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

Purple Swamphen

Great views of Purple Swaphen at the 2nd hide ofVilamoura reedbeds.

Seen pulling up reeds and gnawing on the fresh roots.

We need a few of these back home at shannon airport lagoon to keep the reeds at bay from the encroachment.

Colours contrasts of this bird are awsome,

Booted Eagle

Delighted to find this Booted Eagle perched up in the Vilamoura reedbeds.

These Raptors are often seen on the wing and can be quite common in the right areas, Buzzard size but Eagle through and through

Vilamoura Reedbeds , Algarve

On arriving at the hidden entrance to this park we got to see Marsh Harrier and Booted Eagle before we started our walk in.
Waxbills ,Fan tailed Warblers and plenty of get away quick Passerines were along the red mud path in as was a splendid Booted Eagle perched in a tree
A few Thekla Lark, Mipits, Pied Wagtail and Stonechat were in the muddy field near to the 1st birdhide.
In the morning the 1st hide faces into the sun and is backlit. Purple Swamphen, Coot, Marsh Harrier, Little Grebe, Grey Heron and flitty Chiffchaffs were seen
The path carries on past some agriculture fields where Corn Buntings were numerous.
The 2nd hide gave us superb views of  Purple Swamphen, Coot and Little Grebe but nothing else.
On route back a female Black headed Weaver showed up in the branches ( an ID nightmare)

Booted Eagle

Waxbill

Corn Bunting

Thekla Lark

Purple Swamphen

Black headed Weaver ( female)

Birds of Saint Eulalia , Algarve Portugal

The first few days of my xmas family holiday in the Algarve
I have stayed local with a morning walk to myself along the beach to find local birds seen around St Eualia beach area.
A dried flood run off that goes aroung the carpark was useful with Hoopoes , Common Waxbills, Black Redstarts and Chiffchaff were on show.
Serins were tweeting away in the Pines and Red legged Partridge, Fan-tailed Warbler were seen in the scrub area around the headland.
Not a bad start

Hoopoe

Common Waxbill

Red legged Partridge

Serin

Black Redstart

Fan-tailed Warbler

Cattle Egret. One of the Five

Finally managed to catch up with a Cattle Egret.

I was hoping to see the five birds in a different area over near the Greyhound stadium fields but they were not there.

I made a return to the cows that they were seen with all week , that were now in a closer field to the road.

One lone Cattle Egret was doing what Cattle Egrets do.

Unreal watching the Hooded Crows showing interest in it, eventually scared off by the local Buzzard

Turtle Dove -Ballyalia farm

I was passing through Ennis so I made a quick stop off at the farm on the south side of Ballyalia Lake to catch up with this Turtle Dove that was hanging out with 70 very flighty Collared Doves