Weather not so good today with intermittent drizzle from mid-morning. Took a walk along the golf course at Quinta do Lago and not a great deal showing. On the tidal channel, a Whimbrel was close and on the far bank a large gull roost held ten Med Gulls among the Lesser Black-backs and Yellow-legs. On the lake, there were far more Med Gulls, around 40 or so. The ever-present Purple Gallinule and Little Egret made the best subjects on a quiet visit. By mid-afternoon we were at Pera Marsh. The most unusual visitor appeared to be a Little Gull in a large mixed flock of gulls, on the far side of the marsh.
I was intrigued to know whether the White-winged Snowfinch had decided to become a 'long-stayer' or if it was a brief visit only. Whilst preparing to set off, there were a few interesting sights around the apartment this morning. A male Siskin in tree outside. A smart Yellow-legged Gull on our roof. and an Azure-winged Magpie in the garden. On our way out to Aljezur again, we pulled over at the turning to Pincho - an area of excellent mixed woodland and an opportunity to find more woodland birds. My target bird was Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which is hard enough to find at home, but does frequent this area. The first birds were Long-tailed Tits, 2 Wrens and a Nuthatch calling nearby. A familiar call led me to my first Bullfinches in the Algarve and 3-4 Waxbills flew over. Many of the lichen-covered cork oak trees had woodpecker nest holes and within twenty minutes, I traced a calling Lesser to the top of a telegraph pole. Hastily (and badly) shooting into the light, I tried to get a few photos before it flew, on seeing me below. Great to see our smallest Woodpecker. We arrived at the coastal site near Aljezur and I began to scour the ground in the same field as before. Pied and White Wagtails, a good flock of Corn Buntings also held two Cirl Bunting. Two Serins were on the ground and very difficult to pick out. A female Black Redstart was much easier! Within a couple of minutes, I found the Snowfinch still looking brilliant and constantly feeding amongst the short grass and small plants. Considering the rarity in terms of Portuguese records, I was surprised no one else was looking, especially on a Saturday. I stayed with it for a while, taking even more photos. Perhaps it thought the daisies were a carpet of snow - it looked like it !!
Today was one of my favourite trips, out of the Algarve to the Alentejo Region, vast areas of grasslands and 360 degree vision for raptor watching. We start from the town of Castro Verde and work along the N123. The roadside wires are good for Southern Grey Shrike and a total of twenty three birds were seen along this road. The roadside fields held hundreds of Lapwing and small flocks of Golden Plover. Corn Buntings were in flocks of 40-60 birds, an impressive and noisy spectacle. We made a short stop at the Ribeira da Maria Delgada, a pretty river teeming with birdlife at this time. Along the sides of the river, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were feeding on insects. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Spotless Starlings were in the trees. Surprisingly, a Little Grebe was on the river too. Raptors had been rather short with only 2 Red Kites and 2 Kestrels, but it was still only mid-morning with no breeze and only slightly warm in the hazy sun. I decided we would turn off the N123 to an area I have known to hold Great Bustard. Driving over the brow of a small hill, I immediately saw a flock of Great Bustards at about 200 yards off. In total, there were 32 birds the largest (and nearest) flock I have come across. We watched from the car as the Bustards mostly preened, one or two rested on the ground. After forty minutes or so, they decided to take flight into the next field. We moved on from this location and stopped again 1km East of Viseus. Behind a near hill there was possibly a carcass of some sort as I noticed 2 Ravens and a Red Kite arguing in the air. In a short space of time, there were 5 Red Kites, a female Hen Harrier and 2 Common Buzzards, all visiting this hillside. I then saw a large eagle being mobbed by a Raven. It didn't look right for a golden eagle and to my delight, turned out to be my first Spanish Imperial Eagle in Portugal. This was a magnificent bird and really made my day. Other raptors in the area were a Griffon Vulture at great height, a Sparrowhawk through and, as we were leaving, this distant raptor which I would like some help with as I haven't reached a conclusion.
A pleasant afternoon was spent on the nearest habitat to where we stay and 43 species were found on this excellent wetland. Raptors seen included one Booted Eagle, a Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, one Short-eared Owl and an Osprey staking out the local fish farm. The Short-eared Owl was one of three present at the moment and was hunting at three in the afternoon.
Among the ground birds seen was a flock of around twenty Starlings, not the Spotless Starling usually seen in these parts, but the more familiar variety from home. An uncommon winter visitor. Waders were in short supply with a couple of Black-winged Stilts, Green and Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Redshank and a few Oystercatchers on the seaward side. A Kingfisher flew through also. 12 Greater Flamingos were present, together with Spoonbills and around fifteen Grey Herons. Some of the Flamingos were attaining adult coloration. In the Algarve I use the SPEA - ebirder link to gather information on local sightings and was amazed to find a sighting of Snowfinch , less than an hour's drive from Alvor. This is a true vagrant, with only about 4 previous records in the Algarve region. Normally found at high mountainous levels, this Snowfinch was in a coastal meadow, a few metres above sea level. With the information from e-birder, a look on Google Earth and a snapshot on my mobile phone, we duly arrived at what looked like the area, and pulled up behind the only car present. (The locality was NW of Aljezur through National Park to the coast). We met with two great local birders who had been with the Snowfinch for some time and I am extremely indebted to them, as it meant I 'hit the spot' straight away. The Snowfinch appeared in brilliant condition, feeding constantly on the ground and occasionally giving a short sub-song. We were able to approach quite close, without its feeding being disturbed. This Snowfinch was a 'lifer' for me as I hadn't found one in the French Pyrenees, amongst the Alpine Accentors, Lammergiers and Wallcreeper, I did succeed with. On the ground, the Snowfinch looked really large, particularly when it was joined by two Goldfinches in comparison. It was more the size of Corn Bunting of which there were small flocks flying in the vicinity. When the Snowfinch flew, it was dazzling with the large white wing panels on show - Oh to be quicker with the camera!! We stayed in the area, watching this remarkable bird and also saw a Southern Grey Shrike, a Raven, Black Redstart, Stonechats and White Wagtails. On the outskirts of Aljezur was one of my favourite raptors - Black-shouldered Kite. A brilliant outing and remarkable views of a Snowfinch.
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