I thought I would spend the entire day at Salgados today and very enjoyable it was too. In all, I came across 53 species between sunrise and 3pm. Shortly after sunrise, around 100 Glossy Ibis left the marsh in the direction of Lagoa, where they remain in the rice fields for much of the day before returning late in the afternoon. As the sun climbed higher the marsh sprung into life, Chiffchaffs were milling about in the reeds and the wildfowl were busy on the water. The level of water on the marsh was higher than I have seen before, practically under the boardwalk. With the New Year still in mind, finding the Sociable Lapwing seemed a good idea for my 2018 list. Thanks to three Marsh Harriers hunting over the reeds, I was able to see the Sociable Lapwing on at least five occasions as the resident Lapwing flock took to flight. Golden Plovers were also with the Lapwings and around 12 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Avocet often flew with them. The Sociable Lapwing has been here for some weeks now, it gets pushed around by the Lapwings but seems content with its surroundings for now. I was asked whether the Caspian Terns were here today and I saw four together, at the Southern end of the lake. Late morning saw around 10 White Storks circling the marsh. They attracted the Marsh Harriers to join them and higher up, two Booted Eagles - one light and one dark form, passed through quickly. A highlight came in the form of a visiting Osprey. This superb raptor circled over the lake and after several failed sorties, it plunged into the water and removed a substantial fish. Instead of using a 'local' perch as they often do, this bird circled higher and higher until it was lost to view. I made a mess of the exposure on these images but had to record it! A Reed Bunting was seen which is a scarce bird here, a Penduline Tit was heard as was a Cetti's Warbler. Wildfowl comprised Mallard, Teal, many Shovelers, Gadwall and quite a few Pintail like this smart drake. An excellent day out at one of the Algarve's best known birding sites. Free parking, free entry, good birds, what more could you want!!
Lucy Woodward
7/1/2018 03:27:13 pm
Thank you Nigel for pointing out the Sociable lapwing last week. Comments are closed.
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