2025 Consistant Winter Surf

After Storm Eoghin had past leaving us temporarily without water, electricity and Internet for over a month.

It didnt matter as the surf around Lahinch was pumping consistently throughout January through March.

A few sessions out on the point could be a bit busy, but a few early mornings mid week was just producing morning glass without anyone around.

When surf like this comes along I try to be On it sometime during day as practice makes confidence which is a must to compete with the ocean

Great to get back to fitness after a few years of knee injurys.

 

Green winged Teal -Lahinch marsh

 My friend Geoff yesterday picked up a Green winged Teal down in Ballyyellery corner of Lahinch marsh. 

The duck was quite a distance up river along the bank.

Salgados lagoon over the week.

 An average of 50 bird species a visit with a week total of 76 species for 5 visits

To be early before the boardwalkers gives more opportunity for calling Waterrail, Cetti`s Warbler and maybe a Little Owl. Cormorants and Glossy Ibis fly in also early at the place wakes up slow.

During the week, away from the boardwalk near and around the viewing hide there was more Marsh Harriers than birdwatchers and the reserve was peaceful with afind your own birds scenario

By 10am it starts to warm up and Caspain Terns are about , the Marsh Harriers are up and also Booted Eagles come by, with 2 pale phase most days

Open Grasslands surrounding the lagoon are good to watch  for flocks of Waxbill, Serin, Linnet , Greenfinch, Meadow Pipts , Bluethroat, lots of Chiffchaff and of coarse Moorhens

The Iberian Grey Shrike with a fly over Booted Eagle was my highlight of the week at the Rocky field near the Ruin. The Rocky fields was good for Red legged Partridge , Hoopoe, Black Redstart, Crested Lark and Spottless Starling.

Caspian Tern

Iberian Magpie

Granada Hare

Cormorants

Hoopoe

Zitting Cistacola

Iberian Grey Shrike

An Iberian Grey Shrike showed up on the posts surrounding a field I was watching

. I picked it up in the scope and then tried to think about how I was going to collect some photos, trying to re-position myself  round the field sides I grabbed a couple of snaps before it headed up into a tree a bit further way where I could only follow it through my scope. 

Any day you get a Shrike is a good day and I imagine that this will be my bird of the trip this winter.

`The field` above the lagoon

After a few days observing the lagoon area I passed the viewing hide and continued walking north into the scrub.

I came a cross a mud-stoney field that had been worked. It was busy with birds.

A Bluethroat was on the hop, loads of Crested Larks, Spotless Starlings, Waxbill,  White Wagtails, a good few Red legged Partridge were out in the open but always close to the borders where they can scurry into foliage when the Marsh Harrier comes. A nice male Black Redstart was showing well

Then bird of the week came onto a post, an Iberian Grey Shrike and that makes the day!

Bluethroat

Black Redstart

Iberian Grey Shrike

Crested Lark

                                                            Waxbill

Marsh Harrier Salgados lagoon

 Its not often you get a chance of Marsh Harrier thats not in flight. A few times during the morning this female came to several diffent perches before settling a while just up from the viewing area.

It was cold morning after a wet day. Thermals are nil and soon as it heats up the Storks and Raptors take to the air. A Theory of my own to why it was perching.

Salgados lagoon day 2

 Id skipped a day due to a bit of rain, but was up early at the hide area of the lagoon.

 An early dawn walk out with Waterrail and Cettis Warbler calls

I was the only person out there and the sun was coming out.

 An colourful adult Bluthroat was feeding along the edges of the grassland adjacent which holds quite a few small birds , Mipits, Chiff chaff , Crested Lark , Serin, Waxbills  and Finches come to this area. I also found a 1st winter Bluethroat that didnt have much blue further along the track

Usual ducks, Moorhens, a few Spoonbills, Herons were on the lake . A Ruff was also seen .

On the walk back a Swamphen was close to the bridge with the Coots

Bluethroat adult

Waiting for the sun to come up.

Western Swamphen

!st winter Bluethroat

Booted Eagle Salgados Lagoon

 If your birding around Salgados lagoon you need to keep watching the skies .

I picked up this Booted Eagle a long way off, Realizing it was coming my way I tucked in tight to a bush staying still ,motionless, camera in position letting the bird pass straight over my head.

Most days you can see Booted Eagle here but generally they tend to be a bit higher up on a thermal circling the area or over far side of the lagoon.

Salgados Lagoon Algarve Portugal 2025

 Cant believe it was 7 years ago since I came here to the lagoon  for the 1st time and I always promised myself to return so I booked a Villa for a week 10 minute walk away from the lagoon and got away from some awful weather back home..

Along the boardwalk into the reserve it takes a a bit of time as the diversity of birdlife is amazing  you can collect birds such as Cattle Egret , Cetti`s Warbler , Fan tailed Warbler, Audouins Gull , Caspain Tern plus more.

The islands within the lagoon are essential to life here and its a safe haven for birds, apart from the Marsh Harriers that are consistently on the hunt scaring ducks

The grass and bushland surrounding the lagoon feed Wagtails and Pipits ,Greenfinch, Golfinch, Waxbills, Serin and Bluethroat 

Audouins Gulls,and Yellow legged Gulls sharing the sand islands with Teal, Shovelar, lapwing and a few Golden Plover

Booted Eagle. one of two pale morphs that were circling high above the lagoon

Marsh Harriers are consistent here with three birds seen at once  

Hundreds of Crag Martin wizz over the water with the occasional Swallow and House Martin to be seen among them

Glossy Ibis are common with over forty seen during the morning

Stone chat

Black Redstart - Lahinch

 Happy Xmas to all.

Yesterday I took a morning stroll along Lahinch prom to see if the Black Redstart that was seen the day before was about

I could see just along the rocks and outside the Celtic T shirt shop a few Stonechats, Wagtails and  Rock Pipits were feeding  in a certain area, sure enough the Black Redstart was with them.

A very approachable bird that showed no sense of fear toward me, normally these birds just shy away out of sight and return when your gone, either that being over a dune or wall into other gardens.

Lough Donnell GWE & RTD

 I passed down the coast to Lough Donnell to catch up with the Great White Egret that was found yesterday.

 As I pulled up the GWE was obvious and 4 Little Egret were also here

More to the point the lough is low in water which is a rare thing, when this happens Lough Donnell turns into one of Clares best wetlands to view birds.

Plenty of Wigeon,Teal and Shovelar make up the ducks.100s of Snipe a few Redshank, Greenshank, Oystercatcher and Lapwing made up the waders, dont forget the gulls.

A Red throated Diver wss skulking around the the far side.

The Black throated Divers of North Clare

There were days not long ago where you could see rafts of Black throated Divers along the North Clare coast between Black Head , Coolsiva, the Rhine of Ballyvaughn round to Finvarra. 

. I have to say spring is a better time to see these birds in numbers before they go north to breed and you could have often seen 60-100 birds offshore on a mild glassy day.

Stories from the older lads Id say had even larger numbers, but sadly those days are gone.

Yesterday I found  two BTD a long way out of Coolsiva harbour , same with one way out from Carnsafin.

I had come down to the rocks shelf at Black head to photo some Razorbills when all of a sudden 200 metres out five BTD were passing me heading into Galway bay quite quickly. To distant to photo I fought to get some precious video from the Phonescope.

Question is -  Are there anymore? and what year will produce a zero count.

 

Buzzard and Kestrel in the Burren

 A Buzzard was perched up on the flag posts of Caherconnell fort , dead still, surveying the damp field below itself, its mood reflected the damp weather.

As I came through the Burren toward Ballyvaughan a male Kestrel was on the bends at the Corkscrew hill.