Pre-covid we had pretty much annually visited the Algarve for a week at Easter, it slightly fell by the wayside during covid and last year the week was donated to Hannah and Adie, as I was away in India. So this year was the first visit since 2019. The cost of direct flights to Faro had increased considerably, so having found a cheaper flight via Lisbon with Air Portugal we decided to spend 3 days in Lisbon before going to the Algarve for Easter week flying into Lisbon on Wednesday 5th.
Lisbon turned out to be a great city, we stayed in the centre and walked everywhere, the weather was fantastic, the food was great and there was loads to see.
Wasn't expecting to see birds in the city and typically didn't go out with the bins, although did manage to add Serin, White Stork, Common Swift, Black Redstart, Blackcap, Coal Tit, House Martin, Yellow-legged Gull and along the river front Turnstone, Sanderling, Black -headed Gull, Mediterreanean Gull and Sandwich Tern.
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| The view from the rooftop bar at the hotel over Lisbon |
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| The bar with Yellow-legged Gull after the complementary nuts |
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| The impressive time-out eatery hall. |
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| A view towards the harbour |
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| The incredible structure of the modern art museum |
We flew down to Faro late on the Saturday, having managed to change to a slightly earlier flight meaning we arrived at 7.30ish rather than midnight. As the plane arrived and started taxi-ing to the terminal, I saw a Stone Curlew and a Whimbrel out of the window on the short grass next to the runway !
Most of the time in the Algarve was spent just relaxing, I went out 4 mornings for an early birding excursions. Once to the nearby Villamoura Reedbeds, Once to the Lagoon at Lagoa dos Salgados, the other side of Albufiera, and twice a walk along thnae new boardwalk from Quointo de Lago towards the Rio de Formosa near to Faro.
Around the resort there were a few birds that I managed to find, although the walk around the 9 hole golf course is now frustratingly reserved for the preserve of golfers. It was nice to see Crested Tit which seems to have an isolated population here and I heard Short-toed Treecreeper from an area I couldn't access, more plentiful were Spotless Starling, Red-rumped Swallow, Iberian Magpie, Wryneck, Serins, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe and Cattle Egret. There were also flyovers of a Booted Eagle and a small flock of 8 Glossy Ibis.
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| View from our apartment over the golf course. |
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| Route down to the beach |
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| .. the beach is pretty amazing for a beach, just a few sandwich terns offshore |
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| Iberian Magpie |
On Monday 10th early , I drove the short distance to Villamoura and parked on the dusty track near the water treatment works. The track leads towards an area labelled as Parc Ambiental which is a mixture of weedy old arable fields and a few small lakes with reedbeds and on one side of the track the water treatment plant bordered by a large poplars where you can clamber through the poplars and up a bank to look at one of the raised settling ponds through a wire fence, there were a couple of Red-crested Pochard on the water with Common Pochard and Tufted Duck and Black-winged Stilts, Greenshank , Common Sandpiper around the edges. The initial scrub held several Nightingales, Reed Warblers, Cetti's Warblers, Sardinian Warblers and several Black-headed Weavers. As it opens out there were Stonechat, Zitting Cisticolas and lots of Corn Bunting singing.
I spent some time in a small hide which overlooks the reedbed where there were Western Swamphens a group of Ferruginous Duck, a Purple Heron and eventually a Little Bittern flew across the edge of the reeds diving quickly into cover. Walking around the fields to another hide to the sound of several Quail calling, one of which actually flew a short distance quite close to me, which is a rare event to see a Quail.. There were also White Storks, a Glossy Ibis and Booted Eagle seen with Red-rumped, Barn Swallows and Common Swift in numbers.
Returning for a late breakfast after a very good haul of birds.
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| Western Swamphen at Villamoura |
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| Western Swamphen |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Black-headed Weaver - an introduced species which has colonised the reedbeds. |
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| Ferruginous Duck |
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| Corn Buntings were everywhere |
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| Nightingale |
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| Purple Heron |
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| Labelled a Parc Ambiental, the area is 'managed' for wildlife |
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| A weedy field left for poppies and wildflowers |
Early morning on the 11th I headed West. About 35 minutes away, the other side of Albufeira, is a large lagoon area which is also a nature reserve, the difficulty this morning was a very strong wind, which made birding a little challenging and as a result less birds than I'd hoped for, my last visit here in 2019 had lots of waders and some Audouin's Gulls. Arriving at Lagao dos Salgados, there is a good boardwalk which now appears to have been extended though to the next town and also a track which runs up the side of the lagoon, mornings. There were 7 Greater Flamingos out on the lagoon and a handful of Whimbrel in with a large number of Black-winged Stilts and Avocets. Along the boardwalk a few Crested Larks were in the dunes with Zitting Cisticolas, Cetti's Warblers and Reed Warblers. The only passerine in the bushes was a Sardinian Warbler but I did see 2 European Bee-eaters as they called and flew past, which surprisingly were my only 2 of the trip.
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| Greater Flamingo |
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| Crested Lark |
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| Crested Lark |
On Wednesday 12th, I headed further East and found a beach car park called Praia do Ancao near to Quinta do Lago. THe new boardwalk form hear headed towards San Larenzo and the edge of the Rio de Formosa saltpans. The tide was out so possibly not the best timing but I did see Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Litte Stint but best were smart Kentsh Plover.
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| Boardwalk went for miles. |
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| Sardinian Warbler |
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| Spoonbill |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Kentish Plover |
On the morning of the 14th a longer walk from the Praia do Ancao car park which continued to the salt pans in ear-shot of Faro airport. This added a few more species which included a flock of 8 Slender-billed Gulls, Caspian Tern a Black-winged Kite, Yellow Wagtail (ble-headed) and more Greater Flamingos and Kentish Plover. A decent bird list over the week in what was not a birding holiday.
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| Black-winged Stilt |
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| Little Stint |
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| Little Stint |
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| Kentish Plover |
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| Kentish Plover |
