Over the last couple of days, when we haven’t been doing touristy things, I’ve grabbed a few more bird photos as the opportunities here are endless. We have an armchair view (literally) so the pickings are very easy although I did miss a kingfisher which perched right opposite us as I was without camera at the time. I must be getting blasé.
After morning coffee in Fuseta we took an Uber for just a few euros along the coast to the Nature Park at Quinta de Marim. This is a favourite of ours: a 3 km trail takes you through various ecosystems – dunes, salt marshes, pine woodlands and there is a hide at the edge of the marsh. There’s also a very interesting tidal mill where generally you see lots of interesting birds. Unfortunately today there was a full tide and the only birds on the coast were clinging to a pier.
We saw lots of Iberian magpies and collared doves but my photos were too poor to publish.
However, there was lots to see at the hide which overlooks a small inland pool. I made a rather silly ID error here thinking a had seen a western swamphen, but it was really only a moorhen. Perhaps it was the terrapin alongside which confused me as we had seen western swamphens and terrapins together a little further along the coast at St Lourenco.
There were also lots of little egrets and grey herons around the lake but I will spare you my photos of these!
Our enjoyment of this nature reserve became even greater when, on leaving the park, we discovered a lovely local restaurant – the Restaurant Vista Formosa where the waiter told us that next time we should climb the stairs to see why it has this name. He assured us we would not be disappointed. Definitely a good reason to return.
Today we have been exploring the salt pans of Fuseta from where we have had some glorious views of the birdlife and the scenery of this part of Portugal. We stopped off at a small café/restaurant on the far side of the pans and extended our stay to include lunch – all of which was incredibly good value.
The walk back seemed further but we had a good stop as, incredibly, we bumped in to two men on bikes on the long distance cycle track through the Algarve who I used to teach as boys nearly 50 years ago back in Bristol in the UK. I am always amazed that such encounters ever happen.
We were quite happy to encounter a few spoonbills too, but I had to take the photos through a net as they were on private property. Manual focus helped somewhat.
Back at base we had a relaxing time where I managed a few of the birds I was hoping to see.
Today I start with my last bird photo of the day – a bluethroat. I had seen one earlier in the week and was pleased with my efforts of constantly looking at all the sparrows in a bush opposite us to find this one. I must admit, though, I have had enough of looking at house sparrows.
Hereafter the photos are generally in chronological order of when I have taken them in the day but are only a small representation of what we have seen today. I have tried to include only new birds or photos with some particular interest.
We have enjoyed regular sights of a kingfisher flashing past but as yet I have not managed a photo – I still have a few days left so nil desperandum.
Well we have been out and about a little today exploring the delights of Fuseta but not until I had photographed more birds than I know what to do with. Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose!
Quite appropriate really to use a little French as as we seem to hear French spoken here more than any other language and the first couple of photographs rather sum up the mood a little around here.
All other photos were taken from the balcony or the garden looking out on to the tidal river and salt pans of Fuseta.
I can’t believe how indolent we have been today. We have spent most of the day sitting in the garden of our holiday let watching (and in my case photographing) birds. I can’t remember ever having a day like it.
There’s been so much to see and I don’t really know how to go about recording what we have seen. I will just publish a sample of my photographs and tell you that most of the action has taken place at a distance of less than 20 metres from where we have been sitting. The day ended when a kingfisher perched in the garden less than 3 metres from us, before scuttling off down the river. I didn’t have a camera in my hand at the time as I was holding my evening aperitif!
Supper time now and a day free from birding tomorrow!
Well I thought I had finished photographing and blogging for the day but I could not resist more opportunities later this afternoon when the tide was low in the river right in front of our terrace and a spoonbill and a little egret arrived on the scene. There were other little waders that I couldn’t resist either.
Whilst Portugal was going to the polls in the country’s local elections (which are apparently poised to be another win for Europe’s far right) we were taking it easy on a stroll through the salt pans of Fuseta. We weren’t alone – there seemed to be be more people cycling, running and walking along the long distance path along the Algarve than heading to the polls. But to be fair, listening to the voices in the local square at lunch time there were more French people than Portuguese. This may be one of the reasons why the Portuguese are complaining about the cost of housing – the problem is particularly critical in Lisbon, where average home prices have shot up by nearly 80 percent over the last five years and are currently hovering at €5,769 per square meter.
We were so refreshed from the rest over the last few days that we were up to see the sun rising. And what a treat it was with a flock of spoonbills flying over the sun.
I’m not a great fan of gulls but they looked good as the sun rose:
As we approached the village we were heading for there were lots of plants still in flower.
At the village we discovered the café/restaurant was closed and so we headed back to Fuseta.
Day two of our stay on The Algarve in Portugal.
We have had a lazy day sitting watching the birds from our holiday rental accommodation looking over the salt pans of Fuseta, wandering around the streets of Fuseta and spending far too much time having lunch at our favourite restaurant in this part of the world, À do Ruí. Tomorrow we must get out a bit more!
It seemed a shame to leave Bristol in the lovely October sunshine but (and don’t feel sorry for us) we are spending the next 11 days on the Algarve in Portugal which is even more sunny and with even better temperatures,
We have come to Fuseta, a tiny fishing village in the eastern Algarve. Fuseta is relatively unspoilt and full of beautiful tiled streets to wander around with fantastic restaurants where you can eat fabulous fresh seafood and with lots of cafés to sit and people watch. One of the main attractions for us is that Fuseta is very easy to reach by taxi from Faro airport (we only took just over 5 hours from home to rental property) and it has a train station (2 in fact) from where we can easily explore other parts of The Algarve.
Better still, this area is fabulous for bird watching with loads of salt pans attracting a huge number of birds.
We have found an amazing apartment which is called “Birdwatchers’ Paradise” and looks out onto the salt pans of Fuseta. It is rather like being in an amazingly comfortable bird hide on two levels with very close up views of the birds from the terrace and the first floor balcony.
Here are some of my photos from our first half day. I’m sorry if some of them are rather too close up!
An old tidal mill (now accommodation)
We are lucky to have a period of high pressure and the lovely weather seems to be holding up. A few of my favourite photos from my walk around the local park this morning:
Following a day of (photographing) art galleries, monuments and churches in Bristol it was back to the birds this morning in Stoke Park.
Within a few minutes of arriving I was treated to a grey heron flying right in front of me and then a kingfisher posing nicely on the edge of the pond.
The kingfisher seemed to follow me around Duchess Pond and I had shots of it in lots of different locations but none as good as its original perch.
There were lots of corvids around and I even got sight of a sparrow hawk and a buzzard being mobbed by them.
Just before setting off home I saw a male and female stonechat but only managed a photo of the female.
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 