It was only a few days ago that I was praising this site on the rice fields, for its diverse range of bird species and the wintering home of some quite rare visitors. A post on social media late morning indicated that a rare Baillon's Crake had been seen on these very fields.
I was having lunch and at the same time, going over the information in front of me regarding the Baillon's Crake. It's not far from Alvor and within half an hour I was arriving in Estombar and making my way down to the wetland. Thanks to some very precise information on where the Crake had been seen, I was able to find a place on the edge of the reeds where I hoped it may emerge, and commence the wait. I managed a two to three second look at the Baillon's Crake as it jumped into the air, only a few metres away and landed not far away but in the same thick reeds. The time was long enough to see the short, stout bill which ruled out Jack Snipe or Water Rail straightaway. Random white marks showed over its back and there was little to show regarding a tail. The size and attitude in flight was typical of a Crake and I was happy that it was the same bird as found by Tiago Guerreiro. A problem was quickly developing in that, because of a New Moon and therefore spring tides, the water level was rising quickly across the entire area. The track I had been standing on was becoming submerged and I had to retreat back a fair distance. The high water level was pushing birds out, with both Purple Swamphens and Little Bittern on view at times. I hoped this rise in level would make the Crake look for another piece of ground, but it didn't happen. I stayed until the water was beginning to cover the access road and then unfortunately had to leave. Comments are closed.
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