Portugal Birding - Monday 15th February 2016 (Day 2 - Aljezur, Monchique and Lagos)

With the weather forecast to be considerably more promising for our second day in Portugal, we decided to head back up to Aljezur to see if the sun would tempt out the Snowfinch. Arriving back on site early the next morning, the conditions were a huge improvement on the day before – glorious blue skies and puffy white clouds met us as we pulled up at the side of the fields. Several Hoopoes soaked up the sun on the sandy banks lining the road, while the Iberian Grey Shrikes from Sunday again gave excellent views perched out in the open.

Hoopoe - always a welcome sight in the Med

Iberian Grey Shrike

The increase in bird life from the day before was soon apparent, with a greater number of Crested Larks happily feeding in the short grass at the side of the road, along with the familiar Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches. On closer inspection, we managed to unearth a Thekla Lark amongst them, the white eyering, distinct dark lores, and shorter bill distinguishing it from the similar Cresteds. 

Thekla Lark - note the clear black lores and distinct eyering

Several Corn Buntings foraging amongst the straw in one of the fields were also new in from yesterday, offering some hope that the Snowfinch may still make an appearance. Sadly it wasn’t to be, and a rather confiding male Sardinian Warbler was the best new bird we could manage.

Male Sardinian Warbler - one of my favourite Mediterranean warblers

With the Snowfinch having been present for around a week prior to our visit and apparently favouring the field where a large bull had been kept (according to reports it liked to feed in the straw), the fact the bull had now been taken away may have played a factor in the Snowfinch’s untimely departure. Disappointing to say the least, but after searching the entire surrounding area it was clear that the Snowfinch had most definitely moved on.

The dreaded Snowfinch fields

With the rain threatening to dampen our day once again and having seen enough of the same patch of daisies to last a lifetime, we decided enough was enough and headed out further in to the Portuguese countryside in an effort to locate some of our other targets for the trip. Travelling east inland towards the Serra de Monchique mountain range, we scanned the wires, fences and trees scattered throughout the lush green farmland in an effort to locate any Black-shouldered Kites, a species I was especially keen to see.

Portugal Birding - Sunday 14th February 2016 (Day 1 - Aljezur and Lagos)

With a Snowfinch present in southern Portugal over the first week of February along with a whole host of Iberian specialities that me and Alex hadn’t managed to catch up with in one of our visits to Spain, we decided to book a last minute break to Portugal in the hopes of catching up with some of our previously missed Mediterranean targets.

A new country for both of us, we touched down at Faro airport late on the Saturday evening ready to hire our car the next morning for a full days’ worth of exploring. Awaking bright and early in our hotel on the Sunday, our first bird of note was a singing Fan-tailed Warbler displaying enthusiastically over the reeds and tall grasses that surrounded our balcony, quickly followed by several House Sparrows chirruping away. Despite a careful search however, no Spanish Sparrows were interspersed amongst them – a key target for me during the trip. Several Barn Swallows and House Martins darted low down below the balcony, skimming the tops of the reeds and being a nice reminder of the spring and summer months still to come back in Britain.

After picking up our hire car we were on the road by 10, travelling along the south coast of Portugal to our first stop at Aljezur to see if the Snowfinch was still present. The 6th record for Portugal and a species that we had missed whilst in the Pyrenees two years ago, this was a bird that we could potentially jam in on out of habitat without having to make a special trip up to the high mountains.

The high Pyrenees of Northern Spain where Snowfinches would be more at home!

Hearing that Iberian Magpies (one of our key targets of the trip) were supposedly ridiculously common in this area of Portugal prior to leaving the UK, we were expecting to be inundated with them as we made our way along the roads. Surprisingly this wasn’t the case, and we didn’t encounter any until at least nearly an hour in to our journey as we neared Aljezur. Stopping off at the side of the road to let an impatient driver past, we took the opportunity to scan the surrounding trees for signs of any birds. A female Blackcap darted quickly through the leaves and out of sight, before a large grey bird flying right caught my eye, quickly followed by another, then another, then another! Getting better views, the ID was confirmed - incredibly we had stumbled upon a large travelling party of Iberian Magpies and our first lifer of the trip! Counting up to 40 individuals present from the road, we hurried out of the car and ventured down the adjoining dirt track, in pursuit of what was now a fast flying and very loud flock on the move. 

Record shot of our first Iberian Magpies

With some of the flock perched on the nearby branches, we rattled off a few record shots – and then they were off, chattering noisily as they ventured deep in to the impenetrable thicket of trees on the other side of the path. Purely by chance, we had notched up our first new bird and one of our main targets of the trip.