It was by pure chance that I encountered a magnificent pair of Bonelli's Eagles this morning. I wasn't at Cabranosa and the precise location is not being revealed as, speaking later with local raptor expert Sergio Correia, I had unknowingly wandered into a Bonelli's territory. With the recent fires in the Monchique hills, it is possible that previous Bonelli's territories may be lost now and their ability to find new ones must be fairly limited in the Western Algarve. I was firstly aware of a huge female bird soaring in the valley. Look at the attentive concentration on the face of this female as it surveys its territory. I think I become the object of concentration at this point! The female flies past showing a heavily streaked breast The male Bonelli's appears briefly before soaring over a hill. This bird is not so streaked on the breast. The female makes another circuit passed me. Several left wing primaries have moulted at the moment. A wonderful end to my raptor watching in the South-West of Portugal.
martin hughes
17/11/2018 09:38:14 am
what a great read your pages and pix have been these past few months. Comments are closed.
|
|