Algarve - Portugal - Part Three

Date: 18th May - 24th May 2016

Location: Albufeira - Algarve (Portugal)

Weather: Blue Skies, Light Wind, 26-32 Degrees

Other Species: Crested Lark, Turtle Dove, Barn Swallow, Cattle Egret, Pallid Swift, Little Egret, Azure-Winged Magpie, Spotless Starling, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Zitting Cisticola, Serin, Corn Bunting, White Stork, Little Owl, Bee-Eater - Of Note

Observation: We visited what we thought was Vilamoura, it wasn't until we got back to the hotel that we were miles from the reserve, due to poor signage! Proves how lucky we are in the UK with signs and RSPB etc. We walked up a dirt track which ran in line with the beach, first tick of the day was this Turtle Dove, who was just out the car-park calling, it didn't let us get many shots before he flew to the woodland opposite and started calling again.

Walking around the "reserve" there was a abundance of Turtle Doves, we seen 5+ but there were more calling within the woodlands along the track.

There were also plenty of Crested Lark here, buzzing around the meadows and fences.

We had a quick break at the middle car-park where there were plenty of Hirundines catching the flies, we thought this was just a Swift, but when editing it looks more like a Pallid Swift, unless anyone says any different?

This Spotless Starling put on his wing dance for us whilst he sung for his supper!

On our return, 11 Cattle Egrets and a single Little Egret landed with the resident sheep and lambs, and gave us some close range shots of them in their habitat.

It seems a walk in the Algarve isn't complete without spotting a singing Serin high in the trees or a fly-past Azure-Winged Magpie.

This Azure-Winged Magpie stopped for some shots in the sun.

A "shopping" day trip to Portimao, we couldn't find the shops we were stopped by these, nesting White Storks. At first we only thought it was the one nest, but they had taken up residency on every chimney and crane around the town. Amazing sight!

We had a great time in Algarve, with some superb new species seen, including the target species of Turtle Dove and Bee-Eater's ! 10 new ticks under our belts.
Where to go next?

 

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Algarve - Portugal - Part Two

Date: 18th May - 24th May 2016

Location: Albufeira - Algarve (Portugal)

Weather: Blue Skies, Light Wind, 26-32 Degrees

Other Species: Cattle Egret, Kestrel, Little Bittern, Audouin's Gull, Kentish Plover, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Greater Flamingo, Black-Winged Stilt, Shoveler, Zitting Cisticola, Greater Yellowlegs, White Stork, Serin, Bee-Eater, Yellow-Legged Gull, Little Grebe, Red-Rumped Swallow, Swift, Azure-Winged Magpie, Avocet, Spotless Starling, Cetti's Warbler  - Of Note

Observation: A visit to the Algarve isn't complete without visiting Lagoa Dos Salgados, we visited on a Saturday, around 10am. On the bridge into the Reserve there were 3+ Mediterranean Pond Turtle eating bread that was being fed to the Coot's.

Within minutes of entering the reserve we spotted this Little Bittern doing a quick fly-past before landing in the reeds distantly, the first of our two target species for today was complete.

After standing on top of the hide for 15 minutes, the count included 2+ Audouin Gull's, Kentish Plover, Black-Winged Stilt, White Stork, Sardinian Warbler.

Walking along the boardwalk, this stunning Cattle Egret was eating it's lunch, the cricket gave a good fight....

Think he was asking us to help him in this one!

After he got away a few times, the Cattle Egret swallowed him in one, and walks off with his head held high!

There was once again a abundance of singing Sardinian Warbler, it gives a powerful but very scratchy song!

At the second hide, we spotted approx 20 Greater Flamingo feeding in the shallow mud.

In front the hide screen, this Black-Winged Stilt was feeding, everytime it caught something, it would go onto the dry mud to eat it and go back to the water, happily feeding until it spotted predators flying over its nest and off it would go, dive-bombing them with help from the Avocet's.

Crested Lark landed in front of us and started singing, the meadow behind gave a colourful background. Crested Lark were in large numbers on all the reserves we visited.

As the Crested Lark flew off, we heard a unfamiliar call... A Bee-Eater !!!

Using some field craft we used a tree for cover and stood and watched, it fed for around 15 minutes flying and catching bee's and flies before landing on the same perch as before calling each time. A second then came and landed, where they took it in turns to feed and returned to their favoured perch.

Even managed a flight shot on manual focus, 200+ shots later!

With both our target birds captured, we headed back for the bus but not before a quick ice-cream on the beach until this Kentish Plover runs within 5 foot of us back and forth, it then sits on the boardwalk, almost as if it was watching our ice-cream!

Part 3 - Vilamoura + Portimao
Coming Soon!

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Portugal Birding Holiday !

Date: 8th October - 15th October 2015

Location:  Albufeira - Portugal (Lagoa Dos Salgados)

Observation: A family holiday isn't complete without doing a spot of birdwatching whilst there. We stayed in Balaia Golf Villages and there were surprisingly ALOT of new ticks about including Hoopoe, Azure-Winged Magpie, Cattle Egret and Sardidian, some of these we actually got without leaving the apartment, which was lovely! 

Pictures of the on-site wildlife below:

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Sardinian Warbler

Azure-Winged Magpie (With Stonechat Egg)

Cattle Egret

Lagoa Dos Salgados was recommend to us so was a must visit, we used the CitySightseeing bus to get there about an hour from where we were staying. We visited on 11th October and arrived about noon, sun was shining. Before getting into the reserve we spotted the Purple Swamphen (distant but a tick!). Along the boardwalk we spotted quite a few tiny little birds using the wires and under the boardwalk to feed they turnt out to be Zitting Cisticola (Streaked Fan-Tailed Warbler), they seemed to be very showy birds.

Next tick for us was White Stork, we were told by the locals they don't normally stop of here in the daytime so to see a total of 87 White Stork fly in whilst we were walking around was AMAZING to see !

 Came so close these are non-cropped images!

A Marsh Harrier kept causing havoc for the gulls, waders and Coot's this called for amazing sights of flock of hundreds of Ibis's and more in the air! 221 Glossy Ibis were counted in one flock that arrived also! Along with 20+ Spoonbill washing and feeding.

221 Glossy Ibis's Arriving !

A few more new ticks for us included Crested Lark, Corn Bunting and Black-Winged Stilt, all stunning birds !

A few waders were on the shoreline on the exit of the reserve including Ringed Plover, Sanderling and a single Dunlin, who let you get very close to them, which was a change !

We were so pleased with our first visit we decided to return to the reserve on 13th October in the hope for better shots of the Purple Swamphen and to see the Little Bittern. The bridge entering the Reserve the Purple Swamphen was about 10 feet away, it didn't show fully but we got some nice shots including this one.

The White Stork, Spoonbill and Glossy Ibis's were present again.

Weather:  Mostly Sunny, Little Cloud and Little Wind (Tropical Storm - Saturday)

Our Hotel (Balaia Golf): Hoopoe, Azure-Winged Magpie, Cattle Egret, Spanish Sparrow, Sardinian Warbler.

Lagoa Dos Salgados:  Purple Swamphen, Crested Lark, Black-Winged Stilt, Western Marsh Harrier, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Yellow-Legged Gull, Sandwich Tern, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Streaked Fan-Tailed Warbler, Corn Bunting, Linnet.

With a total of 9 new ticks for the both of us it was a successful birding trip and would recommend this reserve (Lagoa Dos Salgados) to anyone visiting the area.

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