The Ludo Jan 2024

 I love to come into the Ludo NP in the Ria Formosa , every time I come it shares a wildlife moment me.

A fantastic place to get close to water birds and miles of good walking in predominantly good weather.

Flamongos, |Spoonbill, Avocet, Black winged Stilt, Black tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Sanderling , Common Sandpiper and Caspain Terns.

 Raptors were here too with Osprey, Booted Eagles, Marsh Harriers and Peregrine all seen within the walk.

Pochard, Pintail, Shovelar and Gadwall made up the ducks and a I found a 1st winter Red-rumped Swallow that has overstayed hawking the pond with Crag Martins

Osprey

Spoonbill

1st winter Red-rumped Swallow

Crag Martin

Pochard

Peregrine  Falcon

Purple Herons -Ludo

 Over my couple of days birding in the Ludo I got to see 2 Purple Herons that were a target bird for me to see

My 1st dropped in to a grassy area and seemed to have an eye on airplanes ✈️  approaching the airport and just stayed.

Number 2 was at the early morning roosting near the Stork Heron rookery with Glossy Ibis and Egrets

Lesser spotted Woodpecker

 My first ever chance you get to take views of Lesser spotted Woodpeckers 

Early morning I came into the Ludo from the top forest road. The Heronry Dirt Road

I had knowledge of LSW could be seen within this area of Faro - but not common

An hour previously to finding this drumming bird I was tracking down Iberian Green Woodpecker which were calling in a Pine wood 🌲 I got to see two but they were always aware of me.

This little fella came out onto a dead tree to drum and call and was still hard to see and find.

As it hammered away another LSW came to an adjacent tree to check out the noise but didn't stay and flew off. This was all happening as Cettis Warbler  bombed me with calls only a few feet away

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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The Ludo hiking Trail . Ria Formosa NP Faro Portugal

The Ludo hiking trail is located in Ria Formosa National park in the Algarve region of Portugal next to Faro airport. Ria Formosa is special due to its Wetlands, sandbanks and islands, great beaches, Golf coarse ponds, ruins and Pine Forests but most of all because of its birdlife.

If your a keen bird enthusiast then this place is a must to visit and have expectations in any season.

7-10 km guaranteeing over 50 species if bird in 4 hours if  you where to stop and watch. 

My wife and I started our walk from our guest house  at 9am , at the north entrance to the Ludo, through the Pine forest road , past the Stork and Heronry that offside of a marsh. circle the Ludo salt ponds for Flamingo, Avocet and Stilt, down the scrub side of the Golf coarse where we got Iberian Yellow Wagtail and onto to the Bird hide ( another blog post ) and  along the wetland hiking trail back along the boardwalk to the beach at Priaha de Faro at 4pm for food and beers

The Ludo from the Plane

Black winged Stilt are very common around the salt pools

 Early morning Singing songs of Thekla Larks Corn Buntings, Cettis Warblers and Sardinian Warblers
 Two birds of choice finding was that of an Iberian Yellow Wagtail on the Golf coarse flipping bugs from under the leaf litter caught the eye and an elusive Woodchat Shrike was  in the scrub land around the bird hide looking for Chameleon and Lizards in the dry arid zone. 

A target bird finally in the bag was this Purple Heron that floated in just to watch the planes arrive overhead.
A Curlew Sandpiper was with Dunlin and Sanderling in a shallow mud pool.
 Whimbrel, Turnstone, Grey Plover, Common Sandpiper 2 Avocets and Yellow legged Gulls were on the flood marsh
A few Little Terns were coming across the  south trail to the ponds but the Caspian Terns were passing along the waterways at distance.