This year is our Golden Wedding Anniversary for Angela and myself. We stayed at the Herdade do Zambujal during the winter and thought it would be the most fabulous location in June for such an event. We would be hosted by Filipe, enjoying his superb accommodation and cuisine and, in the company of four friends from the Algarve we would have some unforgettable days birding. Celebration night on the 23rd. Angela and I (centre), Chris and Sue (furthest), Carl and Julie (nearest). Another feature of this break was that instead of flying into Faro, we flew to Lisbon instead. Picking up a car at the airport, the drive is easy, beginning over the lengthy Vasco da Gama bridge and continuing South (on the A2) for one and a half hours. Certainly an alternative route for birding in the Alentjo. We were soon ready for birding and Filipe kindly allowed us access to his fields below The Lodge. A Quail called constantly in the short grass but was never seen, I had more luck with two Red-legged Partridges. The surrounding trees had a couple of Woodchats, a family Short-toed Treecreepers passed through daily, Nuthatches were calling also. Around the property, Barn Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows were both nesting. The Red-rumps already had a first brood flying. A small river meanders through the fields where House Martins were skimming the water surface and here, a small colony of Bee-eaters were thriving. We set out on the first morning to a small river flowing under the N123 where, both Chris and myself were keen to find a bird neither of us have seen for many years, the Rufous Bush Robin. These birds are quite a late arriving summer migrant so there is never the possibility of us seeing one during our winter stays. Fortunately, the Bush Robin has a fairly loud song and the fact that it sounded unfamiliar meant that we made contact with at least one quite quickly. The slightly curved bill and black eyestripe confirmed our sighting as the Bush Robin sat low down in a bush. Only once did we see the classic 'tail up' pose as the bird flew to the ground, before flying high into a tree across the river. I've included this next shot here, not taken at the river mentioned but by the river on Filipe's property. This was an interesting sighting in the sense that while there are noted 'hotspots' for the Rufous Bush Robin, finding one in a relatively unexplored site poses the question of how many there may actually be along these small, well vegetated river banks. Continuing along the N123, we made a turn at Sao Marcos da Atobeira and then on to Monte da Aparica. We have viewed the large lake here on a couple of occasions from the approach road. This time we ventured nearer with the intention of seeking the owners' permission to birdwatch at the lake. Along the road we came across our first Rollers, a fabulous species of which we saw twelve on this first day. Having obtained the necessary permission from a very kind lady, we were soon down at the water's edge assessing the variety of birds on show. Spoonbills were arriving at the same time! One reason for coming here was the chance of seeing a much sought after lakeland species - the Gull-billed Tern. We were not disappointed and found twelve of these large terns which are not in the marsh tern class, neither are they a maritime tern. A complete surprise occurred when I noticed a more distant small tern. This was a 'marsh tern' species and was in fact an adult Whiskered Tern. Also on the lake, a large flock of Egyptian Geese, Great-crested Grebe, a few Black-winged Stilts, a single Black-tailed Godwit seemed far from where it should be, and one Little Ringed Plover. Raptors were few today apart from several Black Kites and this male Montagu's Harrier drifting over the fields. Our second day was our best day for raptor species. We began at the old station at Casevel, having seen it in the winter, I was keen to be there in June for the breeding Lesser Kestrels and Rollers. We arrived as the morning became hotter by the hour and temperatures were in the high thirties Centigrade. Most of the Lesser Kestrels, of which there were many, were flying high and although I took many photos of them, the air turbulence due to the heat destroyed any chance of a pleasing photograph. Similarly, anything within a few metres of ground level and at distance would also be a hazy blur. Fortunately, I had a bit more success with the local Rollers as they went off in search of food. Here we came across our first Spanish Imperial Eagle, a bit way off but easily told as an adult by the wing markings. We continued on this minor road and checked out another disused building with more Lesser Kestrels and another pair of Rollers. I couldn't tell at the time but If you look carefully, there is a second Lesser Kestrel sitting low down in the picture, probably a youngster. Looking for a shady place for lunch, we re-traced our route but stopped abruptly at what will, in the future, be known as the 'magic tree'! I noticed a Roller perched on top of a small tree, then within the tree was a Great Spotted Cuckoo, with a Little Owl to its left and a Hoopoe to its right - just incredible birding. From here, we made our way to Entradas, noting only our second Montagu's Harrier, a female this time. The newly laid out picnic area by the lake at Entradas provided much needed shade while we had lunch. A rough count of Cattle Egrets at the lake was estimated at around 500! They became a good alert system as whenever they took flight, a Booted Eagle or Black Kite for example was certainly close by. A Green Sandpiper passed through quickly! After a pleasant stay by the lake we made our way slowly back to our apartments and perhaps a glimpse of a Scops Owl tonight. We had heard the intriguing call of Scops Owls each evening but they were a good way off and they never came near the property. We heard a Red-necked Nightjar call briefly on our first night, but not subsequently. Our final morning started early with Carl and myself noticing a large eagle perched on a pylon about one kilometre away. We estimated it could probably be seen from the nearest road so we jumped in my car and off we went. Not as large as we had anticipated but a smart Short-toed Eagle was the first of this species during the trip. Breakfast completed and we were loading the cars, Bee-eaters flew overhead and the temperature was already at thirty degrees. We began by re-visiting the small river and spent more time with the Rufous Bush Robins. It was at the back of all our minds that by Day 3 we hadn't come across a bustard species or a sandgrouse. We had covered much of the land North of the N123 except for the cork oak areas and it could be that the bustards move under the trees when it is very hot. I decided we would check the grasslands to the South of the main road, via occasional small villages. The roadside poles had Woodchat Shrikes and Iberian Shrikes on the wires, Carrion Crows flew about and a few Eurasian Magpies were seen. Of course, there were also more Rollers..... Along a particularly straight stretch of road we could see a number of large raptors beginning to lift off the ground and we pressed on towards them. It soon became apparent that we had come across a flock of resting vultures. Clearly most were adult Griffon Vultures but among the first few seen was an adult Black Vulture. Small numbers flew off at intervals, taking a few running strides, a couple of wing flaps and the soaring took over taking them away in no time at all. The huge Black Vulture. A second Black Vulture among the Griffon Vultures on the ground. The Griffon standing on the rock was the very last bird to leave which may have had some significance perhaps. It was the only bird I did see carrying a colour ring (7VX on a blue ring) which denotes the bird is of Spanish origin. I mentioned earlier that the images are not as clear as I'd have liked with the heat, but what an experience this was. These vultures were close, really close and you felt a part of their world to some extent, privileged to be among such mighty creatures.
They proved a magnificent finale on our final full day and we could not have asked for more. This is the magic of the Alentejo that makes us return time and time again. |
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