Travel Nature shots: May 2011

Algarve Portugal 15th - 26th May

Our latest trip saw Mandy and Myself jetting off to Portugal for a 11 Days of Birding.
Hope you enjoy reading and a big thanks to my partner Mandy for arranging it,as it was a new place for herself as well.A Brilliant trip with plenty of new birds seen and a total of 108 Species seen which we think is good due to us both not being able to drive.
If you wish to try and put names to the ones I have missed out then please do so

Two-tailed Pasha

Clouded Yellow

Wall Brown

Red-veined Darter

Wave

Mullet (Grey ?)

Terrapin

Pug

Fiddler Crab

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Alentejo Area

This was the only day we had a guide so that we could travel around covering a very big area or try to we managed 300km of it.This area is mainly protected by SPEA (Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves) & the LPN (Liga de Proteção de Natureza).So a early start for us being picked up at 6.30 and a very long day in front of us not returning back to our hotel until 22.30.A lot of sites visited but was told not to mention them as most have rare breeding birds.
So during a 16hr birding tour birds included a total of 12 Raptors but 13 was the target only Bonelli's Eagle being the one we did dip on.
Birds included
Short-toed Eagle
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Booted Eagle
Montague's Harrier
Golden Eagle
Black Vulture
Griffon Vulture
Lesser Kestrel (Last year the colony had 482 breeding pairs)
Common Kestrel
Common Buzzard
Black Kite
Black-shouldered Kite
Little Owl
Rufous-tailed Bush Robin
Sardinian Warbler
Thekla Lark
Calandra Lark
Short-toed Lark
Crested Lark
Wood Lark
Stonechat
Nightingale
Red-knobbed Coot
Coot
Great Bustard
Little Bustard
Tawny Pipit
Stone Curlew
Black-bellied Sandgrouse
Red-legged Partridge
Collared Pratincole
Iberian Grey Shrike
Southern Grey Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
White Stork
Spanish Sparrow
Grey Heron
Cattle Egret
European Bee-eater
European Roller
Spotless Starling
Carrion Crow
Azure wing Magpie
Hoopoe
Red-rumped Swallow
Pallid Swift
Swift
House Martin
Swallow
Magpie
Blue Rock Thrush
Kingfisher
Little Ringed Plover
Golden Oriole
Corn Bunting
Black-wing Stilt
Mallard
Greenfinch
Blackbird
House Sparrow
Turtle Dove
Quail
Fan-tailed Warbler
Woodpigeon

Sardinian Warbler

Montague's Harrier

Little Owl

White Stork

Little Ringed Plover

Griffon Vulture

Golden Eagle (2-3yr Bird)

Calandra Lark

Collared Pratincole

Tawny Pipit

Griffon Vulture

Great Bustard

Black Kite

European Roller

A big thanks to Simon Wates

Falesia Marsh

This Marsh was about a 45 minute walk or 10 minutes on the free shuttle bus,So only once did we actually walk upto this area as we wanted to try it at first light as the bus didn't run until 10am upto Vilamoura Marina.
But we found out that this area was better in the afternoon keeping the sun behind us.
We spent quite a few afternoons here,mainly me leaving Mandy sitting on the bridge while I went off and wait for
my target bird to photograph which I only got a distant record shot even though I was only standing yards away from this Great Reed Warbler but he must have known not to sit out for me.
This is a great little area to just sit on the bridge and see what comes along Purple Herons flew over every 5 minutes.
Birds seen here include
Serin
Crested Lark
House Sparrow
Red-rumped Swallow
House Martin
Swift
Pallid Swift
Azure wing Magpie
Common Waxbill
Little Bittern (4-5 Present)
Coot
Moorhen
Pochard
Gadwall
Purple Gallinule
White Stork
Purple Heron
Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Little Grebe
Great crested Grebe
Linnet
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Black-headed Weaver
Golden Oriole
Common Kestrel
Black-shouldered Kite
Marsh Harrier
Jay
Reed Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Great Tit
Collared Dove
Fan-tailed Warbler
Sardinian Warbler
Spotless Starling
Blackbird