I knew from my visit of four days ago that a Black Tern was frequenting the lagoon at Salgados and was pleased to see it towards the bridge end. A report emerging today that a White-winged Black Tern had also been seen at Salgados was even more interesting, as this was a good rarity and not on my Algarve List to date. I found the Black Tern straightaway from the viewing screen, flying and 'dipping' constantly across the lagoon. I re-checked the dark breast marking from the neck and the greyish/white rump. The wing markings were 'spot-on' for a juvenile Black Tern. The Black Tern continued its feeding for a good hour or so. I watched a large number of Sand Martins passing through, among them were odd Swallows, House Martins and a Pallid Swift. A Black-winged Kite hovered on the far side of the marsh and a flock of around twenty Glossy Ibis flew locally. I kept switching back to the Black Tern regularly and at one point, two terns were flying together. One of the terns was clearly whiter overall, particularly the undersides. There was no black mark behind the head and this bird had a bright white rump. This was a WhiskeredTern. It only stayed on the lagoon for around 15 minutes before flying North through the marsh and not being seen again. The Black Tern also appeared to have gone from view and I left Salgados at this time. Juvenile Whiskered Tern, an excellent record.
I have received an email confirmation regarding the Great Skua sighting off Sagres, on Monday. These are the first report/recovery details of a Fair Isle-ringed Great Skua in Portugal. Hello Nigel Once again, thanks for the sighting and for the link to your blog – looks like a good pelagic (I’ve still never seen Wilson’s Petrel). 2A93 (metal ring number MA42288) was ringed by me (with my daughters helping me if I recall the day correctly) on 5th August 2017, at Hoini on Fair Isle. This is a small sub-colony, so it’s good to know that one of the youngsters from here survived. The sighting is a particularly interesting one as, according to the BTO (https://app.bto.org/ring_content/countyrec/resultsall/recGBFIall.htm), we have no previous recoveries of our birds from Portugal, although it is not surprising that our Bonxies are spending times there as there are several records from the Spanish coast. Most previous ringing recoveries are of birds found dead in the winter, so the current darvic-ringing project is proving very interesting in providing us with sightings of live birds – especially immature birds such as 2A93. The project started in 2017, so last year we had our first live records of birds in their first-summer (2CY), with individuals seen off the coasts of Spain and Ireland, and this year we have had a chick from 2017 seen off the coast of Brittany, so we’re starting to build a picture of what the Fair Isle population gets up to when it’s not here. Is it ok to use your image on our social media channels please? Many thanks again Best wishes David David Parnaby Warden Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle, Shetland, ZE2 9JU e-mail: [email protected] Alporchinos is the urbanisation which lies South of Porches and just to the West of the large resort of Armacao de Pera. The rough fields on the outskirts have provided a few interesting birds such as Sub-alpine Warbler, Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher and up to 4 Wheatears in one place. I was up just before sunrise and amazingly, as I stood on the balcony looking East, the silhouette of a very large owl flew across in front of me. Although it disappeared behind a nearby building, I heard a very distinctive and deep 'huuu', undoubtedly an Eagle Owl. Setting out across the first field, a Jay flew quickly from a nearby tree. The first few bushes had Sardinian Warblers and this Common Redstart. The last few days have proved this area, along Rua das Figueirinhas, to be quite a stronghold for the Fischer's Lovebird. This morning I saw a flock of ten birds, followed shortly by another group of four. They seem to favour the large mounds of earth which have been piled up, pulling at seeds and sparse vegetation. Apparently, this is the type of arid landscape they dwell on in Tanzania, where they occur naturally. Dropping down a track towards the coast, an Osprey overflew me going inland. A Blue Rock Thrush appeared on a coastal cliff where Red-rumped Swallows were numerous. Much higher in the sky, two Alpine Swifts passed quickly through. I hope to find some a little nearer before they depart South. A Rock Dove - in a Rock! Down on the beach, a solitary Sanderling was feeding.
Over the last few years in my time at Sagres, I have often contemplated taking part in a 'pelagic', or seabird trip. The purpose of such a trip is to hopefully, have close encounters with some of the off-shore seabird species which rarely make landfall or, are observed at great distance offering little detail. Species seen on pelagics should include skuas, shearwaters and perhaps petrels too. The prospect of such an adventure would be my only chance to see Wilson's Storm Petrel - a lifer and, having close views of Storm Petrels and the Shearwater species, of which I have observed Cory's Shearwater and Balearic Shearwater distantly from Cape St. Vincent. The downside to this excellent opportunity is the need to be ten miles South of Sagres, on the Atlantic Ocean, in a small boat! I have met people at Cabranosa having returned from their trip feeling rather unwell, to say the least, which is quite understandable. I was fortunate that I had the company of friend, Steve Mulligan on board, who had not only arranged our booking whilst still in the U.K, but he had done previous pelagics and, if a Wilson's was to crop up, he had the knowledge to quickly identify the species. So here it is, the small craft or RIB which was to take seven of us out to the edge of the continental shelf. I should say at this point that our weather was good with only a slight swell on the sea (at first!!). However, since the RIB is capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots, my advice would be to 'hang on as though your life depended on it and ENJOY THE RIDE!' A couple of miles out, we saw our first small gathering of Cory's Shearwaters and approached them slowly. This is when you first realise the detail you are able to observe on the birds, from making such a trip. This is probably the best time to offer my excuses as to how I had to stand, with the RIB wedged between my knees as it rose and fell a couple of feet and, having taken 560 images, there are remarkably few in focus! Out on the horizon a large stern trawler was fishing and the skipper knew a large number of birds would be following the vessel. We raced across the water, hitting the waves with a considerable thud, at which point I found the best way to travel was to adopt a position similar to riding a horse, thus alleviating some back pain! Arriving at the trawler, there were many Yellow-legged Gulls, some Gannets of varying ages and plumages and we soon saw among the gulls, our first Sooty Shearwater. This was a good bird for the day, having not seen Sooty in Portugal before. The all dark Sooty Shearwater sitting on the sea. Sooty treading water to lift off. Around the trawler, we had brief glimpses of our first Storm Petrels but they didn't linger for any time. The skipper decided we needed to be much further out and it was time to 'hang on' once more. Commencing another race across the water, we were joined by a pod of Common Dolphins which were so close, I couldn't wind the lens in close enough. They were swimming alongside the boat and it was possible to see small, young dolphins, swimming with the parent. More than once, a Great Skua visited us and showed extremely well. Closer examination of my images shows this Great Skua to be carrying a white plastic ring (2A93) on the left tarsus and a metal ring on the right tarsus. This indicates that the bird was ringed on either Fair Isle or Shetland and makes a fascinating sighting to the trip, seeing it at the opposite end of its lengthy passage. Given the length of time for the trip, a stop has to be made somewhere and this is when the bucket of 'chum' - bits of fish, fish oil and a horrendous smell, is thrown into the sea - to attract the Petrels. It is also the moment when you know whether your stomach's alright, or not!! The scanning and the wait begins now, for the Petrels to arrive - hopefully. Note the horizon! I was way too late in capturing this Balearic Shearwater as it passed, one of two seen on the trip. In a short while, one or two Storm Petrels began to approach and I had the most difficult but exciting photography session with these tiny birds. Steve duly found me at least one, maybe two Wilson's Storm Petrel during this time. It was clear to see the larger physical size as, one of them was flying with two Storm Petrels, leaving us in no doubt at all. I concentrated on my visual observation of the Wilson's (as it was my first) and probably haven't got an image on my initial look through. More Sooty Shearwaters. To summarise the trip - Well worth doing, great company in a jovial atmosphere, given the slight difficulties encountered at times. I would recommend using a RIB over a conventional craft for the following reasons - 1. High speed, gets you on the job quickly. 2. You can anchor your body over the seat, leaving both hands free for camera work.
Finally thanks to Mar llimitado the boat operator, who was able to give us a dolphin experience as well! It's wonderful to be back in super-bright sunshine and a current temperature of 30C. In relative cool, a couple of hours spent at Lagoa dos Salgados this morning seemed a pleasant way to spend a Sunday. The water level at Salgados is high again, meaning few waders were showing but I made out an Avocet, Black-winged Stilts, Black-tailed Godwits and a Green Sandpiper was seen flying in. The deeper water attracted an Osprey who spent quite some time fishing, but without a a catch, as far as I could see. With the start of the Autumn migration becoming apparent, I probably spent more time surveying the ground and bushes around the wetland. Yellow Wagtails were in large numbers, twenty or more along the fields. All the Yellow Wagtails were 'Iberiae' race, though I did come across one with pure white underparts and a seemingly, all dark bill which had me a little concerned and I couldn't get it to call at all. Also in the fields were six Northern Wheatears, one Stonechat, a distant Southern Grey Shrike and several Melodious Warblers, as the one below. A couple of the Wheatears. No sign of any Tawny Pipits here though one Tree Pipit flew over calling. Close to the ground, a Fan-tailed Warbler was grubbing about in the low vegetation. I had a really enjoyable couple of hours this morning, it felt good to be out walking open ground again with sheep and goats plodding about in the fields around me. Probably the star bird was back on the lagoon, namely a juvenile Black Tern. This bird is on migration and was having a difficult time feeding, as it was constantly harassed by Yellow-legged Gulls and even a Eurasion Magpie took a dislike to it. Out of interest, back at my apartment, there is a small population of Fischer's Lovebirds as I counted six this morning. This small parrot species is an endemic of Central Tanzania and has been introduced as either an escaped cagebird or similar activity.
It was certainly an interesting start to the day and I may see more of them, during my week in this area. |
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