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Southern Portugal, 5 – 19 May 2001
Richard Wesley, Oakleigh, Highstair Lane, Stretton, Alfreton, DE55 6FD
Ogston Bird Club Trip Members
Mike Conroy
Departure on 5 May 2001 Flight AMM 614C-AIR 2000 to Faro Portugal
Depart East Midlands Airport - 15.50 Hrs (Check –in 13.50 hrs)
Villa Accommodation
Casa Da Primavera,
Arrive Saturday night Return on 19 May 2001 Flight AMM 614D – AIR2000 to East Midlands
Depart Faro, Portugal Airport - 19.40 Hrs
Introduction & Strategy This was planned as a bird watching trip and holiday with the emphasis on bird watching. This entailed birding from dawn ‘til dusk most days with some time off for good behaviour. Although our base near Burgau was not ideal from the amount of travelling we should be doing it was rented at a very reasonable price and provided a quiet and very scenic location. Accommodation and Transport Casa Da Primavera was rented through a friend of Mike Conroy and furnished us with excellent accommodation. The villa had a pool and barbeque area, a luxury, which unfortunately we never found, time to take advantage of. There were two twin bedrooms, with a lounge, kitchen, bathroom and balcony. This provided the perfect base for the four amigos. The cost of the villa was £325 a week in May. We also spent two nights in a pension providing bed and breakfast at Monte Gordo near the Spanish border. Each room had twin beds with an en-suite bathroom, a balcony and a sea view. I cannot recommend this pension too much; at a cost of £11 each per night including breakfast this really was value for money. The continental breakfast was excellent with as much tea or coffee as we could drink. This was so good that we also decided to stay for the evening meal. The total cost being £17 each per night; probably half that we would have paid in the United Kingdom. The price did not include the Cory’s Shearwaters; these were scoped from the balcony, and came free. Our transport a Renault Megane 1.4 Estate was provided by LuzCar rentals. This was collected from Faro Airport on arrival and returned to the same car park on departure. There was ample room for our four cases and hand luggage and the four occupants. The vehicle was a pleasure to drive and considering we drove nearly 3000 miles in the two weeks, passed with flying colours. This was rented at a cost of £165 per week. Our flight was booked with Lunn Poly and including insurance came to £197 each. The total price of this package including the stay in Monte Gordo was £478 per person. Money The currency in Portugal is the Escudo abbreviated to ESC, PTE or $. In shops etc, 3,000 Escudo for example, would be shown as 3000$00. The exchange rate during the time of our visit was approximately UKP 1 = ESC 310, and this is the rate of exchange I have used in translating costs throughout this report. Food The quality of local food was exceptional, widely available and was very reasonably priced. There were many restaurants to recommend but the best were the Beira Mar at Burgau and the Oficina Petisqueira at Mexilhoeira Grande. For a full English breakfast the Brizze Coffee Shop in Burgau is the business; with a large milky coffee and a sea view, birds could easily have come second. Weather The weather was pretty mixed during our trip and fairly windy during the first week being nearer to the West coast. The few showers we encountered were mainly short lived and in general, conditions were good with an average daytime temperature of around 24 degrees. Dawn was around 06:00 hours and dusk about 20:00 hours, mornings being noticeably cooler particularly in the hills. References Collins Bird Guide by Killan Mullarney, Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterstrom & Peter Grant. A Birdwatching Guide to The Algarve by Kevin & Christine Carlson (Arlequin). Where to Watch Birds in Spain and Portugal by Laurence Rose (Hamlyn). Breeding Birds Of The Algarve by G.A.Vowles and R.S.Vowles (CEOA) Finding Birds in Southern Portugal by Dave Gosney (Gostours) Algarve Let’s Walk by Julie Statham (Peter Daughtrey and Len Port) Mapa das Estradas de Portugal by GeoBloco Trip Reports Trip Reports were obtained from www.birdtours.co.uk , Bird Watching Magazine and further searches on the Internet using the search engine Google. These included the following:-
1. Southern Portugal, 19-26 September 1999 by Gruff Dodd
Itinerary
5 May 2001 – Travelling to the Algarve, Portugal.
8 May 2001 - Mount Foia, Casais Cork Woods, Odelouca Valley and Pera Marsh. 9 May 2001 - Alentejo (Rolao, Guerreiro, Figuerrinha, Penilhos, Joao Serra & Mertola). 10 May 2001 - Boca do Rio, Barragem de Bravura, Quinta da Rocha, and Pera Marsh. 11 May 2001 - Quinta da Rocha, Dunas Douradus, Quinta da Lago & Ludo Farm. 12 May 2001 - Alentejo (Rolao, Guerreiro, Joao Serra & Pulo do Lobo) and Pera Marsh. 13 May 2001 - Carrapateria, Borderia, Alzejur, Marmalette, Casais, Odelouca Valley. 14 May 2001 - Castro Marim & Azinhal. 15 May 2001 - Azinhal, Mertola, Mina do San Domingos, Serpa, Pias, Brinches 16 May 2001 - Azinhal, Martim Longo, Vaqueiros, Ribeira de Foupana & Pera Marsh. 17 May 2001 - Boca do Rio, Bordeira, Alzejur, Carrapateria, Vale do Bispo grasslands. 18 May 2001 - Mira Valley, Monta Rocha, The Plains Circuit, Mertola, Almodovar. 19 May 2001 - Boca do Rio, Quinta do Lago and Faro Airport to return home. Acknowledgements To my wife for condoning my first bird watching trip abroad without her. Sunday 6 May 2001 - Luz to Burgau (Walking Locally - am) We started out at 06:30 hours Sunday morning walking along the cliffs to Burgau to get ourselves accustomed with the area and to look for breakfast. On opening the villa door we were greeted with “Wet My Lips”; our first tick was to be Quail. This was to occur most early mornings at Casa da Primavera. We continued along a very pleasant cliff top path to Burgau. Other birds of note along here were Yellow-legged Gull, Red-rumped Swallow, Cattle Egret, Crested Lark, Woodchat Shrike, Blue Rock Thrush, Sardinian Warbler & Fan-tailed Warbler. At 08:00 hours we reached Burgau and after fraternising with the locals discovered the Brizze Coffee Bar. Here we were treated to excellent milky coffee reminiscent of the ‘sixties’ and an even better full English breakfast. Fully satiated we retraced our footsteps, continuing further along the cliffs to Luz, before returning to the villa. More birds of note were Hoopoe, Pallid Swift, Serin & Moustached Warbler. It was necessary to purchase some provisions before our next excursion, so we drove into Praia da Luz and visited the Supermarket. On our return we spotted a large raptor hovering above a restaurant; this turned out to be the first of many Short-toed Eagle we were to see in the next two weeks. Before reaching the villa we were to see two more target birds, Azure-winged Magpie and Great Grey Shrike. Birds Recorded :- Cattle Egret, Short-toed Eagle, Kestrel, Common Quail, Whimbrel, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Little Owl, Pallid Swift, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin, Stonechat, Blue Rock Thrush, Blackbird, Sardinian Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Azure Winged Magpie, House Sparrow, Serin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Fan-tailed Warbler. Sunday 6 May 2001 –Sagres (pm) Following lunch we decided to make for Sagres and another of our target birds. Within minutes of arriving at the Fortaleza on Ponta do Sagres we were looking at a Black Redstart; again the first of several. We continued on towards the lighthouse for a spot of sea watching. However this was fairly disappointing and only turned up Gannet and Shag. We now returned to our base ready for our evening meal at the restaurant where we had seen the Short-toed Eagle. Birds Recorded :- Black Redstart, Shag, Gannet. Monday 7 May 2001 - Cape St Vincente and the ‘West Coast’ Early morning at the Cape is the best time to see some of its specialties, and sure enough they were there on cue. Firstly two pairs of Chough displaying acrobatically in the wind and then a Peregrine Falcon drifting gracefully below us around the lighthouse. Above us were the cries of Common Swifts and below the cliffs the daintier Pallid Swifts. However where were the Alpine Swifts which had also been elusive at Sagres the day before. Then to order they appeared, several powering through the commoner swifts, showing their speed and strength. As we left the Cape a White Stork appeared to our left and as we stopped at the Fort de Beliche to search for more birds, a Dartford Warbler sat up obligingly on top of a bush. The Fort soon surrendered another Black Redstart, before we were heading to Sagres for our breakfast. Following a good meal at Sagres we were soon heading up the ‘West Coast’ looking to add to our already growing list. The stunning beauty of this coast is hard to describe, but think of Cornwall multiplied by fifty and perhaps you can get some conception of its attraction. As you travel north from Vale do Bispo the roads become quieter and give you time to reflect on all its splendour. The coast is never far away from the IC4 and it invites you to stop off at every turn. Our first excursion took us down a dirt track to a smallholding and several farms. This soon produced Spotless Starling, Red-legged Partridges and further White Storks. We then continued up the coast to Carrapateria and took the loop round to the coast and back. We had more views of a Short-toed Eagle being mobbed by a Great Grey Shrike. On the beach was Grey Plover and Sanderling. After stopping for lunch we continued north, but before travelling a few kilometres we had pulled off left down a farm track by the side of a pine forest and a small river. There were birds in all directions, Bee-eaters, Kingfisher, Waxbill, Spotted Flycatcher, Jay’s and Cirl Bunting. There was a Nightingale singing along with several Cetti’s Warblers and in the fields adjacent to the farm about thirty Cattle Egrets. It was hard to leave this magical spot but we continued north knowing we would return before the fortnight was out. We were now nearing Alzejur and I was looking for an attractive valley I had read about in a NatureTrek trip dossier. Driving to a Moorish Castle above Alzejur it was possible to gain a panoramic view. A mere 5 km takes you through farmland, orchards, river-bank scrub, gallery forest, scrub covered hills, water meadows, saltpans to a tidal lagoon, extensive dunes and a broad sandy beach. This valley is signposted from the IC4 just north of Aljezur as Praia Amoreira. This left turn is at the side of a Leisure Centre. However on this first visit it was unable to produce too many quality birds. Grey Heron, Mallard, Yellow Wagtail and Curlew was added to our list but we left rather disappointed. One siting which did redeem this valley was our first Thekla Lark seen at the roadside and this was quite unmistakable.
Birds Recorded :- Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, White Stork, Mallard, Peregrine Falcon, Red-legged Partridge, Moorhen, Grey Plover, Curlew, Sanderling, Rock Dove, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift, Common Swift, Kingfisher, Bee-eater, Thekla Lark, Yellow Wagtail, Nightingale, Cetti’s Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Jay, Chough, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Spotless Starling, Common Waxbill & Cirl Bunting.
Tuesday 8 May 2001 – Mount Foia, Casais Cork Woods, Odelouca Valley and Pera Marsh
The visibility was making the summit rather unpleasant so we dropped down lower to a layby off the road. Here the sun was shining and we were soon listening to Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker calling close by. After half an hour we returned to find the summit much improved. We soon discovered another Rock Bunting around the restaurant, which gave excellent views. Other birds included Common Buzzard, Whitethroat, Skylark and another Cuckoo. One of our target birds, Subalpine Warbler was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it was too cold, I was certainly glad I’d taken along my fleece. We were all ready for breakfast by now but everywhere appeared closed. Our next stop was to be Casais so we headed towards the Cork Oak Woods. The village surrended a small café and although the proprietress spoke no English she was soon away cooking up a storm. Fresh vegetables kept appearing from outside and she eventually produced to our surprise a great omelette with all the trimmings. We continued onto the Cork Oak Woods following closely the directions from Gruff Dodd. Once parked up we were soon discovering another magical location. We immediately saw Nuthatch, quickly followed by Redstart, Chaffinch and then Crested Tit. The highlight for me however was the Short-toed Treecreeper my first lifer of the holiday. If anybody is in doubt about the importance of using natural cork against plastic substitutes they should visit these woods and see what a wonderful habitat that has been created. To lose these woodlands would be an ecological disaster. Heading back south towards the coast we took a diversion east towards Silves and soon reached our next site the Odelouca Valley. I had previously visited this area in autumn and did not realise its potential in spring. There were birds everywhere on the shingle islands and riverbed and the shrub held several Nightingales, Blackcaps, Cetti’s and Melodious warblers. Birds were visiting the river on a regular basis and Little Egret, Bee-eaters, Azure-winged Magpies, Little Ringed Plover, Turtle Dove, Waxbill, Rock Bunting and Grey Wagtail were all easily seen. We continued further up the valley and were soon treated to views of Golden Oriole flying across in front of the car. They landed in tall trees on the opposite side of the river and became difficult to observe. However they were continually calling and it was great to hear their fluty calls. They eventually flew off and I had good views of several males and females returning back across the road.
We had decided to finish the day by calling at Pera Marsh, a site I had not visited before. Trip reports had shown a good selection of birds recorded here, but I was not expecting the diversity of species that greeted us as we drove towards the lake. Several Greater Flamingos were feeding gracefully in the clear water, whilst mixed among them were a smaller number of Spoonbills. They moved their heads from side to side as they fed in the shallow open water. To our right a Purple Heron landed in the reed bed and a Purple Gallinule was moving slowly along its edge. Waders were well represented with Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Turnstone, Black-winged Stilt, Oystercatcher, Ruff, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits. Also in good numbers were, Little grebe, Shoveler, Coot and Red-crested Pochard. Behind the reed bed, two Black Terns kept appearing and above them Little Terns were in good numbers.
Birds Recorded :- Mount Foia - Common Buzzard, Cuckoo, Skylark, Wren, Whitethroat and Rock Bunting.
Casais Oak Woods - Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redstart, Crested Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Chaffinch.
Pera Marsh - Greater Flamingo, Spoonbill, Purple Heron, Purple Gallinule, Shoveler, Coot, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Ruff, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Kentish Plover, Red-crested Pochard, Dunlin, Little Grebe, Turnstone, Little Tern, Black Tern, Redshank and Black-winged Stilt. Wednesday 9 May 2001 The Plains :- Castro Verde, Rolao, Viseus, Guerreiro, Figuerrinha, Penilhos , Joao Serra, Mertola & Mina De San Domingos. An early start brought us to Castro Verde by 08:00 hours, a journey of about one hour and a half. The IP1 north from Albufeira is a fast road with plenty of passing places. Once through Castro Verde heading for Mertola we took the second right to Rolao and Santa Barbara de Padroes. This is a single-track road with passing places and it was at one of these pull-ins that we first stopped to have breakfast. On a previous visit this had been a magical spot and produced many good birds. Today however was not as productive but we still saw Black Kite, Great Spotted Cuckoo & Little Bustard. We continued on this road to a T-Junction at Viseus where we turned left towards Guerreiro. Shortly we came across a small lake on our left and stopped to check it out. This decision was rewarded with excellent views of Collared Pratincole, Montagu’s Harrier and a Little Ringed Plover. This lake was later to be named ‘Conroy’s Pond’ as Mike took a great liking to this location. Further along this road we stopped to look at a raptor sat on a rock, and to our amazement had good views of a Short-toed Eagle with a snake. Together with the pratincoles this bird made great video footage. Ever since leaving Castro Verde we had been tracking a Dutch birder who was just keeping ahead of us. At our next stop we exchanged sightings and discussed the beauty of the area and the quality of the birds. As we talked he spotted two Black-bellied Sandgrouse flying away in an adjacent field, and then a Tawny Pipit in the ploughed field to the left. It was a ploughed field similar to this that had produced Black-eared Wheatear on my previous visit and a buzzing call soon attracted my attention to a pair of these birds. After passing through Joao Serra we stopped at a small stream and as at most bridges of this type, found a Crag Martin hawking about. Ahead of the bridge were several telegraph poles all of which were occupied by White Stork nests. Most had well developed youngsters, which filled these huge nests. Underneath these incredible structures were hordes of Spanish Sparrows, which also used the same nest site. Before rejoining the main road to Mertola we had good views of another male Montagu’s Harrier a common bird in these parts. Back at the main road there is a rubbish tip, which is always worth a look. Here White Storks show the more seedier side of there nature, sifting amongst the refuse and smoke along with two Ravens and with several Black Kites circling above. Time was marching on and lunchtime was approaching as we continued to Mertola. Parking by the bridge above the town we stopped to look at House Martins swarming under the bridge to their nest sites. Across the road was our lunch appointment at Restaurante Boa Viagem. This seems a favourite with the locals and provides good traditional Portuguese food. We ordered pork steaks with salad and chips and were not disappointed at our choice. Wild Boar was also on the menu here! After lunch we decided to head for Serpa via Mina De San Domingos in the hope of seeing the elusive Black-winged Kite. Unfortunately the weather started to deteriorate and after several miles we decided to retrace our steps. This was not before we saw the first of only a few Wood Pigeons but no sign of the kites. The habitat looked perfect but as with several further excursions in search of these birds we were unsuccessful. Was it the wrong time of year? Back at Mertola we visited the Franciscan Convent and was soon rewarded with good views of Lesser Kestrel, which breed here along with several Azure-winged Magpies and White Storks. We now decided to start our journey back and hopefully a short cut south of Castro Verde. Stopping at another bridge just east of Santa Barbara de Padroes we had our only siting of Booted Eagle for the trip. As we were all feeling a little hot and sticky we stopped in the village for a drink and bought a melon, which was quickly devoured. We soon found the road to Castro Verde and returned to the IP1 bypassing the centre of the town. We had a good journey back and after a refreshing shower made our way to Burgau for our evening meal, this time trying the beach restaurant, which again did not disappoint. Recorded Birds :- White Stork, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Red-legged Partridge, Quail, Little Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Cuckoo, Little Owl, Hoopoe, Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Collared Pratincole, Red-rumped Swallow, Swallow, House Martin, Crag Martin, Tawny Pipit, Stonechat, Black-eared Wheatear, Great Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Spotless Starling, Raven, Carrion Crow, Spanish Sparrow, Wheatear, Corn Bunting. Thursday 10 May 2001 Boca do Rio This morning we decided to cover one of our local patches at Boca do Rio between Burgau and Salema. This is an old reed bed which appears to have been drained, but which still seems to produce a good number of species. It was another good place to see Melodious Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Fan-tailed Warbler and Nightingale. It was also one of the only sites to see and hear Iberian ChiffChaff, Reed Warbler and Common Waxbill. Quinta da Rocha Following a full English breakfast at the Brizze Coffee Bar in Burgau we were set up for the day and made our way to Quinta Da Rocha. On route we searched in vain for a reed bed at Sargacal near Lagos and then called at Barragem de Bravura a large reservoir just north of Odiaxere. I had heard that this was a good place for Subalpine Warbler but again we were unsuccessful. The only bird of note was a Short-toed Eagle. Eucalyptus trees surround the majority of the reservoir, a habitat not conducive to birds. We arrived at Quinta da Rocha at 11:00 hours and called at the field centre. Cruzinha was established in 1986 by the A Rocha Trust, a Christian charity, as a field study centre and bird observatory. Since then, the Centre has welcomed thousands of visitors from all over the world, with many students coming from within Portugal itself. This was my third visit and as usual we were made very welcome by Victoria Mountain and the new director Marcial Felgueiras. On this visit the tide was out but there was still plenty of wader interest on the marsh, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover and summer plumaged Knot. However the bird that took our full attention was a largish tern, which we had heard, was in the area, a Gull-billed Tern. The problem was separating this bird from several immature Sandwich Terns, which looked very similar. The crucial factor was the smaller all black bill which was half the length of the cap. Sandwich Tern, Knot and the Gull-billed Gull provided further new additions to our list. Recorded Birds: - Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Common Kestrel, Quail, Bee-eater, Black-winged Stilt, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Crested Lark, Swallow, House Martin, Fan-tailed Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Waxbill, Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail, Serin, Goldfinch, Linnet, Greenfinch. Pera Marsh This was our second visit to Pera and we were hoping for more good birds. We were immediately greeted by a Marsh Harrier gliding across the marsh, and soon added Avocet, Pochard, Gadwall and Ruddy Shelduck to our list. I took a walk towards the sand dunes and beach and was soon rewarded by a Short-toed Lark singing above me. I watched this bird drop into the sand dunes and confirmed the sighting.
Recorded Birds : - Little Grebe, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Ruddy Shelduck, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall, Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Purple Gallinule, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Coot, Herring Gull, Grey Plover, Kentish Plover, Ringed Plover, Black-Winged Stilt, Bar-tailed Godwit, Avocet, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Turnstone, Short-toed Lark, Swallow, House Martin, Fan-tailed Warbler,
Before returning to Quinta da Rocha for the evening we decided to try a Portuguese restaurant called ‘A’ Oficina Petisqueira in Mexilhoeira Grande, which was recommended to us by a Portuguese driver whom Mike had befriended. The driver led us to the restaurant and introduced us to the proprietor. This was certainly one of the best Portuguese meals of the whole holiday, was very reasonable and is to be recommended.
We were returning to Quinta Da Rocha in the hope of at least hearing Red-necked Nightjars. We had been advised at Cruzinha that they were about and positioned ourselves on the bluff above the Car Park amongst some conifer trees. What initially sounded remarkably like European Nightjar turned out to be a large insect, but then we heard the unmistakable call of KU-TOCK, KU-TOCK confirming Red-necked Nightjar.
Birds Recorded :- Red-necked Nightjar & Barn Owl Friday 11 May 2001 Quinta da Rocha We made this our early morning call today, arriving at 06:30 hours to catch the high tide. As we walked along the footpath adjacent to the sea we picked up two Short-toed Larks and several Blue-headed Yellow Wagtails. Continuing further we were soon looking at our first Caspian Tern which was sat on a small sand bar a short distance from the raised pathway on which we were walking. This was backed by large numbers of summer-plumaged Knot and several Sanderling. There was also a Whimbrel on the marsh to our right with several Black-Winged Stilts and a Little Egret. Corn Buntings were continually calling interspersed with Quail from different parts of the marsh. As we returned to the Car Park along the raised pathway we recorded Kentish Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone and Oystercatcher but we were surprised to see Northern Wheatear ahead of us on the path. As usual the commoner species Fan-tailed Warbler, Crested lark, and Sardinian Warbler were in normal abundance. Recorded Birds : - Little Egret, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, Knot, Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Quail, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, Black Tern, Crested Lark, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Northern Wheatear, Short-toed Lark, Fan-tailed Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail, House Sparrow, Corn Bunting. Dunas Douradas Following the N125 and E1 towards Faro we left the motorway for Almancil and followed the signs for Quinta do Lago. On the road between here and Quinta do Lobo we took the road signed Dunas Douradas and follow this to the beach at Praia Garrao. To the right of several restaurants are two natural ponds, edged with a thick reed bed, which we reached by 09:40 hours.. There is also a small pine woodland here, where we soon saw several Turtle Doves. The biggest surprise however was to find a group of Crested Tits flitting amongst the branches. This is a delightful oasis amongst a great deal of development and good birds kept appearing. We had a fleeting glimpse of a Little Bittern before it disappeared into the reed bed. Hoopoe, Azure-winged Magpies, Bee-eaters and Serin moved amongst the pines and a Red-Crested Pochard, Pochard and Gadwall were on the water
We concluded our visit here with a late breakfast at 10:30 hours at Julia’s Beach Bar.
Quinta Do Lago and Ludo Farm Continuing on towards Quinta do Lago our main goal for today was only a few minutes away. This area was developed mainly as a golf course but some consideration has been given to wildlife with trails and an excellent hide overlooking a small lake close to the marsh. Eastwards from the car park is a marked trail running alongside the golf course to the left and the marshes to the right. Many waders feed on these mud flats at low tide and we were soon looking at Kentish Plover and Black-tailed Godwit. A Purple Heron eyed us with concern and soon flew away to find a more peaceful location. | ||
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