Travelling from Portimao towards Monchique, a colony of breeding White Storks live on either side of the road at Rasmalho. While they don't take to being approached on foot, they can be seen easily from the car (off the road) and are busy displaying at this time of year. Many of these birds visit the landfill site near Silves which accounts for some unusual colours in plumage at times. Very occasionally, an unwanted visitor may arrives at this colony in the form of juvenile Griffon Vultures. This week, one such individual has come to Rasmalho and finds a White Stork nest most suitable to perch on, even if it means despatching the owners for a while. A Griffon is a huge bird but appears dwarfed when standing on the massive structure built by the White Storks. This juvenile hasn't mastered the 'booby trap' sticks left by the owners! The Griffon took flight a number of times, selecting other Stork nests to use as look-out points. The Griffon among several other White Stork nests.
It is exactly four years ago tomorrow (blog entry 22/2/2019) that I and many others enjoyed watching two long staying Griffon Vultures. Also notable here this afternoon was a flock of seven Red Kites. These birds arrived from the direction of the landfill site, flew at considerable height for a while before returning the same way. Perhaps these birds are feeding there also which would be quite typical for kite species. Since the visit Angela and I made to Tavira six weeks ago, had allowed to us to see Slender-billed Gulls among other delights, this part of the Algarve definitely warranted a return visit of longer duration. In consultation with Chris and Sue, we decided on a few nights at a hotel which took me back some twenty years, as it was the exact location for my first ever (and long awaited) Bluethroat! The agreed meeting with our fellow birders took place at the salt pans of Fuseta. A lengthy walk around the pans was possible here and we were soon welcomed by a fishing Osprey. We began to collect several wader species but in the pans the water level was quite high, more suited to the longer legged birds! After a short break back at the cars, we made straight for Tavira where I knew the salt pans there would be far more productive. A walk along one of the first salt pans and we were back in the action with our Slender-billed Gulls. On our previous visit I had been pleased with three individual gulls. On this occasion and happily for us all, there were 39 Slender-billed Gulls and we enjoyed spending considerable time, seeing these delicate small gulls at very close range. The following couple of hours were spent picking out all the various waders, large and small which come to feed in this very important area along the Ria Formosa. Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Turnstone, Whimbrel, Little Egret, Spoonbill, Grey Heron and Flamingo were among the first of many more species to be seen over the few days. Almost reaching the Ria Formosa channel, we came across a muddy area in time to see a wagtail fly in and begin feeding. An initial flash of yellow on the underside led me to think it was a Grey Wagtail which would be quite expected. In fact, we were very surprised to find it was a Yellow Wagtail (Iberiae) and surely a very early arriving migrant. A slow walk back to the cars saw us concluding our first day and we drove the short distance to the hotel where a great evening meal would be waiting for us. The next morning we walked the short distance to the Forte do Rato and on to the Rio Formosa shoreline. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were the predominant species with occasional Audouin's Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. Occasional Sandwich Terns would pass by along the beach. Inside the river mouth leading up to Tavira, more waders were feeding, including this Curlew. At this time we were keeping an eye on the clouds and preparing to dodge a front of rain which was threatening. We decided on a short drive to adjacent Santa Luzia, passing through the rain and thankfully arriving in the now clear weather. An enjoyable walk was had on this traditional fishing waterfront without revealing many birds. There were plenty of small crabs keeping a beady eye on us on the beach below. With several hours of the afternoon remaining, we returned to a different area of Tavira, either side of the Estrada das 4 Aguas. This was leisurely birding from a wide footpath along a long straight road, with salt pans to either side. A resting Redshank, close to passing traffic. Plenty more waders along here with Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Black-winged Stilts and Avocets all making the numbers up. Winter plumaged Curlew Sandpipers proved difficult to establish as I only see them in summer juvenile form in the U.K. There were around nine in one area. Another surprise for the day was a Razorbill, well up the river and certainly inside the Ria Formosa. It looked alright though and was frequently diving. The Gilao river from Estrada das 4 Aguas and looking across to our hotel. * * * At the back of my mind, I remembered there had been a rarity recently, not far from Tavira in the resort of Monte Gordo. We began our next day on the beach at Monte Gordo, sifting through the many gulls in search of a long staying Caspian Gull. One interesting feature is the gull carries rings denoting it is of Czech origin. Eventually, a very white headed gull was found sitting down and was almost certainly our Caspian Gull. Here it is again, showing the ring '948:U' and some great features of a young Caspian Gull. A new addition to my Algarve List also. The Caspian wasn't the only 'ringed' gull on the beach. This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull originates from the Netherlands. From Monte Gordo we travelled the short distance on to the Castro Marim Reserve, which borders the Guadiana river with Spain. Once again, great scenery and excellent birding habitat although on this particular visit, not too many species were seen. The wetland pictured above had a good number of Red-crested Pochard among commoner duck species. Along the approach road, this nice Iberian Shrike was hunting along a row of bushes. On the western side of the Reserve we saw large Flamingo flocks, a Caspian Tern flew through and a pair of Great-crested Grebes were on the river. * * * Our last half day in Tavira began exceptionally well, when a Black-winged Kite began to hunt the fields around the hotel. It hovered close by at various times and we had several flypasts too. A walk back along the salt pans followed, for a recap of our first afternoon. Revisiting the Slender-billed Gulls, we found a smaller flock of nineteen birds this morning. We were still seeing new species for the trip including a Bluethroat or two, a Kingfisher strangely didn't appear at all in any of our locations. Beautiful adult Flamingos continued to circle the salt pans all morning. A last check to confirm our Curlew Sandpipers were correct. A small flock of 9 Red Knot concluded this wading bird spectacle with a total species for the trip of around 80.
A well worth trip, great friends with us and amazing sightings of Slender-billed Gulls, early Yellow Wagtail and the Caspian Gull of course. |
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