More unusual sightings of seabirds this week, perhaps most notable was the Storm Petrel seen upriver from Portimao, quickly followed by 'five' of the same species in the harbour at Quarteira. The following morning, the petrels were close in at sea, as we found out in the afternoon when one was seen flying towards Almargem. Two different Razorbills were seen around Quarteira port. In the fishing port I came across this brute of a Great Black-backed Gull which, I am led to believe is a long staying resident there. A quick look at the waterworks outside Vilamoura revealed an adult winter Common Gull, far from common here but quite regular visitors to some inland sites. With the gull busily bathing, the upperwing shows the large white 'mirror' patch and the smaller dots on the other primary tips. Still on the subject of unusual sightings, as I'm writing this I have heard of a Grey Phalarope now in the marina at Lagos!
To my knowledge there have been no sightings of 'rare' birds recently, to have me chasing off in a particular direction. Instead, maintaining the usual diligence on familiar sites has brought about some interesting days out in the Western Algarve. I have known for some years of the existence of a Night Heron roost at Quinta do Lago but have not seen its full capacity, until a visit was made last week. The disturbance made by some garden machinery close by, was enough to empty the pine trees of some 24 Night Herons. All but three of the herons were adults, the brown juveniles can be seen in these images also. On the main lake here, a count of ten Tufted Ducks was more than usual. Good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets are still on the saltpans at Ludo. Among many Redshank on one pool were four juvenile Ruff, three of which are shown here:- Increasing water levels at Salgados is making wader watching a little more difficult, unless that is when a Marsh Harrier puts birds in the air. Around twenty Golden Plover passed over me as I took this shot. This gull (centre) has been giving me problems. I've come to the conclusion it is a first winter Mediterranean Gull, judging by the bill shape and colour alone. The neck marking appeared strange for such a bird. Any other thoughts welcomed! Ahh, well done guys. I completely overlooked Audouin's even though I see them there. The head shape and streaking fits precisely. Not seeing the leg colour didn't help of course. Seven Caspian Terns resting here today was the most I have encountered according to my records. I mentioned in my last blog about residing in 'the land of Fischer's Lovebirds' and as I watch them more and work out their behaviour - where they feed and what on etc, more images keep materialising! I haven't worked that one out yet!! Black-winged Kites have shown well in at least three regular sites. Two pairs seen are almost certainly displaying already.
No more than a couple of hours spent at Salgados this afternoon, but at least two sightings were worthy of documentation here. It was also an opportunity to meet again with fellow birders Francisco and Rui. A general view of the upper lagoon shows the variety of wintering birds, mainly ducks that gather in large numbers. The image above, of a very small area, contains Grey Heron, Cormorant, Shoveler, Gadwall, Pintail, Teal and Avocet to illustrate the variety of species. This image takes a look at seabirds resting together and contains - Black-headed Gulls, juvenile and adult Mediterranean Gulls, an adult Audouin's Gull and two out of six Caspian Terns (at the top). The 'out of focus' birds in the foreground are a mix of Sanderlings and Golden Plovers. The first notable bird was an adult Kittiwake which I saw resting on an island. Although looking very smart, I felt it was lethargic and suspect it is not in the best of health. I would have preferred to have seen it flying out at sea. I let Francisco know of my sighting and he in turn, had found something interesting for me to see in the other direction. We walked to where we could see over the nearby reedbed and out on the lagoon were a pair of migrant Garganey ducks. In the image below and to the right of a fine male Pintail is the female Garganey, with brown mottled plumage and appearing quite normal. To the left of the Pintail is the male Garganey. We concluded this male is still in 'eclipse' plumage, before attaining its summer or breeding plumage. The chest is undoubtedly brown as it should be but the flanks are not fully grey yet and, the white head stripe feathers have not developed either. At the moment, there are fairly regular sightings of a young Goshawk around Salgados which may be wintering here. Perhaps with luck I may come across it in the near future.
New Years' Eve saw us moving from Alvor to our final destination this winter, in Vilamoura. While waiting to meet our check-in time, we visited an old haunt at Foz do Almargem which is a small wetland bordering the beach. The surrounding woods of Stone Pine, I remember as being excellent for seeing the Short-toed Treecreeper in small numbers and I was not disappointed this time either. At least three birds were moving about in the pines on arrival. As we walked between the wood and the sea, I noticed two Razorbills flying east and later saw another fly in a westerly direction along the sea. It has certainly been a good winter for seeing these unusual visitors. On the wetland here, I counted 14 Red-crested Pochards, a duck which isn't found on all wetlands by any means but the Vilamoura area probably offers the most likely chance of finding them. I wouldn't think this small wetland has many Purple Swamphen but at least it was good to know they can be found here.:- ..... and a rather strange female Pochard too! As a means of identifying particular wildfowl, a 'nasal saddle' is often employed rather than conventional ringing. The unique code is shown on the saddle and this particular Pochard belongs to a Portuguese 'ringing' scheme. I'm not at all fond of this type of i.d, I think there is enough plastic pollution about without birds having to carry it as well! A couple of nice raptors flew over the wetland here, a light form Booted Eagle and a Common Buzzard. So, back in Vilamoura we arrived at our apartment to find the tile walkway at the front of the properties being dug up, with a very noisy hammer chisel. Remedial work to 'seal' the pathway was commencing, having been due to take place for the last four years. The fact that owners were advised of the work was met with some disbelief and hence the property was let out to rent!! The following day as the chisel came ever closer, we learned that on this condominium, any building work needed must take place in the weeks after Christmas for a limited time only. And so it was that the entire place became a building site, with the adjoining neighbour bringing in a jcb and lorries to dig up his drive too - must be infectious!. That evening we contacted the owner via AirBnb and after a very satisfactory discussion, were able to cancel this booking completely. It was then a case of quickly finding a needle in a haystack, yes a dog-friendly apartment at short notice! By good fortune, the following morning we were packing the car once more and were on our way to what is a lovely house in the quietest surroundings you could imagine. Not only do we have a small garden for Ellie to play in, the house also has a roof terrace for 360 degree birdwatching. Anyone who knows this area on the outskirts of Alporchinos will know it is one of the best areas for finding Fischer's Lovebirds flying wild and, we've got them already! Time for a rest I think, in the quiet!!!
|
|