(Eurasian) Black Vultures

Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus).
The pale head and bill-base and the advanced moult are indicating older immature / young adult. Baixo Alentejo, 29-04-2011. Photo: Craig Wright.

Among the impressive variety of raptors occurring in South Portugal, Eurasian Black Vulture (or: Cinerous Vulture) Aegypius monachus is one of the most impressive representatives. Normally seen accompanied by Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) these "dark giants" scan the vast, steppe-like plain for carcasses. With a wingspan of up to 2,90 m, they are considered the biggest soaring birds in this part of the world. Their dark overall-appearance, lacking the strong contrast between black remiges and sandy-colored coverts, like in Griffon Vulture, soaring on flat wings and showing a "fingered, hanging hand", makes them unmistakable.


Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus).
Baixo Alentejo, 29-04-2011. Photo: Craig Wright. The same Ind. as above. (Many thanks to Craig for sharing these photos!)

The majority of the European population nests in Spain (about 1100 pairs), mainly in the Extremadura, but there is a reintroduction-program running in the Alentejo, which has good chances to succeed, due to the positive population-trend in the Iberian Peninsula. Other than Griffons, they nest preferably in trees, solitary- or in loose colonies and are very sensitive regarding disturbances in the nest area. We observe Black Vultures from spring to autumn in the "steppes" of South Portugal - up to 6 different Individuals together during April and early May 2011. Most of them were young immatures. During autumn migration, the species is also seen in the Algarve, particularly the Sagres-Peninsula (October/November), when the big Vulture-flocks (up to 1000 or more Ind./day!) pass through the area on their way to Africa.


Griffon Vultures (Gyps vulvus) and Black Vultures (Aegypius monachus) feeding on a carcass. Alentejo, Portugal, 18-04-2011. Photo: GS.- digiscoped at a distance of around 200 m.

Lesser Kestrels and Great Spotted Cuckoos

A couple of Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) sun bathing on their nesting box in the morning. Baixo Alentejo, 12-03-2011. Photo: GS.
At least 8 Great Spotted Cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) most times two birds chasing each other were among the highlights of a Day Tour last Saturday, together with brilliant views of Black-bellied Sandgrouse (more than 40 Ind. in a flock), Great Bustards (now start displaying) as well as both, Golden- and Spanish Imperial Eagles (immatures). What I never had so far, was a 2nd year Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) circling about 40 to 50 m above us when we had pulled in on a small secondary road, slightly moved away, but then came straight back to us, calling two times (quite low pitched, surpressed and nasal) when flying over, looking down, really "checking us out" ! Amazing, the bird was not anxious at all, but curious ! Great views. I wish I have had the right camera equipment in this situation...
A sighting of these birds is never to guarantee, but recently I see them on most Tours into the area, and sometimes interacting ("tackling") with immature Golden Eagles. It seems they are coming back into these areas they belong to.

Around Faro today: Booted Eagle (6 Ind.) Wryneck, Woodchat Shrike, Little Bittern (male and female), Audouins Gull (3 adults) and Common Cuckoo. Spring is on the move. Expecting the first Bee-eaters and Collared Pratincoles back in the next 10 days...

Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) in the harbor of Sagres today (05-Feb. 2011). A Rock Pipit (this one?) had been reported from this location some weeks ago. Not an easy one to distinguish from Water Pipit (A. spinoletta) in some cases. Both species were formerly seen together as the "Water Pipit-complex". This individual is rather untypical on the first look, a bird of the "Scandinavian" subspecies littoralis. Note the very long bill, the short supercillium, which does not continue behind the eye, dark-grey mantle and the dull underparts, which are diffuse and heavily streaked. I could not see the outer tail feathers. But most of all I found that the call was loud and sharp (accentuated) and sounded clearly different to the weaker and diffuser call of Water Pipit or anything I have ever heard from the latter species. An interesting article about the former "Water Pipit-complex" is here http://www.ntbc.org.uk/water and rock pipits.html - scroll down to the end of the page to see some similar Rock Pipits to this one here. Today, two Rock Pipits have been reported from Sagres harbor (and a Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima, a species that I have found there with a Birdwatching-group this past December) - the photo I saw of the Rock Pipit today, showed a different, more typical Individual (all dull and dark). Yesterday, a Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) has been found and photographed in Ria Formosa just south of Faro, but I could not find the bird there this morning and it seems it has passed on. It is a species I have never seen in Portugal so far. There is also still a Goosander(Mergus merganser) present in the Alvor-estuary near Alvor. Just no Waxwings so far... :) but there has been a record in the 1960s in Portugal !

Flowers

Almond blossom. A few days ago, just out my front door. Barn Swallows (Hirunda rustica) are arriving and Hoopoes (Upupa epops) and Serins (Serinus serinus) are singing. Also some of the wintering birds from the north sing - Robins, Blackcaps, Song Thrushes and Common Chiffchaffs.

Digiscoping - experimenting new cameras

I am using the Leica Apo-Televid 77 Telescope since about 10 years now and I am still very happy with it. It is a great Telescope. For digiscoping, I used the Nikon Coolpix 995 and a handmade adapter so far which worked very well until finally now the camera has a defect. I was looking for something new anyway, since it had only a 3 Mega pixel sensor, it is a camera from the 1990s. The photo series above are made with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-F4 near Faro this morning - the photos are not bad, but also still not what I expect.... so I guess I have to keep on looking !
This color-ringed Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) by the way is an almost 14 years old bird from the Netherlands (like a lot of Spoonbills we see here) and seems to winter since at least 10 years here in Ria Formosa. I have reported it already almost exactly 4 years ago from the same location. The life/history of the bird I received suggests also, that it migrates crossing through the Iberian Peninsula. If you ever see a color-ringed Spoonbill and can get the color-ring combination or the code, please send a photo or detailed description *including location, date, observer etc.) to o.overdijk[at]home.nl or visit this page (in Dutch) about the ringing program here: http://www.werkgroeplepelaar.nl/fotos.htm





These two digiscoping shots of a Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) are made here some days ago with a Canon Powershot SX130 IS. The camera has a 12x optical zoom and 12 Megapixel (like the Lumix) but produces a horrible lot of vignetting when used at the telescope... no option, really...
All photos are processed with photo shop by the way (crop, sharpen, sometimes reducing noise, contrast, lightness etc. correction, but moderate... I usually avoid changing things like saturation or hue.

Alentejo impressions

Baixo Alentejo, 2011-05-01. Photo: GS

Springtime here in South Portugal begins just after Christmas, is what I usually say and it is true. Serins (Serinus serinus) and Spotless Starlings (Sturnus unicolor) are singing outside, and the first Bees and Butterflies are visiting the flowering meadows. In the Alentejo, the vast inland open Oak woods and grasslands of South Portugal, Calandra Larks (Melanocorypha calandra) and Corn Buntings (Milaria calandra)are singing, while the fields are full of Golden Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) and Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) and Red Kites (Milvus milvus) are circling above the scenery, to name but a few common species.


The area is a great place to observe raptors. 2011-05-01. Photo: GS

Yesterday, observations of a Spanish Imperial Eagle (immature) close together with an adult Bonelli's Eagle, have been among the highlights of the trip. But also well a dozen Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) in total gave good views. Spring has only begun, and the Alentejo will be full of flowers until around mid May. In the next weeks, the first migratory birds, like the Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) will arrive here, while such elusive bird species as the Rufous Bush Robin (Cercotrichas galactotes), European Roller (Coracias garrulus) and White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) will only come back from tropical Africa around mid April or even in May.


The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is the emblematic bird of the Baixo Alentejo grasslands. Thanks to the successful conservation programs run by the Portuguese NGO "Liga para a proteçaõ da Natureza" (LPN) in the area, this magnificent birds and other "steppe" birds are increasing again but distribution is very local.

Some people call the area the Paradise in Portugal and it is a fantastic place for birdwatching without any doubt, recently ranked on 37 of the best Birdwatching destinations worldwide by the American Birding Association (ABA) here: http://blog.aba.org/2010/12/2010-top-40-the-birding-year-in-review-part-1.html#tp I met the author, Ted Floyd, on the Birdwatching Festival in Sagres in October 2009, when I was guiding a group of journalists and tour operators on behalf of the Algarve eco tourism company Sunquays. The event had been organized by the Tourism board of the Algarve.

2011 - Birds, birds, birds !

Wishing everybody a good year 2011 - healthy, happy, successful, prosperous and full of good birdwatching, of course !

Today has been an incredibly sunny day here around Faro, with temperatures close to 20 degree C and hardly any wind. The birds of prey liked it - Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) performed display flights, "miauing" high above the Umbrella Pines and I counted a total of six Booted Eagles (Aquila pennata) in the area. Three Black-winged Kites (Elanus caeruleus) were also present.
In the afternoon, another Black-winged Kite was feeding on his catch on a telegraph post near Vilamoura, a couple of Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) was hunting nearby. Flocks of Spanish Sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis), lots of Corn Buntings (Milaria calandra) and a mixed flock of Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) and Golden Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) roosted on an acre.


Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) in Vilamoura today. Photo: Georg Schreier.


Extensive reed-beds in Parque Ambiental, Vilamoura. Photo: Georg Schreier

In the Marina of Quarteira, an adult Greater Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) was easy to find, sitting on his favourite boat-Cabin again. I observed this bird there a month ago already, and probably the same Ind. the previous winter. An Irish Birder visiting the Algarve from time to time - we have been runing into each other already years ago, in Ludo, where he had just found a Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii), photographed another, ringed adult there recently. He also made a great capture of a flock of Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra) just before I arrived near the Marina with a Birding group, also seeing these birds.


Adult Greater Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) in Quarteira today. Photo: Georg Schreier.


Adult Greater Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) with rings. Photo: Michael Davies.


Flock of 47 Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra), Quarteira, 2009-12-11. Photo: Michael Davies. There is just one adult male in the whole flock. Click on the picture to enlarge. Thank's Michael for sharing - a great shot, I really like it, it remembers me on one of the best observations during that afternoon !

Yesterday I observed an adult male Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) close to the observatory at the São Lourenço Golf-Course, a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) was foraging close by, next to the ever present Azur-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cooki).
An apparently adult female Goosander (Mergus merganser) currently present at the Alvor-estuary (near Lagoa, west Algarve) is the first record of this species for the Algarve and not the only one in Portugal and Spain at the moment. Not a must for us being used to see these birds wintering further north but definitely a good Algarve tick.