Portugal 30th September - 5th October 2014 ORIOLE BIRDING TOUR REPORT
TOUR LEADER David Gosney PARTICIPANTS Chris Bamford Andrew Bates Darren Buxton Marlay John David Millar David Stanbridge DAY ONE Having arrived in Faro in the morning we had time to spend the rest of the day birding. We started out near Vilamoura and were quickly seeing good birds. Indeed it took us nearly half an hour to leave the vicinity of the minibus. That was because we were too busy enjoying birds such as Mediterranean Gull, Green Sandpiper, Common Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallow and our first Common Waxbills, one of which was landing in front of us to collect nesting material before carrying it across the track to some tall reeds. A short walk yielded lots of views of Common Kingfishers, quite a few migrants including Willow Warbler and Common Chiffchaff and two birds that were frustratingly difficult to see, a Subalpine Warbler and a Garden Warbler. With patience we did get views of the Black-headed Weavers in the pines and a really close Fan-tailed Warbler. Overhead we had great views of Marsh Harriers, White Storks and a Booted Eagle. Our next two target birds were both present within a few metres of the hide but we had the frustration of only hearing them in the reeds - neither species became visible. Even more frustrating we had a Little Bittern calling in the reeds by the track. It was so close we were almost standing over it but it still didn't show itself. The nearby pools had at least fifty Little Grebes but, this time, no Black-necked Grebes amongst them. We'd been told that our next venue, Lagoa de Salgados, had disappointingly high water levels this year but even so we clocked up a terrific range of species there including Greater Flamingos, and several species of ducks and waders. The best birds though were two Slender-billed Gulls which flew across the back of the lake before settling out of view and two Purple Gallinules, new birds for some of the group, gleaming in the reeds at the back of the pool. Nearby there was plenty of evidence of migrant passerines with at least forty 'flava' Wagtails [mostly 'Iberian' Wagtails but with at least one of the British race] and lots of Northern Wheatears. An Iberian Grey Shrike here was another new bird for some in the group. DAY TWO Our day got off to a surprising start when, as we were climbing into the minibus, our guide heard the distant calls of Alpine Swift. After a minute or tow we finally located them, a flock of at least one hundred birds wheeling high in the sky above us. The rest of the day was spent exploring around Sagres in search of migrants. At our first stop we immediately found that Whinchats were well into double figures, a promising sign. The next bird was a goodie; a male Spectacled Warbler in the bushes on the heath. It kept appearing, perching up on the top of a gorse bush, but always disappeared again before we could get scopes on it. Some of us, at least managed to get great views of it before it escaped us completely. It seemed as though every time we looked up we could see one or more raptors and after spending a while at the raptor watch-point we'd had several Black Kites and Eurasian Sparrowhawks, at least ten Booted Eagles, three Eurasian Honey Buzzards and half a dozen Eurasian Sparrowhawks. Other birds seen from there included a party of five Common Ravens and a flock of fifty or more Red-billed Choughs. We tried a number of likely migrant traps in the area and notched up good numbers of Northern Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher and flava wagtails and smaller numbers of species such as Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Common Whitethroat. We had a good look at the local larks and saw clearly that they had shorter, deeper, less drooping bills; they were Thekla Larks. We bumped into some birders who'd just seen Tawny Pipit and a flock of Greater Short-toed Larks going past. We managed to get distant views of the pipit but the larks never came back.
A bit of time spent sea watching was uneventful with just the occasional Cory's Shearwater and Great Skua amongst the more numerous Northern Gannets and gulls. On the way back to the hotel we spotted a Black-winged Kite but we couldn't stop as we hurtled past on the motorway. DAY THREE The morning was spent making a boat trip on the Ria Formosa. Our captain Carlos told us that the tides weren't in our favour as the water levels were too high but in fact we had a great time out on the water, sidling up to waders, gulls and Eurasian Spoonbills in his small, flat-bottomed boat. The waders consisted mostly of birds that were familiar from back home but, even so, the wheeling flocks of Red Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover and European Oystercatcher were impressive in the Portuguese sun. Some birds such as a Caspian Tern and a hunting Eurasian Sparrowhawk were never seen to settle but we did get fantastic views of one of the Mediterranean Gulls that landed on the water nearby and stayed there long enough for Carlos to cruise to within a few metres of it. Very photogenic. Our next stop was a pool that, in the past, had been fantastic for waders at high tide but by the time we got there it was almost devoid of birds. Perhaps we'd spent too long searching for the Short-toed Treecreeper in the nearby woods. It called so infrequently that it was hard to pin down exactly where it was but eventually some of us at least did manage to see it. It was a similar story with a Firecrest which stayed mostly hidden in one of the pines and only occasionally popped out to give glimpses of its striking face pattern. We did see a few more waders and herons here but the best bird was probably the Caspian Tern that flew by, giving us another chance to see this Ria Formosa speciality. In the afternoon we had a lovely time in the Ludo Farm/Quinta do Lago area. By now we'd had lots of views of Azure-winged Magpies but mostly of birds flying across tracks in small parties. Here though we got much better views of birds perched in the open. In the nearby saltpans we added a few more waders to our trip list including Little Stint, Common Greenshank and Spotted Redshank and an Osprey perched conveniently on a telegraph pole. There were a few migrants in the coastal pines, mostly Pied and Spotted Flycatchers and Common Redstarts but for many of us the bird of the day was a terrific Wryneck next to the path. As ever, the views from the hide at Lagoa de Sao Lourenco were terrific. In addition to a range of ducks and grebes we also had passerines such as Black-headed Weaver, Common Waxbill, Sedge Warbler plus an obliging Glossy Ibis. The bird we most wanted to see was Little Bittern as this is one of the best places in Western Europe to get views of them. However once again we had the frustration of hearing them at maddeningly close range but never actually seeing one. We stayed until quite late in the afternoon, late enough to see a party of maybe fifty Azure-winged Magpies, presumably on their way to an evening roost, but still the Little Bitterns didn't appear. On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a village because one of our group needed to visit a pharmacy. This turned out to be fortuitous because the village had wheeling groups of Crag Martins, maybe two hundred or more birds. Some of them were disappearing into nest sites on the buildings, presumably to roost rather than to feed young at this late time of the year. DAY FOUR There are some fabulous birds on the Castro Verde plains at all times of year but in the autumn they can be rather difficult to locate. Thankfully we managed to see several good birds at our very first stop. Our first Great Bustards were two flying over the plains and then, thanks to some great spotting by members of the group, we also had views of a couple of birds on the ground. This proved to be a good spot for raptors too, with a perched Peregrine, several Common Buzzards and a quartering male Hen Harrier, as well as two Black-winged Kites. En route to the next location we came across two more Great Bustards quite close to the road but when we pulled up they soon retreated over the brow of a hill. At the next site we soon found a couple of Stone Curlews and then realised, when we scanned around, that there were actually twenty eight of them. Further scanning enabled us to pick out three more bustards on a distant slope. Could these be Little Bustards? At that range they can be surprisingly hard to identify and the field guides aren't very helpful. It was hard to judge their size but the shape seemed right. We then located two more Great Bustards further away on the same slope and now, with the benefit of almost direct comparison we could see clearly the differences in shape, size and markings. We had two other good species at this site but only because the leader was able to pick out their calls.
When a Black-bellied Sandgrouse called, none of us managed to locate the bird but when we heard Calandra Lark we did at least get to see a small flock flying away on big broad white-edged wings. We'd had splendid weather throughout the trip with temperatures into the 30's every day but today was particularly hot with hardly a breath of air and little shade on those open plains. We tried a couple of viewpoints which previously have been good for raptors. However despite the panoramic views and the diligent searching we didn't find any flocks of vultures and missed out completely, not only on Griffon and Black Vulture but also on the Spanish Imperial Eagles which often associate with them. We did however find a good raptor at a different site where we were looking for more bustards and sandgrouse. This raptor proved to be a real puzzle, not really fitting any of the images in the field guide but the 'big-honey-buzzard' shape and the long aquiline head helped us to nail it as a juvenile Bonelli's Eagle, somewhat darker than the 'orange' birds that are more typical. Other birds on the plains had included lots of Iberian Grey Shrikes, Northern Wheatears, Corn Buntings and Azurewinged Magpies and a Wood Lark that serenaded us while we had lunch but the best birding occurred at the end of the day. We had planned to set off back to the hotel but decided to try one more site. The leader had been told it was good for Great Bustard in the autumn but he'd never checked it out himself. When we got there in late afternoon we were soon delighted to find a couple of Great Bustards not too far away. Not only were these much better views than we'd had previously but also as we looked around we realised that this group actually consisted of fifteen birds. Further scanning revealed another flock of fifteen birds and another of at least eight birds. No less than thirty Great Bustards giving terrific views in perfect light - a terrific way to end our day on the plains. DAY FIVE Another day at Sagres, starting with a pelagic trip. We arrived with great anticipation as we'd heard that on the previous day they'd had Cory's, Balearic, Great, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, European Storm Petrel, Wilson's Petrel, Little Gull and Sabine's Gull. Wow. But today the weather had changed. For the first time in the week there was a strong wind blowing and it was coming from the north carrying birds away from, not towards, the headland. Even so we were able to take the boat out onto the open sea where we raced to a spot some twenty km from shore where the birds had been the day before. Two boatloads of birders floated around a slick of fish oil and waited for the birds to come. Before long we'd had fantastic views of Great Skua and Cory's Shearwaters but, although a few European Storm Petrels skimmed over the slick none of the rarer birds appeared. We tried chumming at another site with no further success so instead spent some time enjoying some parties of Common Dolphin which gambolled around our boats. Apart from a couple of Balearic Shearwaters and a surprising Peregrine Falcon maybe five km from shore there were no further birds to enjoy so we bounced our way back to shore into the teeth of the north wind, cursing the unfortunate timing of our booking. The change in the wind seemed to have a detrimental effect on the migrants in general. There were very few passerines in the bushes and, even from the watch point, the skies were often devoid of raptors. Even so, we did manage to add some new birds to the trip list including some very obliging Short-toed Eagles an Egyptian Vulture and a lovely male Blue Rock Thrush. We also made a second attempt to get views of the Tawny Pipit and Greater Short-toed Larks on the headland. A lark dropped down amongst some weedy areas and we followed it until it flew. It was just a Sky Lark but beyond it were some more larks. We knew from the call that they were Greater Short-toed and, since it was a new bird for some of the group we stalked them, with some difficulty, until decent views were obtained. Our last port of call for the day was a site where the leader had previously had six Asio owls setting off at dusk apparently on migration. We waited there, along with several other groups of birders, as the sky turned spectacularly pink then orange but this year there were no owls to be seen. Instead, we retreated to our hotel in time to go for a fabulous fish supper in a local restaurant where we toasted a thoroughly enjoyable trip. DAY SIX We had to set off early in time to catch our morning flight from Faro but, although there was no time for further birding we did manage one last good bird, a hovering Black-winged Kite by the motorway.
SYSTEMATIC LIST 1 Little Grebe 2 Great Crested Grebe 3 Cory's Shearwater 4 Balearic Shearwater 5 European Storm Petrel 6 Northern Gannet 7 Great Cormorant 8 Little Bittern 9 Cattle Egret 10 Little Egret 11 Grey Heron 12 White Stork 13 Glossy Ibis 14 Eurasian Spoonbill 15 Greater Flamingo 16 Eurasian Wigeon 17 Gadwall 18 Common Teal 19 Mallard 20 Northern Shoveler 21 Common Pochard 22 Tufted Duck 23 Black-winged Kite 24 Eurasian Honey Buzzard 25 Black Kite 26 Egyptian Vulture 27 Short-toed Eagle 28 Marsh Harrier 29 Hen Harrier 30 Eurasian Sparrowhawk 31 Common Buzzard 32 Booted Eagle 33 Bonelli's Eagle 34 Osprey 35 Common Kestrel 36 Peregrine 37 Red-legged Partridge 38 Water Rail 39 Common Moorhen 40 Purple Gallinule 41 Common Coot 42 Great Bustard 43 Little Bustard 44 European Oystercatcher 45 Black-winged Stilt
46 Stone Curlew 47 Ringed Plover 48 Kentish Plover 49 Grey Plover 50 Northern Lapwing 51 Red Knot 52 Sanderling 53 Little Stint 54 Dunlin 55 Common Snipe 56 Ruff 57 Black-tailed Godwit 58 Bar-tailed Godwit 59 Whimbrel 60 Eurasian Curlew 61 Common Redshank 62 Spotted Redshank 63 Common Greenshank 64 Green Sandpiper 65 Common Sandpiper 66 Ruddy Turnstone 67 Great Skua 68 Mediterranean Gull 69 Black-headed Gull 70 Slender-billed Gull 71 Lesser Black-backed Gull 72 Yellow-legged Gull 73 Caspian Tern 74 Sandwich Tern 75 Black-bellied Sandgrouse 76 Rock Dove 77 Collared Dove 78 Little Owl 79 Alpine Swift 80 Common Kingfisher 81 Common Hoopoe 82 Wryneck 83 Great Spotted Woodpecker 84 Sky Lark 85 Short-toed Lark 86 Calandra Lark 87 Crested Lark 88 Thekla Lark 89 Wood Lark 90 Red-rumped Swallow 91 Crag Martin
92 Tawny Pipit 93 Yellow Wagtail 94 Grey Wagtail 95 Pied/White Wagtail 96 European Robin 97 Black Redstart 98 Common Redstart 99 Whinchat 100 Common Stonechat 101 Northern Wheatear 102 Blue Rock Thrush 103 Blackbird 104 Cetti's Warbler 105 Fan-tailed Warbler 106 Sedge Warbler 107 Subalpine Warbler 108 Spectacled Warbler 109 Sardinian Warbler 110 Common Whitethroat 111 Garden Warbler 112 Blackcap 113 Common Chiffchaff 114 Willow Warbler 115 Firecrest 116 Spotted Flycatcher 117 Pied Flycatcher 118 Great Tit 119 Blue Tit 120 Short-toed Treecreeper 121 Southern Grey Shrike 122 Azure-winged Magpie 123 Black-billed Magpie 124 Eurasian Jay 125 Red-billed Chough 126 Carrion Crow 127 Common Raven 128 Spotless Starling 129 House Sparrow 130 Greenfinch 131 Goldfinch 132 Linnet 133 Corn Bunting 134 Common Waxbill 135 Black-headed Weaver