Work trip to Algarve

Once again I had to go and look at four hotels in the Algarve and left the UK on a freezing Sunday morning.

My first stop was the Holiday Inn in Armacao De Pera and arriving at 4pm meant I only had an hour before dark.

As I did not have to work until the following morning I dumped my bag and headed off along the beach to the river estuary which was about 20 minutes walk away.

I had no idea what to find here but it was the only place I could get to before dark.

I was pleasantly surprised!

There were Grey Herons, Little Egrets and Moorhens everywhere and these were interspersed by small flocks of Sanderling and Dunlin. The odd Redshank, Grey Plover and Turnstone were only eclipsed by a pretty Black Winged Stilt.

Huge amounts of gulls were present with the predominance being Yellow Legged and Med Gulls.

Around the reeds and thickets, Linnets and Willow Warbler were many and Zitting Cisticola and the odd Stonechat made up the numbers.

Light was fading fast and so a return to the hotel.

I had arranged the next day so that I did all my hotel inspections which meant for a very long day. However, I arrived at the new Conrad hotel in Quinta Do Lago where I was staying for the next two days, to find my 1pm appointment was postponed until 2pm.

I knew there were shops outside the hotel and decided to grab a coffee. Near the shops there was a golf course so I decided to have a quick 15 minute walk. However, I broke the golden rule about not taking my binos and camera! This was a mistake as in the first conifer I saw my first Firecrest and Crested Tits. Azure Winged Magpie were flying and there were Common Waxbills feeding. Only 50 feet away a Booted Eagle was sitting in a tree! Argh!

No time to dwell I went back for meetings which lasted well into the evening.

My last day was Tuesday and the hotel had agreed after a brief meeting first thing to drop me to Praia Do Quinta which is on the Rui Formosa National Park ( 10 minutes drive from the hotel).

On arrival (it was 9.15 in the morning) I was surprised by the fact that the beach was seperated from the mainland by the river estuary itself and a super wooden walkway linked the two.

The mudflats around were stuffed with waders and views from the edge and the bridge gave great views of many species.

On the edge near the beach a Black Redstart flitted to a post but it was too quick for me to photograph but Linnets and Willow Warblers and the odd Serin were everywhere.

The pathway either side of the bridge was well marked and to the left led to a large lagoon.

Along the way I saw loads of Azure Winged Magpies and Willow Warblers as well as Stonechat and Sardinian Warblers.

A quick glance to the left and I saw a Pipit on a private lawn but had to take a quick snap through chicken wire fencing. I am still undecided but suspect it is just a Meadow Pipit.

On the lagoon were numerous ducks, Little and Great Crested Grebe and yet more of the same Gulls.

I then walked back to the Sao Lorenco golf course which abuts the National Park.

They even have a hide over the lagoon and this gave me another local speciality - Purple Swamphen.

More Willow Warblers, particularly impressive Shovelers and more of the same ducks abounded.

At this point the path dissappeared as workers were chopping trees so I decided to take my own route - big mistake!

Within half an hour I was completely lost and found myself on the edge of another golf course.

However, it proved to be fruitful as I found a small pond with Terrapins, the odd Hoopoe, Crested Larks, Cattle Egret and even a distant view of White Storks on a nest!

I eventually found the way back and apart from an obliging photos or two saw much of the same.

I got back to the hotel with an hour to spare before dark so shot across the the nearby golf course to see if I could get a copule of photographs. Typically, there was little about apart from the Azure Winged Magpies and Common Waxbills.

A 7am flight from Faro the next morning meant an end to my birding. This was my second Algarve trip where I could do some birding and it has to be one of the best in Europe!

Holiday to Halkidiki, Greece

At last!

9 days in a super hotel on the Kassandra Peninsular near Thessaloniki.

Just the wife and I so I could do a bit of birding everyday but not for long spells!!

The Sani Beach Hotel is top notch and due to my job got a fantastic deal there, I knew Jen would like it but my ulterior motive was that it is adjacent to a protected area called the Sani Wetlands located to the back of the hotel and seperated from the beach by mature pine forest. The wetalnds themselves comprise of the first lake which is freshwater and a further 3km on, a saltwater lake.

I had managed a two day work trip there last May and was really impressed by the volume of water birds so hoped an autumn trip might be equally fruitful.

Sadly, they had a really dry summer which was continuing when we arrived. Instead of the 20 degrees and showers we were expecting it was 30 degrees and clear blue skies for the whole week - great for sunbathing but the wetlands were much reduced in size and much further away from the hotel meaning at least 40 minutes walk to get to the first area.

Subsequently, I actually saw fewer birds and distances were so great that photography was out of the question.

Still, there were some highlights so here goes!

Common birds which were seen frequently were House Sparrows which incorporated the odd Spanish Sparrow, Hooded Crows, Yellow Legged Gulls, Collared Doves, Blackbirds, Starlings, Great Tits, Robins (though more wary than ours) and Chaffinch. These could all be seen around the hotel grounds.

My first foray though the pine woods gave me Spotted Flycatcher which was actually very common! I also saw my first ever Wood Warbler and Tree Pipit but sadly I was too slow getting my camera sorted for photos.

The volume of birds that we consider quite scarce but were relatively common there continued and soon I had Red Backed Shrikes, Woodchat Shrikes and Winchat to add to my list.

As I approached the edge of the wood, there is a work yard where they pile up sea weed collected from the beach. This area become a popular spot and over the week gave up Wheatear, Crested Lark and some stunning Cirl Buntings.

On various days I also added the odd single bird such as Stonechat and Corn Bunting though the former was too fast for my camera!

The wetlands themselves proved mainly disappointing with far fewer waders than I had expected and most were too far away for photos though I did get Black Winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper and Turnstone. There were one or two others but in honesty they were too distant to give a positive ID.

On my last full day there had beed a strong North Westerly wind and so I made my way down to the first lake. Though no different or nearer waders I did get a mitful of ducks including Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard and best of all Ferruginous Duck - again though too far for photos. Better still was a large influx of Grey Heron with the odd Purple Heron, a few Little Egrets and a handful of Great White Egrets. There were shed loads of Marsh Harrier quartering and a fly by Sparrowhawk too. A flash of colour exited the nearby reeds and a Kingfisher flew past.

I was just about to leave the lake when I saw a bit of movement in some nearer reeds. A quick scan gave a lovely Squacco Heron hunting.

The long trudge to the salt water lake did allow fleeting views of a female Blackcap, a few Willow Warblers and a single Whitethroat.  On a nearby field a pair of Kestrels were hovering and some distant Yellow Wagtails feeding.

I eventually got to the lake and was stunned to find there was not a single bird on the lake!

To say I was a bit miffed was an understatement but I did continue to scan the dried out mudflats nearby.

A White Wagtail was some distance away but at least I had added another species to the list.

After a while I had seen a few more and as I made my way back to the path for my long walk back to the hotel I noticed another Wagtail which was different and had a completely different jiz to the White Wagtails. It was feeding on its own. It was distant but I did get close enough to get a few crappy photos and excitedly decided I had seen my first Citrine Wagtail. I later found out this is the only place in Greece they had been regularly recorded and only ever in October!

The final morning of our holiday allowed a for a quick walk and sea watch adding the not infrequent Audouins Gull.

Overall a not hugely impressive 50 species but, nevertheless a few highlights.

I did not see and mammals but there were a handful of butterlies including Greek Clouded Yellow and Wall Brown. Dragonflies were everywhere and I did manage one photo but am not sure of the species.

I need to get some UK birding in soon so off to North Norfolk next month for a few days!

Dubai and Oman Work Trip

In my travel agency role I had been invited to visit a number of hotels in Dubai and one in Oman for a week.

I grabbed the chance and had hoped to have lots of free time to do some serious birding - until I got my itinerary!

13 hotels in 6 days with little free time meant that I would be grabbing the odd hour here and there but vowed to make the most of it.

The first stop was a remote hotel in the Musandam Peninsula in Oman which is actually only accessible by road from the Emirates and is completely seperate from the rest of Oman.

After settling in I had an hour or so to take a look around and was rewarded immediately!

There were hundreds of Common Myna (which were the most frequently seen bird throughout the trip)

I quickly saw both White Eared and White Spectacled Bulbul flitting through the trees and another local bird - Laughing Dove - everywhere. All of these were lifers.

My room was only a few meters from a long sandy beach and as it was getting towards sundown I took a stroll along. There were Bar Tailed Godwits, Ruff, Whimbrel, Greenshank and a lifer for me in Greater Sand Plover.

I did a bit of seawatching but all terns and gulls were to far out with binoculars to make out species but a solitary cormorant gave me a speciality of the area and another lifer - Socotra Cormorant  - a bit far out but a record shot nevertheless!

I was really chuffed but had to leave to get ready for dinner but vowed to get up early the following morning and get another hour in before I had to leave.
So a quick walk around outside the hotel was planned but just before I left my room I looked out to a lovely slim black and white bird in a tree. This turned out to be another speciality and lifer - Hume's Wheatear!

The area outside the hotel was barren and mountainous so foliage attracted birds and high in the trees gave me Blue Cheeked Bee-eater.

Scurrying away so too fast for photos was a covey of Chuktar Partridge - this was great! House Sparrows and Collared Dove were also present.

Finally another lifer was added with an eclipse Purple Sunbird.

On the drive back to Dubai we stopped at the border crossing to have our passports checked which happened to be on the coast and nearby fishing boats gave numerous Black Tern but fearsome looking guards glaring at me meant I dare not start taking pictures!

Eventually we arrived at our next hotel which was in the desert in Ras Al Khomeinh.

Again, I only had half an hour before sundown but managed to add Stock Dove, Rock Dove and Rose Ringed Parakeet to the list.

My only option was for another hour before breakfast so did just that. Am I glad I did!

First new bird was Green Bee Eater but frustratingly no decent photo (see later!)

However, a magnificent Indian Roller posed perfectly for me -  another lifer!.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a lovely Spotted Flycatcher next which again gave decent views and  photos along with an Arabian Oryx feeding.

Next up was an unusual bird which again I had not seen before and identified as an Arabian Babbler.

There were birds everywhere and after looking at what I thought were a large flock of House Sparrows I realised the tails were not 'right'. Further examination gave me Indian Silverbill though hard to photograph as they did not sit still!

Finally and not least I got yet another super view of a lifer - Isabelline Shrike.

Running late again, I rushed to get ready for my inspections in Dubai. The journey was mainly uneventful though a Brown Necked Raven at a junction was a bonus!

Hotel after hotel and I was feeling very tired but a walk around the sumptous roof top bar at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel gave Pale Crag Martin but the photo is pathetic!

Eventually, we checked in at yet another hotel - the One and Only Royal Mirage with about 30 minutes before sunset.

A quick patrol of the gardens gave a flying Little Egret, a quick view of another lifer - Pied Myna and stunning views of yet another - Red Vented Bulbul. House Crows were everywhere even one eating a lizard!

No birdwatching for a day as my itinerary was just too full but I then got a whole two hours out on my own so headed to Ras Al Khor which is a lagoon nature reserve inside the city limits. I arrived to find a super hide but a warden also to tell me that the reserve shut in half an hour!

Thus I only had an all too brief view but Greater Flamingo and a distant Black Crowned Night Heron gave me lifers along with Black Winged Stilt, Grey Heron, Redshank, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover and Caspian Tern.

Sadly, everything was a long way away and the lack of scope and time prevented me from really making the most of this great place.

With an hour left I headed for Safa Park which is a big park within the city with an ornamental lake.

Hoopoes were everywhere and were interspersed by Crested Lark and Tawny Pipit.

The ornamental lake seemed very quiet with a solitary Mallard on the water. However, at 40 degrees I was the only idiot out and about! Nevertheless, careful scrutiny of the water edge gave another lifer in Striated Heron and three Whimbrel.

My last day was yet another three hotels though we got through them quickly and I arrived at Desert Palms at around 4pm. No birding tomorrow as we were leaving for the airport at 6am and it was not light until then.

However, the stoke of luck I had was that the hotel was adjacent to the Polo Fields which is a popular place for local birders as the grounds are always being watered so attract birds.

I walked onto my balcony to see immediately a Red Wattled Lapwing - beautiful!

I grabbed my binos and camera and set out for a walk round the polo fields.

First up but too quick for a photo was a stunning male Golden Oriole flying from the tree tops. The edges of the fields had equally flighty Grey Francolin and many of the birds already seen were also present. Coming across a wire fence I at last got a decent view of a Green Bee-eater.

I also saw what I thought was a Wheatear but could be another Spotted Flycatcher. I only managed one photo but it just seemed to large and streamlined for a Spot Fly so the jury is out on this one!

The last bird of the trip was my final lifer and was seen distant across the fields. A pair of Cream Coloured Coursers. They were so far away I feared I would not even get a record shot but managed a reasonable shot!

Overall I saw a total of 60 birds not including all the gulls and terns too far away to give a positive ID so for a total of about 5 hours birding I was well pleased! 26 lifers is not bad too!!!