Family Holiday to the Algarve!

This started out as purely a family holiday in half term with Jen and Sophie.

In my travel job capacity I was offered a superb deal to stay at a new hotel (Martinhal)  and found out that it happens to be in the middle of a national park.

On further investigation it turns out that this is a hot spot for autumn migration so I did not hesitate to book!

We arrived after dark so had no real idea about the location of our 2 bed house until I woke up the next morning.

I opened up the balcony door to reveal a stunning heath and scrub landscape heading down a ravine to the beach and sea below.

I glanced down and saw a superb male Bluethroat (one of many new lifers for me). I had not even got my binoculars let alone camera and scope and by the time I had it had gone not to be seen for the rest of the holiday!

Over the next two hours I saw Sardinian Warblers, Wheatears and Stonechats by the bucket load and a Black Redstart which became a nervous regular visitor.

I did an hour or two on the balcony most days and got a great list just from here!

The next morning saw a fly by Peregrine Falcon and three new visitors.

The first was a Wryneck though it flew before I could get a great photo hence the record shot below but better views were given by a beautiful Ring Ouzel and Thekla Lark (again both lifers for me)

I decided to take a walk around the resort and found an area of pampas grass and gorse which gave me another lifer - Common Waxbill - which has a stunning red beak but was just too skittish for photos. Further on led to a small salt marsh and Little Egret, Turnstone, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Kentish Plover were common throughout my stay. However, the highlight was a group of Black Winged Stilts though they always kept their distance!

Prior to my trip I had been in contact with a guide - Simon Wates (http://algarvebirdman.com/) - who has lived in the area for a number of years. I had arranged to go on Monday afternoon with him and all day on Tuesday.

I met Simon who took me to the raptor viewpoint near Sagres which afforded some lovely birds on the way - Wood Lark, Crag Martin and Zitting Cisticola were both lifers again!

However, sadly, the viewpoint was quiet so we made our way back down to the scrub and trees.

The low lying fields near the cliffs gave a large flock of Chough and distant views of Little Bustard which scattered as we tried to get close enough for a photo!

In the wooded area I caught my first views of a Crested Tit - yes, another lifer!
There had been sightings of a rare Pallid Harrier which we decided to trace. Bingo - we saw this along with Hen Harrier too.

We then found a rare for Algarve Richard's Pipit and a fleeting first ever glimpse of a Dartford Warbler.

Another local bird - the Spotless Starling was also seen amongst the roosting flocks of Starling.

Simon then took me to a secret location to see Eagle Owls which has been breeding there for a number of years. As dusk approached we saw a fleeting glimpse of a Blue Rock-Thrush and just as we tried to follow this a stunning female Eagle Owl preening herself came into view. It was too dark for a photos but a memory I will not forget.

The next day took us to some wetlands in the Ria Formosa.

We started at the salt marsh close to the beach at Faro Airport.

Sea watching gave numerous Gulls and Great Skua and Cory's Shearwater - another lifer!

Back on the salt marsh there were a number of waders with Curlew, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Dunlin, Bar and Black Tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Turnstones and Plovers.

Highlights were a Kingfisher distant but perched, Caspian Tern, a Spoonbill which was tagged in Holland and a superb White Stork.

We then went to Quinta De Lago via lagoons and marsh where I got great views of Greater Flamingo. two Sacred Ibis on a fly past and a soaring Booted Eagle (crappy photos but a record shot for yet another lifer). In addition there were more waders inclusing Avocet and Black Winged Stilt.

Sadly, the singing Penduline Tit eluded us and as I did not see this I will not include in my list!

On to the golf course at Quinta Da Lago which has a super pond which attracts all sorts of birds. We did not find the Little Bittern but got great views of Purple Swamphen which had been a target bird for me and another lifer.

The track back gave Crested Lark, Hoopoe and another new to me bird - Azure Winged Magpie!

After leaving the reserve Simon stopped at a local farm where we had seen a Black Shouldered Kite a few days earlier and low and behold there was a male sitting on a telegraph wire some distance away. It was too far to get anymore than a fuzzy record shot but a lifer nevertheless!

On our way back to our hotel we stopped off in the hinterland and enjoyed the cork oaks and hillside scenery. The trees produced Crested Tit again but all else eluded us.

Over the remaining two days I saw many more common species along with great views of the rarer migrants.

The list finished on 101 species of birds all seen and did not include the once I heard.

There were some super butterflies too including Clouded Yellow, Short Tailed Blue and Wall Brown amongst others.

This is a birding mecca and I urge anyone to visit.