This morning we returned to the same area we had visited on our first day on our birding holiday in Portugal. Today was a very different experience. We made no lists, probably saw fewer birds and certainly took fewer photographs. Yet, we really enjoyed meandering around the site and taking in the various aspects of nature.
A simple chiiffchaff gave us as much joy as seeing a rarer purple swamphen. I would have loved to see a bluethroat again but we just had to make do with hearing them.
Common chiffchaff amongst the broom… and awayThe white wagtails look a lot cleaner than our pied wagtailsThe bees love the local flora… and so do we.The Iberian magpies are fairly special tooWe could here Zitting Cisticolas and Bluethroats hereCormorants came the closest… but there were still reasonable views of marsh harriersCattle egretThe water on the lake was higher today and there seemed to be fewer birds but common pochard and a little grebe were just about in range for meThe godwits were not particularly spectacular here but I could make out a Caspian tern and some pied avocet amongst themThe best moments came when the black-tailed godwits took to the airThey were just as amazing as they came backCaspian ternMoorhenCootBlack-headed gull
A bit like being at home really, except in Bristol it was snowing this morning!
2 responses to “2nd March 2024 – Lagao des Salgados, Portugal”
Roger Lindsay Rees
Interesting to hear you did Salgados a second time round Martin, at a more relaxing pace. Nice godwit pics. Leaving Faro airport I bought a ‘birdwatching guide to the Algarve’ in English, produced by ‘visit Algarve Portugal’ at the little tourist shop . Excellent text, pics, info and maps for all the sites.
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