Without upsetting my family intentionally, my first opportunity in a week arose today to find this very important 1st record for Portugal at Quinta do Lago. On what was quickly developing into a wet morning, the walk to the lake was miraculously free from high-speed cyclists, joggers in fluorescent pink outfits and all the other irksome individuals, important wetlands could well do without! This meant I could approach the start of the lake with extreme caution and was rewarded with the Green Heron standing clearly in the open. This stunning small heron is undoubtedly here, as an after effect of the recent Hurricane Leslie from America. Its plumage is very variable and is certainly a juvenile with the white streaked breast however, it is already showing a lovely glossy green to the back, as an adult bird would have. The Heron was not deterred by human presence though it did prefer to keep still for a long time. It was eventually moved on by the white flash of a landing Little Egret, seeking the same tiny island. It sought refuge in a clump of thicker reeds where it became more difficult to see and, eventually climbed out of sight completely. I can imagine this bird being as difficult as a Little Bittern at times but so far, it has shown extremely well for visitors and will no doubt be a popular attraction for some time to come as it seems perfectly settled.
I have family out for the next few days and we're doing some general sightseeing in the Western Algarve. After my disastrous 'dip' on the American Green Heron yesterday, I'm hoping to find it there on Friday when we return to the airport. Some images on my last session around Atalaia and Vila do Bispo. Chough and Spotless Starling showing glossy plumages on Atalaia. A Reed Warbler was an unusual find in this myrtle bush on Atalaia. Male Hen Harrier showing dark trailing edge to wings, on the hill behind the villa. Pale Booted Eagle in the same location.
Before making my way up to Cabranosa, I spent a while on the hilltop behind the villa. It was only 9-00 a.m. but on a lovely sunny morning, various raptors were already in the sky. Two Short-toed Eagles were close, with a pale Booted Eagle further away. A Peregrine and a possible female Merlin dashed over the hill within minutes of each other. A 360 degree scan showed at least five Kestrels in the air, three of which were flying close together. A Black-shouldered Kite made a brief appearance, hovering in various places over the hill and present for its second consecutive day for me. 56 Choughs were feeding close by, with 3 Ravens. Pipits and larks were passing over in large numbers, mainly Meadow Pipits. A party of 7 Northern Lapwing was more unusual. Short-toed Eagle from the hill. Stopping at Vale Santo farm further on, still no success with a Dotterel but a couple of White Storks had dropped in for a rest. At Cabranosa, I was met with a Common Buzzard on arrival, the only one seen on this visit. It felt a little quiet on the raptor front, until you began scanning very high up. A group of 7 or 8 Short-toed Eagles had been moving around for some time and, both a pale and dark Booted Eagle were noted too. In the middle of my lunch (!) I noticed three Bonelli's Eagles at great height and attempted to get some record photos and assess the ages. An adult Bonelli's Eagle. Juvenile Bonelli's (left) with adult (right). Juvenile Bonelli's (left) with both adults. Stroppy juvenile getting a telling off! As happened yesterday, the Griffon Vultures made their way towards the peninsula in their hundreds. Today they fell well short of reaching Cabranosa and were just impressive dots in the distance. There were many more birds on the ground too. In the space of a few yards, there was a Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart and this fine Black Redstart all around the parked cars.
Following heavy rain in the night and the first few hours this morning, the sky suddenly brightened and I took Ellie the dog to Martinhal for a walk on the beach. We had only been walking a few minutes when the Osprey appeared, flying out to sea for a spell of fishing no doubt. Martinhal was where the recent Rose-coloured Starling was seen. I spent a while checking the starling flock, but only found 'our' spreckly Starlings with the Spotless Starlings. The noise from the Starlings seemed to attract a good few Azure-winged Magpies, looking on from the trees. The noise came to an abrupt halt when one of the Sagres Peregrines flew over! Back at the villa at lunch-time, it was starting to look like a raptor day as, in the back field, a pale Booted Eagle made a low pass. Soon to be followed by a Short-toed Eagle which performed some nice hovers, not too far away. By the time I reached Cabranosa, nine Egyptian Vultures had passed over together with 15 Short-toed Eagles and some Booted Eagles. The Short-toed Eagles remained in varying numbers, two Black Storks were seen and later, three were seen together. At least one Hobby and two Peregrines came through as well as this dark Common Buzzard. Two of the Black Storks, the lower one trailing some rubbish, presumably entangled on a foot. The highlight of the day came with a phone call from the watchers at the wind farm, saying that a flock of 37 Griffon Vultures was making its way towards Cabranosa. In due course they arrived, although staying a long way off. We heard that the flock actually held one Ruppell's Vulture so, as I counted each bird leaving in a line, I guess I saw the Ruppell's after a fashion!! Another phone call was received and, with the wind turbines shutdown, a flock of around 460 Griffons made their way towards us. First sighting of the huge flock. The Griffon Vultures although immense in size, were frequently lost in the clouds, indicating the height these birds were travelling at. A Black Stork (right) has joined the vulture flock, Booted and Short-toed Eagle were also up there. An incredible spectacle to see these magnificent raptors, effortlessly mastering the sky with rarely a wingbeat, yet covering an immense distance even as we watched them.
I spent the first part of the morning on the Atalaia headland, West of Port do Baleeira. It was clear that new birds had arrived, judging by the frequent calls of Meadow Pipits. Two Thekla's Larks chased a calling Richard's Pipit across the headland, disappearing from view. One of several Thekla's Larks. Two Kestrels were staying low over the ground in the freshening Northerly wind, this one resting for a while. The strip of bushes outside the Pousada held more birds than recently. Northern Wheatear. Male Black Redstart. Pied Flycatcher. Willow Warbler. An impressive range of species about, which totalled:- 12 House Sparrow, 14 Spotless Starling, 6 Blackbird, 4 Robin, 3 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, 4 Sardinian Warbler, 3 Corn Bunting, 1 Black Redstart, 3 Stonechat, 1 Turtle Dove and flyovers - 1 Richard's Pipit, 4 Thekla's Lark, 4 Meadow Pipit, 3 White Wagtail, 1 Blue Rock Thrush and 2 Kestrel. This afternoon at Cabranosa, raptors were scarce with only 9 Short-toed Eagles showing for a considerable time. Choughs passing through the trees.
Believe it or not, I was at Martinhal in pouring rain, looking for a Rose-coloured Starling when I came across this juvenile Osprey. A visiting birder had submitted a record (and images) of a juvenile Rosy Starling at Martinhal, last week. Speaking with a friend of mine this morning, he also had seen a 'pale' Starling in the same vicinity, only yesterday. On that basis, despite the remnants of a storm still about, I followed a large flock of Spotless Starlings around the Martinhal area, for a couple of hours. While I didn't locate the Rose-coloured Starling, many birds remained in the bushes and I am not discounting the possibility of it still being there. Rose-coloured Starling is a mega-rarity down here and this bird is probably one of the recent influx into Western Europe, including the U.K. While driving around, I found this Osprey close to the road. It was just finishing off a fish and looking pretty bedraggled in the pouring rain. A brief pause in the rain allowed another search for the Starling, the Osprey was still in no mood for flying.
I've had a day off today and spent the day walking around the old walls in Lagos. I see this Black Kite daily as it hunts over the fields behind the villa. Appears to be a juvenile kite, denoted by the dark mask around the eye, also having pale tips along the covert edges. Before setting out this morning, a walk up a lane took me closer to the kite where it was being harassed by either some of the Choughs or a Kestrel. My current home in Vila do Bispo, with its curious water tower. The Black Kite and Kestrel can be seen in the air, with Raposeira wind farm on the skyline. The 'Kite' field just now.
I felt privileged to watch two of Portugals' rarer eagles putting on a fine fly around at Cabranosa today. The adult Bonelli's Eagle is a magnificent bird and known for its striking ability. On the way up to Cabranosa two days ago, I saw a large bird falling out of the sky, with a Bonelli's Eagle in pursuit. The Bonelli's had attacked a Grey Heron in flight and presumably killed it, although it didn't remain on the ground to eat it. Last year on my blog, I recorded a Bonelli's Eagle killing a Booted Eagle in mid-air and that time,carrying its prey off to a wood below. I missed out on an Eleonora's Falcon again and an Egyptian Vulture which came through but, there were around 8 Short-toed Eagles in the air when I first arrived. A juvenile Black Stork remained for much of the afternoon and later on, 2 Honey Buzzards circled the area a couple of times. Sparrowhawks, Peregrine and Kestrels accounted for the remaining raptor sightings.
One of my favourite birding areas, between Lagos and Sagres. When I visited last week, there was no water at all in what is a small wetland in the winter months. Today a small amount of water has run in, but too early to attract many species. Common Sandpipers frequent the area shown above and today was no exception. The only other water birds present were two Grey Herons and two Common Snipe, seen in flight. Blackbirds seemed to be on the increase, though no Ring Ouzels yet. Two Robins were heard, the first wintering Chiffchaffs were on the marsh and a Black Redstart was on the back cliffs. Two Fan-tailed Warblers were in bushes along with the usual Stonechats. I expect this site will improve dramatically as more water enters the marsh in the winter months. Low tide at Boca do Rio. At Cabranosa this afternoon, small numbers of Short-toed Eagles appeared still flying incredibly high. Less Booted Eagles came over but, a Black Stork and 7 White Storks were also high in the sky. The occasional Sparrowhawk flew through as did this Peregrine, one of two in the area.
Close to the house this morning, a number of Ravens were out early and I found this one by the roadside. Always powerful looking birds ! I have no more images to show today, but wanted to make a note that raptors improved significantly after midday. There was much cloud cover this afternoon and a light Westerly breeze resulted in a steady flow of eagles towards Cape St. Vincent.
All the raptors were flying at a great height and we watched them disappearing in and out of the clouds, as they made their way down the peninsula. On their way back out, some flew a little lower but still too high for useful pictures. We recorded around 20 Booted Eagles in a single flock and 15 Short-toed Eagles appeared in twos and threes. What was probably a 'resident' Peregrine was seen and a migratory juvenile Peregrine accompanied the Booted Eagles. The highlight was a young male Hen Harrier which flew low over the adjacent field and disappeared over the 'Hedge'. |
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