I went in pursuit of the Scaly-breasted Munias again this morning, in the location I watched them last week. It was rather quiet on the ground, except for the usual Blackcaps and at least four calling Cetti's Warblers. The favoured bushes had no Munias and only two Waxbills appeared where I have previously seen fifty or more. The rice fields held a couple of hundred Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, a Grey Wagtail and Purple Swamphens were only heard today. In the sky, it was a completely different story. There are resident pairs of Marsh Harriers here and five birds were in the air together. Smart adult male harriers were displaying in swooping dives and more female/juvenile type birds hunted the fields. One of the harriers was joined by a dark Booted Eagle which lingered for a while. (I had camera exposure problems today and made a right mess of many images.) Among the flying Marsh Harriers, a juvenile Peregrine came in and soared with them for a few minutes. The Peregrine flew off and I watched it stoop into the marsh, putting up Common Snipe and a few Lapwings. I returned to scanning the sky and noticed an Osprey making its way up the River Arade. I thought I had picked up another Osprey when I saw a large raptor head-on. It made a full circle before coming closer and I realised it was a Bonelli's Eagle! The plumage seems to indicate it is maybe a two year old, still fairly brown underneath but showing the black tail bar of an adult. It was a wonderful large eagle and remained fairly close for a good half hour. The Bonelli's flew East and surprisingly, was joined by a light form Booted Eagle. This fascinating show of raptors lasted an hour and a half. I always feel it is very special to watch a Bonelli's Eagle, a rare raptor requiring great conservation effort. A 'flushed' Common Snipe. Juvenile Spoonbill.
I was passing Ramalhos again today and couldn't ignore the fact that Griffon Vultures are here. I see them so few times in a year, it must be good to watch them whenever the opportunity arises. My arrival was timed precisely with the White Storks lifting off and making towards the refuse tip. As they circled around, I looked for the darker shape of a Griffon Vulture and picked up a Stork which, I assumed was an adult Black Stork. I rattled off a few images before they all flew away. It was only when I reviewed my images that I found I had misidentified the Black Stork. This bird has all the features of a White Stork except that, where there should be white feathers, they are a grey colour. The bill and legs are normal colour and the grey appears a uniform colour overall. I don't think the bird has come into contact with anything to cause the coloration. I am unable to offer an explanation as to why this obvious White Stork, has turned out this colour! White Storks in 'correct' plumage and another look at the Griffons. I have covered this area before on my blog and it is one of my favourite local walks around Alvor. It's also somewhere, if I'm in luck, I will come across a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I enjoy the challenge of finding these small woodpeckers and having found an area of fig or almond trees for example, I tread quietly and listen for a light tapping sound, just like tapping a pencil on a desk. The Lesser Spotted is only sparrow sized and is frequently seen working upside down on small branches, like a Treecreeper will. Because of its small size, it will remain in the same tree for a considerable time as it moves from branch to branch. The male bird has a red crown patch and the female has black. Clearly a female I found on this occasion. Four Hoopoes were around this site, feeding on the roadside edges.
I keep expecting a nice white-winged gull such as a Glaucous Gull to appear any time now, on this South-West corner of Portugal. I did have a Glaucous two years ago and last year, it was the Iceland Gull in Portimao. So a check of the gulls in Sagres harbour may show up something interesting. I tried to make this a Caspian Gull with its upright stance and long forehead. Unfortunately, its eye colour was wrong and I settled for a 3w Yellow-legged Gull. Here's an immaculate adult Yellow-legged Gull. Over the harbour wall on the sea was this European Shag. The Shag, when diving, almost clears the water before plunging in. At the end of the harbour wall, the wintering Rock Pipit is still in residence, frequently hiding between the huge concrete blocks. Back in the harbour, five or six Cormorants were watching a fishing boat being unloaded. This breeding plumage bird was among them. If seen out of the water, a large white patch on the sides completes this splendid plumage during the breeding period.
Tonight's homework - Why do Ravens fly upside-down?? Another visit to my local patch and I'm wondering why so few birds are using the waterways in the marsh. The juvenile Flamingos were in their usual spot, as were the roosting Spoonbills and Grey Herons. A pair of Mallard appeared as the only wildfowl here. An Osprey flew across at high level, possibly the same bird which had been eating a fish out on the sandbanks this morning. I turned my attention to the bushes where, along with several Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps were the most numerous birds. The occasional Blackbird came out and the House Sparrow flock contained at least one Spanish Sparrow. There are some interesting musical renditions being heard now as Spring nears. Stonechats, Blackcaps and Sardinian Warblers are all attempting their songs and the Fan-tailed Warblers are 'zip-zipping' in the air. After recent rain, the puddles soon become favoured drinking areas. At one such source I watched Stonechats, Crested Lark, Meadow Pipit, Blackcap and Bluethroat. Two Black-shouldered Kites put on a good display today, but mainly on the far side of the field.
The first winter Ring-billed Gull is still showing daily on the Northern lagoon at Lagoa dos Salgados. The gull rarely comes close and favours a mid-water position to feed. It also disappears to the Eastern end of Salgados for quite long periods, but does return. Ring-billed Gull with adult winter Mediterranean Gull (right)...... and Swallow! There was a strong wind blowing today and watching a bird at distance, while attempting to keep binoculars steady, led to the possibility of confusion with other dark-billed gulls. Here were two possibilities:- 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull 1st Winter Mediterranean Gull.
|
|