The afternoon before my planed trip i made my way to the bus station at Benidorm and made the 2 hour trip to Valencia. I found my hotel easily which was next to the main train station unfortunately this is a very busy area combined with all the comings and goings within the hotel i hardly slept all night.
Yanina my bird guide picked me up outside my hotel the next morning and off we go heading for the high plains, as we approach our chosen area we stop to refuel the vehicle i get out and can feel it is bitterly cold. We leave the main road and drive down a track then pull up to the side i see a Black Redstart beside the vehicle. Yanina is scanning around and with her local knowledge has found a distant flock of Great Bustards. During the drive around the plains we encounter many more Great Bustards and enjoy close up views of these birds and also flight views fantastic.
Great Bustards on the Steppes
The tour i have taken with Valencia Birding is called the Steppe and Lagoons tour and is described as having very little walking involved and it was i am glad to say the only walking we did was to visit a village bar to enjoy a warm coffee. It was a bitterly cold day and all birds were spotted from the comfort of the heated vehicle. If only all birdwatching could be so. At an old farmhouse we encounter Corn Buntings and Crested Larks further on we see Little Owls on the low rocky walls. We drive across the plains and come across a flock of Common Cranes who take flight and we get good views. Down another track and we come across Iberian Grey Shrikes, onwards to a lagoon were we find a solitary Red Crested Pochard and a flock of Greater Flamingos looking oddly out of place in this cold environment. New birds also seen are Tree Sparrows and Spotless Starlings
Wearing gloves in Spain!
Yanina was great company a safe driver, accomplished birder and has loads of enthusiasm and it made for a memorable day. Would i take another trip with Valencia Birding? I certainly would.
Just out of interest we made an emergency stop on the motorway on the way back to Valencia for this bird. Yanina called it out as a Juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle i reckon its a Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle. What do you think?
Below is the trip report from Yanina from Valencia Birding.
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