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A week at Casa Rosa apartments on the
Portuguese Algarve. August 5th - 12th.
I had heard quite a bit about the Casa Rosa and the owners, Roger and Hanny,
and we were very impressed by the friendly welcome we received when we arrived
at 12.30 hrs on Saturday. We were shown to our apartment, which was large,
comfortable, airy and fully equipped for self-catering (although we ate Hanny´s
fabulous meals each evening). After quickly unpacking, we changed into our
bathing gear and spent 4 hours lazing in the sun and enjoying the benefits of
the excellent swimming pool.
As this was the hottest time of the year, we waited until 17.30 before venturing
out to do a little birding. A 10 minute drive got us to the town of Fuseta, on
the bank of the Ría Formosa. It was low tide and we parked just beside the river
and salinas to the east of the town. In just 25 minutes we recorded B-headed,
Y-legged and LBB Gulls, Little Terns, Whiskered Terns, Whimbrels, Turnstones,
Dunlins, Sanderlings, Redshanks, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Plovers,
Ringed Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits, Grey Herons, Little Egrets, White Storks,
Crested Larks, Bee-eaters, Zitting Cisticolas, Spotless Starlings, Pallid
Swifts, House Martins and Barn Swallows. The temperature was still 35ºC (95ºF)
so we drove back to the Casa Rosa for a final swim before our evening meal at
19.30 hrs, stopping on the way for some wine, bacardi and other essential
liquids to go with the meal which was served by Hanny on the terrace outside of
the bistro, where we were joined by 7 other guests. The food this night (and
every other night) was of a very high quality and the combination of good food,
drink and casual, friendly conversation with Roger, Hanny and the other guests,
convinced us that we wanted to stay for the whole week, not just for the three
nights we had originally planned. Luckily, our apartment was available until the
12th and we made the decision to stay.
Early on Sunday morning we took a 45 minute walk along the donkey track that
starts from just outside the Casa Rosa. Several bird species were seen, but the
only ones of note were Common Kestrels, Sardinian Warblers and a pair of Orphean
Warblers. We then drove the 7 kms to the Ría Formosa Nature Park, intending to
spend just an hour looking around the site before the heat increased. However,
there were so many birds present that we ended up spending three hours there,
using the two bird hides and numerous stone pine trees for shade.
At the salinas, we saw Little-ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Redshanks, Common
Sandpipers, Crested Larks, Sardinian Warblers, House Sparrows, Bee-eaters and
Hoopoes.
Two hundred metres away, in the lagoons beside the ancient Tide-mill there were
White Storks, Little and Cattle Egrets, 500+ Black-tailed Godwits, 100´s of
Dunlins, Avocets, Greenshanks, Black-winged Stilts, Ruff, Sanderlings, Red
Knots, Green Sandpipers, Gull-billed Terns, Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers.
We moved on to the reed-fringed lake and from the shelter of the bird hide we
spotted Grey, Purple and Black-crowned Night Herons, Purple Swamp-hens,
Moorhens, Coots, Little Grebes, Mallards, Gadwalls and Little Terns.
In the forested and scrub areas there were Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrikes,
Corn Buntings, Great and Blue Tits, Melodious Warblers, Zitting Cisticolas,
Goldfinches, Tree Sparrows and Blackbirds.
We had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then spent the rest of the day beside
the pool at the Casa Rosa, where a Short-toed Eagle, Buzzards, Iberian
(Azure-winged) Magpies, Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Little Owls, Sardinian Warblers,
Collared Doves, Common Swifts, House Martins, Barn Swallows and Serins were
recorded.
On Monday, we made an early start and drove the 140 kms to Cabo Sáo Vicente (1
hour 25 minutes), which is the most westerly point of mainland Europe. As we got
out of the car, I immediately noticed a large flock of Pallid Swifts circling
over the lighthouse. Even before using the binoculars I could make out at least
three Alpine Swifts in amongst the flock. From the point, we could see the three
common species of gulls, Yellow-legged, Black-headed and LBB´s out at sea and a
few Sandwich Terns passed along the coastline below us.
We then took a rather bumpy road towards Vale do Bispo, spotting two Red-billed
Choughs, Stonechats, Crested and Thekla Larks, several sizeable flocks of
Greater Short-toed Larks, Hoopoes, Kestrels, Bee-eaters, Melodious Warblers,
Corn Buntings, Red-rumped Swallows and both Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrikes.
On the Tuesday, we spent the whole day either sightseeing or lazing beside the
pool. During our evening meal we were treated to a fly-over by one of the
Red-necked Nightjars that breed near the Casa Rosa. Nightjars were seen on four
of the evenings as we ate our meals or sat around talking afterwards. At least
one (often two) Little Owls were seen every night. Both Barn and Tawny Owls were
heard calling close by on several evenings, but we were so engrossed in the
meals and conversation that they went unseen.
Early on Wednesday morning, Rebecca and I headed back to Fuseta and drove right
in to the salinas and mudflats a kilometre to the west of the town. Once more,
we found many wader species, which included Kentish Plovers, Little-ringed
Plovers, Whimbrels, Green, Common and Curlew Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Redshanks,
Turnstones and Sanderlings. We also had very close-up views of a Kingfisher and
a flock of Sand Martins.
Next on the itinerary were the Ría Formosa and the salinas just behind Faro
airport. Thousands of birds were seen, all of which we had previously recorded,
but the highlight was a female Kentish Plover with three young chicks that were
probably only two days old. We were able to get the car to within a few metres
of the chicks, who stood very still whilst the mother went into her "broken
wing" act to try to lure us away from her brood. Gripping stuff for Rebecca, who
had not seen this behaviour before.
The last site on our list was the Ría Formosa at Quinta do Lago and the golf
course. All of the usual waders were seen along the mudflats, along with a good
number of Spoonbills and Greater Flamingos, but we also found a single Caspian
Tern. From the elevated bird hide that overlooks the reedy lagoon on the golf
course, we saw a Little Bittern, a Water Rail, Great Crested Grebes, a
Black-headed Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamp-hens, Shovelers, Common and
Red-crested Pochards, Chiffchaffs, Yellow Wagtails, Long-tailed Tits and a
Cetti´s Warbler.
On the way back to Faro, we drove down the road to Ludo and at the bridge where
the ancient Arab road crosses over, we saw a Golden Oriole, Iberian Magpies,
Black-billed Magpies, Greenfinches, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Great Spotted
Cuckoo.
Thursday and Friday were non-birding days, spent on the island beach just across
the river from Fuseta, just soaking up the sun and swimming in the cool Atlantic
Ocean. Before setting off on Thursday morning, we saw a Crested Tit in a pine
tree just outside our apartment window. Numerous gulls, terns and waders were
seen at the beach, but the only new birds we saw were a flock of eleven
Oystercatchers.
We left Casa Rosa on Saturday morning and headed back to Spain, stopping on the
way at the Sapal nature reserve at Castro Marim. Here there were Greater
Flamingos, White Storks, Grey Herons, Spoonbills, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts,
Black-tailed Godwits, Whimbrels, Redshanks, Dunlins, Sanderlings, Common, Green
and Curlew Sandpipers, Ringed, Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers, Woodchat
Shrikes, Stonechats, Zitting Cisticolas, Pallid Swifts, Barn Swallows, a Booted
Eagle and a Marsh Harrier
Although this was mid-summer, with temperatures regularly over 100ºF, there were
plenty of bird species to be seen, and in good numbers. This was not planned as
a birding holiday and our birding was confined to a total of about twelve hours,
spread over four days and yet we still managed to record 93 species. Had we
travelled up to the steppe region of the Alentejo we would probably have
recorded well over 100 species, but the call of the beach was to strong to
resist.
The Casa Rosa lived up to everything we had heard about it and had anticipated
it to be. The accommodation is first class, the food is excellent, the location
is very quiet and peaceful, the hosts are friendly and very helpful and the
large gardens are a haven for many birds. Daily visitors (well seen) at the casa
were Iberian Magpies, Hoopoes, Bee-eaters, Sardinian Warblers, Red-necked
Nightjars, Little Owls, Serins, Collared Doves, Blackbirds, Spotless Starlings,
sparrows, swifts, swallows and martins.
If you are visiting Portugal for a birding holiday, you could not find a better
spot to base yourself and we strongly recommend it.
All of the sites mentioned, plus numerous others in the Algarve, and the inland
sites of Castro Verde, Mertola and the steppe lands of the Alentejo region
(where Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse,
Black-shouldered Kites, Lesser Kestrels, Montagu´s and Hen Harriers, Rollers,
Calandra Larks and various vultures and eagles can be found) feature in our bird
tours to Portugal. Hopefully, from now on (depending on availability), the Casa
Rosa will be our base in that country for our two-centered Doñana/Portugal
package tours.
John and Rebecca Butler
Doñana Bird Tours.
Thank you John and Rebecca for such a nice report.
Be sure to visit John's web site
http://www.donanabirdtours.com/
John can be contacted by e-mail
john@donanabirdtours.com or
alternatively
johnrbutler@hotmail.com
You can also telephone him directly on our home number, (0034) 955 755 460
or on his mobile number (0034) 637 922 688
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