Today was shopping day or, that was the plan before I had news of a Spotted Crake not far away. A great find by Nelson Fonseca, I've missed a previous one and didn't want to lose another if at all possible. I had a feeling where this crake might be located and prepared myself for a long stand, looking into a small muddy channel between thick swathes of sedge. Fortunately, my wait wasn't too long before a Spotted Crake slowly emerged from the vegetation to feed on the mud. Nice markings on this adult crake, well spotted on the head, breast and back, red base to the bill too. A very good encounter which didn't last long enough, making it my 290th Algarve species. I waited longer to see if by chance it would come out again, enjoying the other secretive species which were creeping about in this dense habitat. Water Rail Purple Swamphen Common Snipe.
Although it may not be obvious from the images, with Moorhen and Bluethroat, all the above were in an area of around three square metres!! We were ready for a little shade by midday with an inland temperature of 23C and not a breath of wind. Walking among the gnarled cork oaks and tall pines, the still weather was excellent for seeing the slightest movement on a tree trunk, or a small bird flitting from tree to tree. Today held quite a few nice surprises, the first after flushing an Iberian Woodpecker ahead of us, was seeing a distant Wryneck sitting motionless in a small tree. I didn't expect a Wryneck even though I was in suitable woodland and this bird was my first since Autumn and, the first in 2020! Blue and Great Tits were in small numbers and two Long-tailed Tits were also seen. More unusually, a single Crested Tit was feeding busily, hanging upside down at times and, not in a conifer for a change. The only problem I had this morning was that I was walking into the strong sunlight whenever I found a bird and had great difficulty obtaining better pictures. A particular case was when I came across some Bullfinches which were not only in thick bushes but there was no way to get the sun behind me. There were some superb crimson males flying which were more flighty than the females, those sat a little longer in the tree. A Firecrest was heard singing and two Nuthatches passed through the trees A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen but still no Lesser Spot! In the undergrowth, a Dartford Warbler was a good find among several Sardinian Warblers seen. Another small bird was calling and I wasn't at all sure of it. Was it one of the many Great Tit calls, it was even slightly Nuthatch? I was hoping it would turn out to be a Coal Tit which would be a great woodland find. Eventually, I traced it to a Chiffchaff-type warbler and it dawned on me, it might be an Iberian Chiffchaff. I know the Iberian Chiffchaff's 'see-o' call and heard it a few times during the Autumn, particularly at Sagres. Collins Bird Guide describes the song very accurately as a - chief chief chief tr-tr-tr-tr which was exactly what I was hearing. An Iberian Chiffchaff is a migrant so this must be a new arrival. On the same subject, what I thought would be a Crag Martin flying towards me soon identified itself as Red-rumped Swallow. Two birds flew around the area for ten minutes or so. I was so pleased to see the return of these colourful swallows.
The best surprise without doubt was a flyover adult Bonelli's Eagle, with a Common Buzzard attempting to harass it occasionally. A visit to this reservoir revealed the serious lack of rainwater which remains in the Algarve, despite being well through the Winter months when you might expect more inclement weather. The weather this morning was warm and sunny again, giving lovely views around the countryside from the dam. On the outer wall of the dam, Crag Martins were flying and frequently resting on the concrete structure. Not many birds frequent the water on these reservoirs and three Cormorants flying over, with five Grey Herons seen later accounted for the sightings, with a Kingfisher also heard. I expected some raptor sightings during the late morning but a single Raven was the only large bird in the sky. After lunch we moved down to the lower part of the hills and away from the eucalyptus landscape. The birding was much more productive here, among the cork oak and mixed woodland. A few Rock Buntings were seen on the drive down. The wooded area had several birds in song including Song Thrush, Robin, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Crested Tit and a single Long-tailed Tit passed through the trees. I was looking all the time for a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and although one didn't appear on this occasion, Short-toed Treecreepers, Nuthatch and Firecrests made up for it. Siskins were heard together with a quiet 'phu' call which revealed a flyover Bullfinch, a species I rarely see here. I relocated the Bullfinch (a female) some time later, hiding low down in a tree. A female Great Spotted Woodpecker showed nicely, investigating a nest hole. A few days ago, 'Ellie the Dog' had her first encounter with an Egyptian Mongoose which played hide and seek with her! We've made one trip to Foia already this Winter, though for some reason, I couldn't find a Rock Bunting on any of the familiar territories. Not the case today as there were at least nine birds counted over a wide area. The most splendid plumage details on these buntings with male and female virtually alike. At Caldas de Monchique, a great birding place especially for the small species, both Short-toed Treecreeper and a very obliging Nuthatch were at the cafe trees. Along the watercourse at Caldas, probably the most photographed Grey Wagtail on the Algarve! A rushed attempt at a not too showy Firecrest, but still my first for the year. Finally, the first birds that greet me each morning at the apartment. The stunning Iberian Magpie (formerly Azure-winged).
A walk directly to the 'bridge' revealed no sign of the 2w Ring-billed Gull among the usual crowd of Black-headed Gulls and Coots. On the return walk, an Osprey was circling the main lagoon and before I got close, a fish was being hauled out of the water and the Osprey flew away with its morning meal. The water level is looking good now, with margins of mud around all the small islands. Three flocks of Flamingos and several Spoonbills were feeding in the water whilst a good number of waders were on the islands. 5 Common Snipe, 30 Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Avocet, 2 Ruff, 14 Lapwing, 7 Black-winged Stilt, 2 Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Kentish Plover amounted to the waders I made out. At the viewing screen, a Little Bittern flew across and landed in the reedbed to the left. It failed to show subsequently, unlike the Cattle Egrets close by! This Cattle Egret appeared to be watching a pale Booted Eagle which remained around the lagoons for some time during the morning. A pair of Marsh Harriers were very active, generally upsetting the wildfowl and Glossy Ibis flocks. To complement the earlier pale Booted Eagle, I was surprised to watch a dark form Booted Eagle fly in during the afternoon.
A view over the ricefields with the River Arade in the background. The walk down this track will often reveal how many Great White Egrets are on the fields, as they stand out easily even at a distance. For a while now, up to three egrets have been on the fields. This individual had caught a fish from a small lagooon. Four Little Egrets, three Grey Herons and a White Stork were also feeding on the fields. Around seventy Glossy Ibis flew in, circling the fields for a while but not settling and leaving to the East. A badly under-exposed Glossy Ibis shot had its own effect!! This morning's star birds belonged to the Penduline Tits, three of which flew into the roadside reeds for around five minutes. The trees on the near hillside had Robins, Song Thrush, a Wren and Cetti's Warblers singing. A loud hammering came from a Great Spotted Woodpecker in one of the larger trees. An Iberian Woodpecker and two Jays also passed through the trees and closer to the road, the Scaly-breasted Munias were in their favourite fig tree once more. A few Munias were feeding in the field. In the wettest part of the marsh, three Water Rail were seen, a Reed Bunting was present all morning and Purple Swamphens were well distributed over the area. Two pairs of Marsh Harriers were displaying, a few Swallows joined the regular Crag Martins and an Osprey left the river and flew over the fields. Crag Martin. An un-ringed Osprey. Five individual Ospreys were seen yesterday along the Arade.
During the Autumn at Sagres, I had my first encounters with this uncommon sparrow species. Flocks of up to forty birds were seen in that area, usually in flight though I did manage some distant views of the birds in trees. On visits to the Alentejo, I have hoped to see them, but it has not been the case and the Rock Sparrow has remained a bird I need to look at closer. So today's study day took place in an area where I have searched in previous years without success, all the time accepting the assurance of other birders that they can be found. A very interesting sideline to this quest is the fact that over the time spent today, I found four Sparrow species - House, Tree, Spanish and Rock Sparrow in the one location. I wonder how many other European sites hold four Sparrow species? With my newly acquired knowledge from Sagres, it was only a matter of time and patience before I begun hearing the flight call - a short 'vui' from up to six birds flying into nearby trees. The flight call then changes to a much more drawn out 'sleeit' song, which at first I found confusing with Goldfinch but luckily narrowed it down to one bird sitting in a tree. The first noticeable thing you see on the Rock Sparrow are the broad head stripes in brown and cream. A cream stripe runs from around the eye to the back of the head. The pale breast has long streaked lines, again in a browny shade. The bill is a very prominent feature - stout, with a pinkish lower mandible and a darker upper. What really struck me was the gape of the bill when opened. This bird was calling frequently and the image below, attempts to show the wide open bill, reminiscent of a Corn Bunting, for example. The undertail is an interesting feature consisting of horizontal brown bars on white, with a white terminal band on an adult bird. This looks like an adult bird by the tail and should also have a small yellow spot on the chin, though difficult to see with the head at rest, as above. Around 1cm larger than a House Sparrow, the Rock Sparrow does look a larger bird especially due to the head and bill.
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