A special morning within the Ludo NP

   I had the morning to myself and I felt yesterday that I overlooked the boundaries of where a Pine Forest meets a Marsh that flows into the salt ponds along a dusty road that passes the Stork and Heronry . I walked the road Rua Henrique Fernandes Serrão, Faro into the Ludo

7am. The  Azure winged Magpies take you into the Pines, 2 Iberian Woodpecker in the Pine Forest as  graffiti ruined building gave up a nest building pair of Red rumped Swallows, a few Barn Swallows and House Martins.

The Pines 

I got to the area I wanted to be and it turned out to be one of the best days birding I could have asked for, the Morning song of Corn Buntings, Sardinian Warblers, Waxbills, Goldfinch , Zitting Cistacolla and Cettis. A Marsh Harrier was perched at distance.

A drumming and calling along the track was a Lesser spotted Woodpecker that gave unreal views once found, attracting another but it flew of pretty quick 2 unreal,  a noisy Cettis Warbler gave itself up for photos

Take a breath.

I moved along the path 20 Little Egrets were still at roost with Glossy Ibis and a bit away a Purple Heron. The Storks were busy nesting. A few fly over Glossy Ibis and a Booted Eagle stamped a fantastic morning of birding, with more to come.

With mid day approaching and the heat kicking in I walked back getting a few Red Rumped Swallow shots now the light was up.  I caught site of and what turned out to be a female Western Sub Alpine Warbler as it moved through the leaves of nearbye tree

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Cetti`s Warbler

In the correct habitat the Cettis Warbler can be often heard with its unmistakable loud call, but it is seldom seen as it keeps low down in the vegetation.

I was more than happy to get these pictures for the blog at Salgados lagoon , Algarve

Salgados Lagoon , Algarve, Portugal

A glorious wetlands teaming with birdlife with easy access and a boardwalk along the southern end of the reedbeds.

The 1st hide is a disgrace but the 2nd gives great views from the west end.

Birding highlights seen here during 2 visits

Audouins Gull, Lesser black backed Gulls, Med Gulls, 6 Caspain Tern,  4 Penduline Tits, 2 Bluethroats, Cragg Martins, Marsh Harrier, Purple Swamphen, Flamingo, Avocet, Ruff, Blackwits, Glossy Ibis, White Storks, Black headed Weaver, Fan tailed Warblers, Shoveler,  Pochard, Coot , Cattle Egret, Grey Herons, Cormorants, Common Sandpipers, Chiffchaffs and Hoopoe plus a rare Greenshank.

Glossy Ibis

Black winged Stilt

Caspain Tern

Audouins Gull

Spoonbill

Penduline Tit

Marsh Harrier

Cettis Warbler

Cattle Egret

Black headed Weaver

Fan tailed Warbler

Bluethroat

Reed warblers and the Cettis `ghost bird

Reed Warbler

Cetti`s warbler

 

Llangenith marsh near to where we were staying was a quiet place.
Plenty of Reed warblers , Sedge warblers and Whitethroat were on show but above all was a song from different areas of the marsh that i believed to be that of Cetti`s warblers... 5 days of listening and following to the calls but these birds remained invisible, sometime within only a few yards away they remain unseen .I love a challenge and never gave up the chance of a sighting,then one suprised me with a loud call,i missed the focus on the camera and it was gone..a ghost bird."gotcha"