Birding Trip report Algarve Portugal

Bird watching Algarve Portugal CASA ROSA Villa Apartment Holidays

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Trip report

Southern Portugal/Algarve

16 – 21 October 2007

16 October

Arrived Faro airport at sunset. Picked up hire car and drove to Casa Rosa. Little owls calling

17 October

South to Olhão. Visited fish quay and watched sardines being landed. White storks still nesting on several old chimneys in town. Drove east along coast towards Spanish border. Visited salt pans around Castro Marim as described in Gosney guide, the old town and south to beach at Vila Real de Santo Antonio

18 October

To Alvor Estuary, calling in to very quiet ringing station en route. Then on to Cabo de São Vicente – some passage off shore: of Northern gannets and Cory’s shearwaters. Three choughs on telephone wires near castle

19 October

North along NP2 to Castro Verde area, stopping at various likely spots. Only alpine accentor seen at highest point on route – at the lookout point. No great bustards seen, but flock of little bustards seen near to Gosney’s "chimney pot" at his site 5

20 October

Olhão fish and fruit market (on Saturday morning), then to Ria Formosa reserve just to east of town. Several walks through woodland and coastal habitats with some hides. Freshwater lake good for purple swamphen and various ducks. Caspian and sandwich terns on lagoons.

21 October

Early morning around Casa Rosa, then to Faro harbour sites (near airport), then out to Quinta do Lago: a leisure/golfing resort with manicured parkland. The most easterly of the three ornamental lakes was most productive with only sites for red-crested pochard and glossy ibis. Numerous other duck species, other waterfowl and kingfishers present. Flew home in mid afternoon

The weather throughout was excellent; sunny days with no or very light winds and daytime temperatures around 23-25 C, but perhaps not ideal for migration which seemed to be over. However, in four and a half days we managed to amass 98 species with most seen in excellent light.

The stay at Casa Rosa was excellent: comfortable rooms, with a well equipped kitchen and superb fresh seafood every evening. Roger and Hanny were the perfect hosts and Casa Rosa the ideal centre for birding the Eastern Algarve

Ian and Carol Poxton

November 2007

Species list

Little grebe	Common at suitable sites
Cory’s shearwater	4 off Cabo de São Vicente
Northern gannet	About 10 off Cabo de São Vicente
Cormorant	Several at most coastal sites
Shag	Few at lake at Quinta do Lago
Little egret	Common
Cattle egret	100s at Castro Marim and common around cattle
Grey heron	2-5 seen daily
Glossy ibis	3 at lake at Quinta do Lago
White stork	Still nesting in Olhão, single at Castro Marim and Alvor Estuary
Spoonbill	2 at Castro Marim
Greater flamingo	Small flocks 4-10 Castro Marim & ~10 at Alvor estuary
Mallard	Common
Gadwall	Common Quinta do Lago and few pairs at Castro Verde
Wigeon	Small flocks at Castro Marim & Olhão area
Teal	2 at Ria Formosa
Shoveler	Several at lake at Quinta do Lago
Red-crested pochard	Several at lake at Quinta do Lago
Pochard	3-4 at lake at Quinta do Lago
Buzzard	1 at Castro Verde area
Red kite	3-4 at Castro Verde
Black kite	10 at Castro Marim and few at Castro Verde and Alvor Estuary
Marsh harrier	2-3 at Castro Marim
Hen Harrier	1 female/juvenile at Castro Verde
Kestrel	Several throughout area
Red-legged partridge	2 at Castro Marim and 7-10 at Castro Verde
Little bustard	Flock of 17 at Castro Verde area
Purple swamphen	3-4 at Quinta do Lago and Ria Formosa
Moorhen	5-6 at Castro Verde and ~50 at Quinta do Lago
Coot	Common on all suitable water
Oystercatcher	6 at Alvor Estuary and 8 at Ria Formosa
Lapwing	100s at Castro Verde area and few elsewhere
Little ringed plover	10s at Ria Formosa
Kentish plover	Small flocks at most coastal sites
Turnstone	10 at Alvor Estuary and one or two near Faro airport
Grey plover	1 at Ria Formosa
Golden plover	2-3 at Castro Marim
Curlew sandpiper	1 at Castro Marim
Dunlin	10 at Castro Marim
Sanderling	Small numbers (5-6) at Castro Marim, Vila Real de Santo Antonio and Ria Formosa
Snipe	3 in Castro Verde area
Curlew	3 at Ria Formosa
Whimbrel	2 at Alvor estuary
Black-tailed godwit	100s at Castro Marim
Bar-tailed godwit	1 at Alvor Estuary and 2s at Ria Formosa and near Faro airport
Common sandpiper	Singles at Castro Marim, Ria Formosa and near Faro airport
Greenshank	5 at Castro Marim
Redshank	50 at Castro Marim, 10s at Alvor Estuary, Quinta do Lago and Ria Formosa
Ruff	Several at Castro Marim salt pans
Black-winged stilt	Very common on all coastal sites, especially saltpans
Lesser black-backed gull	Several at Castro Marim
Yellow-legged gull	Common at all coastal sites
Common gull	1 at Ria Formosa
Slender-billed gull	3 at Castro Marim
Black-headed gull	Common at all coastal sites
Sandwich tern	10 at Alvor Estuary and 2 at Ria Formosa
Caspian tern	2 at Ria Formosa
Rock Dove	Small flocks at Cabo de São Vicente
Feral pigeon	Common in towns and agricultural areas
Collared dove	Family parties in most farms and villages,
Little owl	Heard every evening at Casa Rosa
Kingfisher	3 at Castro Marim and ones and twos at Ria Formosa, Castro Verde & Quinta do Lago
Hoopoe	5 around Castro Marim, with singles seen several times most days
Great spotted woodpecker	1 in pine woods at Ria Formosa
Short-toed lark	Flocks of about 50 at Castro Verde area
Crested lark	Common on verges and broken ground at most sites
Thekla lark	Several in Castro Verde area
Crag Martin	10 or so around old castle in Castro Marim
White wagtail	7-8 seen on Alvor Estuary
Southern grey shrike	Singles at Cabo de São Vicente and 5-6 seen in Castro Verde area
Spotless starling	Flocks of 50-100 at Castro Verde and Cabo de São Vicente
Jay	2-5 seen in Castro Verde, Ria Formosa and Quinta do Lago areas.
Azure-winged magpie	Small flocks throughout region – with best views on manicured lawns at Quinta do Lago!
Magpie	1 at Castro Marim
Chough	2 at Cabo de São Vicente
Jackdaw	4-5 in Cabo de São Vicente area
Carrion crow	3 in Castro Verde area
Alpine accentor	1 at viewpoint on highest point of N2 road between Faro and Castro Verde
Cetti’s warbler	Heard at Castro Verde area
Zitting Cisticola	Several at Castro Marim, Alvor Estuary
Blackcap	Commonest warbler. Several around Casa Rosa, with 20+ Alvor Estuary
Sardinian warbler	Seen fleetingly most sites – especially Alvor Estuary and scrub at Cabo de São Vicente
Chiffchaff	1s, 2s and 3s at Castro Verde, Ria Formosa and around Casa Rosa
Northern wheatear	5-6 at Castro Marim, Cabo de São Vicente and Castro Verde
Whinchat	2 near Castro Marim
Stonechat	Common everywhere
Black redstart	Several seen in villages and at Cabo de São Vicente
Robin	Heard at most scrub sites
Blackbird	In garden at Casa Rosa and 10 at Ria Formosa and ones and twos most other sites
Song thrush	1 at Cabo de São Vicente
Blue tit	Several around Casa Rosa
House sparrow	Flocks everywhere
Serin	Uncommon, several heard but only one seen Quinta do Lago
Greenfinch	6 at Rio Formosa
Goldfinch	10 at Rio Formosa and ones and twos at Castro Verde and Cabo de São Vicente
Linnet	Small flock (about 10) at Cabo de São Vicente, 6 at Ria Formosa and Castro Verde
Corn bunting	Flock of 10 in Castro Verde area
Common waxbill	3 at Alvor estuary and 3 near Casa Rosa

Guide book used:

Finding Birds in Southern Portugal by Dave Gosney: ISBN 1 898110 18 2

Road map used

Rough Guide Map: The Algarve 1:100000