The New Year always brings an irresistible urge to make the best possible start to a year list. Bird races are very popular, in which participants see as many species as they can on a patch, in a given time. Today I conducted my own bird race and, surprisingly I came first with 56 species found on the Sagres Peninsula. From two huge White Storks walking the fields at Vale Santo to the tiny Firecrest in Cabranosa pinewoods, it was an excellent time recording exactly what was about on a given day. My first stop at Cape St. Vincent brought little from the sea, other than passing Gannets and large gulls. The cliffs produced Black Redstarts, Spotless Starlings, Meadow Pipits and Stonechats. A flock of flyover Siskins flew round the cape as I checked the Alpine Accentors were still present on the North cliffs. The Vale Santo area had a good number of birds, particularly large Corn Bunting and Goldfinch flocks. The Choughs numbered around 40 and 2 Ravens passed over. Raptors were few with a Peregrine, 2 Kestrels and 4 Common Buzzard. The woods held Firecrest, more Black Redstarts, fewer Thrushes than recently and mixed finch flocks. In Sagres harbour, I finally found the Rock Pipit which has been absent on my previous visits. A scarce record in the Algarve and I was pleased to see one at 37 degrees North! A check of the harbour gulls found most to be Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I then saw some conspicuous pink feet which I think belong to a 3w Herring Gull (Argenteus), Western Europe race.
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