Travel Nature shots

Saturday, 28 May 2011

Hotel & Surrounding Areas

With Small areas of pine wood dotted about that Mandy and Myself checked each day for the 10 full days
and bits of land that we just classed as waste ground where I found a dead snake on the roadside,so I checked most days for snakes but no luck.
But birds found within these areas were.
Hoopoe
Azure winged Magpie
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Red-rumped Swallow
Swallow
House Martin
Swift
Crested Tit
Jay
Spotless Starling
Blackbird
Greenfinch
Herring Gull
White Stork
Mistle Thrush
Great spotted Woodpecker
Spotted Flycatcher
Collared Dove
Goldfinch
Tawny Owl
Serin
Tree Pipit
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Common Kestrel
Turtle Dove
Sardinian Warbler
Great Tit
Crested Lark
Common Waxbill
European Bee-eater
Short-toed Treecreeper
Chiffchaff
Red-necked Nightjar

Some good birding all within 15 minute walk.

Azure wing Magpie

Hoopoe

Crested Lark

Sardinian Warbler (Juv)

Serin

House Martin

Swallow

Common Waxbill

Short-toed Treecreeper

Serin

Mistle Thrush

Ria Formosa

Our last full day seen us heading off to Quinta Do Lago and The Ria Formosa National Park,which covers around 60km's of salt marshes.
So spending the entire day here we decided to head west towards Faro Airport and then late afternoon heading west towards Vale De Lobo.
We arrived at about 9.30 and left about 16.00,Birds seen in this vast area were
Common Waxbill
Crested Lark
Red-rumped Swallow
Swallow
Swift
House Martin
Azure winged Magpie
Serin
Linnet
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Blackbird
Common Kestrel
Common Buzzard
Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Fan-tailed Warbler
Collared Dove
Black-headed Weaver
Jay
Yellow Wagtail
House Sparrow
Corn Bunting
Mistle Thrush
Little Tern
Black Tern
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Squacco Heron
White Stork
Little Bittern
Little Grebe
Great crested Grebe
Purple Gallinule
Moorhen
Coot
Kentish Plover
Ringed Plover
Grey Plover
Turnstone
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Whimbrel
Dunlin
Sanderling
Black-wing Stilt
Avocet
Pochard
Red crested Pochard
Gadwall
Mallard
Herring Gull
Gannet

We was surprised at the lack of birds for this vast area,but we enjoyed our final day out and headed back for the hotel for a nice meal and a few pints of Super Bock.

Black-headed Weaver

3 in a bed Pochard,Gadwall & Terrapin

Little Grebe

Great crested Grebe

Pochard

Black wing Stilt

Gadwall

Little Tern

Yellow Wagtail

Sardinian Warbler

Kentish Plover

Saturday, 7 May 2011

Lesvos,Greece 28-4-11

With Mandy secretly booking a week in Lesvos only 2 days before hand it was a bit of a rush to get packed and ready.With a 3 1/2 hour flight from Manchester and a short stop at Gatwick to pick up other passengers up we arrived at Mytilini Airport then with a 1 3/4 hour transfer to our Hotel in Anaxos in the north of the island so it was to be some window birding for today.
Kicking the list off with
Black Kite
Black-winged Stilt
Squacco Heron
Greater Flamingo
House Martin
Swallow & Red-rumped Swallow
Swift
House Sparrow
Little Egret
Jackdaw
and 2 Scops Owls calling at night but some was heard through the day during our weeks stay

Abelia Beach 29-4-11

Today was another nice start waking up to the sun shining down so we sat on our balcony with a coffee
and some birding picking up
Sedge & Melodious Warbler
Kestrel
Alpine Swift
and Mandy shouted me back out to see my first ever Subalpine Warbler.
We set off for Abelia Beach which is about a 3 kilometer walk from Anaxos.
Adding
Spotted Flycatcher
Short-toed Eagle
Hobby
Collared Flycatcher
Hooded Crow
Sand Martin
Golden Oriole
Cirl Bunting
Whinchat
Collared & Turtle Dove
Sparrowhawk
Jay
Black-eared Wheatear
Rock Nuthatch
Blackbird
Eagle Owl (calling)
Nightingale
Wren
Blackcap
Masked Shrike
Sombre Tit
Middle-spotted Woodpecker
Great & Blue Tit
Chaf,Gold & Greenfinch

Red-rumped Swallow

Short-toed Eagle

Spotted Flycatcher

Collared Flycatcher

Black-eared Wheatear

Jay

Petra 30-4-11

Today we thought to have a look around petra with the sun beating down and good light we set off for Petra being only a short 15 minute walk from Anaxos.
Picking up
Common Buzzard
Stonechat
Corn & Ortolan Bunting
Spanish Sparrow
Linnet
Yellow-legged Gull
Cory's Shearwater
White Wagtail
Common Whitethroat
Marsh Harrier
Olivaceous Warbler
Crested Lark

Whinchat

White Wagtail

Swallow

Ortolan Bunting

Stonechat

Corn Bunting

Stonechat

Ortolan Bunting