This is a fairly common resident however, it often goes unseen, unless the shrill high-pitched call or song is heard. The treecreeper moves quickly between suitable trees, where it then probes the bark by adopting all positions, including upside down. My venue for the Short-toed Treecreeper was the coniferous woodland around Foz do Almargem. It took a little while in hearing the right call, especially when twittering Serins and 'zi-zi' calls from a couple of Crested Tits were a distraction. Three Short-toed Treecreepers were moving through trees together and I followed them slowly, waiting for them to feed on the 'light' side of the trees. The above image shows the small, white spots on the wingtips which is a good diagnostic check on this species. The Treecreeper woodland at Foz do Almargem. The Lagoon at Foz do Almargem. This lovely site is one of three under consideration for protected status. It is an excellent place for passage birds and a vital habitat for residents alike. Quite a few pairs of Red-crested Pochard were seen here today. Checking the assembled gulls, I was hoping for more views of Slender-billed Gull which I had seen on my last visit. There were none over the midday period but a large count of 102 Audouin's Gulls was the most I have ever seen. A beautiful adult Audouin's Gull. A 2nd winter Audouin's Gull. The 'processionary' caterpillars are out in force now and I'm pleased Ellie the dog has gone home, as these could be lethal to her. The name comes from the fact that they follow each other in line, which can be several feet in length. It seems even Hoopoes won't touch them!
A rare but 'expected' wader in the sense that this Temminck's Stint is thought to have wintered here previously. It ranges from Quinta do Lago to another wetland near Olhao. A great addition to my Algarve List. At the San Lourenco lake, the Green Heron has been seen recently and I spent most of the day searching for it without success. In the course of observation, a great variety of interesting birds were seen, as is usually the case at this attractive location. TEMMINCK'S STINT. Drake Pintail Great-crested Grebe on nest. Adult Little Bittern Red-crested Pochard Purple Swamphen Female Shoveler and terrapin. On leaving Quinta do Lago towards Ludo, I came across this Black-shouldered Kite having a last hunt for the day. I watched it hovering until it plunged to the ground and took its prey. I haven't enlarged the image too much, it's fairly obvious what it's supper was!!
Really sorry about this but, I am amazed at what these two young Griffons get up to every time I visit. I found them both this morning, again on a White Stork nest, right by the roadside on a telegraph pole. They were so accessible, cyclists were stopping and using their i-phones to capture the scene.
They left the nest in short succession and joined the Storks making for the refuse facility, over the hill. Three hours passed before their return, so I imagine they are finding a fair amount of food there. They certainly look in good condition and better than some of the White Storks! A last minute decision to make an afternoon visit, in view of a freshening Easterly wind. The morning had started with a Great Skua at sea from my apartment, which was a first through the winter months and long overdue. This was followed by a 'Bluethroat Walk' with Cheryl and Roger along Alvor's saltmarsh. Two birds, one a nice male, singing from a bush were found in not too easy conditions. The wind had brought plenty of hirundines over the lagoons at Salgados. Mainly House Martins flying high and lower down the Barn Swallows were feeding over the water. I thought there must be a chance of a Red-rumped Swallow among all these birds and sure enough, in a little time two shot over my head and were gone. Crag Martins were also numerous. The sea has flooded in again with levels higher than I've seen before. It was a case of watching hirundines in the air, or gulls resting on the lagoons - there was little else. On normally dry ground, a pool provided water for the Crag Martins. Among today's gulls were some smart adult Audouin's Gulls which flew off to roost on the golf course edge. Mediterranean Gulls were in all plumages from dark capped adults to juveniles. ......... and the Ring-billed Gull continues its stay, by the bridge at the Eastern end.
Both Great White Egrets still active today. Not always on the ground. The Reed Bunting seen once in the large reed bed. Marsh Harriers showed well again.
A morning's return visit to the rice fields between Estombar and the River Arade. This patch is becoming a particular favourite as it turns up interesting birds on each visit. Although access is very limited due to it being agricultural land, the landscape is so open, enabling birds to be seen both on the ground and in the air, over a considerable distance. The access track after Sitio do Fontes is probably no more than 300 metres long but it still permitted me to see over 50 species, in the course of the morning. Additionally, I didn't see a fair number of species seen on previous visits - Goldfinch, Linnets, Osprey, Kestrel etc. I made an excellent start as I couldn't help seeing a large egret in the first rice field. The egret was across the field at some distance but its size gave it away as a Great White Egret. Complete with long yellow bill, it patrolled the edge of the field, at times being pursued by a Grey Heron. I later found a second Great White, even further away in a field looking towards the far hills. The Glossy Ibis flock has moved on and only single birds flew in, as if checking the fields out again. A single Spoonbill flew in, Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets passed through and Grey Herons were seen throughout the area. The Marsh Harriers were giving an incredible courtship display, vocally and hurtling through the sky with steep dives and 360 degree loops. Five Harriers were seen in all and a pale Booted Eagle was not far from them. The small watercourse which runs parallel to the track had two Kingfishers passing up and down and it was in the tall reeds here, that I heard the thin wheeze of Penduline Tits. There were three feeding here and later, another four were seen by the old brick building. This was the first time I have seen Penduline Tits here and watched them stripping the bulrush heads. Purple Swamphens were very vocal, with all sorts of raucous noises and nine were noted, five feeding together in the rice field. The bushes and trees forming a backdrop behind the track held a variety of finches, thrushes and surprisingly, a Sparrowhawk drifted along the tree line briefly. I expected a few more hirundines but only saw single Crag Martin and Swallow. I staked out the small pool by the brick building for a while and a Little Grebe swam past me without noticing. Two Moorhens came out, a brief glimpse of a Water Rail across a channel and then my only sightings of Yellow-crowned Bishop - one of two females shown below. Towards the end of my session, I heard the familiar call of a Reed Bunting, which is by no means common here, as it is in the U.K. I located the bird well out in the main reed bed and fortunately not obscured by reeds.
Today was a 'fingers crossed' day as I drove good friends Roger and Cheryl out from Alvor, to see the roaming plains of the Alentejo and some of the wonderful birds to be found there. Our first stop was in the town of Castro Verde itself. In a street on a quiet Sunday morning, we were not long in finding one of the Long-eared Owls which can be found roosting in the trees, either side of the street. While the owl gazed down, it did not move at all and is almost certainly used to the pavement onlookers. A good start to the day and with some 'life' and 'year' ticking done, we moved on to Horta de Nora. This is the small lake outside Castro Verde and, whilst the Black Stork wasn't there, we had some nice views of Corn Buntings, Swallows, Great -crested Grebes and a Black-winged Stilt. The next stop was at the LPN centre at Vale Goncalo. Our target bird here was to be the Lesser Kestrel, after reading reports that two birds at least, have returned from their wintering grounds. Lesser Kestrel, along with Roller, breed at this fantastic reserve in the wildest of locations. Along the approach road to the Centre, we saw several Kestrels in flight and I pointed out to Roger and Cheryl that one of them had rapid, almost fluttery wing beats. There was a good chance this was one of the Lesser Kestrels and after parking up, we were treated to a fly around by both male and female birds. While the female is practically indistinguishable from the Common Kestrel, we were looking for the blue/grey wing panel above, on the male. There are other diagnostic features but, this is the quickest method of identification. We had a break for coffee and took in some of the features of the reserve (apart from the model of a Great Bustard!) A purpose-built tower exists for nesting birds, primarily Roller and Lesser Kestrel. This looks as if it has been taken over by many Jackdaws and a few Carrion Crows for the moment. Other nest boxes exist around the buildings, just waiting for the Spring arrivals. Taking a walk up one of the designated tracks, we began to see Red Kites in the air and a collection of pipits/larks attracted our attention. A large hovering lark turned out to be Calandra Lark. We looked at the facial markings, the large bill and dark under-wings. It was time to get on the N123 and carry on through Bustard country. Towards the village of Salto, we watched two of around five Southern Grey Shrikes seen on our visit, perching on wires and dropping to the field in pursuit of prey. During a lunch stop along this road, more Red Kites were seen, one Common Buzzard and two Black-shouldered Kites were added to the growing list. So far, no Bustards and at this point, I decided to head for the high ground of Senhora Nossa de Aracelis and hopefully, a different surprise. From this high point, the views over the Alentejo are magnificent and the cork oak trees nearby are the roosting and feeding area for wintering Common Cranes. On my last visit, I saw around 200 Cranes but today, I could only pick out three distant Cranes at a small lake. Nonetheless, it was another 'tick' for my friends and I was happy we were finding the targets.
We had lost the sun and it was distinctly chilly up on this vantage point. A return along the same route may just find us the wandering Bustards, so like any good tour leader, full of confidence and calmness (*!!**!) we set off again. Ten minutes later, on the very same hills we had scoured before lunch, we now had a super flock of 20 Great Bustards. Such is the undulating terrain here, they wouldn't have been far away at all - only out of sight for a while. I didn't take any pictures today, that was Cheryls' delight, recording their first Great Bustard sightings in the Alentejo. Between Quinta do Lago and the airport is the area known as Ludo Farm. Many salt pans can be seen here which are good for waders and had my first Little Stint of the year. The Ribeira de Sao Lourenco works its way through the salt pans and finds its way into the Ria Formosa channels. To the North of the bridge at Ludo in the tall trees, Cormorants and White Storks are found in large numbers. This is also a roosting area for Booted Eagles and, it was these I had come to see this morning. It was approximately 0830 when I arrived, having walked from Quinta do Lago and following the trail along the golf course edge. I first came across a pale form Booted Eagle flying low over the trees, followed by my first sighting of a relatively close eagle, preening and 'waking up' in the trees. My timing couldn't have been better, as in the space of half an hour, Booted Eagles were taking to the air from a variety of locations. I counted fourteen eagles, one dark form and the remainder were all pale form Booteds. They soon dispersed in all directions, presumably to their hunting grounds and I was pleased to have caught them, leaving their roost. I would imagine early evening would see their return and the possibility of watching these small eagles at fairly close quarters. The one 'dark form' Booted Eagle. Caspian Tern (adult) over the river. Nesting Great-crested Grebe and mate. This Cetti's Warbler was singing, two metres away from me! Makes a change from the usual hidden song. UPDATE ON THE GRIFFONS AT RAMALHOS. For the first time, I saw the two Griffons had become more aware of each other and have seemingly made a home, on one of the stork nests. They are definitely more 'in company' with each other. When one bird left the nest, it was soon joined by the other and flew together for quite a while. This is the Griffon which carries a metal ring on the right leg.
I often talk about the importance of fresh water and the frequent lack of it. Conditions are getting that way again now and this series of images depicts a wonderful range of species, observed over a few hours. In this image, a Redwing (left) with Chaffinches and a male Ring Ouzel with three European Starlings. A pair of Blackcap. Spotless Starlings sitting around after bathing in the pools. The male Ring Ouzel showing well! A female Ring Ouzel was seen just once. Colourful male Greenfinches. European Starlings. Another Winter visitor, Redwings were coming in all the time. Good numbers of Song Thrushes. Other birds included Blackbirds, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinches, a Corn Bunting, feral Pigeons, a Yellow-legged Gull (!) and this female Black Redstart. Animals included a party of three Egyptian Mongoose!!!
On my way to the Odelouca valley, I stopped by the Griffons once more. I found both the young Griffons, one above the other, still taking over the Storks' nests at will. The Storks returned to the lower nest at one point but left almost immediately, on discovering the temporary occupant. In the main, the Storks continued with lots of displaying going on and much bill clattering. A stop along the river in the Odelouca valley produced a Kingfisher which caught me out four times, as it shot along the tiny river. Three Cetti's proved hard to see but called constantly while both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker flew over. I was pleased to find a flock of thirtyish Siskins feeding in alders. Siskins have been very few this Winter and these were the first this year. In my apartment garden this morning a Meadow Pipit was on the lawn, two Hoopoes were calling close by and a Spotless Starling performed its numerous songs on a nearby roof. Azure-winged Magpies were hopping about as usual. Over at Lagoa dos Salgados this morning, some birds were already waiting in the parking area. The Ring-billed Gull which has been here for some time now has found its way to the footbridge at the Eastern end. The resident Coots and a number of Black-headed Gulls are often fed by passing visitors and the Ring-billed Gull has also found this food source. As birders are finding, the gull is very close and much easier to observe. Within this collection of gulls were an adult winter Mediterranean Gull and two juveniles.
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