Tavira, Algarve, Sept 2018 (1 Viewer)

[Apodidae49]

River estuary and large lagoons and salt pans.

White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Black Winged Stilt, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Great White Egret, all from a tour road train and a down-river ferry to the beach. Birding tour by boat tomorrow so hopefully add to the roster.

 

[Apodidae49]

Birding boat along Ria Formosa, Flamingo, Curlew, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Greenshank, Sandwich Tern, Sanderling, Oystercatcher, Ringed & Little Ringed Plover, Avocet, Black Winged Stilt.

Salt pans behind hotel, all of the above minus the terns, sanderling and greenshank.

 

[Simon Wates]

Glad you are enjoying Tavira! Keep a look out for Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls - both frequent the salt pans in the area - Santa Luzia usually is the best area. Great White Egret is always a good record in the Algarve

 

[osprey31]

Which hotel are you staying at, just out of interest ?

Thanks

 

[Apodidae49]

Which hotel are you staying at, just out of interest ?

Thanks

Hotel Vila Gale, salt pans 100m away to the rear.

 

[ambduck5]

I have just returned from Vila Gale Albacora. Brilliant area - look out for hybrid Western Reef x Little Egret in the creek behind Forte de Rato. I have seen it there in four of the last six years. St Luzia salt pans were brilliant with the usual compliment of up to 400 Audouin's and 20 Slender-billed Gulls plus Caspian Tern and masses of waders including Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and loads of Kentish Plover. In the bushes around the salt pans were Iberian Grey Shrike, plenty of Common Waxbills etc etc. Good luck.:eat:

 

[ambduck5]

In addition, if you want Stone-curlew take the road from the hotel towards town and after the last salt pan on the right there is a lane to the right which goes past poly-tunnels on the left. Walk 200 yards into this lane and on your right is a field with fig trees. Up to 25 Stone-curlews were here shading under the trees last week. Little Owls were regular most evenings on the telephone wires alongside the approach road. Last year I saw Red-necked Nightjars hunting the same area at dusk.

 

[Apodidae49]

Saturday, short trip to salt pans behind hotel, pair of White Storks, Flamingoes usual Godwits, Avocets, Stilts, lots of Ringed Plover and Turnstones.

Today’s first sightings Common Sandpiper, Little Stint and a single Kentish Plover.

 

[Apodidae49]

Going home today and disappointed not to have seen Spoonbills and Hoopoes but c’est la vie. A golfer told us there were plenty of Hoopoes on the course he played at. I think we’d have seen more if this was a birding holiday, but as it was a sunshine chill-out with binoculars, I’m generally pleased what we saw on our daily ferry ride to the beach on Tavira Island and the local salt pans.

Flamingoes in numbers (and in flight) were the highlight and (as a fisherman, also) some shoals of very large mullet around the ferry dock.