marcbuzzard
Well-known member
Just back from a fantastic few days on the Algarve betwen March 25th and April 3rd. Good news if you live in Great Britain is that despite the cold weather in UK, our summer migrants are all on their way back!
We stayed near Vilamoura on the Algarve and travelled to various sites by car - Cape St Vincent, Alvor, Ludo, Quinta da Lago, Salgados Marshes and a superb day in Alentejo and clocked up 149 species without really trying.
Simon Wates took us for a superb day into the Alentejo - thoroughly recommended. I had my family with me and Simon kept a fantastic balance of serious birding and keeping the family happy with good food, chat and culture.
Highlights included twitching the long staying Cream Coloured Courser at Alvor and watching it for a whole two hours completely on my own! Up to 12 Caspian terns present during the week and showing amazingly at a number of locations. 60+ Great Bustards, 5 Little Bustards, Great Spotted Cuckoo, 60+ Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 3 Spanish Imperial Eagles, 20+ Lesser Kestrels, Calandra larks etc in the Alentejo. Plenty of migrants moving through - Bee-Eaters, Wryneck, Osprey, Gull billed Terns, Subalpine Warblers, Iberian Chiff-chaff, Pom and Great Skuas, Iberian Wagtails, while great views of local specialities a short walk from the apartment - Little Bitterns displaying, Purple Herons, Booted Eagles, Gallinules, Glossy ibis and Blue Rock Thrush. Good to do some i.d. work with Thekla / Crested lark, flava wagtail races, Yellow legged Gulls etc too, while iberian races of Green Woodpecker, Black Redstart and yellow wagtails were interesting.
I also spent time searching through the large gull flocks to familiarise myself with Yellow legged Gulls in various plumages. amongst them I came across three darvic ringed Lesser black-backed Gulls. Thousands of LBBGs seemed to be on the move along Portugal's south coast and were even seen migrating north over some of the highest peaks miles inland in the Alentejo
I've already received details of where the first was ringed (blue ring YM16)- as an adult at Sandgerdi in SW-Iceland on 29 May 2010!
A 2nd calendar year bird (Black F160) seems to be a Portuguese ringed bird while the second 2nd cal bird (blue ring V.NOL) was probably ringed as a chick in Belgium. all interesting stuff.
Happy to help anyone out if your going out there for a short visit - drop me a message.
Here's a species list and I include a few pics of some special birds:-
1. Greater flamingo - 2 at Salgados 1/4
2. Mallard- common
3. Gadwall - common
4. Shoveler- common
5. Shelduck- 2 at Salgados 1/4
6. Eurasian wigeon- one female at Ludo 30/3
7. Common teal- common
8. Pochard- common
9. Red crested pochard - 20+ Ludo 30/3
10. Tufted Duck - 3 Ludo 30/3 and one Vilamoura 2/4
11. Ferruginous Duck - drake at Villamoura seemed paired to a female pochard 2/4
12. Common Scoter- fairly common max 150 off rio Fermosa 28/3 with others seen
Vilamoura (20) and Salgados (30 on 30/3)
13. Red legged partridge - common
14. Quail- at least 3 calling at the Alentejo near castre verde and up to 5
calling Villamoura 1 and 2/4
15. Little grebe- common
16. Great crested grebes- a few pairs at Ludo , Villamoura and Salgados.
17. Gannet- a few offshore each day
18. Cormorant- common
19. Cattle Egret- common
20. Little egret - common
21. Grey heron- common
22. Little Bittern- several at Vilamoura including displaying males 2/4
23. Purple heron- a few seen at Villamoura each visit
24. White stork- abundant. Several hundred every day
25. Glossy ibis- 3 at Villamoura and 8 at lagoa
26. Spoonbill- 30+ Ludo, 3 Rio Fermosa and 4 at Salgados
27. Spanish Imperial Eagle - at least three individuals in the Alentejo 29/3
28. Short toed eagle- at least 5 in the Alentejo
29. Booted eagle- seen at Villamoura - up to 3 (25-3 to 2/4) olhao d'Agua and
rio Fermosa
30. Osprey- one over Ludo / Rio Fermosa 3/4
31. Bonelli's eagle- at least five individuals in the Alentejo- imm, 2nd cy and
adults seen 29/3
32. Red kite- several in the Alentejo
33. Black kite- one in the Alentejo
34. Marsh harrier- common around Villamoura and in Alentejo
35. Hen Harrier- three around Villamoura 27/3 - 1/4 and one in Alentejo 29/3
36. Montague's Harrier- several in Alentejo, one male on passage at Villamoura
26+27/ 3
37. Buzzard- common
38. Sparrow hawk - one at Villamoura
39. Kestrel- common
40. Lesser kestrel- 20+ in Alentejo inc 13 together
41. Peregrine- one male at Villamoura on several dates
42. Moorhen - common
43. Coot - common
44. Purple gallinule- a few seen at Villamoura, Quinta da Lago and Salgados
during every visit
45. Great bustards - 60+ around the plains of castre verde, Alentejo
46. Little bustard- at least five around castre verde, Alentejo
47. Oystercatcher- several along the coast
48. Avocet- 20+ Salgados and 50+ Ludo salt pans
49. Black winged stilt- common around water - Salgados, Villamoura, Ludo and rio
Fermosa.
50. Stone curlew- 2 in the Alentejo
51. Cream coloured courser- one at Alvor- adult 30/3
52. Little ringed plover- one at Ludo
53. Ringed plover- several at Ludo and Salgados
54. Kentish plover- common on beaches and water . Max 40+ Ludo
55. Grey plover- many at rio Fermosa
56. Sanderling- common on beaches
57. Turnstone- several at rio Fermosa
58. Dunlin- common at rio Fermosa and Ludo
59. Green sandpiper- ones and twos around freshwater pools at several locations
60. Common sandpiper- common around water and rivers
61. Redshank- common
62. Spotted redshank- one at Ludo
63. Greenshank- five at Ludo salt pans
64. Black tailed godwit- 50+ rio Fermosa
65. Bar tailed godwit - 50+ rio Fermosa
66. Curlew- a few at Alvor and rio Fermosa
67. Whimbrel- 20+ rio Fermosa
68. Little Stint- 3 at Rio Fermosa
69. Great skua- regular offshore with max 12 off albufeira 27/3
70. Pomerine Skua- one 2nd summer off Rio Fermosa 26/3
71. Black headed gull- small flocks along coast
72. Mediterranean gull- small numbers passing through
73. Yellow legged gull - abundant
74. Lesser black backed gull- abundant with individuals of Icelandic, Danish
and one Portuguese ringed birds
75. Audouin's gull- 30+ rio Fermosa 26/3 and 30/3
76. Sandwich tern- common offshore
77. Gull billed tern- one at Ludo salt pans 30/3
78. Caspian tern - 2 at Villamoura on 25/3, 31/3 and 2/4. 4 at Salgados 27/3 and
2 on 1/4
79. Black bellied sandgrouse- 60+ in Alentejo
80. Wood pigeon - several in Alentejo
81. Collared dove- common
82. Common cuckoo- one at Vilamoura on 31/3
83. Great spotted cuckoo - one in Alentejo 29/3
84. Little owl- common
85. Swift- several seen around Villamoura and in Alentejo
86. Pallid swift- 10+ Villamoura on several days
87. Kingfisher- one at Quinta da Lago
88. Hoopoe- many seen
89. Bee-eater- several small groups in the Alentejo 29/3 and over Vilamoura on
1 + 2/4
90. Green woodpecker- Iberian race several seen
91. Lesser spotted woodpecker - one drumming and calling around Olhos de agua
92. Wryneck- one showed well from our veranda at Olhos de agua 2/4
93. Crested lark- common
94. Thelka lark- many in Alentejo and at cape st Vincent
95. Woodlark - one over Vilamoura 2/4
96. Short toed lark - many seen at Salgados, felisia, Alentejo and Alvor
97. Calandra lark- many in Alentejo
98. Swallow- common. Flocks of 50+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
99. Red rumped swallow- many Flocks of 20+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
100. House Martin - common Flocks of 50+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
101. Meadow pipit- small numbers
102. Tree pipit- one over falesia beach 1/4
103. White wagtail - a few seen in Alentejo
104. Yellow wagtail-several Iberian and one flavissima seen - rio fermosa and Vilamoura
105. Robin- one seen Olhos de agua
106. Nightingale- several Vilamoura from 26/3 and one in Alentejo 29/3
107. Black redstart- up to 10 seen cape st Vincent ' aterrimus' race and singing
male in Loule
108. Northern wheatear- one 'Greenland' type bird in Alentejo 29/3
109. Black eared wheatear- several of both forms seen in Alentejo 29/3
110. Stonechat- common
111. Song thrush- common
112. Blackbird- common
113. Blue rock thrush- 3 at olhos de agua and 5+ cape st Vincent
114. Blackcap- common
115. Whitethroat- one at Vilamoura
116. Sardinian warbler- common
117. Subalpine warbler- male in Alentejo 29/3
118. Dartford warbler- a few calling in Alentejo 29/3
119. Sedge warbler- a few at Villamoura from 26/3
120. Reed Warbler- several had returned to Vilamoura by 2/4
121. Cetti's warbler- common and everywhere
122. Willow warbler- 25+ on passage. 15+ on 26/3 at Vilamoura
123. Chiff-chaff - common. 10+ on each visit at Vilamoura
124. Iberian chiff chaff- one presumably on passage at Salgados 1/4
125. Wren- a few seen around Vilamoura / Olhos de Agua
126. Great tit- common
127. Blue tit- a few in the Alentejo
128. Crested tit- common
129. Short toed treecreeper- several around Olhos de agua
130. Iberian grey shrike- one at Sagres and many in Alentejo
131. Woodchat shrike- a few seen in Vilamoura and Alentejo from 25/3
132. Azure winged magpie- common
133. Magpie - seen at Salgados and in Alentejo
134. Jay - common
135. Jackdaw- a few seen
136. Chough- four at Cape st Vincent
137. Carrion crow- a few seen
138. Spotless starling- common
139. House sparrow- abundant
140. Spanish sparrow- small groups in the Alentejo 29/3
141. Chaffinch- a few
142. Linnet- common
143. Goldfinch- common
144. Greenfinch- common
145. Siskin - a few seen around Vilamoura and one over Alvor
146. Serin- common
147. Corn bunting- common
148. Black headed weaver- common at Vilamoura and Quinta da Lago
149. Common waxbill - common
We stayed near Vilamoura on the Algarve and travelled to various sites by car - Cape St Vincent, Alvor, Ludo, Quinta da Lago, Salgados Marshes and a superb day in Alentejo and clocked up 149 species without really trying.
Simon Wates took us for a superb day into the Alentejo - thoroughly recommended. I had my family with me and Simon kept a fantastic balance of serious birding and keeping the family happy with good food, chat and culture.
Highlights included twitching the long staying Cream Coloured Courser at Alvor and watching it for a whole two hours completely on my own! Up to 12 Caspian terns present during the week and showing amazingly at a number of locations. 60+ Great Bustards, 5 Little Bustards, Great Spotted Cuckoo, 60+ Black-bellied Sandgrouse, 3 Spanish Imperial Eagles, 20+ Lesser Kestrels, Calandra larks etc in the Alentejo. Plenty of migrants moving through - Bee-Eaters, Wryneck, Osprey, Gull billed Terns, Subalpine Warblers, Iberian Chiff-chaff, Pom and Great Skuas, Iberian Wagtails, while great views of local specialities a short walk from the apartment - Little Bitterns displaying, Purple Herons, Booted Eagles, Gallinules, Glossy ibis and Blue Rock Thrush. Good to do some i.d. work with Thekla / Crested lark, flava wagtail races, Yellow legged Gulls etc too, while iberian races of Green Woodpecker, Black Redstart and yellow wagtails were interesting.
I also spent time searching through the large gull flocks to familiarise myself with Yellow legged Gulls in various plumages. amongst them I came across three darvic ringed Lesser black-backed Gulls. Thousands of LBBGs seemed to be on the move along Portugal's south coast and were even seen migrating north over some of the highest peaks miles inland in the Alentejo
I've already received details of where the first was ringed (blue ring YM16)- as an adult at Sandgerdi in SW-Iceland on 29 May 2010!
A 2nd calendar year bird (Black F160) seems to be a Portuguese ringed bird while the second 2nd cal bird (blue ring V.NOL) was probably ringed as a chick in Belgium. all interesting stuff.
Happy to help anyone out if your going out there for a short visit - drop me a message.
Here's a species list and I include a few pics of some special birds:-
1. Greater flamingo - 2 at Salgados 1/4
2. Mallard- common
3. Gadwall - common
4. Shoveler- common
5. Shelduck- 2 at Salgados 1/4
6. Eurasian wigeon- one female at Ludo 30/3
7. Common teal- common
8. Pochard- common
9. Red crested pochard - 20+ Ludo 30/3
10. Tufted Duck - 3 Ludo 30/3 and one Vilamoura 2/4
11. Ferruginous Duck - drake at Villamoura seemed paired to a female pochard 2/4
12. Common Scoter- fairly common max 150 off rio Fermosa 28/3 with others seen
Vilamoura (20) and Salgados (30 on 30/3)
13. Red legged partridge - common
14. Quail- at least 3 calling at the Alentejo near castre verde and up to 5
calling Villamoura 1 and 2/4
15. Little grebe- common
16. Great crested grebes- a few pairs at Ludo , Villamoura and Salgados.
17. Gannet- a few offshore each day
18. Cormorant- common
19. Cattle Egret- common
20. Little egret - common
21. Grey heron- common
22. Little Bittern- several at Vilamoura including displaying males 2/4
23. Purple heron- a few seen at Villamoura each visit
24. White stork- abundant. Several hundred every day
25. Glossy ibis- 3 at Villamoura and 8 at lagoa
26. Spoonbill- 30+ Ludo, 3 Rio Fermosa and 4 at Salgados
27. Spanish Imperial Eagle - at least three individuals in the Alentejo 29/3
28. Short toed eagle- at least 5 in the Alentejo
29. Booted eagle- seen at Villamoura - up to 3 (25-3 to 2/4) olhao d'Agua and
rio Fermosa
30. Osprey- one over Ludo / Rio Fermosa 3/4
31. Bonelli's eagle- at least five individuals in the Alentejo- imm, 2nd cy and
adults seen 29/3
32. Red kite- several in the Alentejo
33. Black kite- one in the Alentejo
34. Marsh harrier- common around Villamoura and in Alentejo
35. Hen Harrier- three around Villamoura 27/3 - 1/4 and one in Alentejo 29/3
36. Montague's Harrier- several in Alentejo, one male on passage at Villamoura
26+27/ 3
37. Buzzard- common
38. Sparrow hawk - one at Villamoura
39. Kestrel- common
40. Lesser kestrel- 20+ in Alentejo inc 13 together
41. Peregrine- one male at Villamoura on several dates
42. Moorhen - common
43. Coot - common
44. Purple gallinule- a few seen at Villamoura, Quinta da Lago and Salgados
during every visit
45. Great bustards - 60+ around the plains of castre verde, Alentejo
46. Little bustard- at least five around castre verde, Alentejo
47. Oystercatcher- several along the coast
48. Avocet- 20+ Salgados and 50+ Ludo salt pans
49. Black winged stilt- common around water - Salgados, Villamoura, Ludo and rio
Fermosa.
50. Stone curlew- 2 in the Alentejo
51. Cream coloured courser- one at Alvor- adult 30/3
52. Little ringed plover- one at Ludo
53. Ringed plover- several at Ludo and Salgados
54. Kentish plover- common on beaches and water . Max 40+ Ludo
55. Grey plover- many at rio Fermosa
56. Sanderling- common on beaches
57. Turnstone- several at rio Fermosa
58. Dunlin- common at rio Fermosa and Ludo
59. Green sandpiper- ones and twos around freshwater pools at several locations
60. Common sandpiper- common around water and rivers
61. Redshank- common
62. Spotted redshank- one at Ludo
63. Greenshank- five at Ludo salt pans
64. Black tailed godwit- 50+ rio Fermosa
65. Bar tailed godwit - 50+ rio Fermosa
66. Curlew- a few at Alvor and rio Fermosa
67. Whimbrel- 20+ rio Fermosa
68. Little Stint- 3 at Rio Fermosa
69. Great skua- regular offshore with max 12 off albufeira 27/3
70. Pomerine Skua- one 2nd summer off Rio Fermosa 26/3
71. Black headed gull- small flocks along coast
72. Mediterranean gull- small numbers passing through
73. Yellow legged gull - abundant
74. Lesser black backed gull- abundant with individuals of Icelandic, Danish
and one Portuguese ringed birds
75. Audouin's gull- 30+ rio Fermosa 26/3 and 30/3
76. Sandwich tern- common offshore
77. Gull billed tern- one at Ludo salt pans 30/3
78. Caspian tern - 2 at Villamoura on 25/3, 31/3 and 2/4. 4 at Salgados 27/3 and
2 on 1/4
79. Black bellied sandgrouse- 60+ in Alentejo
80. Wood pigeon - several in Alentejo
81. Collared dove- common
82. Common cuckoo- one at Vilamoura on 31/3
83. Great spotted cuckoo - one in Alentejo 29/3
84. Little owl- common
85. Swift- several seen around Villamoura and in Alentejo
86. Pallid swift- 10+ Villamoura on several days
87. Kingfisher- one at Quinta da Lago
88. Hoopoe- many seen
89. Bee-eater- several small groups in the Alentejo 29/3 and over Vilamoura on
1 + 2/4
90. Green woodpecker- Iberian race several seen
91. Lesser spotted woodpecker - one drumming and calling around Olhos de agua
92. Wryneck- one showed well from our veranda at Olhos de agua 2/4
93. Crested lark- common
94. Thelka lark- many in Alentejo and at cape st Vincent
95. Woodlark - one over Vilamoura 2/4
96. Short toed lark - many seen at Salgados, felisia, Alentejo and Alvor
97. Calandra lark- many in Alentejo
98. Swallow- common. Flocks of 50+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
99. Red rumped swallow- many Flocks of 20+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
100. House Martin - common Flocks of 50+ Parc Ambiental, Villamoura.
101. Meadow pipit- small numbers
102. Tree pipit- one over falesia beach 1/4
103. White wagtail - a few seen in Alentejo
104. Yellow wagtail-several Iberian and one flavissima seen - rio fermosa and Vilamoura
105. Robin- one seen Olhos de agua
106. Nightingale- several Vilamoura from 26/3 and one in Alentejo 29/3
107. Black redstart- up to 10 seen cape st Vincent ' aterrimus' race and singing
male in Loule
108. Northern wheatear- one 'Greenland' type bird in Alentejo 29/3
109. Black eared wheatear- several of both forms seen in Alentejo 29/3
110. Stonechat- common
111. Song thrush- common
112. Blackbird- common
113. Blue rock thrush- 3 at olhos de agua and 5+ cape st Vincent
114. Blackcap- common
115. Whitethroat- one at Vilamoura
116. Sardinian warbler- common
117. Subalpine warbler- male in Alentejo 29/3
118. Dartford warbler- a few calling in Alentejo 29/3
119. Sedge warbler- a few at Villamoura from 26/3
120. Reed Warbler- several had returned to Vilamoura by 2/4
121. Cetti's warbler- common and everywhere
122. Willow warbler- 25+ on passage. 15+ on 26/3 at Vilamoura
123. Chiff-chaff - common. 10+ on each visit at Vilamoura
124. Iberian chiff chaff- one presumably on passage at Salgados 1/4
125. Wren- a few seen around Vilamoura / Olhos de Agua
126. Great tit- common
127. Blue tit- a few in the Alentejo
128. Crested tit- common
129. Short toed treecreeper- several around Olhos de agua
130. Iberian grey shrike- one at Sagres and many in Alentejo
131. Woodchat shrike- a few seen in Vilamoura and Alentejo from 25/3
132. Azure winged magpie- common
133. Magpie - seen at Salgados and in Alentejo
134. Jay - common
135. Jackdaw- a few seen
136. Chough- four at Cape st Vincent
137. Carrion crow- a few seen
138. Spotless starling- common
139. House sparrow- abundant
140. Spanish sparrow- small groups in the Alentejo 29/3
141. Chaffinch- a few
142. Linnet- common
143. Goldfinch- common
144. Greenfinch- common
145. Siskin - a few seen around Vilamoura and one over Alvor
146. Serin- common
147. Corn bunting- common
148. Black headed weaver- common at Vilamoura and Quinta da Lago
149. Common waxbill - common
