Alvor Marsh has always been a good place to look for Spanish Sparrow and more so, as winter nears. I was surprised to find a flock of 32 birds in the parking area, even though there were four or five cars already. My arrival didn't bother them and they continued to feed on what appeared to be grass seed on flattened plants. The male is a most colourful sparrow with its chestnut crown, white eyebrows and large black bib. The chest markings are very well streaked in some individuals. For large numbers of Spanish Sparrow, the White Stork nests have been the traditional home for these birds. Many noisy pairs can be seen leaving and entering the large mass of twigs making up the storks' nests, usually at height and safe from predators. The female Spanish Sparrow (extreme right in above picture) resembles the female House Sparrow and is difficult to separate, although the call might give it away. With the tide out on the marsh this morning, 22 Greater Flamingos were seen - all juvenile birds. 10 Spoonbills were at their usual roost and Grey Herons were well distributed throughout the area. Waders were low in numbers with Sanderlings, Kentish Plover and Redshank on the estuary side, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and singles of Greenshank, Turnstone and this Grey Plover on the marsh. Also on the marsh was a single Shelduck which is a scarce but regular occurrence at Alvor. Two Marsh Harriers, the resident Osprey and two Kestrel made up the raptor appearance. In Alvor Harbour, a Greater Black-backed Gull has been present for a few days, another one on the scarce list! From Alvor dunes, 3 Whimbrel were seen in the saltmarsh along with several more Redshank. More unusual was a large flock of around 30 House Sparrows also on the saltmarsh. Only two Bluethroats seen here this afternoon, a female who kept well concealed and a much more showy male. A Caspian Tern made a short appearance and the regular 2 or 3 Sandwich Terns were also on the estuary.
The estuary from Alvor dunes with an intruder - my Ellie! Comments are closed.
|
|