A trip to the summit of the Monchique hills in the Algarve, is where I reliably find Blue Rock Thrushes. By chance, it is usually the stunning blue males that I see and the photographs can be very rewarding. This morning it was a typical female that was giving the occasional call, as it sat out in an exposed position. Showing its speckled brown face and chest, the bill is noticeably long as thrushes go. This female showed its dark, long tail and a slight, blue colour on its back extremely well in perfect light today. I did find a male as well at another site nearby, but it was playing hide and seek between the rocks, as they do when aware of visitors! Further down the hills, I found several Rock Buntings - one of the images looks in a peculiar setting, the bunting was picking up crumbs under chairs in a cafe. A fluffy Grey Wagtail was preening by a stream at Caldas de Monchique village. I wish all my raptor pictures came out like this!!
I took a walk along the estuary this morning and in no time at all, I was finding Bluethroats again. In total, I saw five and some of them were attempting to break into song occasionally. Sorry, but more Bluethroat pictures! As the tide was rising, waders were becoming more visible and by far the most numerous were the Whimbrels. There were around twenty, fairly concealed in the saltmarsh plants. Redshanks were with the Whimbrels and on the muddier patches, Sanderlings came in from the beach. All the gulls on the mudflats rose into the air, signalling the arrival of the local Osprey which made several circuits of the area, before catching a large fish and flying off. I got some pictures as it flew close but badly over-exposed the ones when it caught a fish!! Other birds on the saltmarsh included Sardinian Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Stonechat, a group of five Serins and always a Crested Lark!
The purpose of my visit here this morning was looking for Penduline Tit. I was hearing their high-pitched call but couldn't see any movement in the reeds at all. Instead I found them searching out insects in nearby olive trees, which made them hard to see and impossible to get the clear shots I hoped for. It was good to see them and I watched them intermittently, as they seemed to go on a feeding circuit returning every ten minutes or so. Cormorants arrived on one lagoon, I estimated no less than 80 birds, all diving and finding many fish. In the reeds along this lagoon, I found one of the introduced species - a female Black-headed Weaver. Waxbills are numerous around here, in noisy flocks moving from bush to bush and feeding on the ground at times. Many birds were on this site this morning, particularly wintering Chiffchaffs, Song Thrushes, Corn Buntings and Meadow Pipits in large numbers. Two Marsh Harriers and two Booted Eagles were the only raptors seen. The light form Booted Eagle was performing a spectacular display flight and calling constantly. A Water Rail was also seen with two Purple Gallinule.
Adjacent to the small airfield at the Eastern side of Lagos are a small number of lagoons, one of which you can park next to and not disturb the birds at all. I think this area and the surrounding fields is called Paul de Lagos, but does not appear on maps. Today, in the late afternoon, gulls were coming into roost. Mainly Black-headed but also 5 adult winter Med Gulls and 2 juveniles. A Lesser Black-backed and a few Yellow-legged were also there. Waders were more interesting amd quite numerous with 12 Ringed Plover, 10 Kentish Plover, 4 Little Stints, 2 Greenshank, 8 Redshank, a Black-winged Stilt and this single Whimbrel. Unfortunately viewed into the light. Similarly with the Black-winged Stilt, but makes a good silhouette. This site gave me a good opportunity to view a couple of Meadow Pipits which were feeding on the grass bank of the lagoon. The undersides looked quite striking in their winter plumage. A Grey Wagtail visited briefly also. On the far bank, a Bluethroat was seen but elusive, a Black Redstart perched nearby and a Marsh Harrier hunted the fields.
What better way to start the New Year, than to find your favourite bird of all, in my case the Bluethroat. The saltmarsh near the harbour is always a likely place and within a few minutes, I located this stunning female in company with a male. Always the white-spotted form (cyanecula) down here, and very smart indeed. In winter, Chiffchaffs are numerous (and silent) and can be seen in nearly any habitat, including out on the saltmarsh. In the harbour, Yellow-legged Gulls rested with a single Black-headed Gull present and a Little Egret wandered by. As we stopped for coffee, one of two Sandwich Terns flew by repeatedly. I really like this old vessel which never seems to go anywhere, and gave it a quick Google. Amazingly, it is a harbour motor vessel, built in Buckie, Scotland in 1958! Constructed of teak on oak frames and copper rivetted throughout. It's diesel engine is removed (u/s) and the vessel is on sale for US$6000 - so there you go.... In the area of Alvor Marsh, my day total finished at 42 species. There seemed to be a lot of wildfowl and waders 'missing', the only ducks were Mallard and Teal.
The more interesting sightings were - 1 Osprey, 1 Marsh Harrier, Waxbills, 4 Song Thrush, 14 Spoonbill, 12 Crag Martin, 1 Lapwing, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper and 2 Hoopoe. The adjoining fields are beginning to look Spring-like with plenty of 'white paper narcissus' in flower. |
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