![]() The week before Christmas, I spent four fabulous days with three of the UK´s leading writers from the birding world – Dominic Mitchell, David Chandler and David Callahan. Therefore I collected them from the airport and we headed directly to Albufera! We were determined to have a fantastic day with many lifers… and that’s what we did!! First stop was in the main reserve area of the Natural Park where we enjoyed amazing views of Flamingos, Glossy Ibis and two stunning Booted Eagles Next stop was in an observatory tower which looks over the lake and to a small reserve area. We planned to do Albufera de Valencia and the Steppe and Inland lagoons, but unfortunately they had a flight delay due to the storms that were affecting most of northern Europe. During the Bird Show we had the opportunity to talk about the different habitats and bird species, so it was easy to send him a proposal for the areas and species he was looking for. Last year, Norman had visited the Valencia Region Stand at Rutland Bird Fair and after that he contacted us to book a trip. When we did, they…Ĭontinue reading 2 Day guided birding break from ValenciaĪ few days ago I had the pleasure to provide a 2 day guided birding trip for Norman from the UK and Urszula from Poland. Sadly, they were nowhere to be seen, so we continued with our planned route, agreeing to return to the peak in the afternoon. Then, after a drive up to a high peak, followed by a short walk, we arrived on the summit of a 1,000m mountain. We decided to keep going and try again on the way back. We did succeed with most of them except for the eagle. Our targets were Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheater, Rock Sparrow and Bonelli’s Eagle. First, to the mountains… After I collected them at their campsite beside the beach we made the relaxed drive to our first stop in a quarry surrounded by natural crags too. We agreed on a day in the mountains and a day on the steppe. They had planned a trip in their motorhome and wanted to include two days of birding with us when they were in the Valencia region. ![]() They are very experienced birders who we met at the British Bird Fair last year. I recently provided a 2-day trip for Gordon and Heather from the UK. (This trip can also be adapted to include a session…Ĭontinue reading A Birding Break from Valencia. After only a few moments, we had super views of a young bird in flight. Last week, I carried out a “test drive” using my friend John as a willing guinea pig! We made the comfortable and very scenic journey from Valencia, and stopped briefly at our first spot to look for Bonelli´s Eagle. After a few unproductive outings, my efforts were rewarded and I´m now delighted to report that I´ve been able to improve this already fabulous trip. I´ve spent a few days exploring some new areas around the general vicinity of the sites where this trip takes us to, with a view to adding more habitat diversity. However, I´m always looking to improve and evolve and one of the relatively few positives that the Corona Virus situation has given me is more time to do just that. Our “Mountain Birdlife – Spring & Summer” trip has been an extremely popular choice from the moment of its creation and I´ve had many happy days with clients who have enjoyed the magnificent birds that can be seen on this outing. I found a pair of Whitethroats that were nesting right next to our apartment, and saw huge numbers of Zitting Cisticolas…Ĭontinue reading Improvements to Mountain Birdlife Spring & Summer Trip! This helped to bring positivity and to underline the fact that we´re all in this together! My local birding experience revealed a few surprises, including the number of raptors that passed over the city of Valencia on Spring migration, including Marsh Harriers, Short Toed Eagles and Lesser Kestrel. On that note, I´d like to extend my thanks to all who wrote during this time to share details of their bird sightings. Like many, in the early days of the pandemic, I was confined to birding from our balcony for many weeks, and later only in the immediate neighbourhood, before being finally granted the permission to travel further. ![]() 2020 has provided trying times for us all, and I hope that you are all well and that you continue to remain safe and healthy. The lockdown that we all endured only served to reinforce the importance and uplifting effects of having birds around us. ![]() Dear all, I´d like to begin this Bulletin by sending my sincere and best wishes to you all.
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