We had decided this would be a quiet day. We’ve had several very active ones and don’t want to overdo it. In the morning we go to the Albufera Nature Reserve, which is a huge area of rice fields with a lagoon at the center. It is a reserve because there is a lot of bird life. We drive to the visitor center near El Palmar and take the short walk to their observation point first. There are several people already there, most with really big lenses. We see a couple of flamingoes, several types of duck and birds on really long stilt legs. It is the season of breeding, the gulls are together in a massive noisy colony and the birds are walking or swimming with chicks following.
It’s also loaded with mosquitos, so we hurry back to the car and drive to another lookout point. This is a rock sticking out of the rice fields. Like all local stick-out rock heaps it has a church on top. We have a great view over the rice fields and see lots of smaller ‘normal’ birds flying around.
After this we decide we’re too tired to do much more and make our way back. We stop in Sueca and find a bar with some locals outside, assuming the food can’t be too bad. In fact it’s quite good, the best part are the local fresh tomatoes with garlic we get to go with our sandwich. Back at the B&B we do some more hanging around, have a bubble bath and have dinner at the B&B. we do some packing and general organizing and go to bed early.
Febe writes 