Ellie the dog was running out of biscuits and a trip into Portimao was a necessity. After Ellie had finished shopping, next stop was the fish dock in Portimao to check out the gulls - nothing unusual seen unfortunately. When the Great Northern Diver was here recently, I visited the breakwater area and the beach - Praia do Mohle. Descending the steps to the beach, I was met with a stunning male Blue Rock Thrush. Shame about the inevitable marine plastic! The walk on the breakwater revealed the usual Turnstones, Sanderlings and this single Ringed Plover. A fine looking Cormorant rested on the outer rocks. With no-one else on the breakwater, I was able to settle down and spend some time with the solitary Purple Sandpiper. After more long walks, Ellie settled down in the late afternoon sun - and looked forward to dinner!
This is a large area of unspoilt land on the outskirts of Alvor and close to the estuary. A diverse range of plants, bushes and trees can be found here, providing a good range of bird species. The ground's proximity to the estuary means it is by no means unusual to see a passing Osprey or, in today's case, two Caspian Terns flew overhead! As the terns flew away, I was closely inspected by a Common Buzzard - very close to the town. The low scrub here contains Sardinian Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler, Chiffchaff and a couple of Robins were seen today. A small flock of Serins were in the long grass with Goldfinches. A flock of around sixty Starlings were moving around the patch. These were European Starlings and not the usual Spotless Starling. They arrive down here in immaculate Winter plumage. House Sparrows were present in small flocks and careful watching separated out a few Spanish Sparrows, as in this male. Greenfinches, Chaffinch and a flyover Corn Bunting were seen and Blackcaps were everywhere! Another common bird here is the Black Redstart, often perched in trees and dropping to the ground for food. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker can be seen here and, my best birds last Winter were Ring Ouzel and Firecrest. A Black-shouldered Kite was almost past me before I saw it, making its way to cross the estuary. The ever present and noisy Azure-winged Magpie.
Time at last for one of my favourite days out, in the Alentejo. An area North of the Algarve and around an hour's drive on the IP2 motorway, beginning at the town of Castro Verde. On making an early start, I soon found the surrounding fields out of Alvor were white with frost - an unusual sight indeed and a check on the car's sensor revealed an outside temperature of -1C. This temperature fluctuated considerably on the journey, rising to 10C in the sheltered fruit growing areas in full sun, then dropping to 4C on the climb out of the Algarve and towards the grasslands of the Alentejo. It was while checking various routes around Castro Verde that I had realised the town itself has a small lake on the Eastern edge and, as freshwater is a valuable asset in these parts, I thought it could be beneficial to birds also and worth a visit. In brilliantly clear light and no breeze, the lake looked quite picturesque and at first sight - rather quiet on the bird front. In fact, over the next half an hour, no less then 27 species of birds were seen, on or around the lake. There was a Grey Heron, three Cormorants, two Little Grebes and a Spoonbill on the water's edge. Wintering waders such as Common Snipe, Lapwing and Golden Plover were seen, though I was a little surprised when two Glossy Ibis flew in, also a Black-winged Stilt. A Kingfisher flew past and the reedy edges held Chiffchaffs, including one singing in a nearby tree. In the surrounding fields, Corn Buntings and Meadow Pipit were seen in large numbers and one of today's target birds, believe it or not was the Carrion Crow! Rarely seen in the Algarve, the Carrion Crow does occur here, along with Raven and a few of each were seen throughout the day. Carrion Crow. Also on the wires, and one of around 6 Southern Grey Shrikes seen in the area. The most notable birds were undoubtedly the appearance of two Barn Swallows which remained to feed over the lake. Early migrant arrivals or over-wintering birds?? I was impressed with this small freshwater lake and wondered what other species could drop in here for refreshment from time to time. On the subject of target birds, it was time to set off and look for those classic rarities which make this area so magical. The landscape here is immense, the roads few and the chances of finding what you are looking for is very much down to luck. Thanks to a recent sighting report on E-bird, the search area was going to be around the small village of Montes do Salto. The village of Montes do Salto and the fields which would produce the desired species - with luck! Just before the village, a stop was made in an area of Cork Oaks in which I hoped to see the Common Cranes but none were seen although I heard some distant birds giving their trumpet-like calls, away in the woodlands. On the same length of road, I could see distant Great Bustards on the brow of a hill. I stopped the car and hoped the Bustards would come out of the sunlight which was an unfortunate factor, as nearly all my photos were shot into the sun all day. In time the Great Bustards strode a little nearer and I counted 31 in the flock at this location. This individual wasn't displaying, just preening its feathers! Further along the road, I stopped to observe raptors. Red Kites were seen frequently and the odd Common Buzzard passed over. Far away I had two adult Bonelli's Eagles soaring but they didn't come any closer. I was happy with my visual i.d. and my images, although too poor to show here, also confirm them. A Red Kite and Black-shouldered Kite passed close by. To the East of Montes do Salto, I picked up a very large raptor flying low over the fields. Again, I had immense problems with the eagle staying in the direction of the sun, but eventually confirmed it as a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle. The best I could manage with the Imperial Eagle, but a fantastic bird to watch and not necessarily expected. Much of the remaining hours were spent looking for Black-bellied Sandgrouse. My visit this time was probably my most successful in this respect, finding flocks of 7 birds, 20 and finally a large flock of slightly over 100 birds. I found all these Sandgrouse on fields which had been ploughed, resulting in the birds being the same colour as the ground. In one case, I saw two Sandgrouse land in a field and watched them for a while. A Crow flew over and 7 Sandgrouse got up, that's how well camouflaged they can be! These birds were always 'miles away' and I could just make out the differing males and females amongst them. It was helpful to see them in flight, showing the black underwing and bellies. With luck, you may just see them on the images!!! Together with a brief sighting of 3 Little Bustards, I had seen all my target birds with the exception of the Cranes. It was excellent watching the Black-bellied Sandgrouse and the Spanish Imperial Eagle was an unexpected bonus. It wasn't all about the 'target' birds as I achieved 48 species in the course of the day. The Alentejo is a memorable place for birding.
Another beautiful January day and a good reason to be back at Sagres - looking for next Autumn's accommodation! With ample time for a walk on Atalaia, I was delighted to find not one, but two Richard's Pipits. Atalaia is a known wintering ground for Richard's Pipit but you may not drop on them straightaway, as I was fortunate today. The headland was otherwise fairly quiet. A couple of Thekla's Larks, the usual Stonechats and Sardinian Warblers were in the low bushes. Two Black Redstarts flitted along the cliff tops and the occasional Spotless Starling flew over. The sea was extremely calm and quiet, my first Gannets of the year were seen, only three and a few passing Yellow-legged Gulls. Two Ravens made a noisy appearance, calling to each other and remaining on the headland for some time. The resident Kestrels were in the air throughout my visit.
Just a few images to show from todays' visit to Salgados. With many people still on holiday, there was a fair bit of disturbance along the edges of the wetland and most birds remained distant. The water level is ideal at the moment and Sanderlings had come in from the beach, along with Ringed and Kentish Plovers. A flock of 22 Golden Plovers arrived from the West and a single Avocet was among the Black-tailed Godwits wintering here. The afternoon gull roost was sizeable but nothing extraordinary was seen. A fish-carrying Osprey passed over, with this Marsh Harrier harrassing it at times. Numerous Chiffchaffs were feeding in the reeds with Fan-tailed Warblers but no Reed Bunting or Penduline Tits were seen. On a quieter part of the marsh, a male Bluethroat emerged and fed in front of me for a while. The closest waders were two Black-winged Stilts. An unplanned group photo!
Well, after a week in the U.K. for Christmas with it's accompanying short days and grey skies, I was delighted to be back in the warmth of Alvor this morning and enjoying a New Years Day walk on the beach. In the birding world, New Years Day sees a new year list starting and many birders spend the day getting the list off to the best possible start. I started out on the boardwalk where, as well as my favourite Bluethroats (in song), I found a Black-shouldered Kite over the dunes and a few Whimbrel in the saltmarsh. After a coffee in the harbour, I moved on to Alvor marsh where I accumulated 53 species for the list, in just over 3 hours. Alvor Marsh - a good variety of waders. Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone were about, and I wasn't long in finding both Redshank and Greenshank. Three Shelduck were present today - a duck which only appears in very small numbers. I was taken completely by surprise when the resident Osprey appeared and had no time to set the camera correctly. Look at the size of that fish, it should keep him going for days!!. A male Sardinian Warbler. A brief glimpse of a male Spanish Sparrow. A flock is increasing in size here, probably wintering birds numbering around eighteen at present. Sunset: 1730 Looking forward to birding in 2019.
|
|