Autumn In The Algarve....4th-25th October 2012

The weather for the first two weeks was glorious hot sunshine with the average midday temperature hovering around 30-32c! The last week was a little different with a couple of days of heavy rain and the remaining days were sunshine and a few white clouds which blocked the sun at times, temperatures fell to an average of 22-25c and the nights were noticeably cooler. That's the weather done and dusted!

As usual after a rest and unpacking a visit to Lagoa dos Salgados was made in the afternoon and what good timing it turned out to be. A Black Kite circled over us as we stood on the shoreline of the Lagoon, the best and closest views I have ever had of this species, what a beauty! Soon after arriving people from a rehabilitation centre arrived to release 12 birds that had been in their care. The species were Yellow-legged Gull, Pintail, Coot, Pochard and Mallard. They asked if the people present would like to help release some of the birds! I released a Pintail, it seemed strange holding the seemingly weightless bird, I doubt I will ever experience anything like this again. It was good speaking to the staff from the centre and fellow birders, what a good start to the holiday. The Yellow-legged Gull was the first bird to be released.

The following images were all taken at Lagoa dos Salgados with the exception of the Spotless Starling from the 4th to the 9th of October. There were numerous Whinchats, Stonechats, Wheatears and Crested Larks the first 10 days or so of the holiday but numbers dwindled rapidly afterwards. The migrants had moved on but they were lovely to have seen, especially so the Whinchats.

More images to follow in the next post.