Today was going to be the best day for weather this week and I decided perhaps we should make the trip to Teesside, to see the Brown Booby which has settled in the Tees estuary. First seen ten days ago in this location, the Brown Booby is found in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico as a rule. This bird has found a new home on the no.5 buoy (green) at the entrance to the river Tees and far out in mid river. You may see the green buoy on the image below. For the duration of our visit, the Brown Booby remained on the buoy, only moving around to preen occasionally. The images below reflect the best I could do, given the distance from the shore, however I'm delighted to see the bird on our east coast. The Tees estuary is a great venue for birding as I found out on a previous visit, to watch Arctic Skuas here. There was no shortage of seabirds on the river today. Within the estuary there were many terns, mostly Sandwich and Common, with one Black Tern going out to sea. A few Gannets passed by and this Kittiwake was unusually close to the shore and alone. Both Razorbills and Common Guillemots were in large numbers, feeding and resting on the river. A walk along the beach south of the river produced several wader species, including Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Ringed Plover and eight very smart Bar-tailed Godwits. An excellent day with a great rarity and a wonderful area for birding.
A trip that has been almost a year in the planning finally came to fruition yesterday, when eight friends were reunited at the Straits of Gibraltar, for a timely Autumn migration spectacular. For two couples, Chris, Sue and Carl and Julie, a driving trip East from Portugal's Algarve brought them to the Dulce Nombre Hotel outside Tarifa. The remaining four - myself, Angela together with Pam and Brian, had made a quick two and a half hour flight down to Gibraltar from Manchester in the early hours. Thanks to the captains' flight plan, we were treated to spectacular views of 'The Rock' and the Bay of Gibraltar as we made a sharp turn towards the small airport. After collecting our hire car, we headed in the direction of Tarifa stopping for supplies at one of two supermarkets. It was in the air here, four of us had our first taste of what migration at 'The Straits' was about to look like. Around five hundred White Storks were circling purposefully and directly over the car park. We were able to watch them for around five minutes. After these few minutes and without warning, they headed off in a broad swathe and began their crossing to North Africa. All eight of us met at the hotel where we spent our first evening chatting and enjoying our dinner, some of us thankful to be warm and under blue skies once more! Just prior to dinner we had seen a Short-toed Eagle come off the hill behind the hotel, carrying a snake which it appeared to be devouring in flight. Around the hotel, Red-rumped Swallows were gliding lazily and our first flock of twelve Bee-eaters flew towards Tarifa. Day One - Mirador Watchpoint, El Cabrito and Tarifa. With due regard to the wind direction (a westerly), we drove to the Mirador Watchpoint on the east side of Tarifa. An easily accessible watchpoint on the side of the main road and complete with cafe too. Visited by many tourists also, this viewpoint gives spectacular views across the sea to Morocco. Here we found passing Griffon Vultures which we later heard were most likely part of a nearby resident colony. An easterly wind which was strengthening all the time failed to produce a significant movement of birds from here. We saw our first two Honey Buzzards make their way across, occasional Short-toed and Booted Eagles also appeared. A small dark falcon and at least one juvenile Egyptian Vulture were seen by some members of our group. Around lunch-time we moved on to El Cabrito where we had a similar experience, with mostly Griffon Vultures and Short-toed Eagles showing up. For the remainder of the afternoon, we drove down off the hills and enjoyed a walk around Tarifa town. With regard to birds, Yellow-legged Gulls accounted for everything seen around the harbour, though we were treated to another White Stork sighting, with around fifty birds passing over, as we relaxed with some well deserved drinks in a cafe. Los Lances beach at Tarifa. Day Two - Facinas Watchpoint. The small town of Facinas can be seen in the distance, behind the watchpoint (above) and lying to the north-west of Tarifa. Access to this watchpoint is on foot (unless you have a robust 4X4) and sadly, one of our team suffered a nasty fall on the loose stony ground. This meant our visit here was briefer than planned although, again the birds were not showing in significant numbers. The time spent here was interesting as one of the first arrivals turned out to be this beautiful adult Egyptian Vulture. Bee-eaters could be heard high above us, two flocks of fifty and twenty birds passed overhead. At least two Short-toed Eagles remained in the near area, being almost constantly in view. Five or six Griffon Vultures patrolled nearby hills, odd Booted Eagles showed up as did this Black Kite. On our return down to the cars, a juvenile Woodchat Shrike showed nicely for us, one of very few small birds seen apart from passing swifts. Day Three - The Barbate Estuary Wetlands. The morning commenced in the most unusual and exciting fashion at the hotel. As we were always seen to be carrying our 'bins', cameras and the like around the grounds, this particular morning, Carl was approached by one of the hotel staff. It was a minute or two before Carl returned, whisking me off in the direction of the hotel's hen coups. Crouched in the corner of the hen coup was a massive juvenile Goshawk!! In the opposite corner was another of the hotel staff with what looked like a length of rubber hose. Carl and I reckoned the Goshawk was about to meet its end and, without hesitation Carl's shirt was off and over the Goshawk's head. Carl has experience in handling small raptors and quickly marched the young Goshawk out of the hen coup and onto an area of open field where we could examine it more carefully. We suspected it may be slightly concussed but no other signs of injury. The immediate problem was that it had taken a fancy to Carl's shirt and was not letting go of it at all! Julie took hold of one foot and received a sharp talon in a finger from the other foot. We put the bird on the ground to give it some space where it later let go of the shirt. The 'nice' hotel man contacted a local rescue organisation who came and picked up the Goshawk, after we had set off for Barbate. Through the land of what seemed like a thousand wind turbines, some nice coastal scenery and we arrived in the small town of Barbate. To the east of the town, the river Barbate flows down to the sea. A mix of tidal wetland, fish farms and farm fields provide a fantastic habitat for many species of waders, herons, flamingos, seabirds and wildfowl. Even from a brief first visit, it is fair to say that most wader species would be seen when the tide is receding or out. At high tide, many birds become hidden in the vegetation. Little Terns, mostly juveniles were fishing on the first lagoon from the road. Among the waders seen were Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet and Ruff. A Ruff with extensive white plumage was quite different to most. Flamingos here number into the hundreds and were feeding throughout the wetland. We were searching here for the Northern Bald Ibis. This Ibis is critically endangered and recent introduction programmes in Andalucia have met with some success. With only minimal information on their whereabouts, we toured the immediate area, enjoying the countryside and keeping an eye out for 'dark birds!' Stopping briefly for a drink, we had a chance encounter with a new butterfly species for us, the Two-tailed Pasha. One of the most impressive European butterflies I have seen, equalling the Monarch and Spanish Festoon. I think I'm correct in saying we saw both male and female butterflies here. Returning to a different part of the Barbate marshes, an approaching harrier appeared in the form of a dark morph male Montagu's. In one fairly close fly-by it was soon gone, but gave us sufficient time to take in the overall dark head, upper and under wings. The Barbate Wetlands are an excellent area which require much more time than we were able to spend in one day. On our return to the hotel, Carl and I spent some time birding from a roof terrace where a surprise Lesser Kestrel stayed around for a few minutes. Very few passerines were around the hotel and in fact, in the wider area too. A handful of Spotted Flycatchers and one Pied Flycatcher were the only signs of an impending migration. This particular afternoon, Bee-eaters came over in small flocks of twenty or so birds and totalled around 160 in the space of an hour. A Sparrowhawk passed over and a Short-toed Eagle settled on a tree up the hillside. Day 4 - The Mirador and Cazallas Watchpoints. The day was spent raptor watching from the two above watchpoints. We had not been long at the Mirador when Carl called out a Lanner falcon, passing over the road and heading East. Without doubt the best bird of the day though I only managed a photo when it was in poor light. Whether this juvenile falcon was of Southern European race or North African, never became clear. At times the wind could be quite gusty and this was not ideal passage conditions for large numbers of birds. Nonetheless, the raptors we did see were impressive enough, including this adult Egyptian Vulture, one of eleven to make their way across the Straits. Our day totals amounted to:- 54 Griffon Vultures, 11 Egyptian Vultures, 1 Black Vulture, 6 Short-toed Eagle, 22 Booted Eagle, 20 Honey Buzzard, 6 Black Kite, 1 Lanner, 1 Peregrine, 2 Kestrel, 3 White Stork, 4 Common Swift and one unidentified Buzzard species. Day 5 - La Janda. Once another huge wetland, La Janda was extensively drained and is now very much an agricultural area. Some of the canals and old waterways are now used for irrigation. During the night, we heard thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain. There would be little chance of soaring birds after the rain, so La Janda seemed a good way to spend the day. We were still met with short, light showers and as the thunder rumbled away over distant hills, we took a slow drive through this vast plain. Crested Larks and Common Sandpipers were on the road, a flock of around 50 Bee-eaters were drying out in some trees. Of the raptors we found, Marsh Harriers were predominant with 14 seen along the length of the road, sometimes three or four on the ground in one field. 9 Spoonbills passed over in one place and we began to find juvenile Purple Herons along the canal banks. Common Pheasants were seen here, unlike the Algarve where they are scarcely seen at all. We had a remarkable sighting of 5 Black-winged Kites together in one field, a little too far for my camera but worth watching for a good while. Again, small birds were few and far between. Some Corn Buntings, both a Reed and Sedge Warbler together with occasional Yellow Wagtails. On leaving, we noticed a Short-toed Eagle drying out on a pylon. Whilst on this road which takes you through a good part of La Janda, we met a few birders. In particular, a nice lady who helped us out with our Bald Ibis quest, as we were still no nearer finding this rarity. We set off towards a golf course in the area where they were breeding and sure enough, there were three Northern Bald Ibis strutting about on the greens!! Oh wow! There he was, a 'lifer' for most of us and interesting to make comparisons with the more familiar Glossy Ibis. It was mid afternoon by now and there was still time for a return visit to the Barbate marshes. After a lunch at a roadside restaurant between the sea and the marsh, we set off for more birding. The tide was at its highest on the marsh and Yellow Wagtails flitted between islands of vegetation. The Ruff seen previously was still present on the marsh. Black-winged Stilts called noisily in the air. A final look at the farmers' fields by the road at KM3 (kilometre marker) revealed no less than 33 Northern Bald Ibis, in what could be loosely described as a horse paddock. They were indeed in the area we had first come to, but we hadn't looked in the right field where they obviously grubbed about for food! A brilliant way to end a long day in the field. Day 6 - Bolonia and Cuevo del Moro. Outside Bolonia remains a Roman archaeological site named Baelo Claudia. A temple, forum and fish-salting factory can be seen among other ruins. This site has recorded Black-eared Wheatear, Short-toed Lark and Tawny Pipit among others. However, we were to continue our run of very few passerine species and after a welcome coffee at an 'interesting' beach restaurant, we added only an Audouin's Gull in the bay, to our trip list. The weather on this day was beautiful - clear and sunny as we made our way up into the hills and to our next site at Cuevo del Moro, the Moorish Cave. An entire afternoon was spent in this peaceful location with the opportunity to see several raptor species. Griffon Vultures have a small colony here and we watched them coming and going from their craggy homes. Also on the rock face were at least 5 Blue Rock Thrush. On the very summit, we could just make out 2 Black-eared Wheatears hopping from rock to rock. Ravens flew by and 30+ Bee-eaters passed over towards the coast. Other raptors seen here included 1 juvenile Egyptian Vulture, male Montagu's Harrier, 5 Black Kites, 1 Honey Buzzard, 1 Osprey and a Short-toed Eagle. 3 Crag Martins were seen to enter the cave on the rock face. Day 7 - CIMA and Cazalla Watchpoints. A view across the Straits of Gibraltar, early mist lingering on the Moroccan side. Our day began at the CIMA's watchpoint where Whimbrel were seen in the field below us. Two Cory's Shearwaters were picked out at sea and 30 Bee-eaters flew across the Straits. With heavy rain in the north of Spain, raptors were still not on the move and our count here comprised - 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Short-toed Eagle, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Egyptian Vulture, 1 Black Kite, 1 Honey Buzzard, 4 Booted Eagle and our first 2 Black Storks. The Observatory at Cazalla. Counts in the afternoon were not much better with - 3 Short-toed Eagle, 6 Booted Eagle, 3 Griffon Vulture, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Osprey, 3 Common Buzzard (type) and 2 Black Kite. Day 8 - Final Day at The Mirador and Cazalla. It was on our final day that we witnessed the migration of the Honey Buzzards from both watchpoints. Having been at the 'Straits' for a week, it is reasonable to say that large movements of birds will follow periods of unfavourable weather. This may be locally in the form of high or gusty winds, or adverse weather to the north where birds will accumulate in numbers. On arriving at the Mirador, Honey Buzzards were already streaming over in loose groups. Most birds were flying very high with odd birds making a lower passage. Some birds rested for a while as with this Short-toed Eagle on a pylon. A flock of 15 Black Storks made a spectacular appearance over the hills. The local Griffons observed everything that was going on. A pause in the Honey Buzzard movement saw us moving across to Cazalla. A good indication as to activity depends on whether the wind turbines are running or stopped. It is encouraging to see that at least during this migration time, the turbines can be turned off when birds are approaching. Here we found different species moving through and a cracking adult Egyptian Vulture came straight for the watchpoint. In comparison to the previous visits, our day total was - 750+ Honey Buzzards, 40 Booted Eagle, 20 Black Kite, 18 Short-toed Eagle, 10 Griffon Vultures, 9 Egyptian Vultures, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 3 Buzzard, 2 White Stork and 16 Black Stork.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This year is our Golden Wedding Anniversary for Angela and myself. We stayed at the Herdade do Zambujal during the winter and thought it would be the most fabulous location in June for such an event. We would be hosted by Filipe, enjoying his superb accommodation and cuisine and, in the company of four friends from the Algarve we would have some unforgettable days birding. Celebration night on the 23rd. Angela and I (centre), Chris and Sue (furthest), Carl and Julie (nearest). Another feature of this break was that instead of flying into Faro, we flew to Lisbon instead. Picking up a car at the airport, the drive is easy, beginning over the lengthy Vasco da Gama bridge and continuing South (on the A2) for one and a half hours. Certainly an alternative route for birding in the Alentjo. We were soon ready for birding and Filipe kindly allowed us access to his fields below The Lodge. A Quail called constantly in the short grass but was never seen, I had more luck with two Red-legged Partridges. The surrounding trees had a couple of Woodchats, a family Short-toed Treecreepers passed through daily, Nuthatches were calling also. Around the property, Barn Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows were both nesting. The Red-rumps already had a first brood flying. A small river meanders through the fields where House Martins were skimming the water surface and here, a small colony of Bee-eaters were thriving. We set out on the first morning to a small river flowing under the N123 where, both Chris and myself were keen to find a bird neither of us have seen for many years, the Rufous Bush Robin. These birds are quite a late arriving summer migrant so there is never the possibility of us seeing one during our winter stays. Fortunately, the Bush Robin has a fairly loud song and the fact that it sounded unfamiliar meant that we made contact with at least one quite quickly. The slightly curved bill and black eyestripe confirmed our sighting as the Bush Robin sat low down in a bush. Only once did we see the classic 'tail up' pose as the bird flew to the ground, before flying high into a tree across the river. I've included this next shot here, not taken at the river mentioned but by the river on Filipe's property. This was an interesting sighting in the sense that while there are noted 'hotspots' for the Rufous Bush Robin, finding one in a relatively unexplored site poses the question of how many there may actually be along these small, well vegetated river banks. Continuing along the N123, we made a turn at Sao Marcos da Atobeira and then on to Monte da Aparica. We have viewed the large lake here on a couple of occasions from the approach road. This time we ventured nearer with the intention of seeking the owners' permission to birdwatch at the lake. Along the road we came across our first Rollers, a fabulous species of which we saw twelve on this first day. Having obtained the necessary permission from a very kind lady, we were soon down at the water's edge assessing the variety of birds on show. Spoonbills were arriving at the same time! One reason for coming here was the chance of seeing a much sought after lakeland species - the Gull-billed Tern. We were not disappointed and found twelve of these large terns which are not in the marsh tern class, neither are they a maritime tern. A complete surprise occurred when I noticed a more distant small tern. This was a 'marsh tern' species and was in fact an adult Whiskered Tern. Also on the lake, a large flock of Egyptian Geese, Great-crested Grebe, a few Black-winged Stilts, a single Black-tailed Godwit seemed far from where it should be, and one Little Ringed Plover. Raptors were few today apart from several Black Kites and this male Montagu's Harrier drifting over the fields. Our second day was our best day for raptor species. We began at the old station at Casevel, having seen it in the winter, I was keen to be there in June for the breeding Lesser Kestrels and Rollers. We arrived as the morning became hotter by the hour and temperatures were in the high thirties Centigrade. Most of the Lesser Kestrels, of which there were many, were flying high and although I took many photos of them, the air turbulence due to the heat destroyed any chance of a pleasing photograph. Similarly, anything within a few metres of ground level and at distance would also be a hazy blur. Fortunately, I had a bit more success with the local Rollers as they went off in search of food. Here we came across our first Spanish Imperial Eagle, a bit way off but easily told as an adult by the wing markings. We continued on this minor road and checked out another disused building with more Lesser Kestrels and another pair of Rollers. I couldn't tell at the time but If you look carefully, there is a second Lesser Kestrel sitting low down in the picture, probably a youngster. Looking for a shady place for lunch, we re-traced our route but stopped abruptly at what will, in the future, be known as the 'magic tree'! I noticed a Roller perched on top of a small tree, then within the tree was a Great Spotted Cuckoo, with a Little Owl to its left and a Hoopoe to its right - just incredible birding. From here, we made our way to Entradas, noting only our second Montagu's Harrier, a female this time. The newly laid out picnic area by the lake at Entradas provided much needed shade while we had lunch. A rough count of Cattle Egrets at the lake was estimated at around 500! They became a good alert system as whenever they took flight, a Booted Eagle or Black Kite for example was certainly close by. A Green Sandpiper passed through quickly! After a pleasant stay by the lake we made our way slowly back to our apartments and perhaps a glimpse of a Scops Owl tonight. We had heard the intriguing call of Scops Owls each evening but they were a good way off and they never came near the property. We heard a Red-necked Nightjar call briefly on our first night, but not subsequently. Our final morning started early with Carl and myself noticing a large eagle perched on a pylon about one kilometre away. We estimated it could probably be seen from the nearest road so we jumped in my car and off we went. Not as large as we had anticipated but a smart Short-toed Eagle was the first of this species during the trip. Breakfast completed and we were loading the cars, Bee-eaters flew overhead and the temperature was already at thirty degrees. We began by re-visiting the small river and spent more time with the Rufous Bush Robins. It was at the back of all our minds that by Day 3 we hadn't come across a bustard species or a sandgrouse. We had covered much of the land North of the N123 except for the cork oak areas and it could be that the bustards move under the trees when it is very hot. I decided we would check the grasslands to the South of the main road, via occasional small villages. The roadside poles had Woodchat Shrikes and Iberian Shrikes on the wires, Carrion Crows flew about and a few Eurasian Magpies were seen. Of course, there were also more Rollers..... Along a particularly straight stretch of road we could see a number of large raptors beginning to lift off the ground and we pressed on towards them. It soon became apparent that we had come across a flock of resting vultures. Clearly most were adult Griffon Vultures but among the first few seen was an adult Black Vulture. Small numbers flew off at intervals, taking a few running strides, a couple of wing flaps and the soaring took over taking them away in no time at all. The huge Black Vulture. A second Black Vulture among the Griffon Vultures on the ground. The Griffon standing on the rock was the very last bird to leave which may have had some significance perhaps. It was the only bird I did see carrying a colour ring (7VX on a blue ring) which denotes the bird is of Spanish origin. I mentioned earlier that the images are not as clear as I'd have liked with the heat, but what an experience this was. These vultures were close, really close and you felt a part of their world to some extent, privileged to be among such mighty creatures.
They proved a magnificent finale on our final full day and we could not have asked for more. This is the magic of the Alentejo that makes us return time and time again. I'm continuing the theme of rare waders on my blog with the arrival of a fine adult American Golden Plover. This time, not way up in Northumberland but just across the city where the Humber estuary leaves the industrial dockland area behind and flows past a flood alleviation area known as Paull Holme Strays. Above, the estuary flows past a breach where the incoming tide now runs in and provides mud banks and creeks for feeding waders and wildfowl. The American Golden Plover is in view, in the narrow channel above the grass bank. Clearly the distance and, dare I say it, a slight heat haze has ruled out detailed photos but I am pleased to have some images of this spectacular summer plumaged bird. I have only seen one previous 'American' and that was a juvenile wader in 2007 so this bird was a real stunner. A good number of 'summer' Grey Plovers are looking equally smart and three of these were close to the 'American'. A little distraction on the river was a Roe Deer having a swim. I've seen this happen more than once before. An interesting few hours watching the American Golden Plover. The car park area and surrounds had some migrants in song - Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Sedge Warbler and a Cuckoo passed through several times.
The Grey-headed Lapwing. Across the fence in the furthest wet meadow, local birder Gary Woodburn found this unbelievable Asian visitor. I don't know Gary personally but having read extracts on Twitter, he cultivated the wet scrape in the field himself to attract passage waders!! Finding this Grey-headed Lapwing created not only the first record in Britain but possibly only the fourth record in Europe! This Lapwing species is more at home in China and Japan as well as large parts of Asia. It has travelled an incredible distance to finally cross the North Sea and land on the Northumberland coast. Due to various engagements at home, a tense three days had gone by before we were able to pack a bag, bundle 'Ellie the dog' into the car and point it North up the A1 towards Northumberland. By the time we arrived, the Lapwing had re-located a little to the South end of Long Nanny and was feeding placidly and alone, apart from a couple of Greylag Geese. My first impression was certainly of a lapwing/plover type of posture and the bright yellow bill and legs were certainly an outstanding feature. I was able to watch the Lapwing for a good while albeit at a fair distance. It remained on the ground the entire time and the only images I have reflect this. I felt quite privileged to have seen this long distance vagrant and to enjoy the spectacle being shared by a reasonable number of birders, coming and going throughout the day. I didn't feel the excitement with this bird as I'd expected or perhaps would have, a good few years ago. Some twenty years ago in the Algarve, I couldn't believe my eyes as to the birds I was seeing. Now those birds are here in Yorkshire - Black Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Spoonbill ..... the list goes on. Perhaps birds are identifying with our changing climate faster than we are and may adapt better than we will, time will tell. We couldn't leave Northumberland without popping into Seahouses and checking the harbour. The local Common Eider ducks are always a favourite with me! A small flock of both male and female Eiders around the rocks on the incoming tide. A drake Eider pushing along quite a 'bow wave' and yet looks bone dry - fully waterproof!!
I'm well behind with my Spring migrants arriving, having only been out twice since returning from Portugal. What with the wettest March for donkeys' years and the relentless cold temperatures throughout April, I haven't felt like going out at all. There was a bright sky this morning though the temperature was only six degrees. I made my mind up to have a run out to Tophill Low NR which has always been a favourite in Spring and the sound of newly arrived migrants resounds through the trees. The view down 'D' reservoir (it's shaped like a capital D!) A small flock of Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks and a few Goldeneye left over from winter accounted for the wildfowl on the water. By lunch-time it was a different story as hundreds of Sand Martins were flying low over the water surface. I set off from the car park towards the South Marsh. As I'd anticipated, the song of warblers rang out in the trees, one after another - Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps. Low down and in the reed edges one or two Sedge Warblers were emitting short versions of their noisy chatter. On the marsh I noticed a pair of Oystercatchers nesting among the Black-headed Gulls. When the Oystercatcher went for a short walk, I was able to see at least three eggs on the nest. There had been a Garganey here yesterday and after scanning the area for some time, I felt it had maybe moved on. The walk to the marsh had revealed swathes of primroses among the grass. One of many Willow Warblers seen this morning. Not the brightest of Willow Warblers but it's song made up for a lack of colour. Here's a real sign of Spring, not quite sure how many families are present here but the Greylag Geese always produce many young. A quick look around the Visitor Centre revealed a nice Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders. Below the feeders, a very colourful Pheasant set about cleaning up any food dropped. The North Marsh. A tranquil place sometimes frequented by Otters and Kingfishers. I've been lucky to see a Purple Heron drop in here a couple of years ago. The next Spring treat was an adult Hobby at the far end of the 'D' reservoir. It snatched something from the air as it flew past me. On to another part of the Reserve where it is known a pair of Kingfishers are breeding. Not too long a wait before I was enjoying excellent views of these brilliant little birds. A male Marsh Harrier was hunting in the same location. It was barely gone midday and the rain was threatening again. On a minor road quite close to Tophill, I literally drove past this Barn Owl in a roadside tree! As a little extra, many birders are aware that due to a storm a few weeks ago, there was an unexpected release (!) of Gyr Falcons from a falconry business in South Yorkshire. I came across one of these birds at Spurn two weeks ago. A sizeable bird was my first impression, almost the size of a Buzzard and very powerful in flight. What a shame it had 'bits' attached underneath!
Several days ago the high water level on the lagoon overtopped the beach, allowing the water to run out to sea, leaving large expanses of mud and smaller wet areas. The previous week there had been only gulls and a few ducks on this lagoon. Now, there are Glossy Ibis, Egrets, Herons, Spoonbills and White Storks, all looking happy with the changed environment. A breeding plumage Cormorant. A flock of Sanderlings feeding in the shallow stream. A Purple Swamphen quickly makes his way to the reedbed. The Spoonbills are a real feature here at the moment and feed busily. This pair of Spoonbills were 'attending' to each other's plumage. The left hand bird has a colour ring (NAVS) on the right leg, denoting it is of Dutch origin since 2019. This morning as I arrived, a Sedge Warbler was singing in bushes by the viewing screen. Those who keep 'first dates' may know just how early an arrival this is but I was very surprised. Within a few minutes, I also noticed two Common Swifts flying low over the dunes. Out on the lagoon again, no less than sixteen Grey Herons were present, some better behaved than others ! On the upper lagoon, the male Garganey which has been here for some weeks now was showing well and cruising around with Teal or Gadwall. This dark form Booted Eagle flew around the lagoons for a short time this morning. Yesterday morning I found a Wood Sandpiper feeding in the channel in front of the viewing screen. Unfortunately it didn't stay and flew out high in a northerly direction. The Glossy Ibis here have revealed their stunning colours in the bright sunlight to great effect. My winter birding here in Portugal comes to a close once more this week. It has been a wonderful time again with great birds and great friends too. I have seen 243 species in the six months on the Western Algarve and Alentejo.
One of three Caspian Terns today. Our enthusiasm for this part of Portugal got the better of us again, as another short break was planned this week for Chris, Sue and ourselves to once again enjoy the birds of the Alentejo. We rendezvoused as we have before at Horta da Nora on the outskirts of Castro Verde. Here we found the Great White Egret and a few common duck species. The lake wasn't as productive as we have known previously and we fairly soon drove into Castro Verde, where we left Chris's car for the day - on 'Owl Street' as we now call it! Three Long-eared Owls looked down on us briefly, before choosing to go back to sleep and ignoring the inquisitive people below. As we had all the afternoon on our first day, we planned to explore the grasslands between some of the small villages on the South side of the N123 which often bring about the typical bird species of this area. Before doing so though, we turned off the road at Sao Marcos da Atabueira and had lunch overlooking the lake at Monte da Aparica. I had no sooner parked the car when two very large raptors were seen above, identified as adult Spanish Imperial Eagles. They appeared to patrol a wide area, unfortunately remaining rather high but giving quite good views particularly of the white leading edge on adult wings. The lake here had a gathering of White Storks, Spoonbills and surprisingly, two Mute Swans which is a species not encountered in many locations at all. On the nearest hillside we came across our first flock of Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 16 in all. Never an easy bird to get close to and they really are sandgrouse in the images! By now we had around 40 species on our lists, all the time we were hearing Corn Buntings, Skylarks, Crested Larks and the larger Calandra Larks. The air was full of song, often with 'honking' Ravens and 'chittering' Spanish Sparrows going over. We moved on , to a spot by the N123 where I thought we would find Great Bustards but instead we were greeted with a flock of around 45 Common Cranes. Again, a good way off with reasonable views which meant that the Cranes remained undisturbed and continued strutting about near a small pool. The minor roads wind their way across the grassy hills and Iberian Shrikes perched on roadside poles as we drove on. Two Great Bustards in flight before the village of Rolao travelled a long distance, finally disappearing over far hills. Taking it very steadily and watching the fields on both sides of the car, a cry of "kestrel, magpie, cuckoo, no it isn't," came from the front seats. Sitting on the roadside fence was what turned out to be the most talked about bird of the trip, without a doubt - an adult Great Spotted Cuckoo. An iconic Alentejo bird, particularly in the late Winter when they are just arriving back from Africa and you really hope to come across one. This Cuckoo was almost friendly. I was able to move the car along quietly as it dropped to the ground, snatched a 'hairy' caterpillar and flew to a nearby post to demonstrate its ability in devouring these little beasts. There couldn't have been a better end to the afternoon with this delightful Great Spotted Cuckoo, or so we thought until arriving at the accommodation, booked for our visit. It's not often I give much detail as to where we stay but as we drove up to the hotel, I had a feeling this was something special. 'Hotel' is far too general a word for what we found here and a 'life experience' would be far more appropriate to describe the time we had here. Secreted away on a hillside and forming part of the Herdade do Zambujal, The Lodge consists of a small cluster of apartments together with restaurant, bar and garden surroundings. One of the twin apartments, occupied by ourselves and note the superb roof terrace as if you needed anything better for birdwatching! The Alentejo shortly after sunrise, taken from the room's balcony. With fully waterproof binoculars, enjoyment could be taken a step further! 'The Lodge' has been cleverly and sympathetically designed to incorporate the natural resources such that it nestles within the rock and tree covered hillside, the colours used in construction are of a 'natural' tone, so it blends in well given that it is built to a modern, hi-spec standard. The rooms were immaculate regarding comfort and cleanliness, the restaurant experience was extraordinarily good with such a cheerful staff looking after us. Our second day was spent in the area around Salto where we achieved two Golden Eagles and two more Spanish Imperial Eagles, this time juveniles. All the birds were seen at great distance and I didn't obtain any useful pictures however, watching these magnificent raptors and adding a female Hen Harrier to the ever growing list of species was time well spent. More Great Bustards fairly concealed in cork oak woodland:- I think eyestrain was beginning to bite now as I struggled with another long range subject - black head, white neck and longish tail like a pheasant? One of our illustrious team actually saw it in flight, which was a little strange, as it eventually revealed itself to be a domestic cat!!! Our last morning began at the LPN centre (League for the Protection of Nature) where we first saw flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plover which winter in large numbers here. In fields close to the Centre itself, we were treated to the sight of a small flock of Little Bustards taking flight and circling overhead before settling again in nearby fields. Two Great Bustards flew into the locality, settling high on a hill. The ground here had singing Calandra Larks taking to the air. A large billed lark with conspicuous dark underwing when seen in flight. It was during a short rest back at the Centre when a large juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle suddenly appeared over the building roof, giving me almost no time with the camera before it vanished again! To conclude this excellent few days visit, Chris took us to a place that I haven't visited before which very soon will be home to breeding Rollers. To our surprise, there was already a pair of Lesser Kestrels which we were really pleased to see. In the course of our stay there during the afternoon, the number of Lesser Kestrels seen rose to eight, as if they were actually arriving back on their breeding grounds. Male Lesser Kestrel. Female Lesser Kestrel. A pair of Lesser Kestrels. .....and I'll finish this trip with a pair of White Storks returning to the nest and displaying.
The North American vagrant wader, namely the Long-billed Dowitcher has now been found at a new location to the West of the Quinta da Rocha marshes. Having been located back in November of last year on the marsh, the dowitcher has remained throughout the winter and it is fairly safe to assume that the bird now at Paul de Lagos, will most likely be the same bird. Whilst on the marsh, the dowitcher fed among the Black-tailed Godwits and in a location where observers were invariably looking towards bright sunlight. Obtaining good views of this rare wader was therefore extremely difficult and, having the bird relocate now to the old pools at the aerodrome means the dowitcher is much easier to observe. Until now, we had seen the long stout bill and with luck, the white supercilium extending over the eye. The plumage is of a first winter bird with a mostly grey breast colour, the upperparts heavily scalloped in a neat pattern (reminds me of juv Ruff). The legs are an olive green colour as is the bill, nearer the head. Towards the tail the belly is white with almost black spotting on it, ending with a barred tail. So that was probably my best views of a Long-billed Dowitcher, having only seen several of this species anyway. Out of curiosity this afternoon, I checked all the locations where we had previously seen the dowitcher at Quinta da Rocha. There was no sign of it among the Godwits, Ruff, Redshank and Snipe at all. A nice show of Greater Flamingos are staying at Quinta da Rocha. Also, the Ospreys continue to show well here. This bird had been disturbed on the ground by another Osprey, which accounts for why it's 'catch' is not 'head first' as it took off in a hurry! Nearer our home, the Stone Curlews are showing daily:- The fields here are full of Song Thrushes too. There seem to be more around this Winter than I've seen before.
More unusual sightings of seabirds this week, perhaps most notable was the Storm Petrel seen upriver from Portimao, quickly followed by 'five' of the same species in the harbour at Quarteira. The following morning, the petrels were close in at sea, as we found out in the afternoon when one was seen flying towards Almargem. Two different Razorbills were seen around Quarteira port. In the fishing port I came across this brute of a Great Black-backed Gull which, I am led to believe is a long staying resident there. A quick look at the waterworks outside Vilamoura revealed an adult winter Common Gull, far from common here but quite regular visitors to some inland sites. With the gull busily bathing, the upperwing shows the large white 'mirror' patch and the smaller dots on the other primary tips. Still on the subject of unusual sightings, as I'm writing this I have heard of a Grey Phalarope now in the marina at Lagos!
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