A Ring-billed Gull has seemingly returned to Salgados, based on it re-appearing in the precise location it was seen last year, within a metre or so!! I saw this gull last year, as a 1st winter individual showing much brown colouring on the feathers overall. Now the gull is looking much smarter in its 2nd winter plumage. In flight, the tail shows the necessary black spots, appropriate for this ageing. The wings show a considerable amount of black towards the tips which will disappear, towards full adult plumage. The back and wings of the gull are showing a more uniform light grey, with the 1st winter brown markings all gone. Leg colour is now a light grey . Some of the head streaking is still present and will be there for some months yet. The bill has changed from a pink colour in 1w to a cream/grey, with more of that colour towards the tip. A smart looking Ring-billed Gull.
This afternoon I walked the estuary at Abicada close to Alvor, where a Lesser Yellowlegs was first found on the 27th December. The bird has remained in the same area, on a small pool within the extensive marshland. As the marsh is inaccessible on foot, the Yellowlegs is very distant and my photos reflect that while I'm holding a large lens for a bird I can barely see with the naked eye! This is my second record of Lesser Yellowlegs in the Algarve as I found one at Salgados, two years ago. There was also one at Paul do Lagos last year, which I didn't see. The images I took show a Common Redshank to the left and, the Yellowlegs is slightly smaller with an all dark bill. The estuary here has a wealth of bird species, particularly waders and here are a few more seen today. A Whimbrel. Greenshank Grey Plover. Another bird I see regularly along the estuary walk is this Water Pipit, often found in one of the muddy channels. A couple of days ago, I was birding in the Vala district, to the North-East of Lagoa. For the first time in years, I came across a small population of Tree Sparrows which are quite scarce throughout the Algarve. The distinct 'chipping' call alerted me to them, whilst I was watching the many Chaffinches, Blackcaps and other small birds which were flying to and from the nearby ricefields. Small flock of Tree Sparrows with a House Sparrow (female) at centre. I saw Kingfishers in nearly all the irrigation channels around the fields. This is another enjoyable area with a good mix of woodland birds and wetland species such as Glossy Ibis, Herons, Storks and Egrets. Lapwings and Snipe were also found here, with Common Buzzards and Marsh Harriers over too.
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