Castro Marim early April (1 Viewer)

[Birdbox]

As a special treat for my non-birding fiancee, her birthday present this year is a week birding Castro Marim based across the road in Monte Gordo.

Anyone have the relevant gen that I'll, er I mean, she'll need regarding access, best bits, expectations etc.

She thanks you all in advance, don't I, hun?

 

[Simon Wates]

IMO the area doesn't warrant a whole week - if you have a car you could spend half a day at one end around the visitor centre and another on the footpath between the main road to Monte Gordo and the salt works. I would have thought that with 2 days you should get all the birds at least onece or twice. It would be worth driving/bussing up to Mertola and spending time up there for large raptors, the bustards and much more.

What time of year will you be visiting?

 

[john-henry]

Good advice from Simon, but seeing as you're going in early April you could well pick up a few migrants arriving, as well as breeding Lesser Short-toed Lark, Little Bustard, warblers, Great Spotted Cuckoo etc. at Castro Marim reserve area and along the road to the salt-works.

The coastal area between Altura and Praia Verde would also be worth a look (with your fiancée sunning herself on the beach here of course) for migrants.

A day trip to Tavira saltpans might well be worth it for any Audouin's and Slender Billed Gulls remaining from wintering here, plus waders etc migrating in.

 

[Simon Wates]

Only just noticed "early April" in the title! Sorry.

All good advice for John, though I find Audouin's and Slender-billed are more or less guaranteed around Castro Marim - albeit sometimes distant - though its down to luck and these two can sometimes be very close to the footpath I mentioned.

Early April in the Mertola county and the neighbouring Castro Verde is a delight - be a shame not to get up there - less than an hour away.

 

[Birdbox]

I've done Mertola and environs a couple of times in the past and absolutely love the place.

Thing is, this is a week's hol mostly for my fiancee's benefit. I encouraged her to plump for Monte Gordo so that I'd have a 'local patch' that I could visit daily for a couple of hours without turning the whole week into a birdathon.

I'd have preferred the Alvor area but we fancied easy access into Spain this time.

There's nothing I particularly need bird-wise but would appreciate info on the accessibility of the place by bicycle/foot, are permits required? fee? particular bits to head for/avoid?

 

[Birdbox]

Anyone know who to contact in case of rare/scarce migrants at Castro Marim?

 

[Simon Wates]

Anyone know who to contact in case of rare/scarce migrants at Castro Marim?

For rarities and the very scarce - to get the word out fast there is a yahoo email group, "raridades" - https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/raridades/info - you would need to join up at least 24hrs before you can use it.

ebird is used by many in Portugal and is a good place to put interesting sightings. For example, if you were lucky enough to find the earliest ever Rufous Bush Robin it would be picked up and included in a project recording early and late migrants; "Chegadas".

Otherwise a post on here would get the news out pretty quickly!

 

[Birdbox]

Thanks Simon.