Eastern Algarve (1 Viewer)

We are staying in the Quinta do Lago area for the next week and hoping to visit a few sites so will post as and when, but it has got off to an excellent start, see below.

San Lorenzo golf course
As I was walking towards the hide a bird shot off the bank of the pond into the reeds, when I looked it was a small green heron, a lifer, it stood on a bunch of fallen reeds, where it remained for five minutes giving good views. On the pond there was a good variety of water birds including gadwall, shoveler, little grebe, great crested grebe, pintail, teal, pochard and tufted duck. A kingfisher flew across the front of the hide; glossy ibis and purple gallinule were on the edge of the golf course together with fifty coots, but not interfering with play.
From the hide overlooking the Ria Formosa there were a number of waders; Kentish plover, whimbrel, redshank, ringed plover, dunlin, turnstone, common sandpiper and grey plover. Within the pools there was a little egret and a spoonbill.

Ludo Salt Pans
On the adjacent golf course there was a hoopoe and in the stone pines several serin. One of the first birds seen was a black-shouldered kite; this was soon followed by three booted eagles.
There was a large concentration of wigeon, approx 1,500, with shoveler, pintail, shelduck, little grebe and great crested grebe. To the north of the pans were white storks and flamingos, together with grey heron, little egret and spoonbill. Waders included sanderling, Kentish plover, avocet, black-winged stilt, common sandpiper, redshank, greenshank, turnstone and dunlin. A large flock of gulls included yellow-legged, lesser black-back, Mediterranean, black-headed and Audouin’s, at the back of which were two Caspian terns.
Over the stone pines towards the airport were two common buzzards.

Castro Marim

Yesterday we went to the Castro Marim area and enjoyed a good day's birding.

Vila Real de Santo Antonio, old docks area.

Scoping over the Rio Guadiana to the mud banks on the Spanish side the waders included whimbrel, dunlin, ringed plover, oystercatcher, kentish plover, redshank, grey plover, bar-tailed godwit, knot, little egret and spoonbill.
On the sand bars there were large flocks of gulls, terns and cormorants.

Sapal Reserve, Castro Marim.

There were lots of small birds around including linnet, chaffinch, corn bunting, Sardinian warbler, crested lark, Iberian grey shrike, azure-winged magpie, hoopoe and white wagtail. Waders; black-winged stilt, cattle egret, spoonbill, little egret, sanderling, curlew sandpiper, turnstone, spotted redshank, redshank, greenshank, ringed plover, turnstone, whimbrel, Kentish plover.
On one of the banks of a salinas there were 200 cormorants, while another had seven Caspian terns.
A kestrel was hovering and a marsh harrier was quartering the southern side of the reserve
From the old customs house looking over the Rio Guadiana there was an osprey and two great white egrets on the Spanish side. Sandwich terns were fishing in the Rio.

Castro Marim Salt Pans.

Unfortunately the gate was locked preventing full access to the pans south of the salt works. Despite this we saw a flock of golden plover, 30+, with a few lapwings. The pans before the salt works held Black-headed gull, Mediterranean gull, flamingos, little grebe, shoveler, grey heron and white stork. Smaller birds included fan-tail warbler, chiffchaff, black redstart and Spanish sparrow.