The last day of our holiday in Portugal called for a leisurely walk along the beach at Amação de Pêra. This morning there was some warmth in the sun and it felt even more like spring.
The hottentot fig was out early this morning in the warm sunshine
Carpobrotus edulis is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus Carpobrotus, native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant or highway ice plant
We really only expected to see gulls on our walk and so it was a special delight to see some other birds as we made a small diversion to the back of the beach.
The fishermen, who work from this beach, mending their nets
We first came across a small flock of waxbills and I managed to get just one shot before they disappeared.
Waxbills
From a new walkway (which isn’t quite open yet) across the marsh we saw black-wing stilts.
The new walkway across the marshBlack-wing stiltsBlack-wing stiltsBlack-wing stilt
A little further there was a common sandpiper and then a small group of sanderling who didn’t seem at all nervous about our presence.
Common sandpiperCommon sandpiperSanderlingThis tiny bird, a sanderling, came very close
There was just a single crested lark and a white wagtail before we were back on the beach and back in the company of gulls.
Crested larkSanderling
A very pleasant couple of hours to conclude a great holiday on The Algarve.
Well, this is definitely my kind of birding. We spent the morning walking along The Passadiços de Alvor, the series of raised walkways that pass through the protected sand dunes of the Ria de Alvor Nature Reserve west of Portimāo.
Female stonechatThe Passadiços de AlvorThe Passadiços de Alvor
We heard and then saw linnets, crested lark, zitting cisticolas, goldfinch and both male and female stonechats amongst the dunes. On the estuary we could see lots of cormorants, oystercatchers, whimbrel and curlew, common sandpiper and greenshank. I believe I could also make out an osprey feeding on its prey on the sand bank.
A really splendid morning. However, my recollection might have been influenced by the delicious lunch we had in a typical Portuguese restaurant next to the pretty fishing port of Alvor in the company of two other birders from our group who joined us on the trip.
Oystercatchers in the foreground with an osprey on the sandbankThe view across the Ria AlvorLinnetZitting cisticola (were once known as fantail warblers)The pretty port of AlvorFascinating flora amongst the dunes – marsh butterfly lilly A greenshank on the edges of the dunesLots of cormorants with Lagos in the backgroundZitting cisticolaGoldfinchMale stonechatClose up of the male stonechatCrested larkAnother obliging zitting cisticolaLocals playing pétanque on wasteland outside the village… whilst others worked
The spring flowers are already quite abundant along the coast of The Algarve but you can’t help feeling that with a little more warmth of spring there will soon be a riot of colour.
Yesterday afternoon ,as we walked a little from our clifftop hotel in Porches-Armação de Pêra,in the Algarve, up above the Senhora da Rocha beach, we saw lots of examples of the local flora.
Senhora da Rocha beach.Speckled wood butterflyThe Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Rocha perched on the cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean
Again this morning we walked another short section of the coast from Algar Seco to the pretty coastal village of Carvoeiro.
The fascinating clifftop formations carved from the limestone bedrock at Algarve SecoPart of the boardwalk from Algar Seco to CarvoeiroCarvoeiro in the distance There were lots of rock dove on the cliffsBlack redstartBlack redstartA greenfinch welcomed us into CarvoeiroThe approaches to CarvoeiroA different boat for each postCarvoeiroThe beach at CarvoeiroHoopoe at last!House Martins busy nest building in CarvoeiroHouse Martin
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!
Our five day birdwatching tour has now finished and we have been enjoying the slower pace by discovering the locality around our hotel at Praia Senhora da Rocha along the coast from Armação de Pêra. There continue to be opportunities for more nature photographs .
Along the coastal path we had close encounters with a black redstart, a blackbird, house sparrows and chiffchaffs.
Black redstartBlackbirdHouse sparrowCommon chiffchaffCommon chiffchaffBlack redstart
On our visit to the famous Benagil caves there were cormorants and, of course, yellow legged and lesser black-backed gulls.
Cormorants near the caves of BenagilThe caves of BenagilMaybe you can see a crocodile here…or maybe an elephant
The flora near the church at Praia da Rocha is quite amazing too.
The iconic chapel at Praia da RochaA lovely coastal pathThis euphorbia grows in our garden tooBirds of paradise?
On our fifth and final day of our birding trip in Portugal we travelled 2 hours north to Castro Verde. The landscape here, on the edges of the steppes, was totally different to what we had seen in The Algarve. It was a different birding experience too when the telescope really came into its own and photographs of birds were rarer because of the great distances at which we observed birds.
We are on holiday so I thought it obligatory to photograph a sunrise/sunset – here a sunrise photographed from the balcony of our hotel roomA white stork taking offA typical landscape from this part of PortugalA sign of what we are looking forThis time I listened to Maria, our guide, and how to tell the difference between the crested lark and Thekla’s lark – the habitat is the clue hereLooking for bustardsMore signs – here we saw a juvenile Spanish Imperial EagleWith a telescope we could see a male Hen Harrier on the ground with its prey and a small group of black-bellied sandgrouseRed kite close enough to photographA view of a female hen harrier from the back of the coachHen harrierThe hen harrier disappears over the horizonA solitary over wintering Common Crane – clearly the rest have departedThese signs were going to be the best views we were going to getThe dehesaA. common buzzard below our picnic spot high on a hilltopOur picnic spotA lesser kestrel – unlike the common kestrel these kestrels were moving about in large groups which were quite impressive to seeWe made a detour into Castro Verde to see this over wintering long-eared owlOn this pond we could see (through a telescope) ferruginous ducks and a stonechat in the foregroundHere we had great views through the telescope of a flock of little bustards wandering around, jumping up and taking to flightThe little bustards can just be made out in this photoFinal view of the little bustards (the male standing out with its black head) before we set off back to the hotel
57 species observed:
Gadwall; Mallard; Ferruginous Duck; Little Grebe; Common Woodpigeon; Collared Dove ; Black-bellied Sandgrouse; Great Bustard; Little Bustard; Eurasian Coot; Common Crane; European Golden Plover; Northern Lapwing; Yellow-legged Gull; White Stork; Little Egret ; Western Cattle Egret; Eurasian Spoonbill; Spanish Eagle; Western Marsh Harrier ; Hen Harrier; Red Kite ; Black Kite; Common Buzzard; Long-eared Owl (in the village of Castro Verde); Eurasian Hoopoe; Lesser Kestrel ; Common Kestrel ; Iberian Grey Shrike; Iberian Magpie; Common Magpie; Eurasian Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Common Raven; Eurasian Blue Tit (heard); Calandra Lark; Eurasian Skylark; Thekla’s Lark; Crested Lark; Zitting Cisticola (heard); Barn Swallow; Western House Martin; Common Chiffchaff; Iberian Chiffchaff; Sardinian Warbler; Short-toed Treecreeper; Spotless Starling; Eurasian Blackbird; European Stonechat; House Sparrow; Spanish Sparrow; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Common Linnet; European Goldfinch; European Serin; Corn Bunting.
Throughout the holiday we saw a total of 130 species:
Common Shelduck; Northern Shoveler; Gadwall; Eurasian Wigeon; Mallard; Northern Pintail; Eurasian Teal; Red-crested Pochard; Common Pochard; Ferruginous Duck; Red-legged Partridge;Greater Flamingo; Little Grebe; Rock Dove; Common Woodpigeon; Collared Dove; Black-bellied Sandgrouse; Great Bustard; Little Bustard; Common Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Western Swamphen; Common Crane; Stone-curlew; Black-winged Stilt; Pied Avocet; Eurasian Oystercatcher; Grey Plover; European Golden Plover; Common Ringed Plover; Northern Lapwing; Kentish Plover; Whimbrel; Eurasian Curlew; Bar-tailed Godwit; Black-tailed Godwit; Common Snipe; Common Sandpiper; Common Redshank; Spotted Redshank; Common Greenshank; Ruddy Turnstone; Ruff; Curlew Sandpiper; Sanderling; Dunlin; Purple Sandpiper; Little Stint; Black-headed Gull; Audouin’s Gull; Yellow-legged Gull; Lesser Black-backed Gull; Caspian Tern; Sandwich Tern; Northern Gannet; Great Cormorant; European Shag; Little Egret; Western Cattle Egret; Great White Egret; Grey Heron; Glossy Ibis; Eurasian Spoonbill; Osprey; Black-winged Kite; Short-toed Eagle; Booted Eagle; Spanish Eagle; Western Marsh Harrier; Hen Harrier; Red Kite; Common Buzzard; Little Owl; Long-eared Owl; Eurasian Hoopoe; Common Kingfisher; Eurasian Wryneck; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Lesser Kestrel; Common Kestrel; Peregrine Falcon; Iberian Grey Shrike; Iberian Magpie; Common Magpie; Red-billed Chough; Eurasian Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Common Raven; Crested Tit; Eurasian Blue Tit; Great Tit; Calandra Lark; Eurasian Skylark; Thekla’s Lark; Crested Lark; Zitting Cisticola; Eurasian Crag Martin; Barn Swallow; Western House Martin; Common Chiffchaff; Iberian Chiffchaff; Cetti’s Warbler; Long-tailed Tit; Eurasian Blackcap; Sardinian Warbler; Goldcrest; Short-toed Treecreeper; Common Starling; Spotless Starling; Eurasian Blackbird; Ring Ouzel; European Robin; Bluethroat; Black Redstart; Blue Rock Thrush; European Stonechat; Black-headed Weaver; Common Waxbill; House Sparrow; Spanish Sparrow; Western Yellow Wagtail; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Water Pipit; Common Chaffinch; European Greenfinch; Common Linnet; European Goldfinch; European Serin; Eurasian Siskin; Corn Bunting.
For our fourth day of birding we travelled close to the border with Spain. We started birding at Castro Marim and visited the Castro Marim Nature Reserve visitors centre. The highlights here were a Spanish Imperial eagle and a short-toed snake eagle. There were more saltpans at Santa Luzia and then a study in gulls as we ate our picnic lunch beside the river ar Santa Luzia near Tavira.
On the way home we stopped off near Vilamoura to search for small birds in the pine forests which border the Atlantic coast.
Greater flamingosGreat white egretGreater flamingos in flightGreater flamingosGreater flamingosYellow wagtail and house MartinWater pipitA charm of goldfinches Black-tailed godwits and a spotted redshankSpring has definitely arrived in the AlgarveCommon kestrelThe bridge linking Portugal and SpainThe ubiquitous stonechatA weavers’s nest or a simply caterpillars?More greater flamingosLesser black-backed gull and ruddy turnstones as we ate our picnic lunch at Santa Luzia near TaviraMore saltpansRedshankPied avocets and godwitsGreater flamingos again
In the pine forests near Vilamoura, as well as views of the golf course, we saw siskins, more marsh harriers across the marshes and a glimpse of the beautiful beaches here.
SiskinPine forests bordering the Atlantic coastThe golf course at VilamouraThe Atlantic coast
A black-winged kite from the coach near the hotel neatly finished off our day
Black-winged kite taken from the coach
Another very full day and again a very rewarding one.
72 species observed
Greater Flamingo; Little Grebe; Common Woodpigeon; Collared Dove; Common Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Stone-curlew ; Black-winged Stilt; Pied Avocet; Eurasian Oystercatcher ; Grey Plover; Common Ringed Plover; Northern Lapwing; Kentish Plover; Whimbrel; Black-tailed Godwit; Common Redshank; Spotted Redshank; Common Greenshank ; Ruddy Turnstone; Ruff; Sanderling; Dunlin; Little Stint ; Black-headed Gull; Audouin’s Gull; Yellow-legged Gull; Lesser Black-backed Gull ; Caspian Tern; Sandwich Tern ; White Stork; Great Cormorant; Little Egret; Western Cattle Egret ; Great White Egret ; Grey Heron ; Glossy Ibis; Eurasian Spoonbill, Osprey; Black-winged Kites; Short-toed Eagle; Booted Eagle; Western Marsh Harrier; Common Buzzard; Eurasian Hoopoe ; Common Kestrel ; Iberian Magpie; Common Magpie; Crested Tit; Great Tit; Crested Lark; Zitting Cisticola; Barn Swallow; Western House Martin; Common Chiffchaff; Sardinian Warbler ; Short-toed Treecreeper; Spotless Starling; Eurasian Blackbird; European Stonechat; House Sparrow; Spanish Sparrow; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Yellow wagtail; Water Pipit; Common Chaffinch; European Greenfinch; Common Linnet; European Goldfinch; European Serin ; Eurasian Siskin; Corn Bunting
We spent our third day of birding in Portugal east of Faro. We started in the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa near to some disused salt pans.
Disused salt pans in the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa
The day started well with good views of two booted eagles.
Booted eagle
As we walked along the pathway we soon saw a marsh harrier. Further in the distance through the telescope we also had reasonable views of an osprey.
Marsh harrierWhite storks
Throughout our trip we have seen white storks perched on nests on lamp posts and low trees. But here there was a colony of white storks building nests quite high up in tall trees.
White storks collecting building materials for their nestsWhite stork with building materials
The highlight of this part of the trip was seeing several crested tits darting through the woods near the end of our walk.
Although my photos of the crested tit are poor we did get good views through binoculars
Our next stop was at the salt pans of Ludo. Here we had great views of numerous waders.
Black-tailed godwit starting to get its breeding plumageWe could really appreciate the length of the godwits’ billsPied avocet with black-tailed godwitSurely this must be black-winged stilts displayingThey reached enormous heights The first of the greater flamingosIt was useful to see different waders near to each other to make comparisons – here a sanderling, a dunlin and a little stint (I think)Black-winged stilt and meadow pipit (in the bushes)DunlinI must try to find out the provenance of this ringed black-winged stilt as its tag is quite clear
We then moved on to some more salt pans at Olhão where there was an old tidal mill.
Tidal mill
Here most of the birds were further away but we did get views of Kentish plover, common ringed plover, common sandpiper, greenshank and greater flamingos.
Our next stage of our birding day was based around the golf course at Quinta do Lobo. The golf course were very impressive but not as impressive as the houses built around them which are owned by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Madonna (didn’t know she played golf).
Quinta da Lago Country Club
We had some great birding here especially seeing some very colourful birds such as the black-headed weavers, a kingfisher and a red-crested pochard.
Black-header weaverRed-crested pochardIn this area we heard a wryneck There were terrapins (two sorts) in abundance The flora was pretty amazing tooDefinitely my favourite bird of the day = the black-headed weaver
Fabulous day’s birding – just wish I had started this when I was a bit younger!
70 species observed:
Common Shelduck; Gadwall; Mallard; Red-crested Pochard; Greater Flamingo; Little Grebe; Common Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Western Swamphen; Black-winged Stilt; Pied Avocet; Grey Plover;Common Ringed Plover; Kentish Plover; Whimbrel; Eurasian Curlew; Bar-tailed Godwit; Black-tailed Godwit; Common Redshank; Common Greenshank; Ruddy Turnstone; Curlew Sandpiper; Dunlin; Purple Sandpiper; Little Stint; Black-headed Gull; Audouin’s Gull; Yellow-legged Gull ; Lesser Black-backed Gull; Sandwich Tern; White Stork ; Great Cormorant; Little Egret; Western Cattle Egret; Grey Heron; Glossy Ibis; Eurasian Spoonbill; Osprey; Booted Eagle; Western Marsh Harrier; Common Buzzard; Eurasian Hoopoe; Common Kingfisher; Eurasian Wryneck (Heard); Common Kestrel; Iberian Magpie; Common Magpie ; Crested Tit; Zitting Cisticola; Eurasian Crag Martin; Barn Swallow; Western House Martin; Common Chiffchaff; Cetti’s Warbler (Heard); Long-tailed Tit (Heard); Sardinian Warbler; Short-toed Treecreeper (Heard); Spotless Starling; Eurasian Blackbird; European Stonechat; Black-headed Weaver; House Sparrow; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Common Chaffinch; European Greenfinch; Common Linnet; European Serin; Eurasian Siskin; Corn Bunting.
Our plans for today were changed last minute as the forecast for the beginning of next week was for strong winds on the south west tip of Portugal. It wasn’t too bad today and so the programme was reversed.
You might get an idea of why you wouldn’t want to be here on a windy day
We started our birding in the port of Sagres on the south west coast of Portugal. On the quaysides there was a ruddy turnstone, crag Martins and not much else. We were looking for a purple sandpiper but no luck. As well as the usual gulls we could see cormorants and gannets out at sea. Also way above us there were two peregrine falcons.
Ruddy turnstoneOne of two peregrines overhead
We moved on to the Cape St Vincent (the most south-westerly point of Europe) which is one of the best on-shore birding sites to observe seabirds in the Vicentine Coast Natural Park. Notable species include Cory’s, Balearic, Great and Yelkouan Shearwaters, Parasitic and Pomarine Skuas, Grey Phalarope and Audouin’s Gull. However, in the wind and then rain all I managed to see at sea were Audouin’s Gulls. I was quite happy though to see a black redstart and a shag.
Audouin’s gullOnly room for one at a time.Shag in flightThe headland on a calm dayBlack redstartBlack redstart in flight
We pottered around inland a bit and had more success. We saw two flocks of choughs with more than 20 birds in each flock. As I was trying to photograph them there was a cry of what I thought was “buzzards” which I ignored but which turned out to be “bustards”. I didn’t see them but luckily Wendy caught sight of two little bustards in flight.
Flock of choughs
Here again we saw lots of swallows which looked as though they were catching up on food after their long flights from Africa. There were also corn buntings and meadow pipits.
Prince Henry the Navigator at Sagres
We then returned to Sagres and headed to Ponta da Atalaia / Baleeira Viewing Point. The first bird we saw was a Thekla’s Lark. Maria carefully explained the difference between Thekla’s Lark and Crested Lark but I didn’t hear it as I was too busy photographing the lark, some stonechats and a common kestrel.
Thekla’s LarkCommon kestrelStonechat
This area was particularly rewarding for seeing the beautiful coastal spring flowers and a few butterflies. We also saw another striking lizard – a Spanish Sand Racer, Maria thought.
Western Psammodromus has been suggested on INaturalistSmall copper butterfly
As far as birds were concerned the most interesting aspect was seeing more choughs, this time displaying by flying high and descending rapidly – a bit like lapwings. Again we had views of gannets.
We then had a drive inland to go to Montes da Fóia at Montchique (about 900 meters high) in search of buntings. En route we had a very good view of a black- winged kite from the coach. Maria then related her very interesting views on why she considered these birds closer to owls than eagles (but don’t get me to tell you all of them). On the top of the mountain, in quite cold conditions, all we saw at first were stonechats, robins and meadow pipits but then a blue rock thrush was spotted on a nearby rock. Our guide Rui then saw a small flock of ring ouzel in front of the woods and I managed to catch sight of two of them before they disappeared.
On the way home we stopped briefly to get some photos of a colony of white storks which were nest building down in the plain. I’m not sure the keen birders approved.
White storkWhite storkWhite stork
Another fascinating (and exhausting) day’s birding.
Species observed:
Rock Dove (Wild type); Common Woodpigeon; Collared Dove; Ruddy Turnstone; Audouin’s Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, White Stork; Northern Gannet; Great Cormorant; European Shag; Little Egret; Western Cattle Egret; Black-winged Kite; Common Buzzard; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon; Common Magpie, Red-billed Chough; Eurasian Skylark; Thekla’s Lark, Crested Lark; Eurasian Crag Martin; Barn Swallow; Red-rumped Swallow; Common Chiffchaff; Common Starling; Spotless Starling;Eurasian Blackbird; Ring Ouzel; European Robin; Black Redstart; Blue Rock Thrush; European Stonechat; House Sparrow; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; Common Linnet;European Goldfinch; Corn Bunting
Seen by Wendy: Little Bustard
Seen by others: Red-legged Partridge; Whimbrel; Sardinian Warbler
We had a gentle start to our Saga birding holiday to the Algarve which gave us a chance to recover from our rather uncomfortable flight of the day before. (An unexpected cloud burst on the tarmac caught us by surprise and resulted in us sitting for the two and a half hour flight from Bristol to Faro soaked to the skin.)
After breakfast we were able to explore the bird life of the hotel grounds and get our bearings. From our balcony we had a splendid view along the coastline and could see through the telescope on the cliff opposite both cormorants and shag.
Cormorants and shag on the point opposite our hotel balcony
Iberian magpies and house sparrows, however, were much closer and didn’t even require binoculars.
Iberian magpie from our balcony
Later in the morning Maria, our very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and personable guide for the week gave us a good presentation of the birding areas we were going to explore and, accompanied by excellent photos, an idea of the of the birds we might expect to see.
After lunch we had a short drive by coach to our first birding area Lagoa dos Salgados (also known as Pera Marsh) where we joined by Rui, a local bird guide.The excellent website Walk Algarve describes this area:
“Lagoa dos Salgados is one of the most important freshwater wetlands in the Algarve. Despite being much smaller than Ria Formosa or even the Alvor Estuary, Lagoa dos Salgados is nonetheless inhabited by a quite large quantity and variety of bird species that include numerous rarities and scarcities. With reason, this severely threatened IBA site has become one of the most rewarding and sought-after birding hotspots in the Algarve.”
Before we even started birding we saw a spectacular oscellated lizard.
Oscellated lizardPera marshes from the boardwalk
The first section of our walk was along a boardwalk where we had good views of the wetlands. We soon had close up views of a bluethroat (which was not easy to photograph as it darted in and out of the bushes in the shade) and a zittling cisticola in the reeds.
From the board walk we could easily pick out a large variety of waders and gulls.
Snipe
Marsh harriers and a booted eagle in the distance excited the group. We retraced our steps and then walked on grassy paths around the fringes of the wetlands where we had even better views. Spectacularly a small flock of spoonbills flew in to join a small colony of herons.
Spoonbills and herons
Purple swamphen could also be easily seen.
A purple swamphen skirting the reedsCaspian tern
I loved seeing swallows (both barn and red rumped) for the first time this year as they have already arrived back here from their long flights from Africa.
Swallows recently returned from AfricaGlossy ibis
Black-tailed godwits also stood out in their breeding plumage.
I must admit I often dropped behind the group as I jostled activities between viewing with binoculars and telescope and trying to take photos with my bridge camera. (I have sacrificed my Sony mirror camera and long lenses for a telescope on this trip). Fortunately the terrain was very easy but by the end of the day I was certainly ready for a beer.
A very good start to the week.
Endemic flora around the marshesEndemic flora
List of species observed:
Northern Shoveler; Gadwall; Eurasian Wigeon; Mallard; Northern Pintail; Eurasian Teal; Common Pochard; Little Grebe; Collared Dove; Common Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Western Swamphen; Black-winged Stilt; Northern Lapwing; Black-tailed Godwit; Common Snipe; Common Redshank; Sanderling; Dunlin; Audouin’s Gull;Mediterranean Gull; Yellow-legged Gull; Lesser Black-backed Gull; Caspian Tern; Great Cormorant; Little Egret; Western Cattle Egret; Grey Heron; Glossy Ibis; Eurasian Spoonbill; Booted Eagle;Western Marsh Harrier; Little Owl — Heard; Common Kestrel; Iberian Magpie; Common Magpie; Eurasian Skylark; Crested Lark;Zitting Cisticola; Barn Swallow; Western House Martin; Red-rumped Swallow;Common Chiffchaff;Cetti’s Warbler — heard; Sardinian Warbler — Heard; Spotless Starling; Eurasian Blackbird;Bluethroat; European Stonechat; House Sparrow; Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail; Meadow Pipit; European Greenfinch; Common Linnet; Corn Bunting
This morning we had a break from birding activities and visited the pretty town of Tavira and the the beautiful village of Cacela Velha on the Algarve just across the border in Portugal.
A taste of TaviraTaviraTaviraView of the Algarve from Cacela VelhaCacela Velha
This evening we went back to visit the salt pans just north of Isla Cristina.
Little stint, I guessCommon ringed ploverCommon redshankWhite stork2 of a dozen white storks flying above usFlamingosSalt pansWhimbrelNo, its not the arctic – gulls on the salt pansSpotless starlings on the way back to the hotel A welcome rest on the balcony of our hotel
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 