Pam_m
Well-known member
It was good to be back in the Algarve and feel the warmth of the sun! Our accomodation for the week was an apartment (one of just four) in Vale de Parra which had been recommended to us on a previous holiday. It was a superb apartment and one I can highly recommend, PM me for details if interested.
Around the gardens and nearby were a pair of Linnets with the male looking striking in his breeding plumage, House Sparrows, Greenfinch, Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and the occasional Grasshopper!
At Lagoa dos Salgados it was somewhat quiet, though with a flock of c200 Greater Flamingos it could hardly be called quiet! Other highlights were Mallards aplenty, Coots, Moorhen, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, Spoonbills, Grey Heron, Purple Heron (Lifer), Little Egret, Med Gull, Common Sandpiper, Hoopoe, Little Grebe, Crested Larks, Fan-tailed Warblers, Bee-eaters, Azure-winged Magpies, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Woodchat Shrikes (Lifer), Kestrel, Swifts, Hirundines and Little Owls galore in the evenings were some of the highlights at this Lagoon.
Wednesday the 22nd was to be a good, no a great day! My Daughter and Son etc had arranged for us to have a Guided birding day with Simon Wates (Birdforum member) at Baixo Alentejo, a surprise Birthday present for me! It was a fantastic day with many new bird species seen! The highlight birds seen were Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Black Kite, Black-winged Kite, Montagu's Harrier (m, f and 2 juvs, awesome birds), Short-toed Eagle, Golden Eagle ( perched and distant but great scope and bins views, we did see it fly later but hard to get a perspective of it's awesome size ) Lesser Kestrels (stunning birds), Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Roller, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Turtle Dove, Stone Curlew (on the ground and in flight, a cracker), Thekla Lark, Woodchat Shrike, Iberian Grey Shrike, Spanish Sparrow, Nightingale (fleetingly), Spotless Starlings, Golden Oriole x3 (heard and seen, gorgeous birds), and possibly my favourite bird of the day, a Rufous Bush Robin with the Golden Eagle, Lesser Kestrels and Golden Orioles vying for second place. As it was quickly approaching dusk we watched several Bee-eaters and Lesser Kestrels as they caught flying insects, 7 Corn Buntings were perched on a fence and a superb male Montagu's Harrier flew through..what a finale to a fantastic day! Magic!
We arrived back at our apartment rather late (well the next day to be honest.lol!) after a wonderfully exciting day in such a vast area, when at the Raptor watch point it was an eyeopener to see just how vast the area is, an area I had wanted to visit for a long time. I learnt a lot of facts and saw a lot of new bird species (19 lifers) thanks to Simon's expert birding knowledge, a great guy! A truly unforgettable day!
The rest of the week was spent resting...well sunbathing.... and visiting a couple of areas, Lagoa dos Salgados in the early mornings and at dusk being one of them. On one of the early morning visits 8 Hoopoe were feeding along the track to the carpark, I have never seen that many in one go before! Dusk visits brought us a couple of sightings and churring songs of Nightjars, not Red-necked Nightjar as I have checked their song on returning home. Little Owls were seen several times perched in the trees and along the track. Silves was visited but it was quiet here with White Storks being the highlight and a stunning Monarch butterfly! At the Odelouca Valley Kingfisher, Pied (or white) Wagtail and Azure-winged Magpies were seen. After our day at Baixo Alentejo it would be hard to top what we had seen but the Nightjars and Little Owls at Lagoa dos Salgados were an absolute joy to see and hear!
All in all a memorable holiday!
Baixo Alentejo:
Around the gardens and nearby were a pair of Linnets with the male looking striking in his breeding plumage, House Sparrows, Greenfinch, Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and the occasional Grasshopper!
At Lagoa dos Salgados it was somewhat quiet, though with a flock of c200 Greater Flamingos it could hardly be called quiet! Other highlights were Mallards aplenty, Coots, Moorhen, Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, Spoonbills, Grey Heron, Purple Heron (Lifer), Little Egret, Med Gull, Common Sandpiper, Hoopoe, Little Grebe, Crested Larks, Fan-tailed Warblers, Bee-eaters, Azure-winged Magpies, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Woodchat Shrikes (Lifer), Kestrel, Swifts, Hirundines and Little Owls galore in the evenings were some of the highlights at this Lagoon.
Wednesday the 22nd was to be a good, no a great day! My Daughter and Son etc had arranged for us to have a Guided birding day with Simon Wates (Birdforum member) at Baixo Alentejo, a surprise Birthday present for me! It was a fantastic day with many new bird species seen! The highlight birds seen were Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture, Black Kite, Black-winged Kite, Montagu's Harrier (m, f and 2 juvs, awesome birds), Short-toed Eagle, Golden Eagle ( perched and distant but great scope and bins views, we did see it fly later but hard to get a perspective of it's awesome size ) Lesser Kestrels (stunning birds), Great Bustard, Little Bustard, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Roller, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Turtle Dove, Stone Curlew (on the ground and in flight, a cracker), Thekla Lark, Woodchat Shrike, Iberian Grey Shrike, Spanish Sparrow, Nightingale (fleetingly), Spotless Starlings, Golden Oriole x3 (heard and seen, gorgeous birds), and possibly my favourite bird of the day, a Rufous Bush Robin with the Golden Eagle, Lesser Kestrels and Golden Orioles vying for second place. As it was quickly approaching dusk we watched several Bee-eaters and Lesser Kestrels as they caught flying insects, 7 Corn Buntings were perched on a fence and a superb male Montagu's Harrier flew through..what a finale to a fantastic day! Magic!
We arrived back at our apartment rather late (well the next day to be honest.lol!) after a wonderfully exciting day in such a vast area, when at the Raptor watch point it was an eyeopener to see just how vast the area is, an area I had wanted to visit for a long time. I learnt a lot of facts and saw a lot of new bird species (19 lifers) thanks to Simon's expert birding knowledge, a great guy! A truly unforgettable day!
The rest of the week was spent resting...well sunbathing.... and visiting a couple of areas, Lagoa dos Salgados in the early mornings and at dusk being one of them. On one of the early morning visits 8 Hoopoe were feeding along the track to the carpark, I have never seen that many in one go before! Dusk visits brought us a couple of sightings and churring songs of Nightjars, not Red-necked Nightjar as I have checked their song on returning home. Little Owls were seen several times perched in the trees and along the track. Silves was visited but it was quiet here with White Storks being the highlight and a stunning Monarch butterfly! At the Odelouca Valley Kingfisher, Pied (or white) Wagtail and Azure-winged Magpies were seen. After our day at Baixo Alentejo it would be hard to top what we had seen but the Nightjars and Little Owls at Lagoa dos Salgados were an absolute joy to see and hear!
All in all a memorable holiday!
Baixo Alentejo: