Observed this Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer) about 200 ms off Faro-beach this afternoon and got a few digiscoping record shots (the photos enlarge when you click on them). It was after a rain shower and the sea was almost flat. A big flock of c. 150 Common Scoter was nearby and I also saw a single Razorbill passing by, as well as two or three Great Skuas later on. The diver fished with success and when the wind picked up, I could not relocate it anymore.
This Cream-coloured Curser (Cursorius cursor) is present since almost 10 days now at the Alvor-Estuary in the west-Algarve, where I saw and photographed it on Monday. This is only the 7th record for Portugal of this marvellous bird species. We had strong, constant southerly and south-westerly winds before for many days, that might have carried this inhabitant of deserts and semi-deserts from Marokko or the Canary Islands, where it breeds. Some years ago an influx into south-east Spain had let to breeding/breeding attempts there, but since then there are no signs of colonisation of the continent anymore.
Interesting articles in blog, wonderfull fotos
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