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Sagres festival of birds 2017 (1 Viewer)

Thanks Simon - saved me from posting ;)

Everyone is looking forward to it and for those who haven't birded Sagres in autumn it should be on the bucket list. The area hosts a rather unique and heady mix of many migrant raptor, passerine and seabird species and a few nice residents all in a compact area. Stunning coastal cliff scenery, amazing Atlantic beaches, fresh seafood, charming Portuguese hospitality and usually its still summertime weather in October so ideal for the birder with a non-birding partner too.
 
I look forward to it Simon. I've effectively got the 3rd to 5th October in Sagres so my plan is to spend most of the first two days at Cabranosa then I'm booked on the early sea birds cruise on the 5th. My main targets are Honey Buzzards as despite a really good year for them in Yorkshire I've yet to get a good sighting. I also missed out on a pelagic last year because of the weather, so fingers crossed.
 
Jos Stratford said:
Who needs a non-birding partner to be attracted by summertime weather? :)
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;) True. I just thought the common pastime (very nce) of hanging on a beach and stuffing yourself silly with food and drink is more of a holiday for most than waiting for a warbler to show in a dense pine.

I like both :t:
 
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Sagres w/c 25th Sept

Hi

Wont be there for the festival but in Sagres for a week with a car w/c 25th Sept, if anyone wants to meet up for a couple of days birding get in touch

Cheers

David
 
Went to last year's festival on a (long) day trip from our holiday base in Santa Luzia; this year we're staying overnight in Sagres, with a pelagic booked through Mar Ilimitado on afternoon of 4th, and a dolphin trip the following day.
We had close views of common dolphins on the pelagic last year, but my partner is hoping we'd spend more time observing them on a dedicated dolphin trip.
I'll be more than happy if the pelagic is half as good as last year - grey phalarope, Cory's, sooty and great shearwaters, Wilson's and European storm-petrel, and great skua...I'm not anticipating too much this year, but a Balearic or two would be nice!
 
kb57 said:
I'll be more than happy if the pelagic is half as good as last year - grey phalarope, Cory's, sooty and great shearwaters, Wilson's and European storm-petrel, and great skua...I'm not anticipating too much this year, but a Balearic or two would be nice!
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Grey Phalarope out there on the ocean is a special treat ;)

Like all migration spots things are always unpredictable but usually, if something's lacking, something else makes up for it!
 
Simon Wates said:
Grey Phalarope out there on the ocean is a special treat ;)
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It certainly was! (albeit a bit beyond the range of my 300mm - attached is heavily cropped...)

Veering slightly off-topic, my partner (who travelled out Sunday) just called from Santa Luzia sea front to tell me she's just seen the same colour-ringed common ringed plover we saw in 2014 and 2016...originally ringed as an adult female in NW Iceland in 2010. It seems extremely site-faithful to its wintering area, other birders have reported it from the same small area.
 

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kb57 said:
It certainly was! (albeit a bit beyond the range of my 300mm - attached is heavily cropped...)

Veering slightly off-topic, my partner (who travelled out Sunday) just called from Santa Luzia sea front to tell me she's just seen the same colour-ringed common ringed plover we saw in 2014 and 2016...originally ringed as an adult female in NW Iceland in 2010. It seems extremely site-faithful to its wintering area, other birders have reported it from the same small area.
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Don't care about the lens - the picture is, in my opinion - fabulous! There's plenty of photos down to a metre or two of these but yours is much more exciting. I know it was some 8 ish miles out in the middle of the vastness and your photo captures this. I've only seen them on the sea out there twice in about 30 pelagics. They do pass Cabo de São Vicente in little groups quite regularly and once I saw them land on the sea but normally go past fast looking like Sanderlings - can be tricky at range.

Thanks for posting!
 
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Pretty large numbers of passerine migrants today around Sagres in spots - I think this may continue and increase the next days (cloudy skies and wind dropping tomorrow) - nice obs were some close up Tree Pipits, 2 Ortolans and a Grasshopper Warbler.. Raptors pretty weak today but included a gorgeous 1st cal yr black morph Montagu's - that was put up at one point by a migrant Short-eared Owl (!), Bonelli's Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Osprey as well as the more numerous Booted Eagles.
 
Yesterday raptors were pretty high due to calm conditions; the dark morph Montagu's was still around as well as a few Goshawk - an Eleonora's Falcon is around being seen intermittently and a Rüppell's Griffon was just a few kms inland with a few Eur. Griffons - hopefully it'll appear at Sagres/Cabranosa soon. 2 Dotterel at Vale Santo and a large collection of regular passerine migrants were spread around the peninsula (and the whole Algarve!). A friend took a morning pelagic from Sagres; highlights were 20+ Great Shearwaters inc. close up around the boat coming to chum and just one Wilson's Storm Petrel and a dozen European Storm + Cory's and Sooty Shearwaters.
 
I'm not sure how the raptors were today generally but there was a 1st cal yr Lesser Spotted Eagle at Cabranosa 3 times during the day - I'll be there tomorrow!
 
Atricapilla said:
How is the raptor movement today Simon????
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Give us a chance ;) just got back - I'll post a bit later.....Oh go on then quickly!

Figures are impressions - I was watching not counting today.

Booted Eagles - 30+
Short-toed Eagle - 4+
Black Kite - 20+
Red Kite - 4+
Honey Buzzard - 8+
Bonelli's Eagle - 1
Lesser Spotted Eagle - juv bird from yesterday showing superbly - and I mean close up, prolonged views in perfect lighting seen above and below at around 100m.
Egyptian Vulture - 3 or 4
Hobby - 1
Common Kestrel - 20+
Peregrine - 1
Black-winged Kite - 1
Sparrowhawk - 10+
Goshawk - 2 juvs
Merlin - 1
Hen Harrier - 5+ all juvs
Marsh Harrier - 1
Common Buzzard - 10 + migrants

and 3 Black Storks and selection of commoner passerine migrants.
 
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