Nick Tribe and I spent the week birding on the coast west of Faro and a day on the Bustard plains north of Castro Verde Species seen included Great Bustard, Black Bellied Sandgrouse, Calandra Lark, Iberian Shrike, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, White Stork, Spoonbill, Great white Egret, Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Goshawk, Spectacled Warbler, Red Crested Pochard, Swamphen, Subalpine Warbler, Kentish Plover etc. also 7 species of odonata, . Talking to a local birder who worked as a raptor migration watcher for the wind turbines at Sagres which were stopped when a passage of raptors came through, he recorded 942 Griffon Vultures over on the 15th The week was dry mostly strong sunshine with temperatures of 22 to 24 oc.
regards John
|