Nige Lound Nick Tribe and John Walker. Self catering in Hotel Alba in Monte Gordo,with a roomy 1 bedroom apartment Sites visited Castro marim reserve and Monte Gordo beach many waders and gulls including slender billed, adouins, and meds, white storks, greater flamingos, Fabrica foreshore c 10kms west of Monte Gordo was very good where Nige counted 490 med gulls and 75 audouins The Castro Verde plains were visited twice and little and great bustards were found also spanish imperial eagles griffon vultures, red and black shouldered kites,hen harriers,iberian shrikes, this a very easy drive of barely an hour on the new road.( Cafes with coffe lattes in Mertola and Castro Verde were excellent). Sagres and Cape st Vincent for sea watches, lots of shearwaters including med, sooty, corys, yelkhoans also,great, pom and arctic skuas, and chough, blue rock thrush, black redstart. Salgados lagoon near Pera , spoonbills, white storks, purple swamphen, fan tail warbler, etc. A total of 126 species seen in the week, (Nige counting 71 azure winged magpies in 1 flock in the pine wood near Monte Gordo). Car hire from c 70£ per week, fuel at 1.60 euro per litre, the motorway is toll and c 10 cents per kilometre. regards John.
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