Soon I'll be moving along to the Sagres Peninsula so I took the opportunity to visit Salgados once more. I will probably be back in the winter when, the Tawny Pipits will have been replaced by Richard's Pipits and many more wildfowl will be present. My walk along the lane this morning revealed a smart male Common Redstart. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew by, a Little Owl called and Garden Warblers were the only small birds in the bushes. At Salgados, I walked the track North to check that the Ortolons are still around as some friends are coming to look for them shortly. I found four Ortolons in their favourite olive tree and on the ground in the stubble field. Also in the field, the flock of Short-toed Larks had returned and numbered eleven birds altogether. They were difficult to locate as their colour exactly matched their surroundings. Three of the Short-toed Lark flock. Two Northern Wheatears, a male Stonechat and two yellow Wagtails (ssp Flava) were also in the small stubble field. A Peregrine was seen flying in the distance. On the marsh, more waders seemed to be enjoying the muddy islands and I added Red Knot and Little Stint to my tally. Just after noon, an Osprey arrived which I have not seen before as it clearly carried colour rings on its legs. It circled Salgados a few times before climbing and leaving in an Easterly direction. As I was also about to leave, I noticed a high flying harrier which appeared quite long tailed. It came a little lower and I was pleased to see it was a juvenile Montagu's Harrier. Revealing a beautiful juvenile plumage, the harrier flew around twice before heading out towards the sea.
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