Tavira is a popular tourist destination on The Algarve. However, there were very few people, only those out for a little exercise, as we started from the outskirts of Tavira along the edge of the Tavira salt pans.
The salt pans here are very extensive but, surprisingly, there were very few birds too. Probably, as the tide was low, they had moved out onto the Ria Formosa.
The start of the salt pans at Tavira
Nonetheless, there was plenty to see and the walk towards the ferry to Tavira Island was very pleasant.
Avocets were the principal birds on viewA few cormorants too3 eurasian spoonbills and a grey heronMore avocetsCrabs everywhere
The best of the birds we saw were on the river where several little terns entertained us for a while.
Little tern in full dive
Little ternLittle ternLittle ternEuropean red-rumped swallowEuropean red-rumped swalllow
We then headed for Santa Luzia, famous for its octopus restaurants.
The rising tide at Santa LuziaSanta LuziaSanta LuziaThe climate is clearly very temperate hereThe port of Santa Luzia is very pretty …… but clearly a working port.
After exploring the Saturday market in Olhão we took a taxi a few kilometres east to Quinta de Marim (or Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim).
The market at Olhão we a plentiful supply of snails
We had visited this estate earlier in the year. The 3 km trail takes you through various ecosystems – dunes, salt marshes and pine woodlands and it was interesting to see the different flora from our last visit in February.
The Iberian azure-winged magpies seem to love the pine woodlandsSpeckled wood butterflySardinian warblerQuinta de Marim tidal millGrey heron practising its ballet
Half way around the circuit there is a hide overlooking a freshwater pond. We spent quite a while here as there was a heavy shower but fortunately there was lots of activity with a huge colony of egrets.
The colony of egretsPochardColony of egrets (little and cattle) – some with their young and others still building their nestsLittle grebeCattle egret looking for nesting materialsThere were also large numbers of grey herons around this pondRed-veined darterWild gladiolus
We realised that last time we had missed a pathway and this time, by taking the recommended route, we came across a dilapidated noria. The noria is a device, inherited from the Arabs, used to raise water from a well. The power for the elevation of water was provided by the circular movement of a donkey or a mule. The water drawn from the well is stored in a tank, from where it is distributed through small aqueducts, until it reaches the orchards and vegetäble-gardens.
NoriaNoriaRed legged partridge at the very spot where we had seen a hoopoe in FebruaryThe correct path!Spanish festoon butterflyCattle egret next to the horse
We were rather devastated yesterday when, setting off for a walk around the salt pans at Olhão right next to our hotel, we found the path had been closed by a new construction project. We abandoned our plans and decided to take the ferry to Culatra, one of the islands in the Ria Formosa.
There were limited birding opportunities but from the ferry we saw a distant colony of spoonbills and egrets.
Spoonbills and egrets
On Culatra there were plenty of yellow legged gulls and lesser black-backed gulls as well some Audouin gulls.
Audouin gull
On the return journey we could see oystercatchers and a small flock of common ringed plovers which easily overtook the ferry.
OystercatchersCommon ringed plover
Today we managed to find a way around the blocked path without too much of a detour and, despite the disappointing cloudy conditions, enjoyed a very enjoyable walk around the salt pans. We were well rewarded with plenty of birds and a pleasant walk.
White stork with nesting material Little egret over the salt pansRuddy turnstoneOn several of the salt pans there were large number of wadersA shelduck stands proud of the grey plover, dunlin, sanderlings and ruddy turnstonesKentish ploverThe first of several western yellow wagtails which we saw around the salt pansA black-winged stiltCommon ringed ploverCrabs everywhereA view inland across the salt pans A little tern behind the dunlinCommon greenshankCommon greenshank in flight3 more western yellow wagtails appearedWestern yellow wagtailSardinian warblerSardinian warblerLittle ternThese looked larger than dunlin and I wondered if they were curlew sandpiperView back across the salt pans towards OlhãoWhite storkWhite stork with mini snackWhite stork building a nest on a chimney towerThe white storks should be pretty safe up there
After a few glorious weeks of wall to wall blue skies (but with fresh winds) in England we have arrived in the eastern end of the Algarve in Portugal where it is much warmer but the skies are a little greyish and the forecast is unsettled.
From a birding perspective it was very exciting yesterday evening to sit having our first beer on the front at Olhão (where we are staying) and to see a 100 plus swifts soaring overhead. Their screeching was quite a din but it made us feel that summer had arrived.
Today we took a taxi to the birding area of the Salinas da Fuzeta, a complex of salt pans just north of the town of Fuzeta, to the east of Olhão. The salt pans are part of the Parque Natural Ria Formosa.
It was quite an exciting start as the first bird we saw was a bee-eater; a beautiful bird that we have only seen on a few occasions.
Bee-eaterNot one but two!
Along the salt pans there were plenty of waders but no greater flamingos which we had hoped to see here.
Kentish plover and a sanderlingCommon ringed ploverCommon greenshankLittle stintPied avocetA mixture of waders for the experts to identifyBlack-winged stiltsA distant Caspian ternAvocets doing what they do at this time of the yearKentish ploverA western yellow wagtail
The flora around here was also very attractive.
As we walked into town there were hirondines everywhere.
A house Martin building a nest in a street lamp
After a wonderful seafood lunch on the front at À do Rui (a top recommendation from a friend) we had little appetite for any more birdwatching and all we saw was a common sandpiper on the shores of the Ria Formosa.
A common sand piper on the shores of the Ria FormosaThe lifeboat station at Fuzeta
I stopped off at Cheddar Reservoir on my way to Ham Wall with the hope of seeing some black-necked grebe which had been reported there. A grey wagtail was all I achieved for my efforts which involved a major detour by road and then another on foot. It was also very cold by the water and so not a great success.
Grey wagtailA rather coquettish grey wagtail
At Ham Wall there was much more to see with plentiful views of marsh harriers and a glossy ibis. The best, though, was the booming of bitterns all the way round. Disappointingly there were no sightings. However, I did get a glimpse of a common crane but I was too slow to get a photo.
A cheeky chiff chaff at Ham WallA great crested grebe – can’t help thinking of Yorkshire terriersTufted ducksNo reed show from these two great crested grebesTufted ducks over the waterA male marsh harrier over the reedsMarsh harrierMarsh harrier closer upThe same marsh harrierMale and female marsh harriersEurasian tealGlossy ibisGlossy ibisGlossy ibisAnd just as I was leaving the sun came out and lit up this male chaffinch
And who says that birds in the UK are only LBJs (little brown jobs)?
Kingfisher
It’s definitely a good time of the year to see kingfishers and robins in our local park. This morning the sun shone brightly but it was still very cold. No reason to complain though with these bright little birds to lift your spirits, as they always do.
We had an enjoyable gentle Sunday morning stroll around our local park in the sunshine chatting to new and old acquaintances.
We were well rewarded with a fleeting visit of a male kingfisher who stayed only long enough for me to take 3 frames (although everyone told us that the male and female had been around for ages. I also missed a treecreeper that everyone else seemed to have seen.
Male kingfisher
I think robins are about my spotting ability and there were plenty of those to choose from.
Robin – one of half a dozen we sawI like this poseSame robin as aboveThey do like to show off
Around the lake there were lots of cormorants. The mind boggles to think that they eat 30 times their body weight of fish in a day. That doesn’t bode well for the fish in the lake, although there always seem to be plenty there.
A lovely morning spent photographing birds at Slimbridge. Nothing remarkable except for nature itself and the warmth of the sun on our backs.
Statue of Sir Pater Scott who established the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in 1946 and helped found the World Wide Fund for Nature,Northern pintailGreylag gooseCommon craneMute swan taking offEurasian curlewEurasian tealCommon craneAvocets standing out from the wigeon and the shovelersWhite fronted geese in front of the barnacle geeseMore barnacle geese arriving above the Canada geeseGreenfinchGoldfinchLong-tailed titBlue titCoal titCommon chaffinchRobin
It was very wet on the Avalon Marshes today and there was a fresh wind but, thankfully, the light was very good. I couldn’t face getting muddy so I hunkered down in the hide at Catcott Lows and enjoyed seeing a variety of birds at quite close quarters.
The rarest bird was a spotted redshank and it was a toss up between lapwings, wigeon and shovelers for the most prolific numbers.
The spotted redshank was difficult to see at first… and then it took to the air… and was almost showing off
There were distant marsh harriers, a red kite and a peregrine which caused constant consternation and allowed me lots of opportunities to take photos of birds in flight.
My favourites, however, were the great white egrets which are quite common here.
Great white egretGreat white egret photo bombing a little egretNorthern shovelerWigeon having a snoozeWigeonLapwing up closeLapwing in flightWigeon taking to the wingNorthern shoveler in flightThe peregrine was responsible for all of thisGreat white egretGreat white egretGreat white egretNot very often you see a single starling in these parts. I did see huge flocks of them as I drove here.Just had to get a silhouette of Glastonbury Tor in somewhere
I won’t bore you with the other 900 photos I took during the day!
There is a roundabout just outside our hotel with a statue of a seahorse. There is the largest population of seahorses in the world in the Ria Formosa Natural Park.
The seahorse roundabout
On our last full day here in Portugal we decided to revisit the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve at Quinto de Marim. At the entrance to the park there is a poster reminding us of the fragility of the seahorses in nature with the population diminished by 90% in the last 15 years.
On our boat trip earlier in the week we had seen buoys protecting the area where the seahorses exist.
We had much better light on our visit today but the tide was very low and the mudflats were almost empty of waders. However, we did have a very good view of this plover below which, according to one ID app, is a semi-palmated plover. However, it is more likely a non-breeding adult common ringed plover. In fact, having studied several sources, the slight webbing between only one of the toes convinces me that this is definitely a common ringed plover
Semi-palmated plover or more likely a non-breeding adult common ringed ploverStonechatThe flora was even more beautiful after the rain and with quite warm sunshineOxalis pes-caprae has all sorts of common names, including slender yellow wood sorrelThe mudflats were empty of birdlife but it was great walkThe tidal mill with very little bird life todayMainly cattle egret with a few little egrets at the freshwater pondChiffchaffs and/or willow warblers were putting on quite a display at the freshwater pond – difficult to say which when they weren’t singingLittle grebeTealTeal and shovelerTerrapinsLupins have appeared in flower after the rain… and these beautiful crocus-leaved romuleaIberian magpieIberian magpieAnd saving the best to last, just as we were leaving the park a Eurasian hoopoeEurasian hoopoe
And then back to Olhão for a celebratory last lunch – although, we didn’t really need an excuse.
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 