Pelagic boat trips

The dates for the next pelagics are:
3rd and 11th of September(from Fuzeta, 35 € p.p.)
and on the 12th of September (from Portimão, 50 € p.p.)
I will be "out of the office" for the rest of the month and might be only able to reply to e-mails on the 1st of September.

Discover birds & birdlife - courses with CCMAR

A series of field-ornithology courses at the University of Faro has been scheduled starting in September 2010. The courses will be held in English language. Inscriptions are open. Please visit: http://www.ccmar.ualg.pt

Pelagic off Fuzeta today - Wilson's Storm Petrels & more

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) an adult in heavy moult. Photo: Rolf Svennson.


We went out quite early this morning (7.20 a.m.) with Passeios Ria Formosa from Fuzeta. A beautiful sunrise and stunning morning light when we crossed Ria Formosa at high tide. We spotted 4 Audouin's Gulls (Larus audouinii) on a sand bank close by during our passage. The sea then was calm and we had a weak northerly breeze. Plenty of small fishing boats were out there and some bigger trawlers. Those attracted hundreds of seabirds, mainly Gulls (mostly Larus fuscus and L. michahellis) but also about a dozen or so Balearic Shearwaters (Puffinus mauretanicus), starting from the water and landing again (birds in moult) and Cory's Shearwaters, some of them looking very good for Scopoli's (Calonectris (diomedia) diomedia) but let's wait for the promised photos to confirm the Id... we also saw one very contrasting and slim bird - or P.yelkouan or P.puffinus but again we are hoping for the photos because we could not see details of the face (whitish ear-coverts ?) nor any toe-projection...
Here we also had the first Wilson's Storm Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus), up to 9 birds at the same time, some of them pretty close to the boat and feeding in a loose flock. We just saw one single European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) during the trip ! Almost missed a Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) on its own passing by in western direction (Thanks Magnus !). A single Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) gave good views, too. A wonderful and successful trip !

13-08-2010
Pelagic with Passeios Ria Formosa
off Fuzeta (eastern Algarve)
c. 7.20 - 10.15 a.m.
High tide, sea calm
Northerly breeze, hot and sunny
Chumming

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedia) 50+
some of them showing characteristics of Scopoli's Shearwater

Manx Shearwater (P. puffinus) or Yelkouan Sw. (P. yelkouan) 1
waiting for photo confirmation...

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) c. 20

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) 1

European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) 1

Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) c. 20

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) c. 10

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) 1

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus) 3

Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) 1
plus 4 in Ria Formosa

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) 1
juvenil



Great Skua (Stercorarius Skua) probably 1st summer. Photo: R.S.



Watching Wilson's Storm Petrels. Thanks to Rolf Svennson (left) for sharing his marvelous photos.



Two Wilson's Storm Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) Photo: R.S.



Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedia) Photo: R.S.

Pelagic Trip off Portimão

A pelagic boat-trip with the marine operator Ecoceanus is scheduled for 7.30 a.m. on the 12th of September. In the comfortable 11m catamaran we will be heading out for about 15 miles and do a chumming session to attract the seabirds. Target species are Wilson's Storm Petrel, Great Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater among others. Trip duration is 7h's. Price: 50 €.
Group size is 10 people plus 2 crew members, 4 places are still available for now.
Interested ?

Western Olivaceous Warbler - capture

This juvenile bird has been captured and ringed by Thijs Valkenburg on the 04-08-2010 near Silves (West Algarve).
It shows all characteristics (and biometrics) of Hippolais opaca (Western Olivaceous / Isabelline Warbler) - a species that is an extreme rare breeder in the country.
I have heard and observed a Isabelline Warbler in May with clients near Faro (bird was on passage) and a friend of mine managed some record shots the same day (see the blog-entry here).
The bird moved on and the photos led to some discussion, because some features, namely the undertail coverts (quite long, not white, graduated rectrices ?) did not look so "ideal" (at least compared to illustrations, like in Svensson et al.)
So, now again an opportunity to compare - the undertail coverts fit ! Also the broad bill base JT pointed out on the bird seen in May.












Photos: Thijs Valkenburg, 04-08-2010, Silves (West Algarve).

A nice video of an adult bird in hand is here.

Rüppell's Vulture, White-rumped Swift and Wilson's Storm Petrels

On the two Tours, today (27th) and yesterday, we saw some super birds !

A group of Wilson's Storm Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) feeding right next to the boat of Passeios de Ria Formosa a few miles out Fuzeta (east Algarve). It was fascinating to observe how they were literally "walking on the water" and hovering to catch small food particles at the surface.
We encountered a school of well 20 or 30 Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and watched their joyful movements and jumps. Northern Gannets, Cory's- and Balearic Shearwater as well two juvenile Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) about 4 miles out were other seabirds we saw during this trip. Really looking forward to more trips out to the sea and hoping to be able to bring some photos the next time. Season has only begun !

The plains of the Alentejo (interior south Portugal) were hot today. But that was expectable. After observing Booted- and Short-toed Eagles we saw around 50 Griffon Vultures soaring and then spotted a dull dark-brown Vulture, legging the obvious contrast between black-flight feathers and the buff-brown wing-coverts, but smaller than Eurasian Black Vulture, with a different jizz and not as blackish. The contrasting white bar in the underwing (lesser coverts) could be seen. It also turned in smaller circles with slightly quicker movements than the somewhat bigger Griffon. Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii). Because of moult in the wing feathers it was most probably a previous years bird.
Dick Forsman wrote an article about Rüppell's Vulture in Spain (Birding World, 2005). A second Vulture among all the Griffons we saw showed characteristics of or an adult Rüppell's of the subspecies "erlangeri" or an African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) a species, that has been reported in 2006 in South Portugal, as you can see here. Our bird, soaring quite high, gave the impression of an adult Aegyptian Vulture in the first moment to both observers, because of the "black and white"-contrast between remiges and coverts/body plumage, but it was clear that it was an Vulture of the "Griffon-type".... it went quickly out of range and I could not be sure about the ID, hoping to see this bird again in the next days.
Great Bustard, European Roller, Lesser Kestrel, Montagu's Harrier, Short-toed- and Calandra Larks have been other birds we saw in the "steppes". Earlier, we had observed White-rumped Swifts (Apus caffer) - one bird surprisingly found next to the castle of Mertola !




White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) Alcoutim, Algarve. ( Photos by David Rayner ).

In the Algarvian Serra we saw Golden Oriole, Rufous Bush-Robin, Dartford- and Subalpine Warbler, Long-tailed Tits and in a mixed feeding flock of Warblers and Tits, we heard (song!) Bonelli's Warbler. Collared Pratincoles and Lesser Kestrels have abandoned their nest sites already and also Bee-eaters are on dispersion - migration has started.
25 Slender-billed Gulls (Larus genei) on the 13th and a Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) and a Red Kite (Milvus milvus) on the 6th of July (all Castro Marim -area) have been other observations (or dates) of interest.


Slender-billed Gulls (Larus genei) Castro Marim, Algarve.
(Photo: GS).

Soaring Vultures - surfing Egrets...

Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) "surfing" on a sheep's back.


They come to catch insects and small vertrebrates flushed by the flock. Why not using the comfortable "mobile post" right in the middle ?

"Summer time..." - yes, even the fishes are jumping. It's nice and warm, but not too hot to go out for birding !

A Day Tour yesterday produced a pretty long list of good birds. At 7.00 we went up into the "steppes" of the interior south of Portugal, where we started our Birding with observations of Lesser Kestrel, European Roller, Great- and Little Bustard, Collared Pratincole, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Montagu's Harrier... Later in the morning, when it became warmer, we searched and found Vultures - and a lot. We had some seen soaring in thermal and found later that they were feeding nearby on the ground. More and more came and we observed around 80 Griffon Vultures and a single Black-Vulture around this place. Booted Eagle, Rufous-Bush Robin, Kingfisher, Black-eared Wheatear and a lot of Bee-eaters during the morning were also most welcome.
After lunch, we returned to the coast, were temperatures are still moderate (perhaps also we had seen most of the birds we came for). At a sweet water marsh with reed beds we observed Purple Swamphen, Purple Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron among others. A first adult Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus) in full breeding plumage was also remarkable. Many chicks of aquatic birds were present. Black-headed Weavers at their nests and a couple of Ferruginous Ducks (Aythya nyroca) finaly made this a successful birdwatching Trip.
On another Tour earlier this week, Eagle Owl (Bufo bufo) and White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) - a couple, were among the highlights.