I found this Thrush this morning at a drinking place. Present with 1w Blackbirds, Song Thrush and five Ring Ouzels. It was often chased by adult male Blackbirds and was not flushed by passing cars, as were the other birds. I am aware that Siberian Thrush shows pale legs however........? Please see the images and I welcome your comments. Nothing was straightforward this morning as I watched a particular bush! A fine male Ring Ouzel (above) and four in a tree (below).
We visited an undisclosed site where a small colony of Night Herons is known to roost. Night Herons are not seen on every trip to the Algarve and I was so pleased to see this group, resting in trees. Among these adult Night Herons, I noticed a brown head up in the tree tops. Was I lucky enough to have a Squacco Heron here also or, was it a more likely juvenile Night Heron? I needed to see the colour of the back and, after changing position slightly, I saw the white marks denoting a juvenile Night Heron. At this site, I also caught sight of a female Iberian Woodpecker in a eucalyptus tree. ...... and found the beautiful Monarch butterfly, unfortunately with wings closed all of the time.
Griffon Vulture flocks have been coming and going around Sagres almost daily during the last week. A juvenile Black Vulture has been in the hills to the North and yesterday, we watched it leading a flock of Griffons over Martinhal. This morning, probably the same bird brought a flock of around 230 Griffons towards Cabranosa. The flock took a considerable time coming to our position. First seen over Raposeira wind farm, the flock moved towards the coast, passing over Sagres and as far as the lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent before turning back. The Black Vulture was seen losing height as it returned and the Griffons followed in line, as if under instruction. The moment we all hope for finally arrived when the vultures turn towards us and give us remarkable views. As is often the case, various other species accompany the vulture flocks and below, the Black Vulture is seen with two Griffons, a Short-toed Eagle and a pale Booted Eagle. The entire flock departed to North-east and we were left to watch the smaller birds, in better numbers now. Pied and Spotted Flycatchers have returned. Both Common and Black Redstart were seen in close proximity, Chiffchaffs are in greater numbers and finch flocks are arriving too. It was mid-afternoon when another 220 Griffons appeared, lead by the Black Vulture!! A Griffon Vulture approaching the Black Vulture. In this flock, at least two juvenile Black Storks were present. Around six Short-toed Eagles and several Booted Eagles were seen among this flock and a nice Bonelli's Eagle annoyed the Black Storks occasionally. When this large flock finally left, the Black Vulture was seen to break off and go in a different direction. This seems a peculiar behaviour and it will be interesting to see if this bird accompanies, or 'leads' further flocks in the days to come.
After months of no rainfall, 'Storm Barbara' made landfall around Sagres and with it, some much needed rain. A thorough soaking was achieved around here without any flooding or damage, so hopefully the rain will have been beneficial. Coming off the sea, the rain hasn't changed the birding situation, except to prevent any movement of raptors today as the rain moved away through the hills. Between a few remaining showers, our efforts still managed to turn up the occasional Spotted Flycatcher. The headlands around the peninsula revealed the usual Black Redstarts, Choughs and Raven. Showing very well at the moment in various locations are the Blue Rock Thrushes. On one of the favoured wintering grounds for Richard's Pipits has at least three birds present. With few visitors walking the paths this afternoon, the pipits were calling well and flying between feeding places. I was lucky to be able to watch them for some time and note the differences between them and the Tawny Pipits which have only just departed. The first bird I saw, in flight, took up a position unfortunately into the sunlight. The image below shows the white edged wing coverts, found only on a first winter bird. A further Richard's Pipit was found on the ground, in long grass.
In the absence of vulture flocks today, our focus of attention was the all powerful Bonelli's Eagle. This was a real treat as we had one adult and two juvenile Eagles in the air at the same time. The two juvenile eagles. Adult Bonelli's Eagle (left) and juvenile (right). All three eagles together. This juvenile has more black barring on wings than the other individual. Second juvenile. First juvenile again. You don't want to be on the receiving end of this manoeuvre!
While enjoying this Bonelli's spectacle, other small eagles were passing over, including this beautiful Short-toed Eagle. I had a feeling of excitement and being somewhat privileged to observe wild vultures taking part in their first migration, en route to Africa. We were able to visit a site where our young Griffon Vultures had made an overnight stop and were in the process of getting ready for the next stage in their long journey out of Europe. The small group we came across had a companion in the form of a young Egyptian Vulture and the size difference between the two species was highly apparent. On many occasions when I have flown in jet airliners, I have noticed the wing flaps partially down on take-off, a standard requirement in order to obtain 'lift' straightaway. Watching these Griffons make their short running 'taxi', I noticed on the left bird below, how the wings are angled steeply down. The airflow hitting the wings is forced downward, creating an opposite force to lift the wings. This gives the bird sufficient height to clear the ground and enable full wingbeats, lifting the birds higher off the ground. Once a reasonable height is achieved, the job of finding air currents with a good 'lift' begins and the wings take on a fully extended shape. Even the wing extensions or 'fingers' can raise or lower, to make fine adjustments. Soaring in a circular manner, it was surprising how quickly height was being achieved and it wasn't long before these majestic vultures were on their way. Who says vultures cant be 'cute'! Meanwhile, back in Sagres this afternoon. I refound the Bee-eater close to Pinhal Ceramica, assuming it is the same individual. Another species often local to Sagres is the Jackdaw, an uncommon crow family member and a small flock passed me in the same location. You are more likely to see Chough here than Jackdaw!
Alerted late yesterday by Geoffrey Morrison, a probable juvenile Rose-coloured Starling had been seen in his own garden, feeding with other starlings.
Early this morning, I found one small flock of Spotless Starlings close to a villa, but with no pale looking individual among them. After a brief tour of the local area, Geoffrey found me and we soon noticed more starlings feeding in the grounds of another villa. Some of this flock relocated to the rooftops of nearby properties and it was here that I saw a distinct juvenile Rose-coloured Starling. It was while reviewing some of my images that I realised a second bird of the same species was slightly behind the front bird. Not only had I achieved another great species for my Algarve birding, but the chances of there being two together down here, was extremely unusual. What is all the more unusual was that I remember looking for a Rose-coloured Starling (unsuccessfully) in this same area of the Algarve, last year around this time. A short look back at yesterday around the apartment with a Wryneck heard calling not far away. I found it clinging to a single bamboo cane, which made an unusual sighting for such a normally camouflaged bird. Walking the same lane, a Blue Rock Thrush had taken up a rooftop position on one of the properties. Not a picturesque location but easier to find than on a cliff face!! Further down the lane, close to Pinhal Ceramica and I'm becoming addicted to the local Booted Eagles. Catching them as they first begin hunting gives the closest and clearest of views. This morning's walk down the lane with Angela and Ellie produced a late Bee-eater. Initially the unmistakable burbling call was heard and then the Bee-eater came into view, resting on wires between short flights. A stunning Common Buzzard patrolled the same area for a short time. On arriving at the Cabranosa watchpoint, this was the view immediately overhead this morning. 4 Booted Eagles, 2 Short-toed Eagles, a Honey Buzzard and an Egyptian Vulture made for an excellent start. It remained an interesting day of raptors with both Marsh and Hen Harriers making an appearance between eagle sightings. Mid afternoon saw the ever welcome sight of 'raptors in bulk'. Yes, it was the arrival of around 400 Griffon Vultures remaining high in the sky to the East of us, before heading away again. Perhaps better views of them tomorrow as they often appear for more than one day. Definitely a day of change today as 6 Red Kites, an unusual raptor here, overflew the watchpoint.
A quick walk around the Pinhal Ceramica in Sagres this morning showed small birds busy once again in the trees. For late September and early October, it has been an unseasonably quiet time for reasons that appear uncertain, possibly the weather further North diverted many birds. It was a great relief after such a quiet week, to see Spotted Flycatchers darting out for flies and two or three Willow Warblers sharing the same conifer branch. Pied Flycatchers were here also but Spotted's were in the majority. A nice find was this Ortolon Bunting, a species I've not seen in the wood before. Later on at Cabranosa, the ground appeared very quiet until almost midday. Suddenly, small birds flew through the trees, the majority being Spotted Flycatchers here too.
Other species seen included Cirl Bunting, Crested Tits, Common Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Whitethroat. Turtle Doves and a Wryneck flew through the clearings. Let's hope the next week brings more of these beautiful birds to the Sagres peninsula. My morning walk began at the saline lagoon, behind the beach at Martinhal. There is a fair amount of water being retained and some waders are being found here. Three Black-winged Stilts have been here for over a week now and two or three Sanderlings are usually at the beach end. At first sight there appeared to be few other waders and I turned my attention to the White Wagtail and Wheatear in front of me. There are smaller channels leading away from the main pool and this was where I began to find other waders feeding. A single Kentish Plover and two Turnstones emerged from between the samphire plants. Next a Common Redshank with two Dunlin. Finally, a bird I was hearing but as yet had not seen, a beautiful Grey Plover came in to full view. Two Common Sandpipers dropped in,as I watched the Grey Plover. I continued to walk a little way inland where I found small flocks of Spanish Sparrows and a Peregrine flew overhead. Other interesting species found here were a Blue Rock Thrush, a Whinchat, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 4 Spotted Flycatcher and numerous Robins. Back at Tonel Apartments for breakfast, it wasn't long before the first six Booted Eagles appeared overhead. A much cooler morning along with my first floor elevation, improved my images considerably for a nice change. Booted Eagles totalled 15 within the hour, a single Short-toed Eagle made a brief appearance too. The next two birds caught me by surprise - firstly this presumed Black Kite, though there are some white markings to the chest and outer wings, making it look not quite 'standard'. Secondly, I don't know why I only took two images of this bird. Perhaps it disappeared around the apartment wall which is always a risk. Judging by the small white patch midway along the back, I'm fairly certain this would be a juvenile Bonelli's Eagle. A single Black Stork made several trips around Sagres as it tried to find its way. Also seen on our travels, one of a pair of Ravens at their usual farm. From yesterday, we were given a splendid description of a Montpelier snake, found by Marco, on the hill at Cabranosa.
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