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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Algarve and Alentejo, May - June 2007,

John Knight

I flew into Faro on the 30th of May, and returned to the UK on the 6th of June.  My Hotel was in a medium sized resort, Monte Gordo, which is at the Eastern end of the Algarve, about 6 kilometres from the Rio Guadiana and the Spanish border.  Between the resort and the border town of Villa Real de San Antonio is a dune pine complex; this is much used by walkers, runners and cyclists, but it is protected and is being managed, so it made a good place for an evening stroll after the hottest part of the day and before supper.  Apparently it has Chameleons, but I didn't see any (even though I looked).  The weather was warm for the first couple of days, with temperatures in the mid-twenties, and it became hot from the middle of the holiday until the day I left, hot being in the mid thirties.  I relied heavily on Jon Hardcare's Summer Birding on the Central Algarve; even though his book is concerned with July and August it is a useful guide to sites, and being only twelve months old is still accurate about site access and so on.

Wednesday May 30th. 
I arrived at Faro after a totally sleepless night at Luton, so all I did was get into my rented car and drive to Monte Gordo; even though I wasn't birding Azure-Winged Magpie was an inescapable feature of the scene.  After a refreshing couple of hours sleep I went for a walk in the dune pines by the resort.  Here I saw Sardinian Warbler, a very brief over-flying Montagu's Harrier, and numerous examples of the curious Iberian race irbii of Long-Tailed tit.  I won't go into detail of every walk in these woods, but over the week they produced Crested Tit, Short-Toed Treecreeper, Northern Wheatear (on the seaward edge) and sharpei Green Woodpecker.

Thursday May 31st. 
To Castro Marim in the morning; even in late May and June it's important to get in an early start and plan to be done by mid-day; nothing stirs for about four hours from 12:30 or so.  This was a very rewarding place.  Spoonbills were flying in as I drove down the track, and Monatgu's and Marsh Harriers were obvious.  A couple of hours birding produced Little Bustard (a displaying male and a distant female), Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank, Grey Plover and Stone Curlew, as well as large numbers of Woodchat Shrikes, Bee-Eater, Black-Winged Stilt and the rest.  A juvenile Great-Spotted Cuckoo on the hillside by the track out of the reserve was a first for me; this small area of trees has Magpie, which is presumably the attraction for the Cuckoos.

Friday June 1st. 
To the N125 between Castro Verde and Mertola; Alentejo.  This is a superb area, and well worth the ninety minutes drive from Monte Gordo.  The toll motorway is very good, almost devoid of traffic and cost me 5 euros in total, so well worth taking.  The main reason for visting was of course the Great Bustards, and I picked up four (three females and a male) from a farm track near San Marcos de Ataboeria, but not on the Bustard Reserve; there was a Little Bustard calling off the same track and I flushed a Quail.  The area is rich in birds, with Red-Rumped Swallow, Montagu's Harrier and White Stork being present in large numbers.  Once the road enters the Guadiana Natural Park on the way to Mertola Booted Eagle becomes a frequent roadside distraction; keep your eyes on the road!  I visited Minas de San Domingo in a search for White-Rumped Swift, but saw only Griffon Vulture and some superb Golden Orioles.

Saturday June 2nd. 
Was mostly being a tourist, but a brief return visit to Castro Marim produced Little Stint and this time three juvenile Great-Spotted Cuckoos right by the side of the road, in almost the same spot as the singleton had been on the Thursday.  The brief ferry ride to Spain produced numerous Squacco Herons on the mud banks next to the river, Gull-Billed Tern and three Slender-Billed Gulls.  I visited Quinta de Marim on the Rio Formosa in the evening, but this was a waste of time, really.

Sunday June 3rd.  Got in the car early and drove off to the Coto Donana.  This took me about two hours, but a word of warning; the approach road to the vistor centre at El Rocio also leads to a couple of beach resorts; by the time I left to head back to Portugal traffic on this road was stationary.  This vist produced the only Greater Flamingo of the holiday, plus the first Nightingales.  Warblers were in good voice, with Savi's, Cetti's and Reed in evidence.  Black Kite, Black Tern and Whiskered Terns were just too numerous to mention, but I saw only one Roller and none of the real Donana specialities; it got too hot by midday for me to contemplate anything but an air-conditioned drive back to the hotel.

Monday June 4th. 
Back to Alentejo, hoping for better views of the Bustards.  No such luck, instead though I had three Black-Bellied Sandgrouse flying over the road near the bridge a couple of miles east of Castro Verde.  Calandra Lark and Spanish Sparrow were also new for the trip, but no Black-Winged Kite.  I detoured to Pulo do Lobo; be warned this is at the end of several kilometres of unmetalled road, and involves steep hills to boot.  Well worth it for the only Black Stork of the trip, as well as Black-Eared Wheatear, Crag Martins and the only White Wagtails I saw.

Tuesday June 5th. 
To Parque Ambiental at Vilamoura and Falesia Marsh.  The Parque Ambiental is a lot bigger than I expected, and proved shadeless and surprisingly difficult to navigate.  On balance it was worth visiting, producing Purple Heron, Hobby and Common Waxbill, but no Masked Weavers or Purple Gallinules, as well as a fledgling Woodchat Shrike swallowing a Cicada a few feet from me.  Falesia Marsh was fairly quiet, but I did have superb views of Purple Heron to round off the Holiday.

Species List

Little Grebe                    Common in all suitable habitat
Great-Crested Grebe       Parque Ambiental
Cattle Egret                    Numerous in Alentejo, and odd individual encountered practically anywhere
Little Egret                      Less numerous than Cattle Egret, but plenty about
Squacco Heron                Banks of the Guadiana at Castro Marim from the ferry to Spain
Purple Heron                   Park Ambiental and Falesia Lagoon
Grey Heron                    Castro Marim and El Rocio
Greater Flamingo            El Rocio
White Stork                    Numerous in Alentejo, but plenty on the Algarve, many on nests
Black Stork                    One flying into and out of Pulo do Lobo
Spoonbill                        About twenty present at Castro Marim
Mute Swan                    A real surprise this; two flying up from the Guadiana at Ayamonte on the Spanish side
Mallard                          Everywhere in suitable habitat
Pochard                        El Rocio and Park Ambiental
Griffon Vulture                Minas de San Domingo and Pulo do Lobos; both places in close proximity to large Spanish populations
Booted Eagle                Common roadside bird in the Guadiana Natural park
Black Kite                    Small numbers in the Algarve, fairly comon in Alentejo, very numerous at El Rocio
Marsh Harrier                Throughout in suitable habitat
Montagu's Harrier           Throughout in suitable habitat, numerous in Alentejo
Common Buzzard         Near Castro Marim and at El Rocio (both singles)
Sparrowhawk                Dune pines near Monte Gordo
Lesser Kestrel              Reasonably frequent in Alentejo; there is a colony at Mertola but I didn't see any in the town
Kestrel                        Throughout
Peregrine                    One flying over road near Castro Marim
Hobby                         One at Parque Ambiental
Red-Legged Partridge    Everywhere
Quail                           Heard in suitable habitat throughout; one flushed from side of track in Alentejo
Moorhen                      Throughout in suitable habitat
Coot                            Throughout in suitable habitat
Little Bustard                Two at Castro Marim; one heard displaying in Alentejo
Great Bustard              Four in Alentejo near San Marcos de Ataboeria
Avocet                         Very many at Castro Marim
Black-Winged Stilt       Numerous at all suitable locations
Stone Curlew               Castro Marim
Kentish Plover             Numerous on sandy beaches, even on busy resort beaches at Monte Gordo
Grey Plover                 Three at Castro Marim
Sanderling                   Castro Marim
Dunlin                        Castro Marim and Quinta de Marim
Curlew Sandpiper        Single at Castro Marim
Little Stint                  Single at Castro Marim
Redshank                   A few at Castro Marim
Greenshank                Single at Castro Marim
Black-Tailed Godwit    Ten at Castro Marim
Curlew                        Heard at Guadiana
Slender-Billed Gull        Three on mudbanks on the Guadiana
Yellow-Legged Gull      Ubiquitous on the coast
Little Tern                    Common in suitable habitat with a notable colony at Castro Marim
Sandwich Tern             Guadiana from the ferry
Gull-Billed Tern             Guadiana from the ferry
Caspian Tern                Over the Guadiana from the northern edge of Castro Marim
Whiskered Tern            Numerous at El Rocio
Black Tern                    El Rocio
Wood Pigeon                Dune pines near Monte Gordo
Collared Dove                Common in towns and villages
Turtle Dove                    Common in suitable habitat
Cuckoo                         Dune pines at Monte Gordo
Great-Spotted Cuckoo    Castro Marim
Swift                             Common in suitable habitat throughout; less so at the coast
Pallid Swift                    The commonest swift at the coast
Hoopoe                        Ubiquitous except in the most built-up parts of towns
Bee-Eater                     Common and obliging, can be encountered almost anywhere outside built-up areas
Roller                            El Rocio
Green Woodpecker        Dune pines at Monte Gordo
Crested Lark                In suitable habitat throughout, even tourist beaches (above tide line)
Thekla Lark                 Frequent in Alentejo
Calandra Lark              Pair in Alentejo
Barn Swallow              Ubiquitous
Red-Rumped Swallow   Alentejo only, though common enough there
House Martin                Throughout in suitable habitat
Sand Martin                El Rocio and Parque Ambiental
Crag Martin                Pulo do Lobo only
White Wagtail            Pulo do Lobo
Yellow Wagtail           Castro Marim and Monte Gordo
Wren                          Throughout in suitable habitat
Stonechat                  Throughout in suitable habitat
Black-Eared Wheatear    Approach to Pulo do Lobo
Northern Wheatear        Seaward side of dune pines Monte Gordo
Nightingale                   El Rocio and Parque Ambiental; very many singing in both places
Blackbird                      Common in suitable habitat in Algarve, less so further North
Garden Warbler            El Rocio
Orphean Warbler           Dune pines Monte Gordo
Blackcap                    Fairly common throughout
Sardinian Warbler        Abundant everywhere; singing and obliging
Reed Warbler            El Rocio
Great Reed Warbler    In song at Parque Ambiental and Falesia Lagoon
Cetti's Warbler            Common in suitable habitat
Savi's Warbler            El Rocio
Melodious Warbler     Parque Ambiental
Zitting Cisticola          Abundant in suitable habitat eveywhere
Spotted Flycatcher     Dune Pines Monte Gordo
Great Tit                    Suitable habitat throughout
Crested Tit                 Dune Pines Monte Gordo
Coal Tit                      Dune Pines Monte Gordo
Long-Tailed Tit            Can be seen in suitable habitat throughout
Woodchat Shrike        Abundant; the common shrike of the area
Southern Grey Shrike    Reasonably frequent in suitable habitat
Azure-Winged Magpie    Common in rural areas; can be seen almost anywhere out of built-up areas
Magpie                      Castro Marim
Jay                            Odd birds seen, mostly while driving (me, not the Jays)
Carrion Crow              Faro Airport
Raven                        Alentejo and Castro Marim
Spotless Starling        Fairly common, especially in Algarve resorts
Golden Oriole             Seen at Minas de san Domingo, but heard in suitable habitat throughout
House Sparrow            Ubiquitous and abundant
Spanish Sparrow        Near nesting storks in Alentejo
Tree Sparrow              El Rocio
Chaffinch                    Common in suitable habitat
Goldfinch                    Abundant throughout
Serin                          Quite common, often in towns
Greenfinch                  Very common throughout
Common Waxbill        Parque Ambiental
Corn Bunting              Common in Alentejo

There are some notable ommissions; for example I can't account for the lack of other buntings, as Rock and Cirl Bunting are both present in similar areas in Spain, but I didn't see them.  I also didn't try for any of the night species, so there are no owls or nightjars in my list; however I have seen Red-Necked Nightjars in dune pines in Valencia and would consider it very likely that they are in the similar habitat at Monte Gordo.

John Knight, Weel, Beverley UK

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