to the tally.

It had been wonderful to see Alexia again, and to share some more special birding moments. We hope to get together again this summer when she’ll be celebrating her birthday in Spain with family. Until then!!

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post 2 Day Birding Break in Alicante appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.

Day 1 – Mountains

Tony flew into Alicante airport the day before our 3 days together began, so that’s where I met him before taking the short journey up into the mountains. Having stopped for a coffee and to pick up a sandwich for him, we began our short walk up a peak, where the key target species included Alpine Accentor and Griffon Vulture.

As we began to walk up through the pine forests, we enjoyed watching Red Squirrels chasing each other through the trees, as well as Coal Tit and Long Tailed Tit. We usually have to walk to the peak to see Alpine Accentor, but today, they were extremely obliging, and gave us great views just 15 minutes after leaving the car! We stopped to watch them as they foraged for food at the base of a crag. This was a special moment indeed, as it was the first time Tony has seen this species. Getting a “lifer” is a rare moment for him these days, as he’s extremely well travelled and has spent many years living in Africa!

Alpine Accentor

Regardless of having seen this robust little mountain dweller close to the base of the hill, we still opted to continue our walk to the peak, and to enjoy lunch up there whilst watching Griffon Vultures in flight, often at eye-level. This is a bird that never fails to impress!

Griffon Vulture

After lunch we strolled back down the mountain, enjoying views of Raven, Serin, Chiffchaff and Sardinian Warbler. Although we didn’t manage to get eyes on it, we also heard an Iberian Chiffchaff. We ended the afternoon with a walk into a huge limestone gorge, making the most of the last hour or so of sunlight. Here, amidst stunning scenery, we enjoyed yet more views of Griffon Vulture as well as Black Wheatear, Sparrowhawk and Black Redstart.

Mountain landscape of inland Alicante

Once back in the car, we headed for Xativa, and were there in around 45 minutes. Tony checked in to the authentic guest house in the historical quarter of the town, which was going to be his home for the next 3 nights.

Day 2 – Steppe

The next morning dawned bright, but unusually cool. The car had ice on the windscreen, which was somewhat of a shock, but the bright blue skies and total lack of wind made for a beautiful day. After a short drive of less than an hour, we were soon enjoying a coffee before setting off across the plains.

Wide open plains – they appear empty but hold some fabulous birds!

Our first stop gave views of Thekla’s Lark, Tree Sparrow, Iberian Grey Shrike and sizeable flocks of Linnet. Stonechats were flitting around, catching insects in flight, and Black Redstarts were plentiful. A Buzzard was perched on a pylon, and a Kestrel hovered over the fields in the distance.

We enjoyed a chat with the local farmer, who has worked this land all his life, so always has some interesting tales to tell. Once back in the car, driving along farm tracks, it wasn’t long before we got our first views of Great Bustard, the priority bird of the day.

Great Bustards

Having enjoyed fabulous views of these giants, from a safe distance as not to disturb them, we continued driving cross country. At one of our stopping points, we were treated to views of a pair of Black Bellied Sandgrouse in flight, as well as Crested Lark, Skylark, Calandra Lark and Rock Sparrow.

Calandra Lark

Our chosen lunch spot was a point at which we could enjoy the warmth of the winter sun whilst watching over an expanse of fields. Careful scanning revealed a flock of small passerines, constantly moving in short flights between stints of feeding in the ploughed earth. The sunlight was very strong, leading to difficulties in paying attention to fine detail. We soon managed to reposition ourselves, with the sun behind us, allowing us to get close views through the scope. After some careful observation, we identified them as Lesser Short Toed Lark.

Little Owl

As we headed further into the higher plains, we stopped to watch a Little Owl on a stack of stones. And then as we were almost back to the road, we came across another group of Great Bustard – 27 to be precise.

Great Bustards

It was indeed a superb ending to a very successful day, providing us with a feeling of privilege and gratitude.

Day 3 – Wetlands.

Alicante has some of the most important wetlands in Spain, and is home to some fabulous bird life. After a comfortable drive down to the coast, we began the day with the obligatory morning coffee, before enjoying a short walk through our first reserve. The day began with wildfowl including Gadwall, White Headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Shoveler and Eurasian Teal. We also had good views of a Red Knobbed Coot.

Red Crested Pochard

As we looked down from a vantage point above a small lagoon, Tony spotted a small bird that suddenly flew up onto a fence post. Although the sun was in front of us, we were able to get great views of what turned out to be a Wryneck.

Wryneck

Crag Martins were feeding on the wing in good numbers, and as we waited and watched, a Little Bittern suddenly rose from the reeds before passing in front of us. Sardinian Warblers and Stonechats seemed to be in or on virtually every bush, and then a Kingfisher darted across the water below us.

We then made a short drive to an area of saltflats, where a brief stop gave us views of Slender Billed Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Redshank, Spoonbill and thousands of Greater Flamingo.

Spoonbill

As we were driving to the hide where we eventually had lunch, we had sightings of both Booted Eagle and Marsh Harrier. The hide gave us views of Shelduck, Little Grebe, yet more Flamingos and Cattle Egret.

Enjoying the last hour of sunlight over the marsh (photo by Itziar Colodro Sainz)

The final wetland of the day was in the north of Alicante, and provided what could be described as the perfect ending to the trip. With Itziar’s help, we located the Osprey that has been over wintering here, and watched as it flew to its roosting site, dragging its feet in the water as it flew, to clean the talons of the remians of its dinner.

Bluethroat

The sun was dipping towards the mountains, but we still had time to enjoy great views of Bluethroat, Meadow Pipit, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, and hundreds of Glossy Ibis.

It had been a pleasure to spend these days with Tony, to enjoy some very special birding moments, and to catch up on life’s stories and experiences. The time had passed very quickly, but I hope he returns home with very fond memories, and that we’ll get together again before too long.

A happy ending to the trip (Photo by Itziar Colodro Sainz)

Written by Dave Warrington.
Valencia Birding.

The post 3-Day Birding Break from Xativa appeared first on Valencia Birding - Guided Bird Watching in Spain.