Leaders | Julian Sykes and Pau Lucio |
Flights | EasyJet, scheduled, Speedy Boarding and extra legroom included.
Outbound: Morning, Gatwick-Valencia
Inbound: Afternoon, Valencia-Gatwick |
Day 1 | Arrive at Valencia Airport, transfer to our hotel in Villalonga, afternoon visit to local Reserve - 7 nights Hotel Casa Babel. |
Days 2-7 | Varied daily itineraries visiting
wetland sites along the Mediterranean
coast both north and south; inland
to Castilla La Mancha and an expansive
steppe area; exploration of dramatic
karst limestone valleys full of cherry
and almond groves; plus seawatching. |
Day 8 | After breakfast we travel back to
Valencia airport for our flight home. |
Weather | Probably a temperature range of
around 10°- 25°C and there is always
a possibility of rain showers plus
mornings and evenings will be cooler. |
Walking | There will be some short easy walks
on level paths, slightly rockier and
steeper in the mountains. |
Meals | All included from lunch on Day 1
to lunch on Day 8. |
Insects | Could be a problem in the wetter
marsh areas and occasionally in the
mountains, so bring repellent. |
Accom | Twin and single rooms all ensuite. Casa Babel is a fabulous hotel in the small town of Villalonga, nestled under
the La Safor mountains. |
Group | 12 |
A wonderful diverse and exciting tour to a region of Spain not
normally associated with wildlife tourism. It has so much to
offer, with coastal wetlands, inland plains, saltpans and more.48uep6bbph|00000E4E|Spey_BESQL3|HolidayTypes|Subheading 48uep6bbphidval|VALENCIA
| * Be surprised by the quality and diversity of this fabulous region
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| * Coastal wetlands for Red-knobbed Coot and Marbled and White-headed Duck
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| * A chance to join a local ringing group as they monitor migrant species
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| * Inland plains for bustards, sandgrouse, larks and raptors
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| * Karst limestone valleys for orchids, butterflies and Bee-eaters
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| * Expansive reedbeds with Moustached, Great Reed and Savi’s Warblers
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| * A fabulous local hotel, which serves delicious Spanish cuisine!
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Day 1 | After landing at Valencia Airport, we drive south
to Villalonga and check into our traditional
19th century hotel, where your comfortable room
for the week will be waiting. If time allows, we may
visit a nearby marsh for an easy walk to see any
breeding or migrant species that may be around.
We shall be looking for Little and Cattle Egrets,
Glossy Ibis, Squacco, Grey and Purple Herons and
possibly Marsh Harrier.
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Days 2-7 | Our week may begin with a pre-breakfast
visit to a local reedbed looking for the
resident Moustached Warblers, along with Savi’s,
Eurasian Reed and Great Reed Warblers plus plenty
more. After breakfast we head to the coast, looking
for Balearic Shearwater’s, Mediterranean and
Yellow-legged Gulls, Gannets and Sandwich Terns.
We continue south towards Denia and wind our
way up to the very scenic Cabo de San Antoni,
where we spend the remainder of the afternoon.
This headland can be quite productive, with the
likelihood of Pallid Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Black
Wheatear, Raven and possibly Peregrine Falcon.
We shall also spend some time looking out to sea
as there’s always the chance of a passing Scopoli’s
Shearwater or Bottlenose Dolphin.
One day we head south towards the Alicante area,
looking for its resident and breeding speciality
species. We start at the ‘Clot de Galvany’ -
a seasonal wetland with breeding White-headed
Ducks, Purple Swamphens, Iberian Green
Woodpeckers, Little Owl, Southern Grey Shrike
and Dartford and Sardinian Warblers. Then
it’s on to the ‘Santa Pola Salinas’. This large area of commercial saltpans holds several thousand
Greater Flamingos, various species of gulls and
terns, waders and wildfowl all year round. We’ll
then drive into the nearby Creviente hills, looking
for Bonelli’s Eagles with young, along with Black
Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Alpine Swift, Crag
Martin, Thekla Larks and Red-billed Chough.
After lunch we’ll visit arguably the ‘Valenciana
Communitat’s’ premier bird Reserve - ‘El Hondo’.
As well as some of the above species it also has
breeding Red-knobbed Coot, Roller, Montagu’s
Harrier, Collared Pratincole and the gorgeous
Marbled Duck.
One day we have a relaxed start, with a drive
up into the mountains through the gorgeous Vall
de Gallinera, hopefully seeing its resident pair of
Golden Eagles, plus Crag Martin, Red-rumped
Swallow, Golden Oriole, Wryneck, Cirl Bunting and
Woodchat Shrike. We continue to the hills behind
Alcoy, where we hope to see Griffon Vultures at
close quarters and possibly Woodlark and Thekla
Lark, Crested, Coal and Great Tit, Raven, Rock
Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush and crossbills. This area
is superb for orchids and butterflies, with potentials
for Woodcock, Pyramidal and Yellow Bee Orchids
plus Spanish Festoon, Adonis Blue, Southern Scarce
Swallowtail and Spanish Marbled White.
We shall head north towards Valencia, to visit the
wetland sites of the Albufera de Valencia. We drive
to the extensive rice fields that surround Spain’s
second largest coastal freshwater lake - Albufera
d’Valencia, where we hope to find many species
of heron and egret, plus Little, Common and
Whiskered Terns, Little Ringed Plovers, Audouin’s
and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Black-winged
Stilts. We travel through Palomar (the home of
Paella) and visit the small but excellent Reserve of
Raco d’Olla. Here we shall enjoy near point blank
views of nesting gulls and terns, including gorgeous
pink Slender-billed Gulls doing their bizarre display.
At this small Reserve there is always a chance of
something rarer such as Elegant Tern, which has
bred here for the past 12 years! The rest of the
afternoon will be spent around the ricefields and
coastline of this area before returning to Villalonga.
One day will be in total contrast to the others,
with an early breakfast and drive into Castilla La
Mancha. We head straight for the Albacete region,
where our target species are Great and Little
Bustard, Black-bellied and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse,
Stone Curlew, Calandra, Crested and Short toed
Larks and Rock and Tree Sparrows. Apart from
our target species there is always a chance of
other classic species during the breeding season
such as Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-eared and
Northern Wheatear, Red and Black Kite, Common
Buzzard, Marsh and Montagu’s Harrier and the
scarce Lesser Kestrel. This area is fantastic all year
round, in Spring there are various flooded fields,
which hold good numbers of birds making for
a great day out.
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Day 8 | This morning, after another leisurely breakfast
we shall drive back to Valencia airport for
our flight home.
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Just some of what we hope to see..
Marbled Duck | Purple Swamphen | Bee-eater |
White-headed Duck | Stone Curlew | Roller |
Scopoli’s Shearwater | Great Bustard | Black Wheatear |
Little Bittern | Black-bellied Sandgrouse | Moustached Warbler |
Greater Flamingo | Pin-tailed Sandgrouse | Savi’s Warbler |
Short-toed Eagle | Collared Pratincole | Melodious Warbler |
Bonelli’s Eagle | Slender-billed Gull | Golden Oriole |
Montagu’s Harrier | Audouin’s Gull | Spanish Festoon |
Lesser Kestrel | Whiskered Tern | Southern Scarce Swallowtail |
Red-knobbed Coot | Great Spotted Cuckoo | Yellow Bee Orchid |
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