My intention this morning was to spend some time looking around the fields to the North of Morgado golf course. It was very overcast and frequent drizzle hampered any successful birding. On my return to the N266 and ultimately Portimao, I remembered seeing on the 'media', a Griffon Vulture sitting on a White Stork's nest along this road. Along the roadside near Rasmalho there are many White Storks' nests and the sky can be filled with wheeling Storks. They feed in the surrounding fields and perch on old buildings, trees and power poles. Driving slowly after the village toward the roadside nests, I soon saw the obvious silhouette of a Griffon Vulture occupying one of the nests. I was able to get the car off the road into a quiet lane, where I could see the Griffon across a field. I was no sooner out of the car when I noticed, among the flying White Storks was another Griffon Vulture. Both birds are juveniles and the airborne one has a metal ring on the right leg, perhaps from a Spanish breeding programme. A brief spell of brightness had the Storks lifting in to the air and with them, the first Griffon from the nest. Storks and Griffons circled closely, just over the road and no more than tree height at times. Gaining height, they flew away together in an Easterly direction. I followed their path through the sky until they disappeared from view. Within a couple of minutes, hundreds of gulls rose up from where I had last seen the Griffons. More and more gulls became visible and I concluded that the Storks and Griffons had gone down on the landfill site, off the Silves road. While the Griffons were away, there were some questions to wonder over. Why were they here, did they like the company of similar sized birds? The Storks were not alarmed by the Griffons flying with them and were generally getting on with what Storks do. The nest occupied by the Griffon was now re-occupied by a Stork pair. What would the Griffons do on their return, I think it's worth waiting? After half an hour or so the Storks returned and with them, I watched one of the Griffons. The Griffon ignored the nest he had been in and simply 'persuaded' another Stork to vacate its nest. This may be all very well at the moment, but things could be different when the Storks begin nesting seriously. I should add that at no time did the Griffons pay any attention to each other and sought out their own roosting arrangements.
An interesting experience and there maybe answers to my questions as time passes, if the Griffons remain here. Comments are closed.
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