Simon Wates
Well-known member
Sagres Bird Festival 5th,6th & 7th October 2012
http://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/index.php?lang=en
Again in early October the Sagres Bird Festival will be one of the highlights of the Portuguese birding year. Although running from 30th September the first days will concentrate on activities destined for non-birding locals and especially schoolchildren.
Last year some 700 people attended the festival and despite a lull in migration on that weekend much of interest was seen - you can't really fail to have rewarding birding around Sagres at this time. Hopefully things will be more typical this year!
Just some of the activities include; free guided field trips, economic pelagics, photo courses, dragonfly ID, Raptor ID courses and a talk from guest speaker, Erik Hirschfeld, editor of "The World's Rarest Birds".
Some of the highlights include a large diversity of raptors (some 20 spp.+ being normal), passerine migration and seabird watching from the shore and on pelagics. Species regularly seen at this time include soaring birds such as Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Hobby, Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork for example, passerines such as Spectacled, Subalpine and Darford Warblers, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-billed Chough, Wryneck, Ortolan Bunting, Tawny Pipit to name just a few! Seabirds regularly seen include large numbers of Cory's Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwater, the skuas and on the boat trips Wilson's Storm and European Storm Petrels and Scopoli's Searwater are regulars.
Less frequent but regularly occurring species in October include Spanish Imperial and Golden Eagles, Black Vulture, Eleanora's Falcon, Dotterel and rarities include Ruppell's Vulture (every year recently), the 1st White-backed Vulture for Europe, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Pallid Harrier, White-rumped Sandpiper and Chimney and White-rumped Swifts to name just a few!
If you are down in Portugal at this time its a must!
Alternatively, a long weekend would make a delightful break from the chilly northern Europe. At Sagres, early October is reliably calm and very warm!
Anybody wanting more information see the website or just ask me here.
Simon
http://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/index.php?lang=en
Again in early October the Sagres Bird Festival will be one of the highlights of the Portuguese birding year. Although running from 30th September the first days will concentrate on activities destined for non-birding locals and especially schoolchildren.
Last year some 700 people attended the festival and despite a lull in migration on that weekend much of interest was seen - you can't really fail to have rewarding birding around Sagres at this time. Hopefully things will be more typical this year!
Just some of the activities include; free guided field trips, economic pelagics, photo courses, dragonfly ID, Raptor ID courses and a talk from guest speaker, Erik Hirschfeld, editor of "The World's Rarest Birds".
Some of the highlights include a large diversity of raptors (some 20 spp.+ being normal), passerine migration and seabird watching from the shore and on pelagics. Species regularly seen at this time include soaring birds such as Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Hobby, Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork for example, passerines such as Spectacled, Subalpine and Darford Warblers, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-billed Chough, Wryneck, Ortolan Bunting, Tawny Pipit to name just a few! Seabirds regularly seen include large numbers of Cory's Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwater, the skuas and on the boat trips Wilson's Storm and European Storm Petrels and Scopoli's Searwater are regulars.
Less frequent but regularly occurring species in October include Spanish Imperial and Golden Eagles, Black Vulture, Eleanora's Falcon, Dotterel and rarities include Ruppell's Vulture (every year recently), the 1st White-backed Vulture for Europe, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Pallid Harrier, White-rumped Sandpiper and Chimney and White-rumped Swifts to name just a few!
If you are down in Portugal at this time its a must!
Alternatively, a long weekend would make a delightful break from the chilly northern Europe. At Sagres, early October is reliably calm and very warm!
Anybody wanting more information see the website or just ask me here.
Simon
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