What is Birdwatching?
Birdwatching ,called as well birding, is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. A birdwatcher may observe these creatures by using their naked eye, making use of a visual enhancement device like binoculars or telescopes or listening their calls. Birdwatching often involves small groups of turists in order to enjoy the nature quietly, as many bird species are more easily detected and identified by ear than by eye. Most tourists pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons.
The tourists from United Kingdom are the most interested in birdwatching here, because our territory is a passageway for migratory birds. Birds that do not reach northern Europe. These British tourists search normally for acommodation nearby natural areas to stay for a long period and they come here ready with their whole photographic equipment. Many of them are engaged in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which is the largest nature conservation charity in the country.
There are long paths where you can see lots of different habitats of the big diversity of birds, bright lakes where you may watch birds hunt or observe their baby birds on the nest.
Here in Castellón (especially in Plana Baixa Region), birdwatching is an interesting out of season activity, because the better season is not summer. The best opportunity for watching these feathered creature is in spring and autumn.
Learning sessions
Last week, the tourism experts from Plana Baixa Region made a training session in Estanys de Almenara, in order to learn more about all kinds of birds that can be found here. To begin, we attended a master class in birding given by Virgilio Beltrán from Actio Birding. There, we discovered lots of interesting things, such as the migrations flows that traverse our country.
Afterwards, we did some work in the field. First of all we visited a wetland with a large variety of birds like the common swift, the common nightingale, the little ringed plover or the western swamphen.
Later, we walked along a path, sourrounded by nature, with trees and tall grass. Here we saw a little river with a small island plenty of different bird’s nests. After that, we went on foot to a wider area in order to see closer cisticola juncidis, a kind of bird whose calls sound like a sad cry.
On our way, we visited as well some old bunkers from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), that you can also explore by yourself if you want.
Fun Fact: bunkers were built in “L” shape in case of a bomb explotes, so that soldiers can escape.
