Delighted to be back in our second home and all ready for another period of bird migration on the Sagres peninsula. I made a start this morning, not far from our village and in time to see an Eagle Owl making a short flight to its roost as the sun rose. Only a couple of hundred metres away an Osprey was sitting on a power pole, occasionally being mobbed by Iberian Magpies. Signs of Autumn were all around as Spotted Flycatchers (6) flitted out of the trees. A single Pied Flycatcher was here together with two Common Redstarts and several Willow Warblers. Three Ravens honked noisily as they passed overhead. After breakfast, we walked to Figueira beach to let Ellie have some well deserved playtime. Having spent two and a half days making the long journey with her transport company friends, she was ready for a splash in the sea and a good roll in the sand. Later on, we met with Sue and Chris at the hallowed ground which is Cabranosa. This is the area where we participate in the spectacle of raptor migration each Autumn, as well as seeing the smaller birds which rest or pass through on their journey to Africa. Among the notable birds around the bushes shown above were a family of Subalpine Warblers. Three young were seen which posed an identification problem for a while, until the adult birds appeared, confirming our suspicions. 1st winter Western Subalpine Warbler. Another good find was a Wryneck which remained long enough for good views as it moved about the trees. A later search for the Wryneck revealed a juvenile Woodchat Shrike. The star bird on the ground for both Chris and myself was undoubtedly an Ortolon Bunting which remained in a pine tree for a while. The arrival of juvenile raptors is beginning already. Those seen this afternoon were all flying high and the heat haze has distorted my images badly.
In the space of three hours we saw - 7 Egyptian Vultures, 4 Black Kite, 3 Bonelli's Eagles, 1 Booted Eagle, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and one unidentified falcon. Quite an impressive start on our first visit and hopefully a sign of more interesting sightings to come.
Valerie
10/9/2020 06:32:16 am
Have a great time Nigel , let us know about any ospreys you see , the one in the photo above looks juvenile
Margaret Crompton
12/9/2020 04:44:47 pm
Figueira beach, oh how I love walking there and watching the dogs play. Sadly we won't make it this winter! Ellie is having fun I see! Comments are closed.
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