That's All Folks!

As the title says 'That's All Folks'! This is my last blog post for the foreseeable future. I feel that over a couple of years or so a blog can become too repetitive! I have this year found that I am struggling to find the incentive to put together a post in what I would call 'real time', therefore a few posts have been 'old news'! Time for a rest from blogging methinks.

My thanks are extended to the people who have kindly commented and also to anyone who has 'looked in' from time to time.

My last couple of images will be of something a little 'different'!

It is a Magpie that I spotted on Tuesday (2nd July) whilst on a shopping trip! I first spotted it on a traffic island and later on nearby embankments along with 'normal' Magpies!

A 'pretty' leucistic Magpie in my humble opinion.

Take care folks!

Tavira images....13th - 20th June 2013

As I mentioned in my previous post the hotel was conveniently situated by Salinas (salt pans). Several hours could have been spent walking around the salinas but the hot temperatures of the first few days of the holiday put paid to walking no more than a couple of hours. An Autumn/Winter visit to Tavira would be an ideal time of year for longer exploration of the salinas.

 

 

Species regularly seen on and around the salinas.

 

Black-winged Stilt

 

Greater Flamingos

 

Little Tern

 

 

Little Egret

 

 

 

Kentish Plover

 

 

Zitting Cisticola

 

Spoonbills

 

Black-tailed Godwit and Avocets

 

Bee-eater

 

 

Avocets

 

 

Slender-billed Gull

 

Yellow Wagtail

 

 

 

 

Over the border to Spain, in the Doñana area. 

 

 

Nesting White Storks were a lovely sight  to see, especially the ones in the following image! It was surprising to see that on some posts/poles they were occupied by 2 or even 3 nests!

 

 

 

Purple Heron

 

(Black-crowned) Night Heron

 

 

Short-toed Eagle

 

 

 

Glossy Ibises, Cattle Egrets with smaller numbers of Little Egrets, Squacco Herons, Little Bitterns and (Black-crowned) Night Herons. A few Purple Herons were also viewed feeding their young. There were many more trees and shrubs behind and alongside the ones in the images that were almost dripping with the named bird species! Standing room only!

 

This spectacle was amazing, to see such special birds in such good numbers was very, very special!

 

 

 

 

Glossy Ibis roost.

 

 

 

 

Whiskered Terns

 

Corn Bunting

 

 

 

Cattle enjoying a drink!

 

 

Cattle Egrets enjoying a lift!

 

 

 Quinta do Lago

 

Azure-winged Magpie

 

 

 

Crested Lark

 

Little Grebe chicks!

 

 

Views of the Ria Formosa from Cacela Velha.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacela_Velha

 

 

Tavira

 

Gilão River

 

 

Colourful fresh fruit and vegetables in the market! Fish stalls with all shapes and sizes of fish plus delicious looking Honey and preserves were popular stalls in the market.

 

One of the picturesque squares to relax in and watch the world go by whilst eating a cooling ice cream!

 

This 'Street Artiste' was very good! In his left hand he held (hidden) a tub of bubbles and wand, when anybody gave him a few cents or if he was lucky euros he would blow a few bubbles and then blow a kiss! So funny!

 

Bits and bobs!

 

I saw more Collared Doves in Tavira in one week than I have seen of them in a couple of years in the UK!

 

Ipomea (Morning Glory)

 

Jacaranda

Many fine specimens of this tree were a delight to see!

 

 

 

My final photo is 'The one that got away'!

 

Can you see what 'got away'?

 

Thank you for viewing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tavira, Algarve, Portugal. 13th-20th June 2013

For a change of scenery a holiday was spent in the East of the Algarve staying in Tavira. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavira_Municipality
A delightful fishing town. A Moorish Bridge links the two parts of the town over the Gilão river. There are delightful shaded gardens near the bridge and this is also where local Craft stalls were to be found on some evenings. Pallid Swifts seen daily over the town were a delight to see especially so in the cooler temperatures of the evening when many were hawking low for insects along with Swallows and Martins.

The Hotel we stayed in was close to some Salinas (Salt Pans), it was lovely to walk along the paths alongside the salt pans early in the mornings before the heat of the day arrived! Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Egret, White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Little Tern, Crested Lark, Yellow Wagtail, Kentish Plover, Bee-eater, Kestrel, Moorhen, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Slender-billed Gull, Swallow, Martin and Swft were regularly seen on the walks. I was so pleased that the Salinas were in walking distance and visible from the Hotel room!


I had booked a days guided birdwatching with Algarve Birders prior to arriving and my choice of area to visit was across the border to Spain, to the Doñana area. We stopped at the José Antonio Valverde visitor centre where huge numbers of Glossy Ibises were nesting, great views were had of them, also nesting in the trees there were many Cattle Egrets with smaller numbers of Little Egrets, Squacco Herons, Little Bitterns and Black-crowned Night Herons. Purple Herons were viewed at times feeding there young! The huge amount of birds in the trees was awesome, quite a spectacle to see! Later a huge roost of Glossy Ibis were a sight to see as they lifted from the trees, they were another spectacle to see!

The rest of the species seen today were Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Black Kite, Common Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, Collared Pratincole, Green Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Lapwing, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Purple Gallinule with chick, Little Bittern, Coot, five Red-knobbed Coots, a species not often seen, Moorhen, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, White Stork, Corn Bunting, Bee-eater, Spanish Sparrow, Crestred Lark, Short-toed Lark, Mallard, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Magpie, Azure-winged Magpie, Woodpigeon, Raven, Jackdaw, Spotless Starling, Yellow wagtail, Common Swift, Pallid Swift, Goldfinch, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Sardinian Warbler, Blackbird, Zitting Cisticola, Great Reed Warbler (an amazing sight and sound of this Warbler), Whiskered Tern, Cormorant, Yellow-legged Gull and Greylag Geese! Another treat to see on the trip was a Wild Boar! A fantastic days birding in fortunately cooler temperatures than the previous few days had been!
Species in bold are Lifers!

A drive over to the West coast to Lagoa dos Salgados and Quinta do Lago was enjoyable. Nothing different seen with bird species but lovely to see familiar territory!

 As ever a great holiday in the Algarve!

Images will be added in the next post.

Dowles Brook, Wyre Forest....09/06/2013

A sunny and relatively warm morning for the walk around Dowles Brook. No Dipper or Grey Wagtails seen but a stunning male Common Redstart made up for them. Blackcaps were seen and heard and Wood Warbler is still heard only for me! I shall have to pay another visit here before they depart again! Butterflies were the target today, they were quite flighty but I did manage a few shots  before they took flight once more!

A shy Beautiful Demoiselle, Immature male.

 

A shy Common Buzzard! A Buzzard later in the morning was seen being chased away  by a Raven!

 

Millipede.

 

Pearl-borderd Fritillary...I believe! Confirmation on ID as opposed to Small pearl-bordered would be appreciated on this image and the following 2 images.

 

 

Speckled Yellow, Day-flying Moth. A first for me! There were umpteen of them in flight and not often settling.

 

The suns rays through the trees were a treat to see, unfortunately my photo does not do it justice.