The lighthouse area at Cape St. Vincent was my starting point, and with a Northerly wind blowing from Iceland I wasn't going to be there for long! Another look for the Alpine Accentors rewarded me with two out of the four, believed to be present here at the moment. I found them on the North facing slope, feeding busily and blending in extremely well with their new surroundings. Each winter, a small number of these smart little accentors make their way down from the mountains in the North and frequent the cliffs at the Cape. Over Sagres town, 6 juvenile Short-toed Eagles arrived looking lost and, after circling out over the sea for a while, they departed in an Easterly direction. A Goshawk was seen briefly over a nearby wood. On my drive down, I had passed 11 individual Common Buzzards perched on the roadsides. This one flew over Cabranosa with full sun on the underparts. Two Red-rumped Swallows through Cabranosa were fairly late birds. Good numbers of Ring Ouzels and the occasional Redwing are here now. Later, at Boca do Rio I was still searching for Jack Snipe and Water Pipit with little success. There was practically no change from my last visit, with 2 Ring Ouzels, many Meadow Pipits and the stunning male Black Redstart of Southern Europe race. I came across 8 Common Snipe, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper and 4 Black-winged Stilts. Interesting colouration on this young Stilt's wings in the sunlight.
Chiffchaffs are everywhere, taking insects from the water surface. I popped over to Cabranosa this morning on the chance of further views of the Black Vulture. This bird has been here for a while now and made an appearance for me, late morning. It was flying away and must have roosted quite close to Cabranosa. I saw it later on the ground, on a hill slope a kilometre or so away. Raptors are few now, my sightings were - female Hen Harrier, 3 Short-toed Eagle, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, 4 Common Buzzard and 3 Kestrel. This Common Buzzard flew in close to where I was. Carl's pond is working well and below is a selection of this mornings' visitors. Song Thrushes. Mistle Thrushes. Ring Ouzel. Serins.
A first winter Sociable Lapwing was found yesterday among a small Lapwing flock, in the fields to the North of the marsh. I set out at first light to look for this Siberian visitor, making its extraordinary route to Africa no doubt. Lapwings were found in most of the fields, often as single birds and no real flocks except for a group on the lagoon side. I spent hours looking for the Sociable Lapwing and the time enabled me to find a Richard's Pipit which was pleasing, together with seeing all the Glossy Ibis arrive. The marsh held some Ruff and a couple of Avocets, good numbers of Common Snipe and Pintail numbers are increasing. Two Caspian Terns were flying over the lagoon for most of the morning. It wasn't until mid-afternoon when Colin Bradford and his wife searched a different field and thankfully, found the Sociable Lapwing. On the bare earth of the field (and at some distance), the lapwing was surprisingly well camouflaged, particularly from a rear view. First impression was more like grey plover/dotterel, until the white over the eye became clear and the long black legs could be seen. Even though I had looked in Collins Guide, this bird was between juvenile and adult and did not appear as an illustration. It was a very smart plover and became the fourth addition to my life list, this Winter. (Sociable Lapwing, Ruppell's Vulture, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Eagle Owl).
One of the guys who visits Cabranosa, Carl Hawker, had the idea to create a small pool of fresh water below the watchpoint. It is in fact, the only source of drinking water for a considerable distance. The pool was made with a liner, surrounded by stones and filled with water. Around the pool, Carl brought in branches for perches and to give some protection to the pool. The results have been staggering. Within 30 minutes of filling, Carl had 6 Ring Ouzels, a flock of Goldfinches, Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits. The image below only shows the surrounding branches as birds were already bathing, as I arrived yesterday. If visitors can bring water when they come up, it may be possible to maintain it. 50+ Azure Magpies stopped off to drink as they passed through the woodland. There are a good number of Ring Ouzels here now and, thanks to Carl's efforts, I was able to enjoy some really close sightings from my car. After the Ring Ouzels had gone, a Song Thrush came in. Then, a flock of around twenty Starlings flew in, these were wintering European Starlings and not the resident Spotless Starlings normally seen. Lastly, a female Black Redstart showed, and all this happened in the space of twenty minutes. There was a short break in proceedings as the farmer drove about 200 sheep over the ground! On the watchpoint, raptors picked up mid-morning. More Short-toed and Booted Eagles passed over, a Black Kite and a juvenile Black Stork showed well overhead again. The 'star' bird arrived after midday and was undoubtedly the juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle. Keeping its distance from us for more than an hour, it then came within reasonable range to see its warm brown underparts and contrasting dark primaries. A truly magnificent eagle, I hope to see more of these in the Alentejo region this winter.
Alvor Marsh has always been a good place to look for Spanish Sparrow and more so, as winter nears. I was surprised to find a flock of 32 birds in the parking area, even though there were four or five cars already. My arrival didn't bother them and they continued to feed on what appeared to be grass seed on flattened plants. The male is a most colourful sparrow with its chestnut crown, white eyebrows and large black bib. The chest markings are very well streaked in some individuals. For large numbers of Spanish Sparrow, the White Stork nests have been the traditional home for these birds. Many noisy pairs can be seen leaving and entering the large mass of twigs making up the storks' nests, usually at height and safe from predators. The female Spanish Sparrow (extreme right in above picture) resembles the female House Sparrow and is difficult to separate, although the call might give it away. With the tide out on the marsh this morning, 22 Greater Flamingos were seen - all juvenile birds. 10 Spoonbills were at their usual roost and Grey Herons were well distributed throughout the area. Waders were low in numbers with Sanderlings, Kentish Plover and Redshank on the estuary side, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and singles of Greenshank, Turnstone and this Grey Plover on the marsh. Also on the marsh was a single Shelduck which is a scarce but regular occurrence at Alvor. Two Marsh Harriers, the resident Osprey and two Kestrel made up the raptor appearance. In Alvor Harbour, a Greater Black-backed Gull has been present for a few days, another one on the scarce list! From Alvor dunes, 3 Whimbrel were seen in the saltmarsh along with several more Redshank. More unusual was a large flock of around 30 House Sparrows also on the saltmarsh. Only two Bluethroats seen here this afternoon, a female who kept well concealed and a much more showy male. A Caspian Tern made a short appearance and the regular 2 or 3 Sandwich Terns were also on the estuary.
The estuary from Alvor dunes with an intruder - my Ellie! There has been a surge of Common Buzzards arriving at Cabranosa, around 60 birds yesterday. It was news of a Cinereous or Black Vulture in the hills, that took me back to Cabranosa today. One of the many Common Buzzard about today. Short-toed Eagles are still arriving, 15 yesterday and 2 seen today. A Hen Harrier (female) was over the forest. Just when I was contemplating lunch, I made out three distant large raptors, circling slowly in the North. This was what I was waiting for, as I knew the Black Vulture was being accompanied by two Griffon Vultures. Even a few kilometres away, one bird was clearly darker than the other two and seemed to be leading the birds along. In time they arrived over Cabranosa and the Black Vulture stood out magnificantly with the two Griffons. Unfortunately, from a photo opportunity the vultures remained high in the South all the time, causing all sorts of problems shooting into the sun. This Black Vulture carries a yellow ring on its right leg denoting it is of Spanish origin, ringed as a chick. Black Vulture with one of the Griffons. Long 'fingers' on the Black Vulture. One of the two Griffons.
Cabranosa - a wonderful place!! Following the excitement, concentration and statistics of the raptor migration at Sagres, it's bound to feel a bit slow now and I've been looking around for any interesting encounters this week. At Boco do Rio: This Ring Ouzel flew on to the wetland as I was looking for Snipe. It perched on a nearby tree and looks very much like the Southern European race (Turdus torquatus alpestris) with paler wings and heavy scaling on the underparts. Grey Wagtail. At Alvor Marsh: A bathing Ringed Plover. A passing Grey Heron and one of several juvenile Flamingos. I can't resist more Bluethroats! At Pera Marsh today:
Remarkably quiet with high water levels again. Good numbers of Glossy Ibis were in the far fields and Pintail drakes were added to the year list. On the approach road, this smart Little Owl perched unconcerned as occasional traffic passed by. A winter rarity which I have occasionally searched for is the Purple Sandpiper, a small wader which I would have little trouble finding in the U.K. They frequent the harbour defences and rocks at my local East coast ports, particularly at high tide times. Along the Western Algarve coast, the cliffs can be sheer into the sea, with little in the way of rocky feeding grounds. Historically, the place to find Purple Sandpiper has been the outer breakwaters at Portimao and this is where I looked today. The Portimao breakwater has much disturbance as it is a popular exercise walk for tourists and residents alike. On the other breakwater near to the small town of Ferragudo, there is less going on, perhaps a few fisherman and walkers. I walked the full length before finding a Purple Sandpiper, doing its best to roost on the rocks. I only found the one Sandpiper but other roosting waders included Turnstones and Sanderlings. This Sanderling was sporting a metal ring on its leg. I can't make out any detail on the ring, it would be interesting to know its origin.
My second List addition was seen on the side of Portimao's river Arade - a female Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes Afer). This is another species introduced to Portugal with African origin, along with the Waxbills and Black-headed Weaver to name two! The male of this species is a stunning bright yellow, the female is more subdued - note very short tail! A visit today to a beautiful beach setting at Boco do Rio in the Western Algarve. Inland from the beach is a freshwater lagoon backed by a steep hillside, with exposed rock. Over the last couple of weeks, Crag Martins have arrived on the Algarve coast as short-distance migrants to spend the winter here. The vertical section of rockface shown in the picture above is being occupied by around forty Crag Martins at the moment. Crag Martins are a large martin having broad wings with pointed tips. The underwing coverts have distinct dark patches in contrast to the rest of the wing. Another interesting diagnostic feature is the white mirror pattern on the tail when spread, Preening and resting seemed to be the priority for these Martins. Occasionally some birds would come down to drink from the lagoon, scooping in water with open bills. An interesting time spent observing the Crag Martins, this same location was where I was yesterday birding on a larger scale! The estimated 1,400 Griffon Vulture flock was airborne again and I met with some of them, as they flew over Boco do Rio. This dark vulture (left) appears to be a 2cy Griffon and not a Ruppell's as I first thought (and hoped). Surprisingly, the entire flock doesn't have a Ruppell's Vulture with them, or at least one hasn't been seen. The flock does have a Black Vulture and Spanish Imperial Eagle with it, 4 Black Storks, Black Kites and this Short-toed Eagle.
I started the day at sunrise in a woodland I had visited last week. On that occasion, I accidentally flushed a Hawfinch which was feeding on the ground so I endeavored to find it again today. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called and Nuthatches were creeping up the pines. A pair of Cirl Buntings were seen which was quite unexpected and several Chaffinches passed through the clearing. Despite keeping a close watch on various finches including a calling Bullfinch, my Hawfinch quest was unsuccessful after an hour and a half. Returning to Vila do Bispo, I took the road over to Vale Santo and found the area alive with passerine flocks. Chaffinches flew over in numbers higher than I have seen anywhere - several hundred at least. Linnet and Goldfinches were plentiful. Siskin flocks had as many as twenty birds in a flock and even Brambling were heard to call. On the road there I had passed 7 Jackdaw, a declining species here in company with 2 Ravens. A Ring Ouzel also flew from the roadside. It was nice to see Mistle Thrushes gathering in their winter habitat and several were photographed below. Also on the wires were a female Black Redstart and the regular Common Buzzard. It was mid-morning when I decided to go up to Cabranosa. The sky had seemed quite so far with only a single Black Kite and a light Booted Eagle noted. Perhaps the Portuguese observers would have some interesting news. Cabranosa watch point - quiet now after the migration festival. Five or six Common Buzzards kept our interest going until I picked out a large swirl of circling Griffon Vultures heading our way from Raposeira wind farm in the distance. Estimated number - 400. In a short while they were in better range but flying at great height in the fine, clear weather. This flock remained in the area for some time, staying very high before drifting away in an Easterly direction. 400 Griffons was impressive enough but, they returned later bringing with them at least double the number. When we are watching and recording the raptor movements, apart from the obvious dilemma of - how many, is what other species are up there, flying with the Griffons. Fairly easily picked out were 3 Black Storks and juvenile Egyptian Vultures are often present also. Two Griffon Vultures with two Egyptian Vultures in front. By 3p.m. there were roughly 1000 birds spread across the sky over Cabranosa. The next image shows a light Booted Eagle and juvenile Egyptian Vulture, within this picture. Part of the total movement - now the work starts! Observers at Raposeira windfarm are able to shutdown the turbines when Griffons move through. A turbine can be off-line and stopped within 30 seconds. A view from Raposeira towards the Algarve coast.
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