-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Algarve Rock Bunting location query (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mick Sway
- Start date
Andrew
wibble wibble
Boa Tarde Mick,
The best site I know of is Mount Foia. It is easy enough to get to with a car. Just look around the buildings and compounds at the top around the car park.
Also on your way there stop off at an pull off to explore the hills briefly. I often see them near the bridge over the Ribeira da Torrinha on the N266 where there is easy parking.
Cheers,
Andrew.
The best site I know of is Mount Foia. It is easy enough to get to with a car. Just look around the buildings and compounds at the top around the car park.
Also on your way there stop off at an pull off to explore the hills briefly. I often see them near the bridge over the Ribeira da Torrinha on the N266 where there is easy parking.
Cheers,
Andrew.
Andrew
wibble wibble
Furthermore, this might be of interest as you will be there at the time maybe? http://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/index.php?lang=en
Mick Sway
Well-known member
Rock buntings
Hi Andrew
Thanks for the interesting info on the festival, however unfortunately we don't get there until 3rd.
I have posted a Google map image below - could you please confirm if this is the general location and perhaps be little more specific?
Thanks & best
Mick
Hi Andrew
Thanks for the interesting info on the festival, however unfortunately we don't get there until 3rd.
I have posted a Google map image below - could you please confirm if this is the general location and perhaps be little more specific?
Thanks & best
Mick
Attachments
john-henry
Well-known member
Hi Mick,
As Andrew says Foia is certainly easy for RB. To get there drive to the town of Monchique and follow the signed road for Foia until you're at the top, you'll find a car park and a few buildings there.
Park and explore the general area, checking overhead cables as well as the rockier areas.
Blue Rock Thrush, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark are usually seen as well.
Good luck
John
As Andrew says Foia is certainly easy for RB. To get there drive to the town of Monchique and follow the signed road for Foia until you're at the top, you'll find a car park and a few buildings there.
Park and explore the general area, checking overhead cables as well as the rockier areas.
Blue Rock Thrush, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark are usually seen as well.
Good luck
John
Andrew
wibble wibble
Morning Mick,
That image is the town of Foia, what you need to do is drive there and then look for the road to the top of the Mount Foia. It is easy enough and well signposted once you get there.
On your way back to the coast, a good stop over point is Caldas de Monchique which is a pretty spa village and often gives a couple of trip list padders such as Blue Tit and Siskin. Could be good for migrants in October. However, don't have a coffee and cake there, bloody expensive.
Cheers,
Andrew.
hollis_f
Well-known member
And, totally off-topic, it's a great place to visit if you're interested in geology. The springs at Caldas de Monchique are there because it marks the boundary between the igneous rocks and the metamorphic rocks that make up the region.
hollis_f
Well-known member
Yup, the weather up there can be pretty horrible. I tend to keep an eye on the weather from near the coast and drive up when you can actually see the top of Monchique.
Simon Wates
Well-known member
Hi folks,
Very slow off the mark I know - but couldn't help dropping a few comments about Rock Bunting in the Algarve.
Although Monchique is well known for Rock Bunting (and Blue Rock Thrush, Dartford Warbler, Woodlark) it is just not necessary to drive all the way up the mountain to find them. Rock Bunting is a reasonably common inhabitant over wide areas. The key is the habitat - and it doesn't need to have rocks! North of the coast after some 10kms one only needs to look for areas of fairly open scrub with or without a sparse covering of Cork Oaks to find them (on shale NOT limestone). They like tracks through these areas and higher ground is best - but only some 80m above sea level upwards. To give you an idea of there abundance I could give as an example the county of Lagos: This county covers 212 sq kms and close to half contains sites for Rock Bunting. I would estimate conservatively some 50 pairs plus in this area and possibly over 100. Once in a suitable area listen for the song (Feb-Jun mainly), which is and sounds like (to me) "simple little ditty" and the "sit" calls (that I still have difficulty sometimes in distinguishing from Cirl Bunting - also occurring in these areas). In the case of Dartford Warbler and Woodlark, which also occur in the same areas I would put the number of pairs of each well over 200 and probably closer to twice that. This scenario is mirrored across most of the Algarve. Blue Rock Thrush is common on all coastal cliffs - mainly between Lagos and Sagres.
Best wishes
Simon http://algarvebirdman.com/
Very slow off the mark I know - but couldn't help dropping a few comments about Rock Bunting in the Algarve.
Although Monchique is well known for Rock Bunting (and Blue Rock Thrush, Dartford Warbler, Woodlark) it is just not necessary to drive all the way up the mountain to find them. Rock Bunting is a reasonably common inhabitant over wide areas. The key is the habitat - and it doesn't need to have rocks! North of the coast after some 10kms one only needs to look for areas of fairly open scrub with or without a sparse covering of Cork Oaks to find them (on shale NOT limestone). They like tracks through these areas and higher ground is best - but only some 80m above sea level upwards. To give you an idea of there abundance I could give as an example the county of Lagos: This county covers 212 sq kms and close to half contains sites for Rock Bunting. I would estimate conservatively some 50 pairs plus in this area and possibly over 100. Once in a suitable area listen for the song (Feb-Jun mainly), which is and sounds like (to me) "simple little ditty" and the "sit" calls (that I still have difficulty sometimes in distinguishing from Cirl Bunting - also occurring in these areas). In the case of Dartford Warbler and Woodlark, which also occur in the same areas I would put the number of pairs of each well over 200 and probably closer to twice that. This scenario is mirrored across most of the Algarve. Blue Rock Thrush is common on all coastal cliffs - mainly between Lagos and Sagres.
Best wishes
Simon http://algarvebirdman.com/
Last edited:
Mick Sway
Well-known member
Rock Bunting in the Algarve.
Thanks for the updated info Simon - nice web site by the way.
However despite regularly walking the coastal paths between Luz, Bergua and Salema (also the CSV area) during our autumn hols, we have never come across Rock or any other bunting except corn.
I guess that's where a guide comes in.
Thanks again and belated happy new year to anyone who read my vacation thread.
Mick
Thanks for the updated info Simon - nice web site by the way.
However despite regularly walking the coastal paths between Luz, Bergua and Salema (also the CSV area) during our autumn hols, we have never come across Rock or any other bunting except corn.
I guess that's where a guide comes in.
Thanks again and belated happy new year to anyone who read my vacation thread.
Mick
Simon Wates
Well-known member
Thanks Mick!
The reason you didn't see any other bunting other than Corn Bunting along the coastal routes you mention is nothing to do with having a guide ;.)
The fact is there aren't any really, except for Ortolan Buntings on autumn passage and these can be pretty discreet. Rock Bunting occurs inland - just some 4-5kms from where you were walking on the shale hills. You were on limestone. If you work north of villages like Barão de São João or Bensafrim and look for driveable (many) tracks taking you to higher ground they are straightforward to find - at least if you persevere a little! I think what throws most people to think they are only found in Monchique is the myth that they need rocky habitats. Along the coast from Luz - Burgâu - Salema - Sagres there are a lot of rocky places that look ideal - but the species is absent. However on the shale scrublands and thin woodland they can be fairly common, favouring areas with an element of bare ground or tracks - practically no rocky habitats in these areas though!
Autumn 2009 brought a record of a single Rock Bunting near Sagres, which is unusual as they appear to be extremely sedentary - staying in breeding habitat all year.
As for other buntings in the Algarve:
Reed Bunting - winter visitor in small numbers in reedbeds.
Snow Bunting - Rarity; 2 records - an old one from Meia Praia near Alvor Estuary and another in Dec. 1999 that I found at Vale Santo, Sagres with Skylarks.
Little Bunting - Rarity; 1 or maybe 2 birds in Nov and Dec 2009 at the ricefields at Nossa Senhora de Rosario, Estômbar, Silves.
Rustic Bunting - Rarity;1 at the same site same time as the Little above.
Ortolan Bunting - scarce but regular in dry grasslands in Sept and Oct throughout but especially on the Sagres peninsula - I have found groups of up to 40 inds occasionally although normally singles or single figures.
Cirl Bunting - fairly common resident in a few areas, mainly in the northern parts of Lagos, Vila do Bispo and Aljezur counties.
Corn Bunting - abundant in many areas all year with winter flocks in excess of 100 birds regular
Best wishes
Simon http://algarvebirdman.com/
The reason you didn't see any other bunting other than Corn Bunting along the coastal routes you mention is nothing to do with having a guide ;.)
The fact is there aren't any really, except for Ortolan Buntings on autumn passage and these can be pretty discreet. Rock Bunting occurs inland - just some 4-5kms from where you were walking on the shale hills. You were on limestone. If you work north of villages like Barão de São João or Bensafrim and look for driveable (many) tracks taking you to higher ground they are straightforward to find - at least if you persevere a little! I think what throws most people to think they are only found in Monchique is the myth that they need rocky habitats. Along the coast from Luz - Burgâu - Salema - Sagres there are a lot of rocky places that look ideal - but the species is absent. However on the shale scrublands and thin woodland they can be fairly common, favouring areas with an element of bare ground or tracks - practically no rocky habitats in these areas though!
Autumn 2009 brought a record of a single Rock Bunting near Sagres, which is unusual as they appear to be extremely sedentary - staying in breeding habitat all year.
As for other buntings in the Algarve:
Reed Bunting - winter visitor in small numbers in reedbeds.
Snow Bunting - Rarity; 2 records - an old one from Meia Praia near Alvor Estuary and another in Dec. 1999 that I found at Vale Santo, Sagres with Skylarks.
Little Bunting - Rarity; 1 or maybe 2 birds in Nov and Dec 2009 at the ricefields at Nossa Senhora de Rosario, Estômbar, Silves.
Rustic Bunting - Rarity;1 at the same site same time as the Little above.
Ortolan Bunting - scarce but regular in dry grasslands in Sept and Oct throughout but especially on the Sagres peninsula - I have found groups of up to 40 inds occasionally although normally singles or single figures.
Cirl Bunting - fairly common resident in a few areas, mainly in the northern parts of Lagos, Vila do Bispo and Aljezur counties.
Corn Bunting - abundant in many areas all year with winter flocks in excess of 100 birds regular
Best wishes
Simon http://algarvebirdman.com/
Last edited:
Mick Sway
Well-known member
Rock Bunting
Hi Simon
In October we had a drive around the tracks and woodland surrounding Barão de São João, however all we saw was a booted eagle and a common buzzard.
Hopefully we'll pay a bit more attention next time, assuming that we're lucky enough to go again.
Thanks
Mick
B
Hi Simon
In October we had a drive around the tracks and woodland surrounding Barão de São João, however all we saw was a booted eagle and a common buzzard.
Hopefully we'll pay a bit more attention next time, assuming that we're lucky enough to go again.
Thanks
Mick
B
