BEN MILLER
INTRODUCTION AND STRATEGY
I took a weeks ‘non-birding’
holiday with my girlfriend, based in Tavira.
Before going I’d negotiated two morning’s
birding so, in light of the limited time, decided to concentrate on
birds I needed for my
·
Birds
available in the Alentejo. These were Great & Little Bustards, Black-shouldered
Kite and Azure-winged Magpie
·
Birds
available at Quinta do Lago. These were Common Waxbill,
Purple Gallinule and Azure-winged Magpie again.
·
Birds
not available on this trip. These were Rock Sparrow and Scops Owl for which I could find no site gen,
and Red-necked Nightjar for which the sites were just too far away to
enable any nocturnal birding on this ‘non-birding’ trip…
This report is reflects the
birds seen following the strategy of one mornings birding in the
Alentejo and one at Quinta do Lago, plus non-birding excursions. It is,
therefore, not a comprehensive report of what may be available in a
weeks intensive birding (although being a tourist centre, I would
assume the Algarve receives many birders in the same situation as
myself).
GEN
I downloaded the southern
Portugal trip reports from www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/Portugal
The reports by Gruff Dodd (1999) and especially David and Nancy Massie
(2001) were of most use.
I took both ‘A Birdwatching Guide to the Algarve’ (Kevin &
Christine Carlson, 1995, Arelquin
Publications) and ‘Finding Birds in Southern Portugal’ (Dave Gosney
with William Oliver, 1996, Gostours
Guides). The two can be bought from www.birdguides.com at a reduced
combination price of 11.95 (saving 2 pounds).
Gosney (1996) is very useful,
the maps in particular are excellent and make it well worth purchasing.
Carlson (1995) is starting to show its age; I found the maps and
systematic list to be out of date or not clear, and at times the
directions are poor. Some sites no longer exist; I was unable to find
the pools at Dunas Douradas.
Note Carlson does not cover the Alentejo in any detail.
The Maps in Goseny (1996) cover the birding sites in
sufficient detail, but I also took the Bartholomew Algarve Holiday Map
for general navigation. This covers main routes fine but not all minor
roads or hamlets. Note that there are currently many sections of roadworks in the Algarve
The only field guide needed
is the Collins Bird Guide (Svensson et al,
1999).
LOGISTICS
Current tourist exchange
tourist rate is 309 PTE to the pound. We found Portugal a very cheap
country to visit.
We flew with Go from Stanstead to Faro. Flights were booked at www.Go-Fly.com, for £195
pounds.
We stayed in a villa at Qunita do Perogil,
just outside Tavira. There was no birding
reason for staying in Tavira.
Car hire is essential in the
Algarve. We had a Toyota Yaris from
Holiday Autos for 8 days for £105 (reduced Go rate). Optional
insurance excess wavier is recommended. Note that the Portuguese
standard of driving is very poor, with blind overtaking and sitting on
your rear bumper the norm. The Algarve coast road (N125) has the
reputation of being the most dangerous road in Europe, but the IP1
Motorway is usually empty and easy to drive. I’d recommend taking it
whenever possible.
SITE NOTES
The following indicates what
I saw at each site. Please use these notes in conjunction with the
information sources listed above, especially Massie (2001) and Gosney
(1996).
ALENTEJOS, visited Monday 4th
June 2001
An excellent, bird-filled
area and one I’d highly recommend all birders in southern Portugal to
visit. The area is (just) manageable in a morning. I left Tavira at 04:30, and arrive beyond Ourique just
after 06:00, when it was light enough to bird. I took the IP1 Motorway
west until it ends, then traveled north on the IP1 (non-motorway) to
Ourique. This is a much better road than trying to drive North on the
N2 from Faro, direct with frequent dual-carriageway sections.
The N123 from Ourique to
Castro Verde is given in both Massie (2001) and Gosney (1996) as a site
for Black-shouldered Kite. Road works continue at the Ourique end of
the road, and birding opportunities will be less over time when this
whole section is motorway. I drove the road 4 times without success in
finding the Kite, although I did find Great Bustard (one in
field north of road just before the railway bridge over), Spotless
Starling (best area for these), many Montagu’s
Harriers and Black Kites, Dartford
Warbler (heard only) and White Storks. An Azure-winged
Magpie flew over the road just out of Ourique.
I drove the track south of
the N123 recommended in Gosney (1996) for Black-shouldered Kite, again
with no luck. This passes through excellent habitat and I saw Black-eared
Wheatear, Roller (fly over), distant Booted Eagle, Tawny
Pipit, Little Owl and Woodlark (heard only). With
the road-building work, I’m not sure how much longer this will remain
accessible.
I drove the IP2 north to Entradas again failing to see Black-shouldered
Kite. However I saw another Great Bustard in a field east of
the road just out of Castro Verde plus my only Red-legged Partridge
and a fly-over Lesser Kestrel.
I headed east from Castro
Verde to the ridge-top ‘look-out’ described in Massie (2001), south of Rolao. Along the N123 east of Castro Verde Azure-winged
Magpie, Southern Grey Shrike and Bee-eater were all
common. On the road into Rolao from the
north I had Red-rumped Swallow.
The track is easy to find
following the descriptions in Massie (2001). Just after turning onto
the track I found another Great Bustard on a hillside to the
left and whilst watching this bird a male Little Bustard flew
in. The Little Bustard eventually showed very well on the
hillside. Another Great Bustard flew over. Continuing along the
track before the farm I found 2 Quail and a Stone-curlew.
After turning away from the farm I found 10 Collared Pratincoles and many Larks including
excellent views of Calandra. Keep
heading right until your reach the ‘look-out’ point, from which I had
excellent views of a group of 4 Great Bustards.
QUINTA DO LARGO, visited
Wednesday 6th June 2001
Another excellent site, try
to arrive early before there is too much disturbance (and it gets too
hot). Follow directions in Gosney (1996) and Massie (2001). Be careful
to make the correct left hand turn to get to the hide, when the path
forks. Look out for the no-entrance road sign. Azure-winged Magpies
are very common in this area, the best views I had were along the
nature trail beyond the hide. Spanish Yellow Wagtails were
common on the greens of the golf course early morning, giving good views
The trail before the hide
provided Kentish Plover and Turnstone on the Ria Formosa and on the golf course, Sardinian
Warblers, and Purple Heron over. The hide provided
excellent views of Purple Gallinule (2 ads and 2 immatures)
feeding on the golf course (arrive early!!), 2 pairs of Little
Bittern, 3 Red-crested Pochard (plus 5 young chicks with
the female bird), Great Reed Warbler, Black-winged
Stilt, many Little Terns etc.
Walking beyond the hide I
eventually scored a group of 8 Common Waxbill, plus 3 fly-over Greater
Flamingos, excellent Azure-winged Magpies, Cetti’s
Warbler, Woodchat Shrike and two Short-toed Treecreeper.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Mike Taylor for
gen, and Mike Chalmers for gen and accommodation!
Unfortunately, as is so often
the case, a request to UKBN for gen brought hardly any response. This
seems the standard state of affairs these days; if anyone could point
me in the direction of a discussion list where people are happier to
share their sightings, I’d be grateful.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For any further info please
contact the author at bamiller@talk21.com
SYSTEMATIC LIST
The following abbreviations
are used in the list:
·
QDL Qunita
do Largo
·
QDP Qunita
do Perogil
·
NBT Non-birding Trip
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis
·
A
family of 6 birds on a small pool north of the road out of Rolao towards the ‘look-out’ site.
·
5
from the hide at QDL
Northern Gannet
Sula bassana
·
3
seen flying east off Pedra del Rey
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Commonly seen throughout.
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
·
Group
of 6 on Castro Marim saltpans, from Castro
Marim castle on an NBT
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
·
One
over the car park upon arrival at QDL
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
·
Occasionally
seen throughout, often over roads on NBT
·
10
seen during morning in Alentejo
·
3
flew over hide at QDL
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
·
1
over QDP, 1/6.
Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutus
·
2
pairs seen well from hide at QDL
White Stork
Ciconia ciconia
The defining bird of the
trip. Seen commonly throughout, breeding on roadside poles and on old
buildings in town centres
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
·
3
flying over saltpans at QDL, seen beyond hide.
·
Group
of 7 on Castro Marim saltpans, seen very
distantly from Castro Marim castle on an NBT
Gadwall
Anas strepera
·
3
from hide at QDL
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
·
Common
at QDL
Red-crested Pochard
Netta rufina
·
2
drakes and a duck from the hide at QDL. 5 young chicks with the duck
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
·
Common
in the Alentejo, especially between Ourique
and Castro Verde
Short-toed Eagle
Circaetus gallicus
·
One
seen from QDP
Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargus
·
Very
common in the Alentejo, especially between Ourique
and Castro Verde
Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
·
Only
one seen in the Alentejo
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatus
·
One
pale-phase seen distantly from track south of the N123 between Ourique and Castro Verde. A second distant
raptor was probably a dark-phase of this specie.
Lesser Kestrel
Falco naumanni
·
A
female bird seen in Alentejo, just west of Entradas.
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
Commonest raptor, but still
seen only infrequently in the Algarve. Common in the Alentejo.
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufa
·
One
seen in a roadside field west of the IP2 between Castro Verde and Entradas
Quail
Coturnix coturnix
·
Heard
frequently in the Alentejo. A pair seen from the track towards the
‘look-out’ point, just before the track forks to the farm entrance
Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio porphyrio
·
Four
(2 adults and 2 immatures) seen from hide at QDL
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
·
Seen
only from hide at QDL
Coot
Fulica atra
Seen from hide at QDL and on NPTs
Little Bustard
Tetrax tetrax
·
Only
one seen, a male seen very well just after turning onto the track
towards the look-out point
Great Bustard
Otis tarda
·
8
seen during morning in the Alentejo
Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
·
2
seen on a small pool, north of the road out of Rolao
towards the look out site.
·
5
counted from hide at QDL
·
5
on Castro Marim saltpans, from Castro Marim castle on an NBT
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
·
2
seen flying and calling over Ria Formosa
marshes at QDL, beyond the hide
Stone-curlew
Burhinus oedicnemus
·
One
seen from the track towards the ‘look-out’ point, just before the track
forks to the farm entrance
Collared Pratincole
Glareola pratincola
·
10
seen very well on track towards ‘look-out’ point, going through the
ploughed fields after the farm fork.
·
2
seen from airport window whiles taxiing out of Faro airport!
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
·
Seen
at QDL, where common on the Ria Formosa
and feeding on the golf coruse
·
Also
seen on an NBT at Cacela
Velha beach
Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
·
2
seen on Ria Formosa before hide at QDL
Sanderling
Calidris alba
·
Party
of 10 seen on an NBT at Cacela Velha beach
Western Yellow-legged Gull
Larus (cachinnans)
michahellis
Common gull along the Algarve
coast. Mostly singles, but count of 100+ flying east along Ria Formosa at QDL
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
Winter visitor to the Algarve
coast. Unseasonal single (same bird?) seen
on three separate evenings from QDL.
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
·
4
seen flying west from Pedras del Rey beach during an NBT
Little Tern
Sterna albifrons
Common along coast, seen
frequently on NBTs. Very common from hide
at QDL, feeding like marsh terns.
Feral Pigeon
Columba livia 'feral'
Common
Turtle Dove
Streptopelia turtur
·
5
seen at QDL, mostly along road on way to car park
Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Seen occasionally throughout
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Clamator glandarius
·
One
seen crossing N123 between Ourique and
Castro Verde
Little Owl
Athene noctua
·
One
seen from track heading south N123 between Ourique
and Castro Verde
·
One
seen from N270 just outside Tavira
·
One
seen from N2 south of Sao Bras
Common Swift
Apus apus
Common and seen throughout
Pallid Swift
Apus pallidus
Probably commonest Swift in
the Algarve, seen very well from QDP and around Tavira.
Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
·
Common
on roadside lines in Alentejo
·
Seen
at QDL hawking over Ria Formosa and golf
course pool
·
Seen
occasionally on NBTs. Know the call, see
the bird
Roller
Coracias garrulus
·
One
flew over track heading south from the N123 between Ourique and Castro Verde
Hoopoe
Upupa epops
Common site throughout.
Excellent views of birds feeding on the golf course at QDL
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
·
One
in pines along nature trail at QDL
Calandra Lark
Melanocorypha calandra
·
Common
in suitable steppe in Alentejo. Best views from track towards
‘look-out’ point.
Greater Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactyla
·
3
from track towards ‘look-out’ point, going through the ploughed fields
after the farm fork.
Crested Lark
Galerida cristata
Common throughout
Thekla Lark
Galerida theklae
Only one positively
identified, on track between car park and hide fork at QDL. Others
probably seen, but I didn’t spend too much time looking; having seen
plenty before I concentrated on searching for much more interesting
bustards etc…
Woodlark
Lullula arborea
·
2
heard in the Alentejo, both between Ourique
and Castro Verde
Skylark
Alauda arvensis
·
1
heard on track towards ‘look-out’ point in the Alentejo
Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Common
Red-rumped
Swallow
Hirundo daurica
·
3
seen on road towards Rolao from N123
·
A
local species in the Algarve, but up to 4 seen very well from QDL. If
needed, these can be seen very well by turning off the N125 coast road
signed Tavira just before (or after) it
crosses the River Sequa on a very large bridge. The roads descend to
river level. At the T-junction turn up-river (away from the town) then
stop to view area.
House Martin
Delichon urbica
Common throughout
Tawny Pipit
Anthus campestris
·
2
seen in Alentejo. One from track heading south N123 between Ourique and Castro Verde, the other near where
Quail were seen (from the track towards the ‘look-out’ point).
Spanish Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flava iberiae
·
Commonly
seen feeding on the golf course greens at QDL. Very good views of 5+
birds
·
One
seen on an NBT to Cacela
Velha beach
Stonechat
Saxicola torquata
·
Only
recorded in the Alentejo, where 5 recorded
Black-eared Wheatear
Oenanthe hispanica
·
One
female seen from track heading south from N123 between Ourique and Castro Verde
Blackbird
Turdus merula
Seen quite frequently,
especially at QDP
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cetti
·
One
heard from nature trail at QDL, beyond hide
Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola juncidis
Common, heard frequently
throughout. Seen or heard at all sites
Great Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
·
2
heard singing in reeds from hide at QDL. Not really searched for
Sardinian Warbler
Sylvia melanocephala
Common in suitable habitat,
e.g. QDL and QDP. All Sylvia warb’s
I got identifiable views of were of this species
Dartford Warbler
Sylvia undata
·
1
heard signing where the railway bridge crosses the N123 between Ourique and Castro Verde
Great Tit
Parus major
·
Party
of 3 seen in bushes just beyond the hide at QDL
Short-toed Treecreeper
Certhia brachydactyla
·
2
singles seen in bushes beyond the hide at QDL. Responded very well to pishing
Southern Grey Shrike
Lanius meridionalis meridionalis
·
Common
on roadside wires in the Alentejo, especially along the N123 east of
Castro Verde
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senator
·
Quite
common in Alentejo, although fewer than Southern Grey
·
1
seen beyond hide at QDL
·
Seen
occasionally on NBTs
Jay
Garrulus glandarius
·
1
seen in orchard just outside Cacela Velha
Azure-winged Magpie
Cyanopica cyana
·
4
seen in trees and on road-side lines along N123 in Alentejo
·
Common
at QDL, best views in trees along nature trail beyond hide
·
1
seen flying over N2 south of Sao Bras
Jackdaw
Corvus monedula
·
2
in Alentejo
Raven
Corvus corax
·
Total
of 5 seen in morning in the Alentejo
Spotless Starling
Sturnus unicolor
·
Quite
common in the Alentejo, the only site where seen. Best numbers were on
road-side wires along N123 just west of Castro Verde
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Common. Spanish Sparrows,
which breed in Storks nest along the N123, where not seriously searched
for and hence not seen
Common Waxbill
Estrilda astrild
·
A
target bird, southern Portugal is the only part of the Western
Paleartic where this introduced specie has a foothold. A flock of 8
eventually found beyond the hide at QDL. Listen out for distinctive
call and watch for obviously different flight
Serin
Serinus serinus
·
Common
at QDL
·
Commonly
seen on NBTs, especially at QDP
Greenfinch
Carduelis chloris
Common
Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
Very common
A large whale species was
also seen passing close off Pedra del Rey beach, much to the interest of all on the
beach!